SPRING 2012 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
- ES 105 Field Studies in Environmental Science
Core Courses:
- EC 104 001 Intro to Microeconomics ES
- EN 229 05 Literature and the Environment
- HI 217 02 American Environmental History
- SO 223 Environmental Sociology
Cluster A Courses:
- AN 352C Environmental Archeology
- AR 351G Imaging the Environment
- EC 104 001 Intro to Microeconomics ES
- EC 316 Economics of Development
- EN 229 05 Literature and the Environment
- EN 363 American Landscape and Literature
- EN 280 Environmental Journalism
- ES 251A Political Ecology
- ES 351A 001 Environmental Art
- ES 351A 002 Environmental Legal Issues
- ES 351A 003 Environment and Development in the Middle East
- EX 131 Introduction to Public Health
- HI 217 01 Natural Disasters in Asia
- HI 217 02 American Environmental History
- IA 101 Introduction of International Affairs
- RE 225 Religion and Ecology
- S0 223 Environmental Sociology
Cluster B1 Courses:
- BI 165 Microbes and Society
- BI 327 Conservation Ecology
- ES 251B The Engineering and Ecology of Energy
- GE 112 Oceanography
- GE 211 Climatology
Capstone:
- ES 375 Environmental Studies: Research Capstone
Methods:
- EC 237 Statistical Methods
- ID 210 Introduction to GIS
- MS 104 Introduction to Statistics
- SO 226 Statistics for the Social Sciences
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE TRACK
Foundation Course:
- ES 100 Environmental Concerns in Perspective
Disciplinary Foundation Courses:
- BI 106 Biological Sciences II
- CH 105 Chemical Principles I
- CH 106 Chemical Principles II
Core Course:
- ES 206 Watershed Assessment: Dynamic and Integrity of Aquatic Systems
Cluster A Courses:
- AN 352C Environmental Archeology
- AR 351G Imaging the Environment
- EC 104 001 Intro to Microeconomics ES
- EC 316 Economics of Development
- EN 229 05 Literature and the Environment
- EN 363 American Landscape and Literature
- EN 280 Environmental Journalism
- ES 251A Political Ecology
- ES 351A 001 Environmental Art
- ES 351A 002 Environmental Legal Issues
- ES 351A 003 Environment and Development in the Middle East
- EX 131 Introduction to Public Health
- HI 217 01 Natural Disasters in Asia
- HI 217 02 American Environmental History
- IA 101 Introduction of International Affairs
- RE 225 Religion and Ecology
- S0 223 Environmental Sociology
Cluster B2 Courses:
- BI 316 Animal Behavior
- BI 324 Evolution
- BI 327 Conservation Ecology
- CH 222 Organic Chemistry II
- GE 301 Hydrogeologic Systems
- GE 316 Stratigraphy
- ES 251B The Engineering and Ecology of Energy
Capstone:
- ES 375 Environmental Studies: Research Capstone
Methods:
- ID 210 Introduction to GIS
- MS 104 Introduction to Statistics
COURSES FOR THE ES MINOR
Foundation Courses:
- ES 100 Environmental Concerns in Perspective
- ES 105 Field Studies in Environmental Science
Cluster A Courses:
- AN 352C Environmental Archeology
- AR 351G Photography: Imaging the Environment
- EC 104 001 Intro to Microeconomics-ES
- EC 316 Economics of Development
- EN 229 05 Literature and the Environment
- EN 363 American Landscape and Literature
- EN 280 Environmental Journalism
- ES 251A Political Ecology
- ES 351A 001 Environmental Art
- ES 351A 002 Environmental Legal Issues
- ES 351A 003 Environment and Development in the Middle East
- EX 131 Introduction to Public Health
- HI 217 01 Natural Disasters in Asia
- HI 217 02 American Environmental History
- IA 101 Introduction of International Affairs
- RE 225 Religion and Ecology
- S0 223 Environmental Sociology
Cluster B1 Courses:
- BI 165 Microbes and Society
- BI 327 Conservation Ecology
- ES 251B The Engineering and Ecology of Energy
- GE 112 Oceanography
- GE 211 Climatology
Special Topic Course Descriptions:
AN 352C Environmental Archeology – Instructor: J. EK
In modern public discourse, we often speak of human impacts on the physical environment in negative terms. In this class we will adopt a different perspective to understand the relationship between human groups and the natural environment, focusing on the dynamic relationship between human societies and the physical landscape in which they inhabit. As the importance of human/environmental dynamics has come to the forefront of public and academic discourse, archaeology will play an increasingly important role in understanding long term relationships between human land use practices, natural and anthropogenic environmental and climatic processes, and the sustainability of socionatural systems. This course will examine a range of issues relevant in the emerging subdiscipline of environmental archaeology, including the theories and methods researchers use to reconstruct ancient landscapes, patterns of environmental and climatic change, and human land use and modification practices. This course adopts a holistic approach that combines paleoclimatic reconstruction, regional analysis, settlement pattern research, sustainability studies, political ecology, and landscape approaches to construct a nuanced and dynamic view of the relationship between human groups and the physical environment. Prerequisite: AN-102 or ES-100 or permission of the instructor.
AR 351G Imaging the Environment – Instructor: R. ParkeHarrison
Responding to the environmental crisis in our world today, students in this advanced
photography course will explore environmental issues and themes through creative photographic
works of art. Each project in this course focuses on a specific environmental theme
and photographic genre. We will use significant environmental texts (such as One with
Nineveh by Paul and Anne Ehrlich, The End of Nature by Bill McKibben, and Walden by
Henry David Thoreau) and study a diverse range of contemporary artists/photographers
who have defined this powerful movement within photography (such Alfred Steiglitz,
Sally Mann, Hiroshi Sugimoto, and Minor White). Prerequisites: AR229 or permission
of instructor. Lab fee: $80
EN 280 01 Environmental Journalism - Instructor: D. Willman
Environmental journalists cover what are perhaps the most significant issues facing
the world over the next 50 years. This course will provide a better understanding
of their work. You will practice skills needed to report on and write environmental
stories. You will critique and learn from the work of other environmental journalists,
and from each other. Finally, you will become wiser consumers of environmental news.
Assignments will include a weekly discussion of current environmental news, several
short writing assignments, and one major project paper.
EN 363 01 American Landscape and Literature – Instructor: T. Lewis
What is the relationship between American culture and the landscape? How have American
writers responded to their landscape in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries? We’ll
seek answers in travel journals, novels, and poetry of the nineteenth and twentieth
century, including:
Frances Trollope, Domestic Manners of Americans (selections); James Fenimore Cooper, The Pioneer; Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass; Mark Twain, Huckleberry Finn; Henry David Thoreau, Walden; Willa Cather, O Pioneers! Hart Crane, The Bridge; Jack Kerouac, On the Road; T. C. Boyle, World's End
In addition to the readings we will consider, briefly, the works of some important artists and photographers of the American landscape, including Winslow Homer, Joseph Stella, Thomas Hart Benton, Albert Bierstadt, Thomas Cole, Asher Durand, Frederick Church, Georgia O’Keeffe, Walker Evans, and Alfred Stieglitz.
ES 251A Political Ecology – Instructor: N Atalan Helicke
How does political ecology differ from ecology? Who has power over the environment?
How is nature constructed and destructed? How do existing policies and stakeholder
interactions affect the use of environment by society? How do resource conflicts arise
and become resolved? How is environmental knowledge used and abused? This course will
introduce students to the array of broad political and socio-economic forces that
shape the human relationships with the environment. These forces are multiple and
interact in complex ways over a set of interlocking scales from local to global. We
will address these issues by covering several case studies, both from the United States
and the world. This course includes Service Learning component that requires a 15-hour
commitment to an off campus community project.
The course work includes an exam, a research project on a community project (15 hours/semester commitment and possible travel to outside campus), reflection papers and a presentation. Prerequisite: Familiarity with social science research methods, permission from the instructor
ES 251B The Engineering and Ecology of Energy - Instructor: R. Wiltshire
Energy is a principle means for providing basic human needs, and it facilitates opportunities
for achieving a decent quality of life. Access to and distribution of affordable,
adequate, and sustainable energy sources is a prerequisite for sustainable development,
and understanding the design, efficiencies, and environmental impacts of different
energy systems is critical to our transition to a cleaner, more equitable energy future.
We will explore the fundamental physics of energy, the evolving designs, technologies
and efficiencies of more traditional and alternative energy production, and the comprehensive
ecological impacts of various energy sources and systems such as Solar, Wind, Hydro,
and Biomass. Prereqs. ES 100 and QR1.
ES 351A 001 Environmental Art - Instructor: A. Barnes
Environmental art encompasses a range of approaches to connecting art with the environment.
In this course, we will study contemporary works of art that explore environmental
issues or encourage positive environmental change. Often referred to as eco-art or
ecological art, these works are frequently collaborative and interdisciplinary in
nature. They ask us to consider public and activist art in connection with environmental
concerns. As a counterpoint to our study of these works, we will examine contemporary
art made from natural materials. Much of this work emphasizes ephemerality and one’s
personal connection with the natural world. Course assignments will include presentations
requiring research and interdisciplinary analysis. In Skidmore’s tradition of “hand
and mind,” assignments will also include a series of visual studies and a collaborative
environmental art project. While this course does not require experience with studio
art, it does require an interest in visual art and a willingness to experiment with
visual communication and expression. Museum exhibitions discussed will include Beyond
Green: Toward a Sustainable Art, Human/Nature: Artists Respond to a Changing Planet,
and ecovention. Prerequisites: ES100 or permission of instructor Lab fee: $25
ES 351A 002 Environmental Legal Issues – Instructor: M. Schachner
This course will entail study, discussion and writing about environmental legal issues at the Federal, State and Local levels. Topics covered will include laws governing air and water pollution, hazardous waste disposal and governmental zoning powers. After initial focus on the “birth” and evolution of environmental regulatory schemes, principally at the Federal level, emphasis will shift to analysis of environmental legal issues of regional and local significance. Class assignments will include analysis of environmental law statutes, regulations and cases, as well as other writings, including current articles, regarding local environmental issues. Students will also learn to find, research and analyze Court Decisions involving environmental law. Discussion group format will enable students to develop advocacy skills in debates among each other and group assignments may include the opportunity to participate in community or regional legal issues of environmental social relevance. Prereq. ES 100.
ES 351A 003 Environment and Development in the Middle East - Instructor – N. Atalan Helicke
The Middle East immediately brings to mind religious and political complexities. However,
Middle Eastern nations also face distinctive environmental and development challenges.
In this class, students will study the natural and human environment in the Middle
East, addressing major development and environmental topics such as the impacts of
oil and other natural resource use; modernization and large dam projects; population
growth and access to water, energy and food; and climate change and transboundary
environmental issues. Students will explore the complex and interdisciplinary characteristics
of Middle East environmental issues at both the regional and global scales through
the examination of case studies from Saudi Arabia, Iran, Egypt, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon,
Israel, Jordan, Yemen and the United Arab Emirates.
The course work includes an exam, a research project, individual and group work on
case studies. Prerequisite: Familiarity with international policy making and world
geography; permission from the instructor
EX 131: Introduction to Public Health - Instructor: J. Burden
Introduction to the principles and practices of public health, emphasizing the prevention
of disease and promotion of health and well being. Using a case-study framework, students
will explore both the historical and current roles of public health, and will investigate
basic, epidemiological concepts including study design, rates, causation, and surveillance.
Environmental, behavioral, biological, and socio-economic determinants of health will
be explored and students will study both health issues that impact larger society
and those that threaten vulnerable populations.
HI 217 001: Natural Disasters in Asia – Instructor: P. Fuller
Focusing on the social response to natural disasters in Asia over the centuries, this
course will cover the role of the state and other sectors of society in disaster relief,
and changes to their priorities and capabilities over time; issues of entitlement
and the “worthy poor”; the ideological (Buddhist, Confucian and Christian) bases of
state and charitable action; rebellion due to ecological crises and attendant state
failures; and modern or Western perceptions of “Asian” humanitarianism, and how they
compare to what can be learned from the historical record. Centered on China for its
sheer size and influence in the region, the course will also touch on the Japanese,
Korean, and Vietnamese experiences
HI 217 002: American Environmental History – Instructor: E. MorserThis course explores American environmental history from pre-colonial times through the modern era. We will investigate a number of themes including how the different landscapes and ecologies of North America shaped the continent's history, the links between industrialization and the environment, economic and political struggles for control of natural resources, and changing American perceptions of nature. Ultimately, by examining these themes we can understand how the nation's rich environmental history has crafted the world that we inhabit today.
If you have any questions about these courses, please feel free to Michael Marx (mmarx@skidmore.edu) or other members of the Environmental Studies faculty.
