FALL 2021 COURSES
Courses for the Environmental Studies Major
Courses for the Environmental Science Major
Courses for the ES Minor
Special Topics Course Descriptions
COURSES FOR THE ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES MAJOR
Foundation Courses:
- ES 100 Environmental Concerns in Perspective
Core Courses:
- EC 104 Introduction to Microeconomics
- ES 223 Environmental Justice
- ES 224 Political Ecology
- SO 223W Environmental Sociology
Cluster A Courses:
- AH 267 The Costs of Things
- AN 222 Food and Culture
- EC 104 Introduction to Microeconomics
- ES 223 Environmental Justice
- ES 224 Political Ecology
- ES 307 Global Environmental Governance
- ES 303 Politics of Food
- HP 131 Introduction to Public Health
- SO 223W Environmental Sociology
- WLL 363 Terroir: Wine and the French Sense of Place
Cluster B1 Courses:
- ES 222 Energy Systems and Sustainable Solutions
- ES 252D Landscape Dynamics: Environmental Change and Conservation in the Saratoga Region
- GE 101 Earth Systems Science
- GE 251C Glacial Geology
Capstone:
- ES 374 Environmental Studies Research Capstone
Methods:
- EC 237 Statistical Methods
- ID 210 Introduction to GIS
- MS 104 Introduction to Statistics
- SO 226 Stats for Social Sciences
- SO 227R Social Research Methods
COURSES FOR THE ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE MAJOR
Foundation Course:
- ES 100 Environmental Concerns in Perspective
Disciplinary Foundation Courses:
- BI 108 Organismal Biology
- CH 125 Principles of Chemistry
- GE 101 Earth Systems Science
Core Courses:
- ES 205 Ecosystem Science and the Analysis of Forested Landscapes
Cluster A Courses:
- AH 267 The Costs of Things
- AN 222 Food and Culture
- EC 104 Introduction to Microeconomics
- ES 223 Environmental Justice
- ES 224 Political Ecology
- ES 307 Global Environmental Governance
- ES 303 Politics of Food
- HP 131 Introduction to Public Health
- SO 223W Environmental Sociology
- WLL 363 Terroir: Wine and the French Sense of Place
Cluster B2 Courses:
- BI 241 Ecology
- BI 338 Plant Biotechnology
- BI 339 Plant Animal Interaction
- BI 351 Environmental Microbiology (no lab)
- BI 352 Environmental Microbiology (lab)
- CH 221 Organic Chemistry I
- CH 222 Organic Chemistry II
- ES 222 Energy Systems and Sustainable Solutions
- ES 308 Soil and Watershed Science
- GE 302 Reading the Sedimentary Record: Sedimentology and Stratigraphy
- GE 304 Geomorphology
Capstone:
- ES 374 Environmental Studies Research Capstone
Methods:
- ID 210 Introduction to GIS
- MS 104 Introduction to Statistics
- MS 204 Statistical Methods
COURSES FOR THE ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES AND SCIENCEs MINOR
Foundation Courses:
- ES 100 Environmental Concerns in Perspective
- ES 205 Ecosystem Science and the Analysis of Forested Landscapes
Cluster A Courses:
- AH 267 The Costs of Things
- AN 222 Food and Culture
- EC 104 Introduction to Microeconomics
- ES 223 Environmental Justice
- ES 224 Political Ecology
- ES 307 Global Environmental Governance
- ES 303 Politics of Food
- HP 131 Introduction to Public Health
- SO 223W Environmental Sociology
- WLL 363 Terroir: Wine and the French Sense of Place
Cluster B1 Courses:
- ES 222 Energy Systems and Sustainable Solutions
- ES 252D Landscape Dynamics: Environmental Change and Conservation in the Saratoga Region
- GE 101 Earth Systems Science
- GE 251C Glacial Geology
Cluster B2 Courses:
- BI 241 Ecology
- BI 338 Plant Biotechnology
- BI 339 Plant Animal Interaction
- BI 351 Environmental Microbiology (no lab)
- BI 352 Environmental Microbiology (lab)
- CH 221 Organic Chemistry I
- CH 222 Organic Chemistry II
- ES 222 Energy Systems and Sustainable Solutions
- ES 308 Soil and Watershed Science
- GE 302 Reading the Sedimentary Record: Sedimentology and Stratigraphy
- GE 304 Geomorphology
- HP 242 Principles of Nutrition
SPECIAL TOPICS COURSE DESCRIPTIONS:
AH 267 - The Costs of Things: Environmental, Human, and Personal Instructor: Saleema Waraich
Explores the significance of consumer goods in histories of colonization, enslavement, and modern social formation from the 19th century to the present. Students will examine how consumer practices and access to natural resources and commodities are dependent upon unequal power relationships that privilege western, white populations and have devastating consequences for the earth. Students will interrogate the disproportionate impact of this process on formerly colonized and enslaved populations and will explore strategies to effect change. Studying these topics across space and time will provide a context for understanding and engaging with contemporary realities and concerns in the U.S. We also will resist rampant consumerism by considering the experiences of people forced to abandon their belongings due to political crises and natural disasters, and by cultivating more conscientious, meaningful relationships with the things in our lives. Students will develop public-facing activities to educate the Skidmore community about the environmental and human costs of everyday objects. Prerequisite: SSP 100
AN 222 - You Are What You Eat: Food and Culture Instructor: Kathryn Baustian
An anthropological exploration of the food we eat. Food is not only a necessary aspect of our survival, but also of great importance to our cultural identities, economies, and political systems. Students will explore the ways that food choice, production, and consumption contribute to disparities in health and socioeconomic status in the United States. We will also examine modern problems–including obesity and diet-related diseases, sustainability in food production, famines, and the loss of food variety. Students will engage with local food systems to better understand the impacts of power and inequality among their peers and neighbors.
ES 252D Landscape Dynamics: Environmental Change and Conservation in the Saratoga Region Instructor: Michael Gaige
The contemporary landscape is shaped by natural processes and human activities of the past. Beginning with the most recent glaciation ending ~12,000 years ago and ranging up to current land protection and conservation efforts, students will explore how the Saratoga region (broadly defined) came to be organized the way it has, why species occur where they do, and how land has developed as it has. Focus will be given to substrate conditions created by geological processes, natural ecological communities, and the past 300 years of agriculture and land use change. The framework established in this course will allow students to approach any landscape or region through its deep history and the dynamic interplay between the physical, biological, and cultural landscapes. There will be lab work and field trips.
GE 304 Geomorphology Instructor: K. Nichols
Glaciers and glacial processes are an integral to understanding past, present, and future Earth. Glaciers affect climate, hydrology, and near surface and other processes. In this class you will learn the basics of how glaciers move, how they erode, the types of deposits they leave behind and how these processes affect how we live today. You will also learn how glaciers record past climate and provide clues to Earth’s future climate. In the first half of the course you will learn the nuts and bolts of glaciers. In the second half of the course we will use this information as it is applied to real world scenarios. One portion of the course without the other is only a partial treatment of glaciers and their effect on society. Prerequisites GE 101 or GE 207
WLL 363 Terroir: Wine and the French Sense of Place Instructor: Tim Freiermuth
In a world of multinational corporations, boundless social media, global brands, rampant
urbanization, cultural homogenization, environmental degradation, large-scale industrialized
agriculture, and virtual reality...Does PLACE matter anymore? The answer may have
been quite literally planted 1000 years ago by Burgundian monks! This course proposes
to respond to this fundamental question through an interdisciplinary exploration of
the quintessentially French notion of “terroir.” Originally a winemaking term designating
the unique characteristics a wine exhibits due to its geographic situation, terroir
speaks to the “irreproducible uniqueness of place” and therefore unlocks a distinctively
French contribution to a wide range of seemingly unrelated issues. We will plunge
into the world of wine only to find ourselves enmeshed in debates on environmental
policy, farm-to-table activist economics, nationalism and immigration, art and architecture,
abortion and reproductive technology, urban planning and suburban sprawl, cafeteria
lunch wars, accent standardization, or authenticity and simulation. Yes, it is all
in a single bottle of wine! Course taught in English.
(Students wishing to earn credit for the French major/minor must also register for
the 1-credit add-on WLF 271 which will be conducted in French.)
Prerequisite for WLL 363: EN 105 or equivalent
Prerequisite for WLF 271: WLF 210
