Class Schedules

Minnesota, the land of 10,000 lakes, is also home to numerous streams and rivers. In this course we will examine the nature of these aquatic ecosystems; exploring their ecology, geology and chemistry. We will also investigate human impacts through such practices as agriculture, urbanization and industrialization, on these important ecosystems. Students will complete projects exploring various aspects of local waterbodies, especially the Mississippi, Minnesota, and St. Croix Rivers. Three lecture hours each week.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course dives into a range of topics to study how species, populations, communities, ecosystems, and biomes function in our changing climate. We will emphasize biological nutrient and energy cycling, population dynamics, animal and plant species interactions, disturbances and response to disturbances, and ecology in urban and agricultural landscapes. We will examine Ecology under four conceptual 'lenses': Climate Change, Environmental Justice, Land Use, and Ecosystem Services. These lenses provide critical insight into how scientists, policy makers, land managers, and other stakeholders evaluate complex ecological and environmental systems. Labs will be field and data-based, and emphasize the development of hypotheses, novel data collection at Ordway Field Station, and statistical analysis. Three hours lecture and one three-hour laboratory each week. Students must complete the corresponding Permissions and Waitlists form in order to be permitted to enroll, see the department website for forms.

General Education Requirements:
Quantitative Thinking Q3

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course dives into a range of topics to study how species, populations, communities, ecosystems, and biomes function in our changing climate. We will emphasize biological nutrient and energy cycling, population dynamics, animal and plant species interactions, disturbances and response to disturbances, and ecology in urban and agricultural landscapes. We will examine Ecology under four conceptual 'lenses': Climate Change, Environmental Justice, Land Use, and Ecosystem Services. These lenses provide critical insight into how scientists, policy makers, land managers, and other stakeholders evaluate complex ecological and environmental systems. Labs will be field and data-based, and emphasize the development of hypotheses, novel data collection at Ordway Field Station, and statistical analysis. Three hours lecture and one three-hour laboratory each week. Students must complete the corresponding Permissions and Waitlists form in order to be permitted to enroll, see the department website for forms.

General Education Requirements:
Quantitative Thinking Q3

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course dives into a range of topics to study how species, populations, communities, ecosystems, and biomes function in our changing climate. We will emphasize biological nutrient and energy cycling, population dynamics, animal and plant species interactions, disturbances and response to disturbances, and ecology in urban and agricultural landscapes. We will examine Ecology under four conceptual 'lenses': Climate Change, Environmental Justice, Land Use, and Ecosystem Services. These lenses provide critical insight into how scientists, policy makers, land managers, and other stakeholders evaluate complex ecological and environmental systems. Labs will be field and data-based, and emphasize the development of hypotheses, novel data collection at Ordway Field Station, and statistical analysis. Three hours lecture and one three-hour laboratory each week. Students must complete the corresponding Permissions and Waitlists form in order to be permitted to enroll, see the department website for forms.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This course dives into a range of topics to study how species, populations, communities, ecosystems, and biomes function in our changing climate. We will emphasize biological nutrient and energy cycling, population dynamics, animal and plant species interactions, disturbances and response to disturbances, and ecology in urban and agricultural landscapes. We will examine Ecology under four conceptual 'lenses': Climate Change, Environmental Justice, Land Use, and Ecosystem Services. These lenses provide critical insight into how scientists, policy makers, land managers, and other stakeholders evaluate complex ecological and environmental systems. Labs will be field and data-based, and emphasize the development of hypotheses, novel data collection at Ordway Field Station, and statistical analysis. Three hours lecture and one three-hour laboratory each week. Students must complete the corresponding Permissions and Waitlists form in order to be permitted to enroll, see the department website for forms.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This course dives into a range of topics to study how species, populations, communities, ecosystems, and biomes function in our changing climate. We will emphasize biological nutrient and energy cycling, population dynamics, animal and plant species interactions, disturbances and response to disturbances, and ecology in urban and agricultural landscapes. We will examine Ecology under four conceptual 'lenses': Climate Change, Environmental Justice, Land Use, and Ecosystem Services. These lenses provide critical insight into how scientists, policy makers, land managers, and other stakeholders evaluate complex ecological and environmental systems. Labs will be field and data-based, and emphasize the development of hypotheses, novel data collection at Ordway Field Station, and statistical analysis. Three hours lecture and one three-hour laboratory each week. Students must complete the corresponding Permissions and Waitlists form in order to be permitted to enroll, see the department website for forms.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

Emerging in the 1970s, the field of environmental ethics began by sparking a rich line of philosophical inquiry largely focused on the moral status of the natural world and the non-human entities within it. What reasons do we have to give moral consideration to the environment? And what do we mean when we say we have a moral duty toward the environment? Do we have moral duties to individuals within a species, or to species themselves, or to ecosystems, or to...? This course will invite you to reflect on key philosophical works that engage these and related questions. You will also have the opportunity to think about significant emerging topics in environmental ethics. Depending on the semester, these may include the debate over the ethics of wilderness preservation; the challenges of expanding environmental ethics to address issues of global climate change and resource sustainability; environmental rights; and environmental justice.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

Human beings have an unprecedented ability to shape the environment around them, yet the environment powerfully shapes both individuals and species. Two main questions run throughout this course: 1. How does language influence the way we think about and perceive nature, which in turn influences the way we interact with and shape nature? 2. How has our environment shaped the Language faculty and individual languages? To answer these questions, we'll start by asking, what is language and what is nature? Then we'll turn to the way that our environment has impacted the evolution of Language. Next we'll look at indigenous knowledge as it is encoded by language and the Linguistic Relativity Hypothesis, which says that language influences the way we perceive the world. With this as background, we'll look at the language of environmental discourse. Next, using the metaphor of ecology, we'll examine languages as if they were organisms and analyze the ecosystems that sustain them. Knowing what makes a healthy language, we'll look at endangered languages and the connections between linguistic diversity and biodiversity.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

First day attendance required; cross-listed with HSIT 234-01 (30234)*

General Education Requirements:
Writing WP
U.S. Identities and Differences

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

Poor and minority populations have historically borne the brunt of environmental inequalities in the United States, suffering disproportionately from the effects of pollution, resource depletion, dangerous jobs, limited access to common resources, and exposure to environmental hazards. Paying particular attention to the ways that race, ethnicity, class, and gender have shaped the political and economic dimensions of environmental injustices, this course draws on the work of scholars and activists to examine the long history of environmental inequities in the United States, along with more recent political movements-national and local-that seek to rectify environmental injustices.

General Education Requirements:
U.S. Identities and Differences

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

Rural utopias, the romanticization of nature, and the enduring escapism of sustainable living….ducklings in the garden, laundry drying in the sun, and reading poetry under a giant oak tree. What is the appeal of the internet trend known as “cottagecore” and why does it speak to such a diverse range of people—from trad wives to queer teenagers—in our current moment? This course takes cottagecore as our frame of reference for thinking about the intersection of aesthetics, climate change, and ecological readings of literature (known as ecocriticism). We will study pastoral poetry alongside contemporary climate disaster, consider the intersection of rural living and mental health, and follow witchy-sorts into their various dwellings and quaint villages. Students will encounter a range of texts and films in this course alongside rigorous process-oriented writing that will culminate in a class conference on the theme of cottagecore.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WP
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

Rural utopias, the romanticization of nature, and the enduring escapism of sustainable living….ducklings in the garden, laundry drying in the sun, and reading poetry under a giant oak tree. What is the appeal of the internet trend known as “cottagecore” and why does it speak to such a diverse range of people—from trad wives to queer teenagers—in our current moment? This course takes cottagecore as our frame of reference for thinking about the intersection of aesthetics, climate change, and ecological readings of literature (known as ecocriticism). We will study pastoral poetry alongside contemporary climate disaster, consider the intersection of rural living and mental health, and follow witchy-sorts into their various dwellings and quaint villages. Students will encounter a range of texts and films in this course alongside rigorous process-oriented writing that will culminate in a class conference on the theme of cottagecore.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WP
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

What is the history and evolution of environmental thinking and writing?  How have writers shaped the ways we understand our relationship with the natural world?  This course explores these questions, drawing in roughly equal measure on 'classic' texts from the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences.  The ideas introduced by these classic texts are still present, implicitly and explicitly, in much of today's environmental discourse. This course will use a selection of books and papers that have had a major impact on academic and wider public thinking - primarily but not exclusively in the USA.  Through engaged discussion, we will trace the impact of each text, beginning with the context in which it was written and ending with its influence on our contemporary understandings of the environment.  In addition, we will seek to understand the characteristics of 'classic' texts that hold attention, encourage new ways of thinking, and facilitate social change. Prerequisite(s): Permission of the instructor or two of the following: ENVI 133, ENVI 240, ENVI 215, ENVI 234,  ENVI 170.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

Why are the places that we inhabit designed as they are? This course digs into the theories and historical contexts that have shaped the thinking and decision-making about place-making in a variety of time periods and cultural settings from neolithic landscapes up to about the year 2000. We will spend time with the ancient Greeks, the Japanese Muromatchi Period, Renaissance Italy, the French (during the reign of Louis XIV), Picturesque England, Colonial America, Napoleon III’s Paris, the National Park System, Modernism, Postmodernism, Post-industrialism, and whatever we are calling the last couple decades. We will explore the challenges presented by privileged historical narratives and also try to understand what personal perspectives we bring with us to the discussion as designers and what still influences the world we live in—for better or for worse. This course is pre-approved as a disciplinary elective for Urban Sustainability and Sustainable Design within the ES major.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

This course introduces students to the science and the art of negotiation to address environmental problem-solving opportunities. Through the lens of negotiations and organizational behavior we will examine challenges that arise in environmental policy-making, natural resource management, and community decision-making. Students will develop a personal set of negotiation skills through participation in weekly simulations while simultaneously building and defining a portfolio of effective communication and leadership capabilities.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

Building from previous course offerings on Local News Media Institutions and Environmental issues and the Media, this course seeks to explore community networks of information and communication concerning local environmental issues and concerns. Following an overview of prevalent patterns of environmental journalism and environmental news coverage, informed by readings and class discussions regarding prominent issues affecting environmental communication within local communities, class members will develop individual research projects involving case studies of media representation, local journalism coverage, and community networks of communication and information diffusion in specific neighborhoods or local communities. This may specifically involve the impacts of global issues at the local level, discussions of local resource and land management, energy debates, environmental risk communication and public health, environmental activism and advocacy campaigns, and various aspects of environmental justice. The second half of the term will largely be spent developing specific questions and research plans for student projects. Projects will be presented to the class and “published” in some form (physically or online) for a larger community audience. Work will involve considered decisions about research methods, communication strategies, target audiences, and forms and venues of presentation. Media and Cultural Studies majors will be able to use the development and execution of this research project for MCST 294 as fulfillment of the MCST 388 Advanced Research Topics major requirement. This means you can choose to substitute this class for MCST 388 on your major plan. (Note: this does not affect the senior capstone requirement - MCST 488 Advanced Topics Seminar).

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This course will look at sea level rise and its global impact, with specific emphasis on the transformation of large coastal urban cities. The main goal of the course is to recognize how even a small increase of one meter of change will force a re-thinking of urban infrastructure adjacent to the water. The course will explore causes, forecasted change, differential impacts, protection efforts from around the world, human impacts, and what tools – ecological and built – can be used to protect cities. However, it will be clear that not all the land in our cities can be protected. The large portion of the work and assignments in the course will focus on a large US city. First we will investigate and analyze the impacts, collect data on mitigation strategies, and identify areas to be preserved or re-designed. We will then apply these methods to transforming existing city frameworks. Finally we will evaluate the outcomes of the proposed changes. This course is approved for emphases in Climate Science and Policy, Urban Sustainability, and Sustainable Design.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

Energy justice builds on the concepts of environmental and climate justice, with a focus on the visible and invisible infrastructures that produce, deliver, maintain and transform our economies and societies.  Topics will include pipelines (Standing Rock), waste disposal (Yucca Mountain nuclear storage), and issues around the fracking (Bakken). The course will also focus on citizen science as a tool for revealing injustice and promoting justice, such as the work of the Public Laboratory for Open Technology and Science, a non-profit that develops open source, Do It Yourself tools for community based environmental analysis. Students will develop an independent major research project over the semester. This course can substitute for ENVI 335. Prerequisite(s): ENVI 215

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course is designed to provide students with a comprehensive introduction to the theory and application of digital imagery data analysis in geographic research. It places a strong emphasis on developing both a conceptual understanding of fundamental remote sensing concepts and practical skills for analyzing human-environmental issues such as deforestation, urban expansion, or other changes in land surface across space or time. The focus is on the interpretation and applications of data from spaceborne systems (e.g. Landsat, Sentinel-2), but other sources of remote sensing data (e.g. unmanned aerial vehicles) will be introduced too. The course structure includes f lecture periods to explore specific remote sensing f concepts, hands-on labs that take students through the major mapping and analysis methods, and individual student projects. A basic understanding of geographic data is recommended to take this class. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor.

General Education Requirements:
Quantitative Thinking Q3

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

Ecology and environmental science are increasingly using 'big data' to expand and refine research questions. We will examine, analyze, and interpret datasets that represent a wide range of ecological topics and approaches, including nutrient cycling, hydrology, climate change, human and animal migration, satellite remote sensing, and biodiversity. The course will examine recent literature and apply novel analyses using open-access data and code every week. We will build skills in R programming, science communication, data visualization, and critical examination of literature. The course is project-oriented and students will work independently and in small groups to dive deeply into large data using R/RStudio, and produce original analyses and results. Three lecture hours and three hours of laboratory each week. Prerequisite(s): BIOL 170; and STAT 112 or STAT 155

General Education Requirements:
Quantitative Thinking Q3

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

Ecology and environmental science are increasingly using 'big data' to expand and refine research questions. We will examine, analyze, and interpret datasets that represent a wide range of ecological topics and approaches, including nutrient cycling, hydrology, climate change, human and animal migration, satellite remote sensing, and biodiversity. The course will examine recent literature and apply novel analyses using open-access data and code every week. We will build skills in R programming, science communication, data visualization, and critical examination of literature. The course is project-oriented and students will work independently and in small groups to dive deeply into large data using R/RStudio, and produce original analyses and results. Three lecture hours and three hours of laboratory each week. Prerequisite(s): BIOL 170; and STAT 112 or STAT 155

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

Biodiversity is fast disappearing from the face of the planet. To keep a check on wildlife species, populations, and individuals, we need robust methods to enumerate individual and population scale processes such as abundance, distribution, resource use, and behavior. In this course you will be exposed to the fundamentals of wildlife monitoring techniques and their relevant applications. We will learn about wildlife census techniques and how these methods have been used to expand and champion wildlife conservation. We will engage in hands-on, outdoor experiences such as camera trapping, distance sampling, diet monitoring, animal handling, and telemetry. Three hours of lecture/discussion and three hours of laboratory each week. Prerequisite(s): BIOL 170; and either BIOL 180 or ENVI 240. Recommended: STAT 155.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

Biodiversity is fast disappearing from the face of the planet. To keep a check on wildlife species, populations, and individuals, we need robust methods to enumerate individual and population scale processes such as abundance, distribution, resource use, and behavior. In this course you will be exposed to the fundamentals of wildlife monitoring techniques and their relevant applications. We will learn about wildlife census techniques and how these methods have been used to expand and champion wildlife conservation. We will engage in hands-on, outdoor experiences such as camera trapping, distance sampling, diet monitoring, animal handling, and telemetry. Three hours of lecture/discussion and three hours of laboratory each week. Prerequisite(s): BIOL 170; and either BIOL 180 or ENVI 240. Recommended: STAT 155.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course explores the human determinants of infectiousdiseases ranging from Paleolithic parasites to 21 st Century pathogens. Yet even as weexamine the latest disease threats, we will find that their evolution and emergence inhuman populations are largely based on ancient and recurring themes – i.e. the ways thatpeople have interacted with, and disrupted, their natural and social environments.These lessons will help us gain further understanding into current issues such as animal-human spillover events, the evolution of virulence, and the inevitable rise of antibioticresistance. This course is especially geared for students who enjoy making connectionsbetween the social and natural sciences. Previous courses in biology and anthropology arerecommended but not required.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course is an intensive internship experience (8-10 hours/week) with an environmental organization or business in the Twin Cities metro region. An internship is an excellent way for students to apply knowledge learned in the classroom and laboratory, to learn more in an environmental area, and to explore career options. Required for Environmental Studies majors. It is recommended that students complete this course during the fall of their senior year. Graded S/SD/N only. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor required. Corequisite(s): ENVI 490

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This Senior capstone seminar complements the internship experience by bringing together students to discuss common experiences and reflect on professional development challenges. Weekly assignments include reflective writing, mentor profiles, mock job interviews and meetings with ES alums and community leaders. Prerequisite(s): For Environmental Studies majors only. Corequisite(s): ENVI 489

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

Nature is a temple where living columns sometimes emit confused lyrics - Charles Baudelaire, Les Fleurs du mal To hell with civilization, long live nature and poetry ! - Théodore Rousseau, peintre The Industrial Revolution and the rise of Capitalism had a major impact on the environment in France during the nineteenth century, as it did in other European countries and the U.S. In what ways did the French respond to the environmental crisis in the nineteenth century and how did that set the stage for later developments? In 1854, the same year that Thoreau published Walden, the French created the Société Nationale de la Protection de la Nature. And in 1861 the first Réserve Naturelle was created by the French government to protect the forests of Fontainebleau from clear cutting, due in large part to the well-written petitions by writers and artists such as Victor Hugo, George Sand, and others. In this course, we will look at a number of literary, cultural, and political texts written during the nineteenth century that focus on nature, the environment, and issues related to the rapid urbanization and industrialization of France. We will also study artworks by the Barbizon school, and by later artists including the impressionists of the later part of the nineteenth century. Texts will include works by well-known authors such as Honoré de Balzac, George Sand, and Emile Zola, but also less well-known writers Olympe Audouard and Marceline Desbordes-Valmore among others. We will also study a variety of contemporary critical theories on the subject, from Claude Brosseau’s Romans-Géographes and Bertrand Westphal’s La Géocritique to Blanc, Pughe et Chartier’s works on l’écopoétique. In the end, we will try to answer the question of why and how the green movement developed in France and why it has been so different (some would say "behind") the ecology movements of other western nations in Europe and in North America. Taught in French. Prerequisite(s): FREN 306.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

This research seminar explores the complex relationships between human behavior, social inequality and injustice, and environmental health and well-being. Through readings, discussions, and small projects, we will examine how psychological theories and methods inform our understanding of environmental justice, and shape solutions.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This is a course on the current status of the most promising alternative and renewable energy options from a primarily scientific and technological perspective. Current methods of electricity generation and transportation energy sources will be briefly reviewed (fossil fuels, nuclear fission, and hydroelectric), including discussion of their limitations and environmental consequences. The focus of the course will be on understanding the scientific basis of alternative and renewable energy sources, and their promise and technological challenges for wide scale implementation. Biofuels, wind, photovoltaics, concentrated solar power, hydrogen, nuclear fusion, and geothermal will be considered in depth.

General Education Requirements:
Quantitative Thinking Q2

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

Shifting plates, shiny gemstones, hot lava, sheets of ice, rocky planets! This course will delve into fascinating geoscience topics, introducing you to the physical materials and structure of the Earth and other planets, as well as the processes responsible for the creation, change, and destruction of parts of the Earth system. Topics include volcanoes, earthquakes, Solar System formation, the water cycle, and climate change. We will discuss some aspects of the history of scientific thought, look at maps, consider the societal relevance of geology (e.g., modern careers, natural hazards, resource extraction, environmental problems), and admire beautiful rocks. Required for geology majors. Field trip(s). Three 1-hour lectures and one 3-hour lab per week.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA
Quantitative Thinking Q2

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

Shifting plates, shiny gemstones, hot lava, sheets of ice, rocky planets! This course will delve into fascinating geoscience topics, introducing you to the physical materials and structure of the Earth and other planets, as well as the processes responsible for the creation, change, and destruction of parts of the Earth system. Topics include volcanoes, earthquakes, Solar System formation, the water cycle, and climate change. We will discuss some aspects of the history of scientific thought, look at maps, consider the societal relevance of geology (e.g., modern careers, natural hazards, resource extraction, environmental problems), and admire beautiful rocks. Required for geology majors. Field trip(s). Three 1-hour lectures and one 3-hour lab per week.

General Education Requirements:
Quantitative Thinking Q2

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

Shifting plates, shiny gemstones, hot lava, sheets of ice, rocky planets! This course will delve into fascinating geoscience topics, introducing you to the physical materials and structure of the Earth and other planets, as well as the processes responsible for the creation, change, and destruction of parts of the Earth system. Topics include volcanoes, earthquakes, Solar System formation, the water cycle, and climate change. We will discuss some aspects of the history of scientific thought, look at maps, consider the societal relevance of geology (e.g., modern careers, natural hazards, resource extraction, environmental problems), and admire beautiful rocks. Required for geology majors. Field trip(s). Three 1-hour lectures and one 3-hour lab per week.

General Education Requirements:
Quantitative Thinking Q2

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

Shifting plates, shiny gemstones, hot lava, sheets of ice, rocky planets! This course will delve into fascinating geoscience topics, introducing you to the physical materials and structure of the Earth and other planets, as well as the processes responsible for the creation, change, and destruction of parts of the Earth system. Topics include volcanoes, earthquakes, Solar System formation, the water cycle, and climate change. We will discuss some aspects of the history of scientific thought, look at maps, consider the societal relevance of geology (e.g., modern careers, natural hazards, resource extraction, environmental problems), and admire beautiful rocks. Required for geology majors. Field trip(s). Three 1-hour lectures and one 3-hour lab per week.

General Education Requirements:
Quantitative Thinking Q2

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

Shifting plates, shiny gemstones, hot lava, sheets of ice, rocky planets! This course will delve into fascinating geoscience topics, introducing you to the physical materials and structure of the Earth and other planets, as well as the processes responsible for the creation, change, and destruction of parts of the Earth system. Topics include volcanoes, earthquakes, Solar System formation, the water cycle, and climate change. We will discuss some aspects of the history of scientific thought, look at maps, consider the societal relevance of geology (e.g., modern careers, natural hazards, resource extraction, environmental problems), and admire beautiful rocks. Required for geology majors. Field trip(s). Three 1-hour lectures and one 3-hour lab per week.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA
Quantitative Thinking Q2

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course dives into a range of topics to study how species, populations, communities, ecosystems, and biomes function in our changing climate. We will emphasize biological nutrient and energy cycling, population dynamics, animal and plant species interactions, disturbances and response to disturbances, and ecology in urban and agricultural landscapes. We will examine Ecology under four conceptual 'lenses': Climate Change, Environmental Justice, Land Use, and Ecosystem Services. These lenses provide critical insight into how scientists, policy makers, land managers, and other stakeholders evaluate complex ecological and environmental systems. Labs will be field and data-based, and emphasize the development of hypotheses, novel data collection at Ordway Field Station, and statistical analysis. Three hours lecture and one three-hour laboratory each week. Students must complete the corresponding Permissions and Waitlists form in order to be permitted to enroll, see the department website for forms.

General Education Requirements:
Quantitative Thinking Q3

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course dives into a range of topics to study how species, populations, communities, ecosystems, and biomes function in our changing climate. We will emphasize biological nutrient and energy cycling, population dynamics, animal and plant species interactions, disturbances and response to disturbances, and ecology in urban and agricultural landscapes. We will examine Ecology under four conceptual 'lenses': Climate Change, Environmental Justice, Land Use, and Ecosystem Services. These lenses provide critical insight into how scientists, policy makers, land managers, and other stakeholders evaluate complex ecological and environmental systems. Labs will be field and data-based, and emphasize the development of hypotheses, novel data collection at Ordway Field Station, and statistical analysis. Three hours lecture and one three-hour laboratory each week. Students must complete the corresponding Permissions and Waitlists form in order to be permitted to enroll, see the department website for forms.

General Education Requirements:
Quantitative Thinking Q3

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course dives into a range of topics to study how species, populations, communities, ecosystems, and biomes function in our changing climate. We will emphasize biological nutrient and energy cycling, population dynamics, animal and plant species interactions, disturbances and response to disturbances, and ecology in urban and agricultural landscapes. We will examine Ecology under four conceptual 'lenses': Climate Change, Environmental Justice, Land Use, and Ecosystem Services. These lenses provide critical insight into how scientists, policy makers, land managers, and other stakeholders evaluate complex ecological and environmental systems. Labs will be field and data-based, and emphasize the development of hypotheses, novel data collection at Ordway Field Station, and statistical analysis. Three hours lecture and one three-hour laboratory each week. Students must complete the corresponding Permissions and Waitlists form in order to be permitted to enroll, see the department website for forms.

General Education Requirements:
Quantitative Thinking Q3

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course dives into a range of topics to study how species, populations, communities, ecosystems, and biomes function in our changing climate. We will emphasize biological nutrient and energy cycling, population dynamics, animal and plant species interactions, disturbances and response to disturbances, and ecology in urban and agricultural landscapes. We will examine Ecology under four conceptual 'lenses': Climate Change, Environmental Justice, Land Use, and Ecosystem Services. These lenses provide critical insight into how scientists, policy makers, land managers, and other stakeholders evaluate complex ecological and environmental systems. Labs will be field and data-based, and emphasize the development of hypotheses, novel data collection at Ordway Field Station, and statistical analysis. Three hours lecture and one three-hour laboratory each week. Students must complete the corresponding Permissions and Waitlists form in order to be permitted to enroll, see the department website for forms.

General Education Requirements:
Quantitative Thinking Q3

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course dives into a range of topics to study how species, populations, communities, ecosystems, and biomes function in our changing climate. We will emphasize biological nutrient and energy cycling, population dynamics, animal and plant species interactions, disturbances and response to disturbances, and ecology in urban and agricultural landscapes. We will examine Ecology under four conceptual 'lenses': Climate Change, Environmental Justice, Land Use, and Ecosystem Services. These lenses provide critical insight into how scientists, policy makers, land managers, and other stakeholders evaluate complex ecological and environmental systems. Labs will be field and data-based, and emphasize the development of hypotheses, novel data collection at Ordway Field Station, and statistical analysis. Three hours lecture and one three-hour laboratory each week. Students must complete the corresponding Permissions and Waitlists form in order to be permitted to enroll, see the department website for forms.

General Education Requirements:
Quantitative Thinking Q3

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This interdisciplinary class will make direct connections between global environmental issues, such as climate change, and life on an urban campus. With Macalester College as our case study, we will explore how the daily activities on a campus (energy use, food, transportation, water use, etc.) translate into issues such as greenhouse gas emissions, solid waste, and urban stormwater. We will examine campus resource and energy flows and have the opportunity to combine theory with application through a real-world campus sustainability project. All interdisciplinary perspectives are needed and welcome.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

Urban ecology is both a concept and a field of study. It focuses on interactions between humans, urban ecosystems, and the built environment. With over half of the world's population now living in cities, cities have assumed a critical role in shaping local, regional, and global ecologies. In this course, we will examine the distinctiveness of the interconnected urban biophysical, socio-economic, and political processes. In order to disentangle the complexity of human-environment relations in cities, we will take an interdisciplinary approach and learn theories and concepts in natural science ecology, environmental studies, geography, urban planning, sociology, and public policies. We will use our campus and the Twin Cities as a "living laboratory" and apply these theories and concepts to laboratory exercises, field observation, case studies, and research on contemporary urban sustainability initiatives.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course offers an introduction to the patterns and processes that shape Earth's physical environments, with a focus on understanding human interactions within these systems. Topics covered include the fundamental principles of climate and weather, water resources, landforms, earth surface processes, vegetation, and ecosystem dynamics at global and regional scales. We will also learn how the spatial and temporal patterns of these processes are interpreted and understood using maps produced from Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Global Position System (GPS) and satellite imagery. Using selected studies we will also examine the social forces that interact with many of these systems to gain insights into the broader understanding of the socio-environmental dynamics of these physical environments. The course consists of lectures, discussions, hands-on exercises, field excursions, and exams.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course provides an introduction to the field of Environmental Politics and Policy. Using a comparative approach, the course engages the meaning and development of environmental governance. We will explore the tandem rise of the modern environmental movement and profound new environmental legislation in the U.S. and internationally. Topics investigated will include: deforestation, hazardous wastes, climate change, population growth, and loss of biodiversity.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

Using the lens of political ecology to probe a variety of local and global case studies, we will examine how natural resource conflicts are shaped by multiple kinds of power. We will interrogate what is assumed and taken-for-granted in natural resources management and examine the dominant institutions and tools shaping territories, land access and use, oil and mineral extraction, biodiversity conservation, and struggles over the energy transition. While this course looks to make visible how states and elites shape space through natural resource control, it also attends to how marginalized people and communities work to defend and remake their lives and livelihoods in the face of displacement, dispossession, and degradation.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WP
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course introduces you to the study of human-environment interactions from a geographic perspective, with a special emphasis on agriculture. We will examine environmental issues in a variety of geographic contexts (developed and developing countries) and the connections between environmental problems in different locations. Beyond agriculture, we will also examine other sectoral issues in relation to agriculture or as stand alone environmental concerns. These themes include: human population growth, consumption, biodiversity, climate change, and environmental health. We will be trying on a number of theoretical lenses from geography's broad human-environment tradition (such as physical geography, cultural ecology, commodity chain analysis, political ecology, resource geography, the human dimensions of global change, hazards geography and environmental justice). In other words, I not only want us to explore a range of environmental issues, but also to grapple with theory and how this informs our understanding of the human-environment interface.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

People have always had to contend with the natural world, but only recently have historians begun to explore the changing relationships between people and their environment over time. In this course, we will examine the variety of ways that people in North America have shaped the environment, as well as how they have used, labored in, abused, conserved, protected, rearranged, polluted, cleaned, and thought about it. In addition, we will explore how various characteristics of the natural world have affected the broad patterns of human society, sometimes harming or hindering life and other times enabling rapid development and expansion. By bringing nature into the study of human history and the human past into the study of nature, we will begin to see the connections and interdependencies between the two that are often overlooked.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WP
U.S. Identities and Differences

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

This course takes an interdisciplinary approach to the study of food, agriculture, society, and the environment. Two overarching questions guide us: first, how are inequalities in race, class, and gender created and reproduced within food systems? Second, how might societies create environmentally sustainable food and agricultural systems that also foster justice, equity, and respect for diverse cultures and practices? In the first half of the semester, we will investigate injustices within and by the dominant food and agriculture system, including issues related to pesticide exposure, farm labor, global food insecurity, land access, and livelihoods. In the second half of the semester, we will consider various agricultural systems and grassroots movements that may support food justice including, food sovereignty, Black food movements, queer food collectives, agroecology, local food, and others.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

The Earth's climate system is complex and dynamic, and yet understanding this system is crucial in order to address concerns about anthropogenic influences on climate. In this course, we examine the basic physical and chemical processes that control the modern climate system, including the role of incoming solar radiation, the greenhouse effect, ocean and atmospheric circulation, and El Nino. We also look critically at the methods and archives used to reconstruct climate in the past, such as ice cores, marine and lake sediments, and cave deposits. We explore the possible effects of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions on modern and future climate by critically examining the models used in climate prediction, and discuss the challenges of modeling such a complex system. Although this course is taught from a primarily scientific perspective, it includes frequent discussions of the roles policy and economics play in the current dialogue on global climate change.

General Education Requirements:
Quantitative Thinking Q3

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

The Earth's climate system is complex and dynamic, and yet understanding this system is crucial in order to address concerns about anthropogenic influences on climate. In this course, we examine the basic physical and chemical processes that control the modern climate system, including the role of incoming solar radiation, the greenhouse effect, ocean and atmospheric circulation, and El Nino. We also look critically at the methods and archives used to reconstruct climate in the past, such as ice cores, marine and lake sediments, and cave deposits. We explore the possible effects of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions on modern and future climate by critically examining the models used in climate prediction, and discuss the challenges of modeling such a complex system. Although this course is taught from a primarily scientific perspective, it includes frequent discussions of the roles policy and economics play in the current dialogue on global climate change.

General Education Requirements:
Quantitative Thinking Q3

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

The study of environmental hazards stands at a key point of intersection between the natural and social sciences. Geography, with its focus on human-environment interactions, provides key analytical tools for understanding the complex causes and uneven impacts of hazards around the world. We will explore the geophysical nature and social dimensions of disasters caused by floods, droughts, earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis, tornadoes, hurricanes, and wildfires. For each of these hazard types, we apply theoretical concepts from major hazards research paradigms, including quantifying the human and economic impacts of disaster; assessing, managing, and mitigating risk; and reducing the impacts of disaster, not only through engineering works but also by reducing social vulnerability and enhancing adaptive capacity. Looking into the future, we will discuss how global-scale processes, such as climate change and globalization, might affect the frequency, intensity, and geographical distribution of environmental hazards in the decades to come.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course is built around the argument that "environmental problems" do not exist; they are in fact human behavior problems. Thus, if we want to craft effective solutions to issues such as ocean acidification, air pollution, or climate change, we must start with the human behaviors that lead to them. We will cover psychological principles, theories, and methods and explore the complex web of factors underlying environmentally sustainable and unsustainable actions. A strong theme throughout the semester is the intersection of identity - personal, social, and cultural - and environmentalism.  We will explore questions such as, "Why do some groups of people feel a part of the sustainability movement while others feel alienated from it or skeptical of it?"; "Who takes action on behalf of the natural environment, under what circumstances, and why?"; and "How can we create contexts that promote true sustainability?" Psychology of Sustainable Behavior is a project-based class with a strong civic engagement component. Students will participate in three class projects: a self-change project (2.5 weeks), a community-based collaborative project (5 weeks), and a communication/education project (3 weeks). Prerequisite(s): PSYC 100 for Psychology majors.

General Education Requirements:
U.S. Identities and Differences

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

Climate change is no longer a distant, hypothetical threat.  Yet, though more than half of Americans are "concerned" or "alarmed" about global warming, few are taking significant personal action in response, and only a small minority are involved in civic action to address the issue. This course takes a broad psychological perspective on the questions, "Why are we not doing enough to address global climate change?"  and "What will catalyze the social movement necessary to address the issue?"  The class will explore psychological theories and studies that help explain why people respond to the climate crisis in the ways they do, and what psychological research tells us about how to shift that response.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course provides an introduction to outdoor education as an opportunity to promote social justice and environmental sustainability in a globalized world.  Informed by relevant philosophical, psychological, cultural and political-economic frameworks, in addition to critical issues in public education policy and practice, we will explore interdisciplinary approaches to outdoor environmental education appropriate for students across the K-12 continuum.  We will utilize the Katharine Ordway Natural History Study Area (Ordway Field Station) as an outdoor classroom and will adapt curriculum from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and other outdoor education organizations to assist elementary school teachers and students in fulfilling Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards. Early in the semester, all students will participate in a weekend retreat at the Ordway Field Station. Weekly lab sessions will include field days during which course members design and implement educational experiences for elementary school children at Ordway, small group work days for preparing field day lesson plans, trips to local outdoor environmental education sites within the Twin Cities, and other experiential learning opportunities.  Weekly seminar sessions incorporating readings, reflective writing, and individual and small group projects complement the experiential aspects of the course. As the semester progresses, each course member will develop a curricular unit aimed at teaching an important environmental issue to diverse adolescents attending urban public schools.  The curricular unit is a significant undertaking that provides students with the opportunity to synthesize all aspects of the course material in a creative, pragmatic and integrative manner.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course provides an introduction to outdoor education as an opportunity to promote social justice and environmental sustainability in a globalized world.  Informed by relevant philosophical, psychological, cultural and political-economic frameworks, in addition to critical issues in public education policy and practice, we will explore interdisciplinary approaches to outdoor environmental education appropriate for students across the K-12 continuum.  We will utilize the Katharine Ordway Natural History Study Area (Ordway Field Station) as an outdoor classroom and will adapt curriculum from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and other outdoor education organizations to assist elementary school teachers and students in fulfilling Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards. Early in the semester, all students will participate in a weekend retreat at the Ordway Field Station. Weekly lab sessions will include field days during which course members design and implement educational experiences for elementary school children at Ordway, small group work days for preparing field day lesson plans, trips to local outdoor environmental education sites within the Twin Cities, and other experiential learning opportunities.  Weekly seminar sessions incorporating readings, reflective writing, and individual and small group projects complement the experiential aspects of the course. As the semester progresses, each course member will develop a curricular unit aimed at teaching an important environmental issue to diverse adolescents attending urban public schools.  The curricular unit is a significant undertaking that provides students with the opportunity to synthesize all aspects of the course material in a creative, pragmatic and integrative manner.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

What is the history and evolution of environmental thinking and writing?  How have writers shaped the ways we understand our relationship with the natural world?  This course explores these questions, drawing in roughly equal measure on 'classic' texts from the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences.  The ideas introduced by these classic texts are still present, implicitly and explicitly, in much of today's environmental discourse. This course will use a selection of books and papers that have had a major impact on academic and wider public thinking - primarily but not exclusively in the USA.  Through engaged discussion, we will trace the impact of each text, beginning with the context in which it was written and ending with its influence on our contemporary understandings of the environment.  In addition, we will seek to understand the characteristics of 'classic' texts that hold attention, encourage new ways of thinking, and facilitate social change. Prerequisite(s): Permission of the instructor or two of the following: ENVI 133, ENVI 240, ENVI 215, ENVI 234,  ENVI 170.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

Macalester College sits on the homelands of the Dakota people. But what’s the history of the land Macalester occupies? Whose stories are told -- and who gets to tell these stories? How do language, culture, and thought shape the ways we understand the land and our relationships with it? This course will center and amplify these narratives by focusing on the past, present, and future uses of the Katharine Ordway Natural History Study Area (commonly called the Ordway Field Station) in order to help students understand the Indigenous history of Minnesota and the Twin Cities, as well as Indigenous ways of knowing and understanding non-human nature. Fields: Environment, Public History, Race and Indigeneity, North America.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WP
U.S. Identities and Differences

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

The task of ecocriticism is clear enough: to develop narrative and imaginative strategies that work against the efforts of capital to disguise its negative impact on the globe. But how is this task to be realized? Can literature really ‘save the planet’ — a hyperbolic cliché often employed in discussions of climate fiction or “cli-fi”? How do literary models relate to scientific models of climate change? And what is their function with respect to extra-literary and non-representational forces? This course will inquire into the operative function of climate fiction, a literary subgenre that addresses impending problems of the near future: global warming, widespread species extinction, and the increasingly futile attempt to ‘shift’ ecological burdens from the Global North to the Global South, as from the present to future generations. Texts will include novels, films images, together with scholarly articles on ecocritical topics. Suitable for all.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

Zoning? More like boring, right? Arguably no practice has impacted how we shape our urban environment in the US, in both positive and negative ways. In the last 100 years it has become the default process by which we shape our living space—both for planners and homeowners. While it has organized our cities and suburbs into recognizable and repeatable forms, it has also enacted blunt-force trauma to others. This class will look at the impacts and origins of zoning, inequitable outcomes, lack of sustainability, exclusionary applications (redlining, urban renewal, among others) and all the lovely acronyms and jargon it has inspired: NIMBY, YIMBY, Blurb, BANANA, DUDE, McPlace, Taupeville, among others. Here’s the fun part— the course will look at ways of adapting, replacing, or abandoning Zoning code and the implications of each approach. Counts towards the Sustainable Design and Urban Sustainability emphases.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

Are amazing urban spaces born from the minds of brilliant designers? Do they just happen? Are they beloved simply because of good geography? Hardly. This course will dig into the theories that undergird and influence urban environmental design—but will also look at the actions, process, and principles of design that are employed to create the spaces that we use and love. Theory and practice change over time, and technology and a focus on sustainability produce new requirements to be added to the desired outcomes of users. Our daily engagement with the built environment is not optional, and these spaces influence our experiences. If we hope to make good urban design, we must explore the tools used by the people that shape these spaces and the sources of the values that guide their hands. Counts towards the Sustainable Design and Urban Sustainability emphases.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

Although the United States accounts for just five percent of the world's population, it consumes roughly twenty-five percent of the world's total energy, has the world's largest economy, and is the world's largest consumer and generator of waste. Relative to its size, its policies and actions have had a significantly disproportionate impact on global economic development and environmental health. Mixing broad themes and detailed case studies, this course will focus on the complex historical relationship between American actions and changes to the global environment.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

This course investigates the major factors that structure biological communities in freshwater systems, including both abiotic (physical/chemical) and biotic (organism interactions) components. We also explore the function of these ecosystems, including carbon cycling and the movement of energy and water through lakes and streams. Importantly, we consider the myriad human impacts on aquatic ecosystems. Prerequisite(s): BIOL 170/ENVI 170

General Education Requirements:
Writing WP
Quantitative Thinking Q3

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course investigates the major factors that structure biological communities in freshwater systems, including both abiotic (physical/chemical) and biotic (organism interactions) components. We also explore the function of these ecosystems, including carbon cycling and the movement of energy and water through lakes and streams. Importantly, we consider the myriad human impacts on aquatic ecosystems. Prerequisite(s): BIOL 170/ENVI 170

General Education Requirements:
Writing WP
Quantitative Thinking Q3

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course is designed to provide students with a comprehensive introduction to the theory and application of digital imagery data analysis in geographic research. It places a strong emphasis on developing both a conceptual understanding of fundamental remote sensing concepts and practical skills for analyzing human-environmental issues such as deforestation, urban expansion, or other changes in land surface across space or time. The focus is on the interpretation and applications of data from spaceborne systems (e.g. Landsat, Sentinel-2), but other sources of remote sensing data (e.g. unmanned aerial vehicles) will be introduced too. The course structure includes f lecture periods to explore specific remote sensing f concepts, hands-on labs that take students through the major mapping and analysis methods, and individual student projects. A basic understanding of geographic data is recommended to take this class. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor.

General Education Requirements:
Quantitative Thinking Q3

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

Plant physiological processes in the environment regulate local, regional, and global climate and control ecosystem functioning. However, climate change is altering these processes across diverse ecosystems. We will learn about plant physiological processes, including converting light to energy, carbon cycling and storage, water transport, nutrient acquisition, growth, and the responses of these processes to an increasingly variable and potentially stressful environments. This course will also focus on scaling of carbon cycling, diving into remote sensing and global datasets, as well as novel data we collect in class to analyze with R/RStudio. We will learn about current techniques available to measure physiological processes. We will also focus on the broader process of science: how do we turn ideas into questions, questions into data, and data into compelling stories about the natural world? Three hours of lecture and one three-hour laboratory each week. Prerequisite(s): BIOL 170; BIOL 190 recommended.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WP
Quantitative Thinking Q2

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

Plant physiological processes in the environment regulate local, regional, and global climate and control ecosystem functioning. However, climate change is altering these processes across diverse ecosystems. We will learn about plant physiological processes, including converting light to energy, carbon cycling and storage, water transport, nutrient acquisition, growth, and the responses of these processes to an increasingly variable and potentially stressful environments. This course will also focus on scaling of carbon cycling, diving into remote sensing and global datasets, as well as novel data we collect in class to analyze with R/RStudio. We will learn about current techniques available to measure physiological processes. We will also focus on the broader process of science: how do we turn ideas into questions, questions into data, and data into compelling stories about the natural world? Three hours of lecture and one three-hour laboratory each week. Prerequisite(s): BIOL 170; BIOL 190 recommended.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WP
Quantitative Thinking Q2

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

In November 2025, the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change will gather for their 30th meeting in Belem, Brazil. COP30 will tackle some of most challenging issues surrounding global environmental governance. Students enrolled in this seminar course will function as a research team and observe negotiations in Belem. To prepare, the team will meet biweekly in the Fall semester to investigate the history of climate negotiations, the cultures of UN conferences, and the views of selected parties in the negotiations. The team will draw on their newly acquired knowledge to develop research questions and a research plan for a week of fieldwork at COP30. Team members will receive instruction in event ethnography, interviewing techniques, as well as blogging and social media technologies for communicating about the negotiations and their research projects. We seek students with a wide range of backgrounds, including international studies, political science, environmental studies, media and cultural studies, and the natural and physical sciences. We also seek students with skills in interviewing techniques, qualitative research methods, and film and video documentary techniques. There will be an additional course fee of $2,000 to cover travel expenses. Financial aid is available for those students who qualify. The application process occurs between January and March, and students can only register with permission from the instructor.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

A concern for the relationship between nature and society has been one of the pillars of geographic inquiry and has also been an important bridge between other disciplines. By the 1960s, this area of inquiry was referred to variously as "human ecology." Over the last decade, certain forms of inquiry within this tradition have increasingly referred to themselves as "political ecology." The purpose of this seminar is to review major works within the traditions of cultural and political ecology; examine several areas of interest within these fields (e.g., agricultural modernization, environmental narratives, conservation, ecotourism); and explore nature-society dynamics across a range of geographical contexts. Towards the end of the course we will explore how one might begin to think in practical terms about facilitating development in marginal environments. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Prior completion of a geography course(s) with an environmental or development focus is encouraged.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course is an intensive internship experience (8-10 hours/week) with an environmental organization or business in the Twin Cities metro region. An internship is an excellent way for students to apply knowledge learned in the classroom and laboratory, to learn more in an environmental area, and to explore career options. Required for Environmental Studies majors. It is recommended that students complete this course during the fall of their senior year. Graded S/SD/N only. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor required. Corequisite(s): ENVI 490

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This Senior capstone seminar complements the internship experience by bringing together students to discuss common experiences and reflect on professional development challenges. Weekly assignments include reflective writing, mentor profiles, mock job interviews and meetings with ES alums and community leaders. Prerequisite(s): For Environmental Studies majors only. Corequisite(s): ENVI 489

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials