ENVL - Environmental Studies (ENVL)

This course introduces students to the interdisciplinary field of environmental studies, through lectures and discussion led by environmental studies program faculty from the social sciences, natural sciences and humanities.

Descriptive survey of the science of the earth; the composition of the earth; weathering and erosion; the formulation and movement of glaciers; the origin of mountains, volcanoes, earthquakes and deserts; and geological history of the earth. Field trips when possible.

Geography as a periodic relationship between the physical environment and life. Elements of the natural environment and their influences on human cultural activities.

Examination of current theoretical and practical issues in the field of environmental ethics, among them, obligations to future generations, human relationships to nature, and the inherent value of the natural world.

Application of basic scientific laws, principles and concepts to environmental and resource problems. Scientific concepts such as matter and energy resources; soil, water and food resources; ecosystems, atmosphere and geologic processes; air and water pollution and pesticides will be studied. Problems such as deforestation, loss of biodiversity and global climate change will be examined. Three-hour lecture, three-hour laboratory per week. (Part of the environmental studies program; not a biology major elective course.) Lab fee TBA.

Examines diverse socio-cultural strategies used by human societies throughout the world. Addresses a broad range of social formations such as those used by tropical hunters and foragers, small scale agriculturists & pastoralists, peasant farmers, and agro-industrial corporations, as they respond to and transform the natural environment. Students will learn to apply an anthropological perspective towards the understanding of topics of great global import such as population, pollution, industrialization, sustainable development, and ecosystems.

Explores the changing relationship between people and the environment in the United States. As a general survey of the nation’s environmental history, the course examines a variety of issues, including our changing understanding of the “natural” world and our place in it; the consequences of human efforts to commodify and control nature; social and ethical responses to environmental problems; and the evolution of environmental policy.

An introduction to social science research. Topics include problem selection and hypothesis formation and testing; research design; sampling; construction and administration of research techniques; elementary data analysis and ethical issues. Some statistical and computer applications.

Explores the relationship between politics and environmental policy in the United States. Looks at specific problems such as pollution, global climate change, species depletion, land management and hazardous waste. Explores attempts by government and other interested parties to rectify these problems.

Topics are chosen by the environmental studies faculty. Through lectures, discussion of readings, written assignments, field work and other means, students explore a special topic in the field of environmental studies.

Topics are chosen by the environmental studies faculty. Through lectures, discussion of readings, written assignments, field work and other means, students explore a special topic in the field of environmental studies.

Geographic Information Systems are mapping technologies used in a variety of professional fields. In this course, students will acquire basic GIS software skills for representing and interpreting data on maps. Individual and group projects emphasize real-world applications.

Sustainability in the marine environment involves synchronizing human activities with the rhythms of nature. Students learn the theory of sustainability from the perspectives of marine biology and resource management, religious values, and socio-economic constraints, and study the application of these concepts in a particular geographic setting, Campobello Island, at the US-Canada border. This “travel and learn” course is offered in the summer term, and includes travel and residence for one week on Campobello Island, off the coast of Maine. The course fulfills the University Core Signature 3 requirement.

This course explores environmental sustainability and what it means to be environmentally friendly in practice by surveying a variety of sustainability initiatives, goals, and social movements in the U.S. and around the world.

How is “the environment” presented in forms of popular cultural media like novels, movies/television, news stories, or popular music? What do popular representations of nature, climate change, and environmental crises suggest about our culture, politics, and society? What kinds of possibilities do particular envisionings of the future help to open up, enact, or foreclose? This course will consider these questions and more through a close study of various pop-cultural artifacts, equipping students with tools from cultural theory and critical analysis.

This course explores the various paradigms of the natural world that have been developed over the course of the Catholic intellectual tradition, broadly understood. These paradigms have had enormous influences on the ways that we in the west have thought about, organized, and acted upon in the natural world. These paradigms include significant descriptions and norms about the relationship of humans to the natural world. During this course we analyze and evaluate these dimensions of the paradigms of nature as well as human relationships to the earth. The course fulfills the University Core Signature 3 requirement.

The ethics, principles and practices of permaculture (permanent agriculture and permanent culture) are introduced with real life examples of urban, suburban and rural landscape regeneration projects. Using whole systems thinking, students will design human habitats that yield perennial abundance and enduring value. Focus on habitats that are adaptive, resilient and secure places, in a future of peak oil, climate instability, and deepening economic insolvency. The course is accompanied by Permaculture Design Lab (1 credit). Together, the course and the lab lead to a professional certificate in Permaculture Design.

The tutorial courses provide opportunities for a senior student to pursue an in-depth reading and writing project in close consultation with a member of the environmental studies faculty.

The tutorial courses provide opportunities for a senior student to pursue an in-depth reading and writing project in close consultation with a member of the environmental studies faculty.

The tutorial courses provide opportunities for a senior student to pursue an in-depth reading and writing project in close consultation with a member of the environmental studies faculty.

This course provides a field experience under the supervision of a member of the environmental studies faculty. The specific form and requirements of the practicum, e.g. internship, service learning, etc., is developed in close consultation with the instructor. Students share their reflections on the experience during the semester and make a formal presentation of the results.

This course is the senior capstone for all students majoring in environmental studies. A broad topic of pivotal importance to the field is selected annually. Each student prepares an independent research project on a specific aspect of the topic, closely mentored by faculty of the environmental studies program. The course is taught in the fall semester, but students begin preparation through required summer reading. The fall semester is a structured research/writing seminar that culminates in a formal written and oral presentation of the student’s findings.