FALL 2011 COURSES
Courses for the ES Major: Social and Cultural Perspectives Track
Courses for the ES Major: Environmental Science Track
Courses for the ES Minor
Special Topics Course Descriptions
Courses for the ES Major
Social and Cultural Perspectives Track
Foundation Courses :
• ES 100 Environmental Concerns in Perspective
Core Courses:
• EC 104 001 Introduction to Microeconomics
• EC 104 004 Introduction to Microeconomics
• ES 221 Sustainable Development
• GO 231 Environmental Politics and Policy
Cluster A Courses:
• AM 103W Natural/Unnatural Disasters
• AM 250A Regional Culture: Hudson River
• AN 352C 001 The Earliest Cities
• EC 104 001 Intro to Microeconomics
• EC 104 004 Intro to Microeconomics
• ES 221 Sustainable Development
• ES 351A 001 The Politics and Sustainability of Food
• ES 351A 002 Science, Power, and Global Environmental Governance
• EX 131 Intro to Public Health
• GO 231 Environmental Politics and Policy
• GW 210 Ecofeminism, Women & the Environment
• IA 101 Introduction to International Affairs
Cluster B1 Courses:
• BI 115H Ecology of Food
• BI 140 Marine Biology
• BI 241 Ecology
• ES 205 Conservation and Use of Forested Landscapes
• GE 101 Earth Systems Science
Capstone:
• ES 374 Environmental Studies: Methods and Approaches
Methods:
• EC 237 Statistical Methods
• ID 210 Introduction to GIS
• MS 104 Introduction to Statistics
• SO 226 Social Research Analysis
Environmental Science Track
Foundation Course :
• ES 100 Environmental Concerns in Perspective
Disciplinary Foundation Courses:
• BI 105 Biological Sciences I
• CH 105 Chemical Principles I
• CH 106 Chemical Principles II
• GE 101 Earth Systems Science
• CH 107H Intensive General Chemistry:Honors
Core Courses:
• ES 205 Conservation and Use of Forested Landscapes
Cluster A Courses:
• AM 103W Natural/UnnaturalDiasters
• AM 250A Regional Culture: Hudson River
• AN 352C 001 The Earliest Cities
• EC 104 001 Intro to Microeconomics
• EC 104 004 Intro to Microeconomics
• ES 221 Sustainable Development
• ES 351A 001 The Politics and Sustainability of Food
• ES 351A 002 Science, Power, and Global Environmental Governance
• EX 131 Intro to Public Health
• GW 210 Ecofeminism, Women & the Environment
• IA 101 Introduction to International Affairs
Cluster B2 Courses:
• BI 241 Ecology
• BI 338 Plant Biotechnology
• CH 221 Organic Chemistry
• ES 351B 001 Structure and Function in Human-Dominated Ecosystems
• GE 216 Sedimentology
• GE 311 Paleoclimatology
Capstone:
• ES 374 Environmental Studies: Methods and Approaches
Methods:
• EC 237 Statistical Methods
• ID 210 Introduction to GIS
• MS 104 Introduction to Statistics
• SO 226 Statistics for the Social Sciences
• SO 227 Social Research Methods
Courses for the ES Minor
Social and Cultural Perspectives Track
Foundation Courses :
• ES 100 Environmental Concerns in Perspective
Cluster A Courses:
• AM 103W Natural/Unnatural Diasters
• AM 250A Regional Culture: Hudson River
• AN 352C 001 The Earliest Cities
• EC 104 001 Introduction to Microeconomics
• EC 104 004 Introduction to Microeconomics
• ES 221 Sustainable Development
• ES 351A 001 The Politics and Sustainability of Food
• ES 351A 002 Science, Power, and Global Environmental Governance
• EX 131 Intro to Public Health
• GO 231 Environmental Politics and Policy
• GW 210 Ecofeminism, Women & the Environment
• IA 101 Introduction to International Affairs
Cluster B1 Courses:
• BI 115H Ecology of Food
• BI 140 Marine Biology
• BI 241 Ecology
• ES 205 Conservation and Use of Forested Landscapes
• GE 101 Earth Systems Science
Special Topics Course Descriptions:
AN 352C 001 The Earliest Cities
Instructor: J. Ek
This course examines the concepts, theories, and methods archaeologists employ to
understand urbanism in ancient state societies in diverse geographic settings. What
was it like to walk down the streets and central precincts of ancient Teotihuacan,
Uruk, or Harappa? Were ancient Maya cities similar to the Khmer cities in Southeast
Asia? Do modern cities differ from the urban centers of ancient civilizations in
fundamental ways? The archaeological study of ancient cities around the world is an
exciting and controversial area of research encompassing a range of academic disciplines.
Topics discussed in the course draw on theories and concepts of the role of urban
centers in complex human societies from the fields of anthropology, archaeology, environmental
studies, and urban studies. Review of case studies from several well documented ancient
states from around the globe will provide students with a framework to address central
questions and concepts in the study of ancient urbanism, including: the development
of the earliest nucleated centers; the economic, political, and social-ecological,
role of cities in ancient states; patterns of growth and decline, the impact on human
health and the environment; and dimensions of variability such as city size, planning,
architecture, and spatial patterns. A major component of the course is a research
project in which each student will choose a particular city to explore in greater
depth through class discussion and written projects. Students will become familiar
with the tools that environmental archaeologists use to study ancient cities, including
settlement survey as well as new methods such as GIS analysis, interactive 3D digital
modeling, and agent-based simulation. Prerequisite: AN-102 or permission of instructor.
ES 351A 001 The Politics and Sustainability of Food
Instructor: N. Atalan-Helicke
Our world is in a food crisis. Rising food prices, diminishing grain reserves, and
global climate change—with implications for agriculture, crop yields, and water resources—raise
concerns about chronic hunger and vulnerability as well as the erosion of our natural
resources. This course focuses on the political economy of food and importance of
environment and geography to the production, distribution, and consumption of food.
We will study why food is produced and consumed where it is, how food as a commodity
connects members of different societies, and how it creates social and geopolitical
inequalities. Ultimately, our goal is to understand the relationship between food
abundance and food insecurity across different regions of the world.
Prerequisites: ES 100 or the permission of the instructor
ES 351A 002 Science, Power, and Global Environmental Governance
Instructor: N. Atalan-Helicke
Environmental politics often seem at odds with “rational” problem solving. In this
course we will examine the role of various agents-- governments, scientific bodies,
and non-governmental organizations--in environmental decision-making and in using
science, law, economics, and ethics are used as political tools to create powerful
representations of environmental problems or decisions over others. The course will
examine international environmental case studies to understand how people make policy
decisions about the environment according to three broad themes: 1) Access to environmental
decisions: Who has access to decisions? 2) Scientific data and expertise: How are
scientific data and uncertainty used globally to reach environmental decisions? 3)
Perceptions: Why are some values translated into environmental decision making and
others are not? The goal of the course is for students to gain an understanding of
how certain environmental decisions dominate the public agenda and how certain policies
gain legitimacy over others.
Prerequisites: ES 100 or the permission of the instructor
ES 351B 001 Structure and Function in Human-Dominated Ecosystems
Instructor: C. Tant
This course will use the principles of ecosystem ecology and food web ecology to examine
anthropogenic impacts and management on fluxes and stocks of elements (carbon, water,
and nutrients) through both living and non-living components of ecological systems.
Topics will include 1) factors affecting organic matter processing as they apply to
various composting methods, 2) movement of nutrients, toxins, and emerging contaminants
through food webs, 3) human impacts on trophic structure in food webs, and 4) modeling
agricultural and aquacultural systems as highly controlled, extractive food webs.
In each case, we will highlight the parallels and dissimilarities between the natural
and altered systems. The course will emphasize critical examination of ideas and techniques
through laboratory and fieldwork as well as group discussion. We will focus on themes
from both the Social and Cultural Perspectives and Environmental Science tracks to
guide group projects and discussions in the application of concepts to case studies
from terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems.
Prerequisites: ES205 or ES206 or by permission of instructor.
