SPRING 2020 COURSES
Courses for the Environmental Studies Major
Courses for the Environmental Science Major
Courses for the ESS Minor
Special Topics Course Descriptions
COURSES FOR THE ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES MAJOR
Foundation Courses
- ES 100 Environmental Concerns in Perspective
- ES 105 Field Studies in Environmental Science
Core Courses
- EC 104 Introduction to Microeconomics
- ES 221 Sustainable Development
- ES 252C Human Rights and Development
Cluster A Courses
- AN 207R North American Archaeology
- AS 251C Asian Ecologies and Cosmologies
- EC 104 Introduction to Microeconomics
- EC 243 Environmental & Resource Economics
- ES 221 Sustainable Development
- ES 252C Human Rights & Development
- ES 306 US Public Lands and Oceans
- ES 352C Urban Planning
- HP 131 Introduction to Public Health
- HP 351C Public Health Global Perspective
- RE 225 Religion & Ecology
Cluster B1 Courses
- BI 136 Ecology of the Adirondacks
- BI 165 Microbes & Society
- ES 252D Managing Environmental Change
- GE 101 Earth System Science
- GE 251C Introduction to Natural Resources
- GE 251C Glacial Geology
- HP 242 Principles of Nutrition
- ID 351 Spatial Analysis & and Modeling
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
- SO 227 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 126 Principles of Chemistry
- ES 105 Field Studies in Environmental or GE 101 Earth System Science
Note: We are waiving BI 106 for majors.
Core Courses:
- ES 206 Environmental Engineering and the Science of Sustainability
Cluster A Courses
- AN 207R North American Archaeology
- AS 251C Asian Ecologies and Cosmologies
- EC 104 Introduction to Microeconomics
- EC 243 Environmental & Resource Economics
- ES 221 Sustainable Development
- ES 252C Human Rights & Development
- ES 306 US Public Lands and Oceans
- ES 352C Urban Planning
- HP 131 Introduction to Public Health
- HP 351C Public Health Global Perspective
- RE 225 Religion & Ecology
Cluster B2 Courses
- BI 224 Evolution
- BI 325 Tropical Ecology
- CH 221 Organic Chemistry I
- CH 222 Organic Chemistry II
- CH 232 Analytical Methods in Chemistry
- ES 206 Environmental Engineering and the Science of Sustainability
- GE 311 Paleoclimatology
- HP 242 Principles of Nutrition
- ID 351 Spatial Analysis & Modeling
Capstone
- ES 375 Environmental Studies Research Capstone
Methods
- BI 235 Biostatics
- ID 210 Introduction to GIS
- MS 104 Introduction to Statistics
COURSES FOR THE ESS MINOR
Foundation Courses
- ES 100 Environmental Concerns in Perspective
- ES 105 Field Studies in Environmental Science
Cluster A Courses
- AN 207R North American Archaeology
- AS 251C Asian Ecologies and Cosmologies
- EC 104 Introduction to Microeconomics
- EC 243 Environmental & Resource Economics
- ES 221 Sustainable Development
- ES 252C Human Rights & Development
- ES 306 US Public Lands and Oceans
- ES 352C Urban Planning
- HP 131 Introduction to Public Health
- HP 351C Public Health Global Perspective
- RE 225 Religion & Ecology
Cluster B1 Courses
- BI 136 Ecology of the Adirondacks
- BI 165 Microbes & Society
- ES 252D Managing Environmental Change
- GE 101 Earth System Science
- GE 251C Introduction to Natural Resources
- GE 251C Glacial Geology
- HP 242 Principles of Nutrition
- ID 351 Spatial Analysis & and Modeling
Cluster B2 Courses
- BI 224 Evolution
- BI 325 Tropical Ecology
- CH 221 Organic Chemistry I
- CH 222 Organic Chemistry II
- CH 232 Analytical Methods in Chemistry
- ES 206 Environmental Engineering and the Science of Sustainability
- GE 311 Paleoclimatology
- HP 242 Principles of Nutrition
- ID 351 Spatial Analysis & Modeling
SPECIAL TOPICS COURSE DESCRIPTIONS:
AS 251C Asian Ecologies and Cosmologies Instructor: R. Overbey
What does our world look like? What is humanity’s place in the cosmos? What moral
obligations do we have to ourselves, to animals and plants, and to the planet? In
this interdisciplinary course we explore the connection between religion, philosophy,
history, and the environment in India, China, and Japan. The course begins by tracing
key religious conceptions of the cosmos and our place in it, exploring ideas about
the cosmos in Confucianism, Daoism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Shinto. We then turn to
the exciting field of Asian environmental history, asking how these unique visions
of the cosmos are made real.
ES 252C Human Rights and Development Instructor: N. Atalan Helicke
An exploration of rights-based development approach with a focus on Sustainable Development
Goals. Students use conceptual approaches and knowledge from diverse disciplines including
history, economics, gender studies and environmental studies to analyze human development
between the North and the South, and within countries; mutual benefits of political
and economic rights-embedded development; and alternatives. Students work on case
studies with local and/ or global focus, including poverty reduction strategies, maternal
health, women immigrants, hunger and genetically engineered food, and climate justice.
Prerequisites: ES 100 or AN 101 or IA 101 or SOC 101 or PL 103 or permission of the instructor.
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
GE 251C Introduction to Natural Resources Instructor: J. Cholnoky
“If it’s not grown, it must be mined.” A survey of the formation, distribution, and
extraction of mineral resources on Earth (i.e. metals, gems, industrial materials,
building materials). Mineral resources are the foundation of many national economies
and have also complicated and contributed to many geopolitical and environmental conflicts
throughout history. Understanding Earth’s resources from cradle to grave is an important
component for an informed citizenry that is able to meet the challenges of an Earth
with a growing population and ever changing technologies.
GE 251C Glacial Geology 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.
HP 351C Public Health Global Perspective Instructor: M. Korre
Knowledge of global public health is critical in today’s interconnected and globalized world. The objective of this course is to enable students to gain a fundamental understanding of global public health concepts that is data and evidence based; and to address health problems, and concerns that transcend national boundaries and may be best addressed by cooperative actions. Students will identify and discuss critical global health concepts including the determinants of health, the measurement of health status, the importance of culture to health, and the global burden of disease. Students will also examine the demographic and epidemiologic transitions, the role of data by the regions of the World Health Organization; and gain an understanding of the application of the public health principles to global health issues and to the complex array of global and local forces that affect them. Prerequisite: HP 131
