FALL 2017 COURSES
Courses for the Environmental Studies Major
Courses for the Environmental Science Major
Special Topics Course Descriptions
COURSES FOR THE ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES MAJOR
Foundation Courses:
- ES 100 Environmental Concerns in Perspective
Core Courses:
- EC 104 Microeconomics
- SO 223 Environmental Sociology
- ES 224 Political Ecology
- EN 224 Literature and the Environments TR
Cluster A Courses:
- EC 104 Microeconomics
- SO 223 Environmental Sociology
- ES 224 Political Ecology
- EN 224 Literature and the Environments TR
- ES 306 US Public Land & Oceans
- ES 303 Politics of Food
- ES 307 Global Environmental Governance
- HI 267 American Indian History
- ES 305 Environmental Education
- EX 131 Introduction to Public Health
- WLS 331 Tales of the Wondrous Lands: The Hispanic Transatlantic World
- AS 221 The Himalayas: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on the "Roof of the World"
- SO 351 Population Explosion in Sociological Perspective
- EX 361 Contemporary Issues in Public Health
Methods:
- EC 237 Statistical Methods
- ID 201 Introduction to GIS
- MA 104 Introduction to Statistics
- PL 251C Intro to Political Science Research
Cluster B1 Courses:
- ES 222 Energy Systems and Sustainable Solutions
- GE 101 Earth Systems Science
- GE 207 Environmental Geology
- BI 140 Marine Biology
- ID 351C Spatial Analysis and Modeling
Capstone:
- ES 374 ESS Research Capstone: Design and Methods
COURSES FOR THE ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE MAJOR
Foundation Course:
- ES 100 Environmental Concerns in Perspective
Core Courses:
- ES 205 Ecosystem Science and the analysis of forested landscapes
Cluster B2 Courses:
- ESS 222 Energy Systems/Sust Solutions
- ES 308 Soil and Watershed Science for a Crowded Planet
- BI 241 Ecology
- BI 351 Ecology of North America
- GE 351D Sedimentology and Stratigraphy
- GE 311 Paleoclimatology
- CH 221 Organic Chemistry I
- CH 222 Organic Chemistry II
Cluster A Courses:
- EC 104 Microeconomics
- SO 223 Environmental Sociology
- ES 224 Political Ecology
- EN 224 Literature and the Environments TR
- ES 306 US Public Land & Oceans
- ES 303 Politics of Food
- ES 307 Global Environmental Governance
- HI 267 American Indian History
- ES 305 Environmental Education
- EX 131 Introduction to Public Health
- WLS 331 Tales of the Wondrous Lands: The Hispanic Transatlantic World
- AS 221 The Himalayas: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on the "Roof of the World"
- SO 351 Population Explosion in Sociological Perspective
- EX 361 Contemporary Issues in Public Health
Capstone:
- ES 374 ESS Research Capstone: Design and Methods
Methods:
- ID 210 Introduction to GIS
- MA 104 Introduction to Statistics
SPECIAL TOPICS COURSE DESCRIPTIONS:
ID-351C 001 Spatial Analysis and Modeling Instructor: Tom Hart
This course provides an in-depth experience in applied spatial analysis. Topics will
range from digital representations of topographic features (e.g., natural and built
) and modeling thematic data (e.g., social, health and economic). Selected topics
will allow students to become versed in advanced software applications including ArcMap
extensions (e.g., spatial, 3D, geostatistical and network analysts) and specialized
applications for watershed modeling and processing elevation data. Both remotely-sensed
and vector-based data will be used. An additional focus on publishing methods and
professional production will be included. As an interdisciplinary course, topics will
be adjusted to match student backgrounds, with the opportunity to individually explore
topics specific to their interests. Prerequisite: ID210 or other introductory GIS
class with permission of the instructor
SO 351 Population Explosion in Sociological Perspective Instructor: Amon Emeka
In this course we will consider arguments and evidence as to what triggered this “bomb,”
whether we have seen the worst of its effects, and how it should bear on our thoughts
and actions going forward. This means exploring patterns of birth, death, and geographic
distribution of the human population and all attendant processes—including but not
limited to family formation, sexual practices, neonatal care and practice, conceptions
of childhood, parent-child relationships, disease transmission/control, disability,
internal and international migration, segregation, etc. The destructive potential
of global warming, among other things, has made clear to us the inextricable links
between human societies around the world and the need for interdisciplinary approaches
to understand and, we hope, solve pressing problems that have taken on global dimensions.
Therefore, this course will necessarily have an international/comparative and interdisciplinary
orientation. It is, however, a sociology class that will pay special attention to
social forces that bear on demographic processes.
EX-361 Contemporary Issues in Public Health Instructor: Suzanne D’Isabel
In Introduction to Public Health we examined the world of public health through a
broad lens, but we did not have the opportunity to reach deeply in to any one topic
area. This course takes us to that next level by engaging in a thorough exploration
of critically important public health topics. In particular, we will investigate how
poverty impacts health, examine select global public health issues, study new and
(re-)emerging infectious diseases, consider serious environmental public health concerns,
and analyze the health behaviors that contribute most profoundly to prevalent chronic
diseases. In addition, the course offers students the opportunity to bridge the classroom-community
gap through independent projects with the Saratoga County Health Department. The goals
of the class include for students to appreciate the unique aspects of each topic area,
become conversant about important and timely public health issues, and apply public
health techniques to address local public health problems.
BI 351.002 Ecology of North America
A survey across the continent of the major biomes and communities of plants and animals characterizing major sectors of the landscape. The course summarizes classical and recent studies of the biota of eastern deciduous forests, boreal forests, grasslands, deserts, and major aquatic systems from coast to coast, and includes baseline conditions and modern threats to these systems. One full-day field trip required.
