Courses
Environmental Studies is an applications-oriented field, and courses in the program prepare you to approach environmental problems from a wide variety of perspectives and disciplines. Courses tend to be intensely interdisciplinary; students are being prepared to use the methods and theories from many branches in the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities to interpret and solve environmental problems. Since there are rarely any easy answers to environmental problems, students in environmental studies courses also learn to think critically and analyze environmental issues from the perspective of a variety of competing stakeholders. Professors emphasize clear and jargon-free communication so that the results of student research can be presented in a manner accessible across the disciplines.
Environmental Studies
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ENVR 109 Introduction to Ecology
Units: 1
Fulfills General Education Requirement (Natural Science, Biology (FSNB))
DescriptionSee Biology 109.
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ENVR 110 Pollutants in the Environment
Units: 1
Fulfills General Education Requirement (Natural Science, Chemistry (FSNC))
DescriptionSame as CHEM 110.
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ENVR 111 Marine Biology of the Chesapeake Bay with Lab
Units: 1
Fulfills General Education Requirement (Natural Science, Biology (FSNB))
DescriptionSame as BIOL 111.
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ENVR 123 Renewable Energy with Lab
Units: 1
Fulfills General Education Requirement (Natural Science, Physics (FSNP))
DescriptionPrinciples of physics applied to renewable energy technologies. Topics selected from climate, geothermal energy, solar thermal energy, solar photovoltaics, hydroelectricity, wind energy, tidal power and wave energy, and bioenergy. Includes laboratory.
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ENVR 199 Introduction to Biological Thinking
Units: 1
DescriptionSame as BIOL 199.
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ENVR 201 Introduction to Environmental Studies
Units: 1
DescriptionOverview of contemporary sustainability issues, including systems thinking, justice, integration, acting for positive change, and sustainability knowledge (species extinction, resource depletion, pollution, and climate change among others). Students examine challenges and opportunities of pursuing sustainable behavior in a changing world.
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ENVR 230 Environmental Economics
Units: 1
Description(See Economics 230.)
PrerequisitesECON 101
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ENVR 250 Planet Earth: Wind, Water, Fire
Units: 1
Fulfills General Education Requirement (Natural Science, Biology (FSNB))
DescriptionBasic concepts of earth systems science and physical geography. Topics include: introduction to mapping, GIS and remote sensing; weather and climate; drought, floods, and environmental hydrology; earthquakes, volcanos, landforms and geomorphology; and the interactions of all of the above with humans and the earth’s biota. Climate change and the spatial inequalities in environmental pollution and resources are emphasized. (Same as Geography 250.)
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ENVR 269 Environmental Ethics
Units: 1
DescriptionIntroduces students to the moral issues and ethical approaches that characterize interaction with our natural environment. Topics will vary but will typically include issues such as our moral obligation to nonhuman species and to future human generations, and ethical analysis of contemporary environmental issues such as climate change and species extinction.
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ENVR 280 Selected Topics
Units: 0.25-1
DescriptionMay be repeated when topics vary.
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ENVR 300 Special Topics
Units: 0.5-1
DescriptionSelected topics about the environment.
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ENVR 320 Directed Research
Units: 0.5
DescriptionResearch with a faculty member in an environmental area.
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ENVR 322 Global Impact of Climate Change
Units: 1
DescriptionRapid climate change is causing an increase in the temperature of the atmosphere and oceans. This is a truly global problem that requires international research and collaboration to resolve. The USA is a major producer of the atmospheric “greenhouse” gases that make a significant contribution to this global “anthropogenic” warming. The aim of this course is to introduce students to the global environmental impact of anthropogenic climate change, and to challenge students to think about the possible impact of the way we live in the USA on poor, marginalized and at risk communities around the world. Same as Geology 322U.
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ENVR 362 Environmental Law and Policy
Units: 1
Description(See Political Science 362.)
PrerequisitesENVR 201 or PLSC 260 with a minimum grade of C-
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ENVR 364 Environmental Geology
Units: 1
DescriptionIntroduces students to the global environmental impact of anthropogenic climate change and the possible impact of the way we live in the USA on poor, marginalized, and at risk communities around the world.
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ENVR 366 International Environmental Law
Units: 1
DescriptionExplores how the international community has managed and mismanaged global environmental problems since the watershed UN Conference on Environment and Development in 1992. Involves a mix of readings, discussions, and simulations in various fields of international environmental law, with a particular focus on climate change, biodiversity, and international regulation of toxic hazards. Cross-cutting themes include North/South disputes, the precautionary principle, liability as a compliance mechanism, and the involvement of non-state actors in creating and implementing international environmental law. The major assignment for the course will be a seminar research paper.
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ENVR 388 Individual Internship
Units: 0.5
DescriptionSupervised independent field work. No more than 1.5 units of internship in any one department and 3.5 units of internship overall may be counted toward required degree units.
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ENVR 390 Independent Study
Units: 0.5-1
DescriptionTopics independently pursued under supervision of a faculty member.
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ENVR 391 Environmental Senior Seminar
Units: 1
DescriptionClose study of a current environmental problem. Student develops a project to address the problem using approaches and skills from the environmental studies core and elective courses.
Prerequisites -
ENVR 406 Summer Undergraduate Research
Units: 0
DescriptionDocumentation of the work of students who receive summer fellowships to conduct research [or produce a creative arts project] in the summer. The work must take place over a minimum of 6 weeks, the student must engage in the project full-time (at least 40 hours per week) during this period, and the student must be the recipient of a fellowship through the university. Graded S/U.
PrerequisitesApproval by a faculty mentor.