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Today’s global environment is subjected to
unprecedented pressures and changes. Our challenge, as
humans, is to learn how to live on the planet
sustainably. This course explores basic concepts in
ecology and scientific investigation. More
specifically, environmental threats such as population
pressure, consumerism, global climate change, habitat
loss, and pollution, are examined, with a view to
finding innovative solutions. |
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Energy has been a top new story over the past year. In
this course, we will explore the basics of energy
production, alternative ways of producing energy and
alterative energy sources including natural gas,
nuclear, biomass, wind, solar, hydropower and fuel
cells. Gain an understanding of the environmental
impacts of energy production, our present energy
crisis and prospects for the future. |
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What happens to the things we don’t want? This class
follows the path of our garbage and detritus as it is
disposed of, burnt, decomposed, landfilled, treated,
untreated, recycled, reused, or just shipped out of
sight. Building on basic scientific concepts and using
the scientific method to guide us, we will attempt to
answer these and other questions: Do recyclables really
get recycled? Can microbes eat dead computers? Does
anything decompose in a landfill? Should I choose paper
or plastic? Etc. One required field trip. |
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Today’s global environment is subjected to
unprecedented pressures and changes. Our challenge, as humans, is to learn how
to live on the planet sustainably. This course explores basic concepts in
ecology such as population growth, species interactions, and
community/ecosystem processes, then relates these concepts to the environmental
problems facing humanity. More specifically, environmental threats such as
population pressure, resource exploitation, pollution, global climate change,
extinction and emerging infectious diseases are examined and the debates
surrounding various approaches to resolving these issues are presented.
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Human degradation of the global environment is an overarching concern for
contemporary and future societies. The field of environmental studies is a
relatively new, interdisciplinary field that draws heavily from the social
sciences to propose ways society can develop environmental solutions. This is a
survey course that will enable students to understand the composition and
evolution of environmental studies as a field, and provide them tools to
interpret environmental problems and solutions at a local, national and global
scale. This course will introduce students to: 1. the major environmental
problems facing human societies; 2. the key social science disciplines and
their contribution to the field of environmental studies; 3. the methodologies
used by these disciplines and the way they shape understanding of
nature/society relations; 4. the importance of ethics and leadership in the
developing environmental solutions.
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Students will learn to develop basic drawing skills
using natural subjects to encourage interest in
future self-motivated drawing. Projects include:
drawing from nature using pencils, pen and ink;
drawing perspective, seeing proportions, line
drawing and shading techniques; drawing birds,
trees, rocks, water and clouds. |
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OLE is a two unit academic course offered on a Pass/No
Pass basis for individuals who welcome the
opportunity to explore the natural world, gain
safety and outdoor technical skills, learn about the
environment, and develop leadership skills. You will
participate in hands-on leadership initiatives like
backpacking and low-impact camping while integrating
relevant academic content to achieve the course
objective.
Download
an OLE application in Microsoft Word |
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RLC Seminar class. Students read recent publications on
various environmental issues and discuss them in
small groups. |
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How do we manage global environmental health?
International agencies, NGOs, and countries are
constantly faced with one crisis after another and have
to solve urgent environmental or policy issues on short
notice. Each year we select a different real
environmental problem that agencies and NGOs are
grappling with and try to provide genuinely useful
scholarship that might help these organizations arrive
at a practical solution. |
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Introduction to the U.S. legal system's approach to
environmental protection. Topics include the roles
of legislatures and environmental agencies at the
federal, state, and local levels; the independent
role of the judiciary in establishing environmental
law; and specific statutes, such as the Clean Air
Act. This course fulfills the United States
University core requirement. |
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In this course students will have the opportunity to
explore the history of and current approaches to
environmental activism, with the goal of
understanding effective approaches toward fostering
change. Guests from a wide range of environmental
activist groups will visit the class to share their
expertise and knowledge. |
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This
course will focus on US Environmental Policy between 1960 and 2006,
highlighting the Endangered Species Act, Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, and
global warming. We will use these four foci to gain an understanding of
how policy is formulated, how one might measure its consequences, and the role
of communication and politics in moving policy forward (or blocking policy
advances). We all aim to make a difference, and this course will focus on
major policy junctures, and analyze how those differences were made, or not made.
We will not be discussing the legal aspects, but rather how these acts came to
be, and the ongoing policy debates surrounding their administration and
implementation. |
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Some of the most complex issues being faced by us politically at the
moment are tied to some of the most complex scientific debates. Issues of
climate change, biodiversity, habitat preservation, guaranteeing fresh water
supply and so on at the cutting edge of environmental science - and yet
frequently political decisions (for our own and for future generations) must be
made on the basis of incomplete knowledge. In this course, we examine how
scientists, activists and politicians communicate with each other and with the
public on environmental matters.
Cross-listed with Communication 161A. |
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This course provides an introduction to the field of
environmental health, including epidemiology,
toxicology, and environmental policy and regulation.
Specific topics will include water and air quality,
food safety, waste disposal, ionizing and non-ionizing
radiation, and occupational health. In addition,
diseases that develop in relation to environmental
conditions are highlighted. |
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Contemporary environmental artists seek to preserve and
restore the natural world by creating artworks that
address ecological challenges and point toward positive
solutions to these dilemmas. In this course students
work and study with an environmental artist. After a
review of contemporary environmental art, students
write brief papers on current ecological challenges and
then work in small groups to create conceptually-based
installations (site-specific sculptures) on campus that
relate to these issues. Students learn techniques for
creative thinking, transforming ideas into art, and
basic art skills. This course fulfills the fine
arts requirement and is valuable for future teachers
and people who are active in environmental movements. |
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This course provides an overview of the major plant
communities in California, with an emphasis on three
main themes: community, biodiversity, ecology factors
controlling plant species distributions, and human
relationships with plants. Laboratory work emphasizes
species identification and intense field studies in
local plant communities.
Cross listed with Biology 133. Prerequisite: Biology
23. |
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Tourism has become the single most important sector of
the economy for many nations around the world, yet
it is often seen as a mixed blessing for all
concerned. This course, offered in conjunction with
the Institute on Globalization, considers the impact
of tourism within the overall context of economic
and political change in the Caribbean. The course
also provides a required introduction for students
planning on taking part in the SCU 2003 Summer
Program in Trinidad and Tobago. |
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This Spring Quarter course includes a study abroad
component in June and early July after the spring
quarter ends. The course examines ecological
features of a diversity of habitats and species of
special concern in the tropical nation of Trinidad
and Tobago. An 18-day field excursion to the
Caribbean is required. There will be a focus on how
behavioral ecology informs conservation efforts.
Examples of student projects include keystone
species and biodiversity in tropical forests, the
interface between rain forest ecology and agro
ecology, leatherback turtles and an analysis of
international laws and conservation programs that
seek to protect them. All students must submit
applications to International Programs office to be
able to participate in the study abroad component.
In addition, students must also enroll in a linked
course, Political Science 140, in the spring.
Contact International Programs Office or the
Environmental Studies Institute for more
information. Additional fees are required to cover
the study abroad component. |
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Students in this course will compose a finished article
for publication in a magazine or journal after having
engaged in market research, analysis of submission
guidelines for select periodicals, discourse analysis,
and correspondence with editors. Students may chose to
participate in either discourse, that of environmental
writing or that of nature writing, and may elect to
write for either a general or scholarly audience.
Students will actually mail a manuscript to an editor
on the final day of class. Cross-listed with ENGL 174,
Nonfiction writing,
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Introduction to industrial applications in chemistry
and to environmental concerns in less-developed
countries. Survey of petrochemicals, pesticides, and
pharmaceuticals based on plants. Also listed as CHEM
193. |
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Examination of natural history and ecology of desert
and coastal ecosystems in Baja California Sur, with
special attention paid to issues of development,
fisheries, and sustainability. Meets once a week
during winter quarter at SCU and over spring break
at School for Field Studies in Baja. Students must
apply to course faculty to participate in this
program. Some travel fees not included. |
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A survey curse covering a variety of environmentally
conscious technologies. The course will address
"bleeding edge" as well as more traditional
technologies that enhance the quality of all life
forms in both the developed and developing
countries. The course will concentrate on
Environmentally Conscious Technologies used in the
following general areas: air quality, biotic
systems, climate, energy, land, population,
transportation, waste, and water. |
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This course will offer a cross-disciplinary examination
of the perspectives for “sustainable development” in
rural areas of Latin America. We will use diverse
points of view to look at interactions between poverty,
development, and environmental degradation. While there
is no single, universally accepted definition of
sustainable development, a central goal of this course
is that each student come away with the ability to
understand the key elements that distinguish different
discourses on this subject (that is, what are they
really saying?). |
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This course will examine the intersections between
development and the environment, examining ideas such
as sustainable development and poverty alleviation.
Topics covered include Fair Trade movements, The Third
World City, Natural resources as a benefit or a curse,
the geopolitics of water, and gender and the
environment. |
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This course examines the science and practice of
restoring degraded ecosystems, with an emphasis on
plant ecology. Through a number of case studies in
different ecosystems, as well as fieldwork at Ulistac
Natural Area, students will grapple with several basic
questions: How do we decide what to restore? How do we
restore it? And how do we know if we’re finished?
Students will learn to read the scientific literature,
write in scientific style, and critically judge the
success of restoration projects in meeting goals of
biodiversity and ecosystem function. Lab section
required.
Cross-listed with Biology 151. Prerequisite: Biology
23. |
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Quantitative study of the interrelationships of
organisms with their biotic and abiotic environments.
Emphasis on population dynamics, interspecific
relationships, community structure, and ecosystem
processes. Laboratory and field work 30 hours,
including one weekend field trip.
Cross-listed with Biology 156. Prerequisite: Biology 23
and Math 11 |
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Integrating environmental leadership and the practice
of spirituality is a major challenge of our time. This
class will investigate the global challenge of leading
human society toward a more sustainable future animated
by spiritual passion. It begins by articulating a
framework for understanding how we live our individual
and shared spiritual values, and then explores the
relationship between spirituality and ecological
consciousness. It will draw from Christian, Buddhist,
and Hindu spiritual traditions to investigate the
potential of consciousness to facilitate social
transformation. Class projects contribute to religious
institutional leadership in sustainability. This class
course fulfills the second level religious studies
requirement in the area of Theology, Ethics, and
Spirituality. |
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An introduction to Catholic perspectives on agriculture, the food system, and sustainability, using the moral vision of Cesar Chavez as guide. Dramatic changes have taken place in our modern agrofood system over the past century, and agriculture now threatens the environmental resource base upon which human society depends. At the same time, growers and farm workers suffer from harmful agricultural practices and economic injustices. Students will learn about the development of Catholic social teaching and how it tries to balance food provision, social justice, and environmental stewardship. The final project will include the creation of popular education tools for the National Catholic Rural Life Commission. This class course fulfills the second level religious studies requirement in the area of Theology, Ethics, and Spirituality. |
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This course investigates the application of
Environmental Justice principles mean for Diocese of
Stockton in California’s Central Valley. The course
analyzes the theological roots and implications of
Environmental Justice, but it also will be a practicum,
participating with the Diocese of Stockton as it pilots
an environmental justice education project. Students
will draw from their previous Religious Studies courses
to apply social justice principles to the environmental
problems of a specific place. This class course fulfills the third level religious studies requirement in the area of Theology, Ethics, and Spirituality. |
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Addressing the global collapse of biological diversity is a primary environmental challenge, and religious institutions are now contributing to debates over how to re-direct human social behavior. This course explores the religious implications of this incipient collapse, and recent religio-ethical responses, from an inter-disciplinary perspective. It integrates a survey of this crisis with a critical analysis by major faith traditions, paying particular attention to the distinct contribution that religion plays, could play, or has failed to play in addressing its root causes. This course includes a field trip to the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, Monterey Bay Marine Aquarium and Pt. Lobos State Reserve. This class course fulfills the third level religious studies requirement in the area of Theology, Ethics, and Spirituality. |
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Courses offered through the School for Field Studies.
SFS incorporates hands-on, community-focused
environmental field work with earning college credit
in some of the most beautiful and threatened
ecosystems in the world. Click
here for more information about School for Field
Studies. ENVS 170: Mexico Summer Program
ENVS 171: Kenya Summer Program
ENVS 172: Turks & Caicos Summer Program
ENVS 174: Australia Summer Program
ENVS 175: Costa Rica Summer Program
ENVS 180: Techniques of Wildlife Management
ENVS 181: Wildlife Ecology
ENVS 182: Tropical Marine Ecology
ENVS 183: Rainforest Ecology
ENVS 184: Principles of Forest Management
ENVS 185: Principles of Resource Management
ENVS 186: Tropical Ecology and Sustainable
Development
ENVS 187: Coastal Ecology
ENVS 188: Environmental Policy and Socioeconomic
Values
ENVS 189: Economic and Ethical Issues in Sustainable
Development |
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An environmental studies course with a special
emphasis. Please refer to the current class schedule
for additional details. |
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An environmental science course with a special
emphasis. Please refer to the current class schedule
for additional details. |
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Students wishing to enroll in 198A or 198B should
prepare a written description of the proposed course
for review by a program director in the fifth week
of the term preceding the start of the project.
Prerequisite: Permission of program director and
instructor before registration (units to be
arranged).
Download
additional guidelines here.
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Participation in a formal program focusing on
environmental problems in an off-campus setting.
Work will proceed under guidance of cooperating
specialists. Frequent meeting with on-campus
advisers suggested (units to be arranged).
Download
additional guidelines here.
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Supervised research on campus under the guidance of a
faculty member. Work is generally sustained for one
year with credit given only during one quarter. The
goal should be a written report suitable for
publication (unites to be arranged).
Download
additional guidelines here.
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A two-quarter sequence facilitating research and
education by students as they build new
environmental constituencies with faith communities.
Interns will create environmental education events
and conduct research supervised by campus faculty
and field supervisors. Environmental leadership and
vocation are emphasized. Prerequisite: Permission of
instructor prior to registration. 1 to 5-unit
course.
Find out more about the Faith, Ethics and Vocation
program. |
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Detailed investigation based on directed readings on
advanced environmental topics, under the close
supervision of a faculty member or the program
directors. Prerequisite: Permission of program
director and instructor before registration (units
to be arranged).
Download
additional guidelines here.
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