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Course Listing Environment and Society

All courses, arranged by program, are listed in the catalog. If you cannot locate a specific course, try the Advanced Search. Current class schedules, with posted days and times, can be found on the NOW/Student Dashboard or by logging in to SiS.


History of Photography (Formerly 79.225)

Description

Since photography's inventions in the first half of the 19th century the medium has profoundly shaped how we comprehend and interact with the world. This course focuses on the major social and artistic impacts of photography, from the 19th century Daguerreotype to the ethics of AI generated post-photographic images. We consider photography's impacts on modern global events, including war, colonial expansion and post-colonial resistance, social justice and reform movements, and as a means to image landscape and environment, including climate change. We also consider photography's material forms, form ephemeral social media to works of art that live on museum walls.

Modern Architecture (Formerly 58.315)(Formerly ARHI.3150)

Description

This course will examine global architecture from the 19th century to the present. It addresses the major movements, "-isms", architects, publications, schools, and technological innovations that contributed to varied (and often conflicting) notions of "Modern architecture." Growing nationalism and politics, travel and colonial occupation, the effects of war, and changing conceptions of nature and science, all transformed the built environment. This course will provide a better understanding not only of individual works but also of the ways architecture manifests important themes such as nationalism, regionalism, functionalism, rationalism, and the most current theme, happiness.

Architectural Utopias (Formerly ARHI.3160)

Description

can we build a better world? Many people from various eras and geographical locations have argued we can. The idea of utopia -- a place of harmony free from want and strife -- has shaped both imagined and real places. So has its opposite: dystopia. This course will focus on architectural visions and solutions for utopias from the ancient world to the present: from myths of long-lost cities to projected colonies on the moon and Mars.

Prerequisites

Pre-Req: ENGL 1020 College Writing II.

The City and the Environment (Formerly ARHI.3550)

Description

This class will assess the ideas, strategies, and ethical debates at the intersection of city development and the environment through three major questions. First, what are the most significant environmental issues that confront cities today and what are the ethical considerations for potential solutions? Second, how are the available options for cities a consequence of their original designs and past reinvention projects? Three, how do political, civic, non-profit, and institutional stakeholders come together to accept or reject sustainable development best practices and innovative solutions: The course is designed for students to hear from real-world experts to apply theoretical concepts, provide a concrete basis for analyzing public discussions of city development, and expose students to the diverse entities and organizations that work together at the intersection of cities and the natural world. Students will gain an understanding about how to critically assess the public discussions about city development, natural resource protection, and new frontiers of sustainable development.

Prerequisites

Pre-req: ENGL.1010 College Writing I, or ENGL.1020 College Writing II.

Art and Environment (Formerly ARHI.2300)

Description

This course surveys developments in land, environmental, and ecological art. Some of the most compelling artists today engage with the politics of land use, including the conditions of the global economy, climate change, environmental justice, sustainability, sovereignty and land claims, uneven geographies and expanding megacities, and the privatization of public space.

Weather and Climate (Formerly 85.141)

Description

General meteorology course. Topics include atmospheric composition, solar radiation, temperature, moisture and condensation relationship between air pressure and wind, weather patterns, severe weather, optical phenomena in the atmosphere, and the behavior and possible change of climate. Appropriate for KCS major science elective.

Prerequisites

Co-req: ATMO.1430L Weather & Climate Lab, and Anti-req: ENVI.2020 Earth Systems: Atmosphere and Oceans, Please Note: Academic petition is required for anti-req exceptions.

Principles of Ecology (Formerly 81.315)

Description

A series of lectures concerned with the interrelationships of organisms with their abiotic environment with emphasis on the New England area. Selected current topics will supplement the text.

Prerequisites

Pre-req: BIOL.2400 Evolution, Ecology and Conservation, and Co-req: BIOL.3170L Principles of Ecology Lab, or Permission of Instructor.

Principles of Ecology Laboratory (Formerly 81.317)

Description

A series of laboratory exercises to supplement and illustrate lectures of 81.315. Field trips are an integral part of the course involving sampling and analysis of such ecosystem components as water, soil, invertebrate fauna and characteristic flora of various habitats. Directed readings, quizzes, practical exam and oral presentation of a research topic are integral parts of the course.

Prerequisites

Co-Req: BIOL.3150 Principles of Ecology.

Public Finance (Formerly 49.319)

Description

The economics of the public sector. Principles of public expenditure, taxation, and the public debt applied to federal, state, and local governments.

Prerequisites

Pre-Req: ECON.2010 Principles of Microeconomics

Climate Change Economics

Description

Climate change affects populations around the world, underscoring the need to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. Many disciplines are needed for innovative solutions to climate change, and economics plays a key role. Economists provide assumptions for models of current and future impacts. Economic models permit to predict how incentives can modify individual and group behavior. Economists also use real-world data to obtain empirical estimates of the wide range of climate change effects. With this research, economists inform local and global climate policy. This course introduces concepts to understand how economists approach the development of climate polices. With this foundation and from the lens of an economist, students evaluate climate change impacts and policy solutions. Students also gain the skills to engage in active discussions of articles and other media related to these topics from a multifaceted perspective.

Prerequisites

Pre-Req: ECON.2010 Principles of Microeconomics

Introduction to Environmental Economics (Formerly 49.315/415)

Description

This course provides an introduction to the field of environmental and natural resource economics. It is designed to give students an overview of how economic principles can be applied to environmental management and policy. Topic areas and applications include evaluation of environmental policies, valuation of environmental goods and services, climate change, and management of renewable and non-renewable resources. Students will learn to critique articles and other media and have intelligent discussions related to the topics listed above.

Prerequisites

Pre-Req: ECON.2010 Principles of Microeconomics

Literature on Technology and Human Values (Formerly 42.249)

Description

A study of the relationship between works of fiction, cultural attitudes toward technology, and social values. Meets Core Curriculum Essential Learning Outcome for Social Responsibility & Ethics (SRE).

Prerequisites

Pre-Req: ENGL.1020 College Writing II.

Writing About Place (Formerly 42.324)

Description

Writers throughout time have been thoroughly grounded in place. Students in this course will read and write on a variety of topics: travel, cities, suburbs, dwelling places, nature, environmental issues, etc., in a variety of genres: creative non-fiction, essays, journalism, short stories, poetry, journals. This course will be held in a workshop format with strong emphasis on revision.

Prerequisites

Pre-req: ENGL 2270 Essay Writing for English Majors, or ENGL 2290 Essay Writing for Non-English Majors, or ENGL 2380 Intro. to Creative Writing or ENGL 2390 Introduction to Professional Writing, or Permission of Instructor.

Writing about the Environment

Description

From John Muir to Rachel Carson to Bill McKibben, environmentalists have traditionally relied upon the power of their prose to transform the thoughts and behavior of their contemporaries. Stemming form the premise that writing is a form of environmental action, this course introduces students to a range of modes of writing in environmental studies. In the process of reading, discussing and practicing different kinds of environmental writing, students will develop a variety of writing skill in addition to an appreciation for writing as an important form of environmental action.

Prerequisites

Pre-req: ENGL.1020 College Writing II, and Co-req: ENGL.2270 Essay Writing for English majors, or ENGL.2290 Essay Writing, or ENGL.2390 Intro to Professional Writing.

Natural Disasters

Description

The purpose of this course is to gain a deeper understanding of the science behind natural disasters. Each natural disaster will be examined from the perspective of Earth's systems. Students will learn the best way to prepare themselves should a disaster strike.

Prerequisites

Co-req: ENVI.1140L Natural Disasters Laboratory.

Climate Change: Science, Communication, and Solutions (Formerly 81.416/BIOL.4160)

Description

Like many of the 'grand challenges' currently facing society, climate change is a complex problem that cuts across academic disciplines, including the physical sciences, biology, engineering, economics, political sciences, and behavioral psychology. In this course, we integrate recent research from many of these disciplines to explore the scientific basis of climate change, its impacts on the natural world and human society, and societal responses to it. Through interactive simulations, class discussions, lectures, current scientific literature, and student-led projects (such as video production and dynamic modeling), the goal of this course is to empower students to come to their own decisions about how society can address the climate change challenge.

Prerequisites

Co-req: ENVI.4170L Climate Change: Science, Communication, and Solutions Lab.

Directed Studies: Environment and Society

Description

An individual supervised research project relative to issues of the environment and society. Thematic or methodological issues must result in a significant research paper.

Native American History (Formerly 43.274)

Description

A comprehensive study of the Native Americans through historical and first-hand accounts of their lives. Designed to enlighten students and to represent fairly the Native Americans, dispelling some of the existing myths about them.

The World of Things: Consumer Cultures in the Modern West (Formerly 43.301)

Description

This course will examine the emergence and historical impact of consumer cultures in the modern West, from the eighteenth century through the present. Topics to be covered will include the emergence of spaces of consumption (the home, the commercial/spectacular metropolis, the department store, the shopping mall, the tourist site), changing attitudes toward shopping and spending, the construction of modern social identities of class, gender, generation and race through consumption, and political struggles over consumption.

Food in American History

Description

This course examines change and continuity in American foodways from the pre-Revolutionary era to the present, focusing on the significance of class, race, gender, nationality, religion and region as well as transnational dimensions in that culinary history.

Prerequisites

Pre-Req: ENGL 1020 College Writing II.

American Environmental History (Formerly 43.316)

Description

This course explores the environmental history of early America and the United States from the end of the last ice age (c. 12,500 years ago) to the present. It examines the role played by nature as an historical agent as well as the relationship between human communities and the physical and organic environment. Course themes include evolving land use, the environmental significance of industrial capitalism, urban public health, resource conservation and wilderness protection, the impact of ecology on public consciousness, as well as environmentalism.

Environmental History of Middle East & North Africa

Description

This course examines the history of the Middle East and North Africa from an environmental angle. We will think about how a focus on environmental factors enables alternative perspectives on colonialism, nationalism, capitalism, gender and sexuality, empire, race, and class. What are some of the benefits of these interpretations? Are there also drawbacks? We will also consider what it means to talk about the impacts of climate change in the region when thinking historically.

Prerequisites

Pre-Req: ENGL.1020 College Writing II.

Environmental Law (Formerly 41.367)

Description

This course examines the legal and administrative problems of protecting the quality of the human environment. Federal and state legislation on environmental policy is studied. Public interest litigation as a supplement to the enforcement of environmental law is discussed. The course also focuses on the practical problems of balancing the needs of business, the global competitiveness of the United States, the increasing demand for natural resources, and the need to protect, preserve, and restore the environment. The importance of sustainable development and environmental ethics are discussed.

Public and Non-Profit Management and Leadership

Description

This course offers students an overview of the practical and theoretical foundations of managing, planning, and leadership within public and community-serving organizations. Topics and issues explored through the course include the role of professional managers within the public sector, the process of executive decision-making, employee incentives and motivation, conflict management, performance measurement, ethical challenges faced by managers, workplace diversity, strategic planning, and power dynamics. Course activities will include weekly critical readings and case studies, as well as individual and group problem-solving exercises.

Sustainable Housing Development and Land Use: Conflict, Policy, and Practice (Formerly PCS 527)

Description

Housing is fundamental to the quality of life in communities, and housing conflict, policy and practice shape the availability of this fundamental good. This course will examine the economic, environmental, social, and cultural factors that shape housing and its sustainability. The contentious nature of housing and land use policy in the United States will be summarized, with students learning how housing policy impacts communities, states, and regions. The course will then give students a detailed understanding of the conflictive process through which housing is developed and the role the market, government, funders, workers, and housing consumers play in influencing the creation and development of housing. The course will highlight ways in which current housing development policy and practices are not sustainable, and will examine more recent efforts to establish standards and practices that enhance consensus and sustainability. Students will learn how to manage conflict and take a housing project through the various stages, such as project conceptualization, market analysis, design, site acquisition, financing, construction, and occupancy. While the course focuses on the U.S. context, students will learn of international efforts to achieve greater sustainability in housing. The course will provide students with both practical and theoretical knowledge of housing and land use conflict, policy and development practices. Case studies of actual projects will be presented.

Environmental Philosophy (Formerly 45.327)

Description

An examination of the philosophical foundations of environmentalism. Addresses both the question of ethical duties we owe to animals and to nature, and also the question of man's relation to the natural world.

Introduction to Environmental Politics (Formerly 46.175)

Description

This course introduces major concepts in environmental politics to provide a comprehensive understanding of the formation of environmental policy in the United States. Throughout the course, particular attention is paid to the role of government and markets in creating environmental crises and shaping policy responses.

Comparative Environmental Politics

Description

This course focuses on how differences in political institutions, culture, regulatory style, and economic structure play in shaping environmental policies; the impact these differences have on the ability of states to achieve cooperative solutions to common environmental problems; and how international environmental interactions shape domestic environmental policy.

Prerequisites

Pre-Req: POLI.1750 Introduction to Environmental Politics.

Environmental Security

Description

The central goals of this course are (1) to give students a solid grounding in various analytical approaches to environmental security, and (2) to explore a variety of environmental security issues. This is a heavily analytical course; critical thinking is required equipment.

Prerequisites

Pre-Req: ENGL 1020 College Writing II.

The Politics of Food (Formerly 46.332)

Description

The course will examine current debates in food politics over: regulatory politics and the appropriate reach of the state in food labeling, safety, and oversight; genetically modified food, organic and sustainable agriculture, the effects of economic globalization of the food supply chain and the future of the world food system.

Global Environmental Policy (Formerly 46.358)

Description

This course explores contemporary international environmental issues from both theoretical and policy perspectives; consideration too of broader forces impacting international environmental politics.

Environment, Racism, and Justice

Description

Environment, Racism, and Justice

Prerequisites

Pre-Req: ENGL 1020 College Writing II.

Principles of Environmental Health Science (Formerly PUBH.208)

Description

This is a survey course that provides an overview of the rapidly growing field of environmental health, through an introduction to the links between environmental stressors and impacts on public health. The course will explore human and industrial activities that impact on health such as overpopulation, food production, air and water pollution, waste, toxic substances, pests, and global climate change. The course will also examine the types of diseases and illnesses that result from environmental impacts. These impacts have multiple causes and understanding these can in turn provide clues as to the most effective prevention options. Students will explore topics of interest in greater detail through short writing assignments. Meets Core Curriculum Essential Learning Outcome for Social Responsibility & Ethics (SRE).

Prerequisites

Pre-req: Public Health Majors or Minors or Permission of Instructor.

Environmental Health (Formerly 19.506)

Description

This environmental health course explores the links between human activities and environmental systems and examines how these interactions can impact human health. The course is designed to provide knowledge and skills necessary to understand how human and industrial activities such as population growth, methods of food production, pollution of the air and water, waste, the built environment, toxic substances, pest control, and global climate change can result in human diseases and impact the environment. Understanding the links between human activities and environmental systems is essential to developing effective prevention strategies and building sustainable communities.

Climate Crisis and Society (Formerly 48.236)

Description

Focusing on case studies of recent and pending environmental disasters, this course will trace how political, social, economic and cultural arrangements and choices contribute to environmental catastrophes and their resolution. In order to identify possibilities for agency, students will play several environmental games in which they will assume roles in the global economy, governmental and civil society to identify possibilities for agency. As a final project, students will describe a recent disaster identifying both structures that create environmental stresses and the options that might exist for structural changes. The project is intended to develop both critical thinking and communication skills.

Sociological Perspective on Communication & Social Change (Formerly 48.311)

Description

Most social interactions and interventions involve communication. Thus, communication patterns present critical issues for sociological inquiry. This course introduces communication as a central yet often ignored element of social life. It surveys existing communication theories, then focuses on models used by marginalized populations in efforts to democratize communication systems. Finally, it introduces tools for communication strategizing. As a final product students will conduct a frame analysis of a current social topic. From a general liberal arts perspective, the course will stress critical thinking and writing skills.

Prerequisites

Pre-Req: SOCI.1010 Intro to Sociology.