SPRING 2021 COURSES

AN 252C Mesoamerican Archaeology II: Aztecs                           Instructor: H. Hurst

The purpose of this course is to provide broad understanding of the culture history of Mesoamerica. Mesoamerican Archaeology Part I examines Middle America’s first settlement over 10,000 years ago to the end of the 9th century, with focus on Olmec, Zapotec, and Maya cultures. Mesoamerican Archaeology Part II (which can be taken independently) examines the Post Classic through Colonial periods, with greatest focus on the Maya and the Nahuas. The Aztec Empire, its foundations, economy, subsistence practices, politics, and religion will be a major focus of this course. We will discuss the many similarities that Mesoamerican societies share, as well as the distinctions that separate them. Our study of each culture’s unique historical trajectory provides opportunity to examine processes of culture change and you will come to recognize key factors that contributed to the development these unities and distinctions.

No prerequisite

GE 251 Introduction to Energy Resources                                   Instructor: J. Cholnoky

An exploration of the earth materials used to produce energy. Without energy resources, life would be a lot colder and darker during the winters around here. They include fossil fuels, uranium, wind and water. Students will learn about the formation and distribution of finite energy resources like petroleum and natural gas, coal, and uranium and increase their understanding of how this impacts exploration for and extraction of these materials. Students will also investigate how we harness earth processes like surface water flow, geothermal heat, solar and wind power to generate renewable energy and increase their understanding of the complexity and nuance of assessing which energy resources will best meet growing demand and future needs.

CH 351C Atmospheric Chemistry                                               Instructor: J. Navea

This course introduces students to the physical and chemical processes that control the Earth’s atmosphere and climate. Topics will include the mechanisms that regulate the flow of energy in the atmosphere, global chemical cycles, and the role of atmospheric aerosols and solar radiation in climate change. In addition, we will explore how human activities influence the chemical balance of the atmosphere.

ES 252D Managing Environmental Change                                 Instructor:  K. Covey

Shifting land use and a changing climate presents humanity with unprecedented global scale challenges that threaten ecosystem integrity and human health. Combating these complex problems requires an understanding not only of the physical science of ecosystem dynamics, but also the ways our energy, agricultural, and policy systems interact to regulate ecosystems and their extent. In this course, we’ll explore the environmental and social drivers of change at the local and global global scales, as well as the applied science of measuring, regulating, and communicating the impact of these long-term changes. Students will draw on this understanding during discussions, problem sets, and labs evaluating solutions to our most pressing environmental challenges.

Prerequisite: ES 105 or permission of the instructor.

ES 352C Urban Planning                                                  Instructor: T. Fabozzi

This course will examine the theory and practice of urban planning in the United States, the evolving structure of cities and suburbs and the ways they can be designed and developed. It will include a review of the dominant planning paradigms and how they have changed over time in response to social, economic and environmental conditions within the American political framework. The course will examine planning as a community process and professional activity, including an evaluation of its successes, failures and possibilities for shaping sustainable metropolitan regions.

Prerequisite: ES 100.

MB 351 Sustainability in the Business Context                Instructor: J. Coulombe

Ever wonder who makes your clothes, where your food comes from and how companies such as Ben & Jerry’s and Patagonia have managed to build extremely successful companies all while keeping sustainability as a core value? In this course, students will explore a variety of sustainability related topics, including environmental and social sustainability issues in managing supply chains, sustainable marketing, standards for measuring and certifying sustainable operations and sustainability efforts in our local community. The course will introduce students – through a series of case studies, projects and guest lectures from industry leaders – to concepts, theories and models related to sustainability.  Sustainable and ethical business practices will also be a major theme in the course.

WLL 363C        Race and Nature in Francophone Literatures      Instructor: A. Matheron             

This course explores the relationship between race and nature in literatures and cultures from and about Francophone sub-Saharan and Caribbean countries and regions. From the landfills of Senegal, the uranium mines of Niger, to the enduring Caribbean plantation system (among others), authors, artists, and thinkers, have attempted to make sense of the impact of the Anthropocene on our planet. While growing attention has been paid to the irreversible consequences of the impact of human activity on the environment, the figures we will study show how such consequences have disproportionately affected racialized communities around the world for more than 400 years. As we learn about anticolonial practices of nature, our study of novels, poetry, photography, and movies, will also be informed by key theoretical texts in Francophone and Anglophone environmentalism, ecocriticism, and ecofeminism. Course taught in English. Cross-listed with Black Studies and Environmental Studies. 

Prerequisite: EN 105 or EN 110.