Class Schedules

Shifting plates, shiny gemstones, hot lava, sheets of ice, rocky planets! This course will delve into fascinating geoscience topics, introducing you to the physical materials and structure of the Earth and other planets, as well as the processes responsible for the creation, change, and destruction of parts of the Earth system. Topics include volcanoes, earthquakes, Solar System formation, the water cycle, and climate change. We will discuss some aspects of the history of scientific thought, look at maps, consider the societal relevance of geology (e.g., modern careers, natural hazards, resource extraction, environmental problems), and admire beautiful rocks. Required for geology majors. Field trip(s). Three 1-hour lectures and one 3-hour lab per week.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA
Quantitative Thinking Q2

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

Shifting plates, shiny gemstones, hot lava, sheets of ice, rocky planets! This course will delve into fascinating geoscience topics, introducing you to the physical materials and structure of the Earth and other planets, as well as the processes responsible for the creation, change, and destruction of parts of the Earth system. Topics include volcanoes, earthquakes, Solar System formation, the water cycle, and climate change. We will discuss some aspects of the history of scientific thought, look at maps, consider the societal relevance of geology (e.g., modern careers, natural hazards, resource extraction, environmental problems), and admire beautiful rocks. Required for geology majors. Field trip(s). Three 1-hour lectures and one 3-hour lab per week.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

Shifting plates, shiny gemstones, hot lava, sheets of ice, rocky planets! This course will delve into fascinating geoscience topics, introducing you to the physical materials and structure of the Earth and other planets, as well as the processes responsible for the creation, change, and destruction of parts of the Earth system. Topics include volcanoes, earthquakes, Solar System formation, the water cycle, and climate change. We will discuss some aspects of the history of scientific thought, look at maps, consider the societal relevance of geology (e.g., modern careers, natural hazards, resource extraction, environmental problems), and admire beautiful rocks. Required for geology majors. Field trip(s). Three 1-hour lectures and one 3-hour lab per week.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

Shifting plates, shiny gemstones, hot lava, sheets of ice, rocky planets! This course will delve into fascinating geoscience topics, introducing you to the physical materials and structure of the Earth and other planets, as well as the processes responsible for the creation, change, and destruction of parts of the Earth system. Topics include volcanoes, earthquakes, Solar System formation, the water cycle, and climate change. We will discuss some aspects of the history of scientific thought, look at maps, consider the societal relevance of geology (e.g., modern careers, natural hazards, resource extraction, environmental problems), and admire beautiful rocks. Required for geology majors. Field trip(s). Three 1-hour lectures and one 3-hour lab per week.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

Shifting plates, shiny gemstones, hot lava, sheets of ice, rocky planets! This course will delve into fascinating geoscience topics, introducing you to the physical materials and structure of the Earth and other planets, as well as the processes responsible for the creation, change, and destruction of parts of the Earth system. Topics include volcanoes, earthquakes, Solar System formation, the water cycle, and climate change. We will discuss some aspects of the history of scientific thought, look at maps, consider the societal relevance of geology (e.g., modern careers, natural hazards, resource extraction, environmental problems), and admire beautiful rocks. Required for geology majors. Field trip(s). Three 1-hour lectures and one 3-hour lab per week.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA
Quantitative Thinking Q2

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course dives into a range of topics to study how species, populations, communities, ecosystems, and biomes function in our changing climate. We will emphasize biological nutrient and energy cycling, population dynamics, animal and plant species interactions, disturbances and response to disturbances, and ecology in urban and agricultural landscapes. We will examine Ecology under four conceptual ’lenses’: Climate Change, Environmental Justice, Land Use, and Ecosystem Services. These lenses provide critical insight into how scientists, policy makers, land managers, and other stakeholders evaluate complex ecological and environmental systems. Labs will be field and data-based, and emphasize the development of hypotheses, novel data collection at Ordway Field Station, and statistical analysis. Three hours lecture and one three-hour laboratory each week.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA
Quantitative Thinking Q3

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course dives into a range of topics to study how species, populations, communities, ecosystems, and biomes function in our changing climate. We will emphasize biological nutrient and energy cycling, population dynamics, animal and plant species interactions, disturbances and response to disturbances, and ecology in urban and agricultural landscapes. We will examine Ecology under four conceptual ’lenses’: Climate Change, Environmental Justice, Land Use, and Ecosystem Services. These lenses provide critical insight into how scientists, policy makers, land managers, and other stakeholders evaluate complex ecological and environmental systems. Labs will be field and data-based, and emphasize the development of hypotheses, novel data collection at Ordway Field Station, and statistical analysis. Three hours lecture and one three-hour laboratory each week.

General Education Requirements:
Quantitative Thinking Q3

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course dives into a range of topics to study how species, populations, communities, ecosystems, and biomes function in our changing climate. We will emphasize biological nutrient and energy cycling, population dynamics, animal and plant species interactions, disturbances and response to disturbances, and ecology in urban and agricultural landscapes. We will examine Ecology under four conceptual ’lenses’: Climate Change, Environmental Justice, Land Use, and Ecosystem Services. These lenses provide critical insight into how scientists, policy makers, land managers, and other stakeholders evaluate complex ecological and environmental systems. Labs will be field and data-based, and emphasize the development of hypotheses, novel data collection at Ordway Field Station, and statistical analysis. Three hours lecture and one three-hour laboratory each week.

General Education Requirements:
Quantitative Thinking Q3

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course dives into a range of topics to study how species, populations, communities, ecosystems, and biomes function in our changing climate. We will emphasize biological nutrient and energy cycling, population dynamics, animal and plant species interactions, disturbances and response to disturbances, and ecology in urban and agricultural landscapes. We will examine Ecology under four conceptual ’lenses’: Climate Change, Environmental Justice, Land Use, and Ecosystem Services. These lenses provide critical insight into how scientists, policy makers, land managers, and other stakeholders evaluate complex ecological and environmental systems. Labs will be field and data-based, and emphasize the development of hypotheses, novel data collection at Ordway Field Station, and statistical analysis. Three hours lecture and one three-hour laboratory each week.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This course dives into a range of topics to study how species, populations, communities, ecosystems, and biomes function in our changing climate. We will emphasize biological nutrient and energy cycling, population dynamics, animal and plant species interactions, disturbances and response to disturbances, and ecology in urban and agricultural landscapes. We will examine Ecology under four conceptual ’lenses’: Climate Change, Environmental Justice, Land Use, and Ecosystem Services. These lenses provide critical insight into how scientists, policy makers, land managers, and other stakeholders evaluate complex ecological and environmental systems. Labs will be field and data-based, and emphasize the development of hypotheses, novel data collection at Ordway Field Station, and statistical analysis. Three hours lecture and one three-hour laboratory each week.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This course dives into a range of topics to study how species, populations, communities, ecosystems, and biomes function in our changing climate. We will emphasize biological nutrient and energy cycling, population dynamics, animal and plant species interactions, disturbances and response to disturbances, and ecology in urban and agricultural landscapes. We will examine Ecology under four conceptual ’lenses’: Climate Change, Environmental Justice, Land Use, and Ecosystem Services. These lenses provide critical insight into how scientists, policy makers, land managers, and other stakeholders evaluate complex ecological and environmental systems. Labs will be field and data-based, and emphasize the development of hypotheses, novel data collection at Ordway Field Station, and statistical analysis. Three hours lecture and one three-hour laboratory each week.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This course dives into a range of topics to study how species, populations, communities, ecosystems, and biomes function in our changing climate. We will emphasize biological nutrient and energy cycling, population dynamics, animal and plant species interactions, disturbances and response to disturbances, and ecology in urban and agricultural landscapes. We will examine Ecology under four conceptual ’lenses’: Climate Change, Environmental Justice, Land Use, and Ecosystem Services. These lenses provide critical insight into how scientists, policy makers, land managers, and other stakeholders evaluate complex ecological and environmental systems. Labs will be field and data-based, and emphasize the development of hypotheses, novel data collection at Ordway Field Station, and statistical analysis. Three hours lecture and one three-hour laboratory each week.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This introductory course explores agroecology, a global food movement rooted in agro-ecological science, sustainable farming practices, and food sovereignty. Our class will focus on the history, politics, and social movement of agroecology while also introducing students to agroecological science and practices through farm-based field trips and lab visits. We will support local community partners on a semester-long agroecology project and consult with global leaders about agroecology in different contexts worldwide.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This class invites you to reflect on your relationship to water, saltwater, and their protectors. Centered on two texts, Cooling the Tropics by Hi‘ilei Hobart and Theory of Water by Leanne Simpson, our class will explore theories of ice and water, and their implications for everyday living. Alongside these main texts, the course includes scholarship, storytelling, and community voices that help explore questions like who and where is moana? And why does knowing moana matter in our current times and for the times ahead?

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

Urban ecology is both a concept and a field of study. It focuses on interactions between humans, urban ecosystems, and the built environment. With over half of the world's population now living in cities, cities have assumed a critical role in shaping local, regional, and global ecologies. In this course, we will examine the distinctiveness of the interconnected urban biophysical, socio-economic, and political processes. In order to disentangle the complexity of human-environment relations in cities, we will take an interdisciplinary approach and learn theories and concepts in natural science ecology, environmental studies, geography, urban planning, sociology, and public policies. We will use our campus and the Twin Cities as a "living laboratory" and apply these theories and concepts to laboratory exercises, field observation, case studies, and research on contemporary urban sustainability initiatives.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course offers an introduction to the patterns and processes that shape Earth's physical environments, with a focus on understanding human interactions within these systems. Topics covered include the fundamental principles of climate and weather, water resources, landforms, earth surface processes, vegetation, and ecosystem dynamics at global and regional scales. We will also learn how the spatial and temporal patterns of these processes are interpreted and understood using maps produced from Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Global Position System (GPS) and satellite imagery. Using selected studies we will also examine the social forces that interact with many of these systems to gain insights into the broader understanding of the socio-environmental dynamics of these physical environments. The course consists of lectures, discussions, hands-on exercises, field excursions, and exams.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course provides an introduction to the field of Environmental Politics and Policy. Using a comparative approach, the course engages the meaning and development of environmental governance. We will explore the tandem rise of the modern environmental movement and profound new environmental legislation in the U.S. and internationally. Topics investigated will include: deforestation, hazardous wastes, climate change, population growth, and loss of biodiversity.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

The field of environmental ethics sparks a rich line of philosophical inquiry largely focused on the moral status of the natural world and the non-human entities within it. What reasons do we have to give moral consideration to the environment? And what do we mean when we say we have a moral duty toward the environment? Do we have moral duties to individuals within a species, or to species themselves, or to ecosystems, or to...? This course will invite you to reflect on key philosophical works that engage these and related questions. This course relies heavily on scholarship in Indigenous Environmental Justice and depending on the semester, may also include the debate over the ethics of wilderness preservation; global climate change and resource sustainability; rights of water and other so-called 'natural objects' such as trees, plants, and rocks.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

Human beings have an unprecedented ability to shape the environment around them, yet the environment powerfully shapes both individuals and species. Two main questions run throughout this course: 1. How does language influence the way we think about and perceive nature, which in turn influences the way we interact with and shape nature? 2. How has our environment shaped the Language faculty and individual languages? To answer these questions, we'll start by asking, what is language and what is nature? Then we'll turn to the way that our environment has impacted the evolution of Language. Next we'll look at indigenous knowledge as it is encoded by language and the Linguistic Relativity Hypothesis, which says that language influences the way we perceive the world. With this as background, we'll look at the language of environmental discourse. Next, using the metaphor of ecology, we'll examine languages as if they were organisms and analyze the ecosystems that sustain them. Knowing what makes a healthy language, we'll look at endangered languages and the connections between linguistic diversity and biodiversity.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course introduces you to the study of human-environment interactions from a geographic perspective, with a special emphasis on agriculture. We will examine environmental issues in a variety of geographic contexts (developed and developing countries) and the connections between environmental problems in different locations. Beyond agriculture, we will also examine other sectoral issues in relation to agriculture or as stand alone environmental concerns. These themes include: human population growth, consumption, biodiversity, climate change, and environmental health. We will be trying on a number of theoretical lenses from geography's broad human-environment tradition (such as physical geography, cultural ecology, commodity chain analysis, political ecology, resource geography, the human dimensions of global change, hazards geography and environmental justice). In other words, I not only want us to explore a range of environmental issues, but also to grapple with theory and how this informs our understanding of the human-environment interface.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

People have always had to contend with the natural world, but only recently have historians begun to explore the changing relationships between people and their environment over time. In this course, we will examine the variety of ways that people in North America have shaped the environment, as well as how they have used, labored in, abused, conserved, protected, rearranged, polluted, cleaned, and thought about it. In addition, we will explore how various characteristics of the natural world have affected the broad patterns of human society, sometimes harming or hindering life and other times enabling rapid development and expansion. By bringing nature into the study of human history and the human past into the study of nature, we will begin to see the connections and interdependencies between the two that are often overlooked.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WP
U.S. Identities and Differences

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

Poor and minority populations have historically borne the brunt of environmental inequalities in the United States, suffering disproportionately from the effects of pollution, resource depletion, dangerous jobs, limited access to common resources, and exposure to environmental hazards. Paying particular attention to the ways that race, ethnicity, class, and gender have shaped the political and economic dimensions of environmental injustices, this course draws on the work of scholars and activists to examine the long history of environmental inequities in the United States, along with more recent political movements-national and local-that seek to rectify environmental injustices.

General Education Requirements:
U.S. Identities and Differences

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

This course provides students a basic understanding of the most important biophysical and social characteristics of the dominant landscapes of the Neotropics. The Neotropical realm refers to the biogeographic region that includes the tropical terrestrial ecoregions of the Americas and South America's temperate zone. These areas provide a range of services-both locally and globally-including water sources, climate mitigation and biodiversity conservation. They are also home to various human populations and support the livelihood of local and global human populations. Among others, these include tropical rain forests, Andean páramos, tropical dry forests, wetlands, deserts and temperate forests of southern South America. For each of these landscapes, we will learn the key biophysical processes that govern their functioning. We also study the peoples that live in them including indigenous communities, afro-descendants, and mestizos. Finally, using examples of these areas, we also analyze human-environment interactions including land-use change, biodiversity, resource and cultural conservation, and climate change impacts and responses.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

The Earth's climate system is complex and dynamic, and yet understanding this system is crucial in order to address concerns about anthropogenic influences on climate. In this course, we examine the basic physical and chemical processes that control the modern climate system, including the role of incoming solar radiation, the greenhouse effect, ocean and atmospheric circulation, and El Nino. We also look critically at the methods and archives used to reconstruct climate in the past, such as ice cores, marine and lake sediments, and cave deposits. We explore the possible effects of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions on modern and future climate by critically examining the models used in climate prediction, and discuss the challenges of modeling such a complex system. Although this course is taught from a primarily scientific perspective, it includes frequent discussions of the roles policy and economics play in the current dialogue on global climate change.

General Education Requirements:
Quantitative Thinking Q3

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

The Earth's climate system is complex and dynamic, and yet understanding this system is crucial in order to address concerns about anthropogenic influences on climate. In this course, we examine the basic physical and chemical processes that control the modern climate system, including the role of incoming solar radiation, the greenhouse effect, ocean and atmospheric circulation, and El Nino. We also look critically at the methods and archives used to reconstruct climate in the past, such as ice cores, marine and lake sediments, and cave deposits. We explore the possible effects of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions on modern and future climate by critically examining the models used in climate prediction, and discuss the challenges of modeling such a complex system. Although this course is taught from a primarily scientific perspective, it includes frequent discussions of the roles policy and economics play in the current dialogue on global climate change.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

A parliament of birds. A woman made of flowers. The universe as a giant egg. These are just a few of the fascinating concepts we’ll cover in this course as we explore how medieval thinkers blended science and legend in their understanding of the natural world. Before the Scientific Revolution, people sought to understand how the human body and mind were connected to the non-human world. They asked questions like: How did circuits of the planets affect the human circulatory system? What plants caused death, and which plants could prevent it? Do animals have a language? People answered these questions by drawing on observation, Biblical tradition, Greek and Roman writing, Celtic mythology, and folklore. Contrary to popular belief, medieval scientists believed that Nature was mathematically perfect and beautiful. Of course, it was also mysterious and often frightening. By tracing literary and scientific discourses of nature in the Latin West, we will learn more about the human need to understand and fit into our larger non-human world.This class fulfills the medieval period requirement for the English major.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

This course is built around the argument that "environmental problems" do not exist; they are in fact human behavior problems. Thus, if we want to craft effective solutions to issues such as ocean acidification, air pollution, or climate change, we must start with the human behaviors that lead to them. We will cover psychological principles, theories, and methods and explore the complex web of factors underlying environmentally sustainable and unsustainable actions. A strong theme throughout the semester is the intersection of identity - personal, social, and cultural - and environmentalism.  We will explore questions such as, "Why do some groups of people feel a part of the sustainability movement while others feel alienated from it or skeptical of it?"; "Who takes action on behalf of the natural environment, under what circumstances, and why?"; and "How can we create contexts that promote true sustainability?" Psychology of Sustainable Behavior is a project-based class with a strong civic engagement component. Students will participate in three class projects: a self-change project (2.5 weeks), a community-based collaborative project (5 weeks), and a communication/education project (3 weeks). Prerequisite(s): PSYC 100 for Psychology majors.

General Education Requirements:
U.S. Identities and Differences

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

Climate change is no longer a distant, hypothetical threat.  Yet, though more than half of Americans are "concerned" or "alarmed" about global warming, few are taking significant personal action in response, and only a small minority are involved in civic action to address the issue. This course takes a broad psychological perspective on the questions, "Why are we not doing enough to address global climate change?"  and "What will catalyze the social movement necessary to address the issue?"  The class will explore psychological theories and studies that help explain why people respond to the climate crisis in the ways they do, and what psychological research tells us about how to shift that response.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

All readings and class taught in English; no pre-knowledge required. Baruch Spinoza (1632-1677) has been called the "savage anomaly" of the Enlightenment because his philosophy enables an alternative or 'hidden' modernity based on the interdependence of beings rather than their hierarchy. Ever more political theorists, environmentalists, and ecologists are turning to Spinoza's vision of a nonhierarchical union of nature and society that rejects anthropocentrism as the promise for a more equitable and sustainable life. In this course we shall focus on the foundation of Spinoza's unconventional thesis: his intertwined conceptions of the human being as part of nature-as opposed to the prevailing notion of the human as an autonomous "imperium" in, yet above, nature-and of society as a continuation of nature-as opposed to the dominant theories of the "social contract" that ground society on its break with, or repression of, nature (Grotius, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Kant). We shall examine Spinoza's entailed radical revision in understanding both the "political" and the "environment." Beyond Spinoza's Ethics and his Theologico-Political and Political treatises, we shall read major commentators on Spinoza's ethical and political theory and on his role in environmental ethics and Deep Ecology.

General Education Requirements:
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

This course provides an introduction to outdoor education as an opportunity to promote social justice and environmental sustainability in a globalized world.  Informed by relevant philosophical, psychological, cultural and political-economic frameworks, in addition to critical issues in public education policy and practice, we will explore interdisciplinary approaches to outdoor environmental education appropriate for students across the K-12 continuum.  We will utilize the Katharine Ordway Natural History Study Area (Ordway Field Station) as an outdoor classroom and will adapt curriculum from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and other outdoor education organizations to assist elementary school teachers and students in fulfilling Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards. Early in the semester, all students will participate in a weekend retreat at the Ordway Field Station. Weekly lab sessions will include field days during which course members design and implement educational experiences for elementary school children at Ordway, small group work days for preparing field day lesson plans, trips to local outdoor environmental education sites within the Twin Cities, and other experiential learning opportunities.  Weekly seminar sessions incorporating readings, reflective writing, and individual and small group projects complement the experiential aspects of the course. As the semester progresses, each course member will develop a curricular unit aimed at teaching an important environmental issue to diverse adolescents attending urban public schools.  The curricular unit is a significant undertaking that provides students with the opportunity to synthesize all aspects of the course material in a creative, pragmatic and integrative manner.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course provides an introduction to outdoor education as an opportunity to promote social justice and environmental sustainability in a globalized world.  Informed by relevant philosophical, psychological, cultural and political-economic frameworks, in addition to critical issues in public education policy and practice, we will explore interdisciplinary approaches to outdoor environmental education appropriate for students across the K-12 continuum.  We will utilize the Katharine Ordway Natural History Study Area (Ordway Field Station) as an outdoor classroom and will adapt curriculum from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and other outdoor education organizations to assist elementary school teachers and students in fulfilling Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards. Early in the semester, all students will participate in a weekend retreat at the Ordway Field Station. Weekly lab sessions will include field days during which course members design and implement educational experiences for elementary school children at Ordway, small group work days for preparing field day lesson plans, trips to local outdoor environmental education sites within the Twin Cities, and other experiential learning opportunities.  Weekly seminar sessions incorporating readings, reflective writing, and individual and small group projects complement the experiential aspects of the course. As the semester progresses, each course member will develop a curricular unit aimed at teaching an important environmental issue to diverse adolescents attending urban public schools.  The curricular unit is a significant undertaking that provides students with the opportunity to synthesize all aspects of the course material in a creative, pragmatic and integrative manner.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

The course examines the theories, trends, and concepts in the field of sustainable development at the macro level, with a focus on Costa Rica as an "ecolaboratory" for environmental governance and a regional leader in education, health, and social welfare policies. The fall course is followed by a required 12-day travel component to Costa Rica in January. Costa Rica is a fitting choice for our in-depth case study since it is one of the few nations that has turned its sustainability pledge into solid policies in the form of its National Decarbonization Plan to become carbon neutral by 2050. The country has also reversed deforestation trends so that forest cover is now greater than 50 percent, and a quarter of the land has been turned into protected parks and reserves. We will consider how other nations may emulate its successes, while also learning about the challenges the country continues to face in balancing environmental protection and justice with economic progress.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course is designed to be an introduction to the broad field of natural resource interpretation. This is an action-focused class meant for students interested in building skills related to group facilitation, communication, performing interpretive talks and walks focused upon cultural and natural resources, developing interpretive displays/messaging, and designing interpretive programs for a variety of audiences. The class will also cover the theories, values, and outcomes affiliated with providing group problem solving and interpretive experiences. Students will be introduced to Freeman Tilden’s 6 principles of interpretation and visit state interpretive sites and outdoor education centers to observe how practitioners in the field use Tilden’s principles to guide their work. There will be no quizzes or written exams in this course. Instead, students will be required to demonstrate their understanding of course material through homework assignments, in class activities, and through designing and implementing their own interpretive programs.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

No river looms larger in north American history than the Mississippi, which meanders within a couple miles of Macalester’s tree-lined campus. Flowing through the geographic heart of the continent, the Mississippi has shaped the region’s economic, social, political, and cultural history since before the U.S. existed. This course will examine the river’s environmental history – how the river’s physical form has changed and been changed over time, and what those changes have meant for people’s livelihoods and worldviews. We will dig into the geologic and geographic forces that shaped the river valley, Indigenous views of the river past and present, slavery and the commercialization and industrialization of the river, and 20th -century stories of agricultural development, pollution, flooding, dams and levees, and conservation. Using interdisciplinary historical tools, we’ll examine case studies from the river north and south, from Itasca to New Orleans, but with special attention to Minnesota and Midwest histories.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

Asia and the Pacific Islands host more of the world's Indigenous people than any other continent -- roughly 260 million out of 370 million worldwide (70 percent). In addition, Indigenous people in Asia generally make up the continent’s “poorest of the poor,” facing systemic disadvantage including limited access to healthcare, education, land, capital, and labor, as well as weaker political representation. In this course, we examine the lived experience of indigenous people in the Asia-Pacific through three analytical frames: their relationship to the state and the global order, their relationship to territory and the environment, and challenges to cultural survival. Along the way, we discuss colonialism and settler colonialism, colonial and contemporary representations of indigenous people, the challenges to both cultural and political survival of indigenous people posed by state formation, the challenges of resource extraction and globalization, conservation as a form of colonialism, and the creation of an indigenous diaspora. The course includes guest speakers and field trips.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This studio class will focus theory, process, tools, and most importantly will give you a chance to flex some design muscles. We will investigate theories of design that play a large role in the designing of our exterior spaces — everything outside of buildings: from parks to urban streetscapes. Adding to that, the history of design thinking that created many styles and places that we still hold in high esteem, coupled with the major artistic movements that still shape our aesthetic preferences. The studio will also focus on the tools employed by historic designers, but especially dig into how contemporary designers approach the process of transforming spaces into memorable places. Finally, throughout the course we will discuss the tools and methods of spatial design and most of the assignments will give you a hands-on opportunity to design spaces using the tools we have explored as you will explore develop your own process for design. Landscape design professionals come from all backgrounds, so this studio requires no specific background in art, design, or plants. All are welcome!

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This studio class will focus theory, process, tools, and most importantly will give you a chance to flex some design muscles. We will investigate theories of design that play a large role in the designing of our exterior spaces — everything outside of buildings: from parks to urban streetscapes. Adding to that, the history of design thinking that created many styles and places that we still hold in high esteem, coupled with the major artistic movements that still shape our aesthetic preferences. The studio will also focus on the tools employed by historic designers, but especially dig into how contemporary designers approach the process of transforming spaces into memorable places. Finally, throughout the course we will discuss the tools and methods of spatial design and most of the assignments will give you a hands-on opportunity to design spaces using the tools we have explored as you will explore develop your own process for design. Landscape design professionals come from all backgrounds, so this studio requires no specific background in art, design, or plants. All are welcome!

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

Varies by semester. Consult the department or class schedule for current listing.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course is designed to provide students with a comprehensive introduction to the theory and application of digital imagery data analysis in geographic research. It places a strong emphasis on developing both a conceptual understanding of fundamental remote sensing concepts and practical skills for analyzing human-environmental issues such as deforestation, urban expansion, or other changes in land surface across space or time. The focus is on the interpretation and applications of data from spaceborne systems (e.g. Landsat, Sentinel-2), but other sources of remote sensing data (e.g. unmanned aerial vehicles) will be introduced too. The course structure includes f lecture periods to explore specific remote sensing f concepts, hands-on labs that take students through the major mapping and analysis methods, and individual student projects. A basic understanding of geographic data is recommended to take this class. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor.

General Education Requirements:
Quantitative Thinking Q3

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

In November 2026 the UN Climate Change Conference (COP 31) will take place in Antalya, Turkey. The conference will feature intense negotiations regarding the Paris Agreement, focusing on post-2020 finance, long-term global goals, and the "Era of Implementation" for climate action. Students enrolled in this seminar will function as a research team and observe negotiations at COP31 for one week. In preparation, they will meet weekly to investigate the history of climate negotiations, the cultures of UNFCCC conferences, and the views of selected parties in the negotiations. They will draw on this newly acquired knowledge to develop individual research questions and a research plan for fieldwork. Students will be expected to share their experience with campus and the wider community during and after COP31. Participation in this course is application based and with permission of the instructor. A $1000 course fee will be added to offset travel costs. Financial aid is available to eligible students.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

The negative impact of biological invasions is recognized as one of the key drivers of biodiversity loss, but are invasive species always bad? We will study how biological invasions happen, what makes invasive species so successful, and how their ecology and evolution shape their interactions with the ecosystems in which they become established. During the course, we will debunk some common misconceptions about invasion ecology and consider how invasive species are portrayed in the media. We will also explore the interplay between invasions and other global change factors such as urbanization, globalization of trade, and climate change. In the lab portion of this class, we will study first-hand how competitive interactions play out and how invasive species alter many biological communities around us. Prerequisite(s): BIOL/ENVI 170.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

In this course, we will explore a range of interdisciplinary research approaches and methods to both environmental justice and public humanities. Together, we will examine new directions and public projects in environmental humanities through key themes including environmental and climate justice, resource extraction, waste disposal, Indigenous sovereignty, imperialism, militarism and environmental racism. Students will also devote time to develop an original public humanities research project on social movement histories and environmental inequality. Open to all. This research-oriented seminar will fulfill the requirement for AMST Junior Seminar.

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The negative impact of biological invasions is recognized as one of the key drivers of biodiversity loss, but are invasive species always bad? We will study how biological invasions happen, what makes invasive species so successful, and how their ecology and evolution shape their interactions with the ecosystems in which they become established. During the course, we will debunk some common misconceptions about invasion ecology and consider how invasive species are portrayed in the media. We will also explore the interplay between invasions and other global change factors such as urbanization, globalization of trade, and climate change. In the lab portion of this class, we will study first-hand how competitive interactions play out and how invasive species alter many biological communities around us.

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This course is an intensive internship experience (8-10 hours/week) with an environmental organization or business in the Twin Cities metro region. An internship is an excellent way for students to apply knowledge learned in the classroom and laboratory, to learn more in an environmental area, and to explore career options. Required for Environmental Studies majors. It is recommended that students complete this course during the fall of their senior year. Graded S/SD/N only. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor required. Corequisite(s): ENVI 490

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This Senior capstone seminar complements the internship experience by bringing together students to discuss common experiences and reflect on professional development challenges. Weekly assignments include reflective writing, mentor profiles, mock job interviews and meetings with ES alums and community leaders. Prerequisite(s): For Environmental Studies majors only. Corequisite(s): ENVI 489

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Seasonal and annual patterns of temperature and precipitation influence the development, success and collapse of civilizations. Regional climate determines numerous things about how humans adapt to survive there, including the type of shelter needed, the length of the growing season, and the availability/scarcity of freshwater. Using a combination of scientific and historical records, this course will provide a brief introduction to the climate system and will then focus on how changes in climate affected several societies throughout history. In the latter part of the course we will discuss observed global warming in the modern world, what the potential benefits and consequences of it may be, and whether or not there are lessons to be learned from our ancestors.

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Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

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This course dives into a range of topics to study how species, populations, communities, ecosystems, and biomes function in our changing climate. We will emphasize biological nutrient and energy cycling, population dynamics, animal and plant species interactions, disturbances and response to disturbances, and ecology in urban and agricultural landscapes. We will examine Ecology under four conceptual 'lenses': Climate Change, Environmental Justice, Land Use, and Ecosystem Services. These lenses provide critical insight into how scientists, policy makers, land managers, and other stakeholders evaluate complex ecological and environmental systems. Labs will be field and data-based, and emphasize the development of hypotheses, novel data collection at Ordway Field Station, and statistical analysis. Three hours lecture and one three-hour laboratory each week.

General Education Requirements:
Quantitative Thinking Q3

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course dives into a range of topics to study how species, populations, communities, ecosystems, and biomes function in our changing climate. We will emphasize biological nutrient and energy cycling, population dynamics, animal and plant species interactions, disturbances and response to disturbances, and ecology in urban and agricultural landscapes. We will examine Ecology under four conceptual 'lenses': Climate Change, Environmental Justice, Land Use, and Ecosystem Services. These lenses provide critical insight into how scientists, policy makers, land managers, and other stakeholders evaluate complex ecological and environmental systems. Labs will be field and data-based, and emphasize the development of hypotheses, novel data collection at Ordway Field Station, and statistical analysis. Three hours lecture and one three-hour laboratory each week.

General Education Requirements:
Quantitative Thinking Q3

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course dives into a range of topics to study how species, populations, communities, ecosystems, and biomes function in our changing climate. We will emphasize biological nutrient and energy cycling, population dynamics, animal and plant species interactions, disturbances and response to disturbances, and ecology in urban and agricultural landscapes. We will examine Ecology under four conceptual 'lenses': Climate Change, Environmental Justice, Land Use, and Ecosystem Services. These lenses provide critical insight into how scientists, policy makers, land managers, and other stakeholders evaluate complex ecological and environmental systems. Labs will be field and data-based, and emphasize the development of hypotheses, novel data collection at Ordway Field Station, and statistical analysis. Three hours lecture and one three-hour laboratory each week.

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Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This course dives into a range of topics to study how species, populations, communities, ecosystems, and biomes function in our changing climate. We will emphasize biological nutrient and energy cycling, population dynamics, animal and plant species interactions, disturbances and response to disturbances, and ecology in urban and agricultural landscapes. We will examine Ecology under four conceptual 'lenses': Climate Change, Environmental Justice, Land Use, and Ecosystem Services. These lenses provide critical insight into how scientists, policy makers, land managers, and other stakeholders evaluate complex ecological and environmental systems. Labs will be field and data-based, and emphasize the development of hypotheses, novel data collection at Ordway Field Station, and statistical analysis. Three hours lecture and one three-hour laboratory each week.

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The study of oceanography is a multidisciplinary pursuit that applies tools from geology, physics, chemistry, and biology to better understand one of Earth's most unique planetary features. Oceans cover the majority of Earth's surface and were the birthplace of nearly all complex life on Earth. Ocean currents carry heat, nutrients, and carbon around the globe, influencing Earth's climate from global to local scales. However, despite its immense size, the ocean system is also highly sensitive to human impacts such as acidification, overfishing, and pollution. This course will provide an overview of the ocean's physical, chemical, and biological properties and processes and the complex ways in which they interact. We will use oceanographic data to ask and answer questions about modern oceanographic systems. We will also explore human impacts on the oceans in their scientific and socio-political contexts. This course is designed for students with an introductory background in any related discipline, and enthusiasm for approaching science in a multidisciplinary way.

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Natural science and mathematics

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This course provides an introduction to the field of Environmental Politics and Policy. Using a comparative approach, the course engages the meaning and development of environmental governance. We will explore the tandem rise of the modern environmental movement and profound new environmental legislation in the U.S. and internationally. Topics investigated will include: deforestation, hazardous wastes, climate change, population growth, and loss of biodiversity.

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Social science

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How do environmental decisions impact human health? This course uses a public health and critical social science lens to examine the health impacts of environmental decisions in local and global contexts. We will pay particular attention to environmental decision-making and environmental health in development efforts. The class will employ case studies to explore health implications of water management and treatment, population change, toxins and industrial disasters, energy resource development, indoor and outdoor air pollution, climate change, industrial agriculture and pesticide use, and environmental inequalities. Students will learn to apply basic public health principles, including epidemiology, dose response, disease burden, and risk assessment.

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Social science

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Germany has played a leading role in Europe’s transition to renewable energy. It also has a long history of organized opposition to vaccination. What connects these seemingly divergent attitudes toward science, technology, and the natural world? This course explores the intersections of ecology, esotericism, and conspiracy in German-speaking Europe, from Romantic nature philosophy to contemporary environmental activism and alternative health movements. Topics include Germany’s rejection of nuclear power, the institutional acceptance of homeopathy, and the political uses of ideals of natural purity. Through literature, visual art, film, board games, and scientific and philosophical writings, we will examine how appeals to nature have inspired projects of personal transformation, social emancipation, and racial exclusion. What does it mean to live naturally? Who can claim to speak for nature? And how do we distinguish the ecological insight that everything is connected from the suspicion that nothing happens by chance? Taught in English. No previous knowledge required.

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Humanities

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People have always had to contend with the natural world, but only recently have historians begun to explore the changing relationships between people and their environment over time. In this course, we will examine the variety of ways that people in North America have shaped the environment, as well as how they have used, labored in, abused, conserved, protected, rearranged, polluted, cleaned, and thought about it. In addition, we will explore how various characteristics of the natural world have affected the broad patterns of human society, sometimes harming or hindering life and other times enabling rapid development and expansion. By bringing nature into the study of human history and the human past into the study of nature, we will begin to see the connections and interdependencies between the two that are often overlooked.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WP
U.S. Identities and Differences

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

Poor and minority populations have historically borne the brunt of environmental inequalities in the United States, suffering disproportionately from the effects of pollution, resource depletion, dangerous jobs, limited access to common resources, and exposure to environmental hazards. Paying particular attention to the ways that race, ethnicity, class, and gender have shaped the political and economic dimensions of environmental injustices, this course draws on the work of scholars and activists to examine the long history of environmental inequities in the United States, along with more recent political movements-national and local-that seek to rectify environmental injustices.

General Education Requirements:
U.S. Identities and Differences

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

This course takes an interdisciplinary approach to the study of food, agriculture, society, and the environment. Two overarching questions guide us: first, how are inequalities in race, class, and gender created and reproduced within food systems? Second, how might societies create environmentally sustainable food and agricultural systems that also foster justice, equity, and respect for diverse cultures and practices? In the first half of the semester, we will investigate injustices within and by the dominant food and agriculture system, including issues related to pesticide exposure, farm labor, global food insecurity, land access, and livelihoods. In the second half of the semester, we will consider various agricultural systems and grassroots movements that may support food justice including, food sovereignty, Black food movements, queer food collectives, agroecology, local food, and others.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course provides students a basic understanding of the most important biophysical and social characteristics of the dominant landscapes of the Neotropics. The Neotropical realm refers to the biogeographic region that includes the tropical terrestrial ecoregions of the Americas and South America's temperate zone. These areas provide a range of services-both locally and globally-including water sources, climate mitigation and biodiversity conservation. They are also home to various human populations and support the livelihood of local and global human populations. Among others, these include tropical rain forests, Andean páramos, tropical dry forests, wetlands, deserts and temperate forests of southern South America. For each of these landscapes, we will learn the key biophysical processes that govern their functioning. We also study the peoples that live in them including indigenous communities, afro-descendants, and mestizos. Finally, using examples of these areas, we also analyze human-environment interactions including land-use change, biodiversity, resource and cultural conservation, and climate change impacts and responses.

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Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

Welcome to American Culture in the Atomic Age! In this course, we will explore nuclear politics, culture and infrastructure. Since the development of the first atomic weapon, nuclear power, time and space has come to define the American political landscape and cultural sensibilities. Fantasies of annihilation and apocalypse not only define the contemporary popular imagination but, also, disciplinary bounds of time, space, and futurity. In this exploration, we will center race, indigeneity and sexuality and gender to push back against these forms of enclosure. During our final section, “The Wasteland Writes Back”, students will produce a creative final multimedia project. No special background is needed. All students are welcome.

General Education Requirements:
U.S. Identities and Differences

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

The world is becoming more and more urban, with over 80% of the US population and half of the world's population living in cities. This trend (and the environmental problems it creates) will only increase throughout the 21st century, yet ecologists are just beginning to understand humans as organisms that influence their environment. Cities are hubs of activity that influence the physical structure, climate, element and energy cycling, and plant and animal communities within the urban footprint. However, these urban environments are influential well beyond their perceived borders. Urban ecologists are expanding their focus from ecology in cities, where they studied urban plants and wildlife, to the ecology of cities, where they consider human-biological interactions with increasing attention to the complex interplay among people, society, and environment. Importantly, this course acknowledges how the lived experiences of urban dwellers vary tremendously, both within and across cities. This course examines current developments in urban ecology and looks at the role it can play in planning and managing urban environments to create equitable futures for all.

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Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

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What is the history and evolution of environmental thinking and writing? How have writers shaped the ways we understand our relationship with the natural world? This course explores these questions, drawing in roughly equal measure on 'classic' texts from the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. The ideas introduced by these classic texts are still present, implicitly and explicitly, in much of today's environmental discourse. This course will use a selection of books and papers that have had a major impact on academic and wider public thinking - primarily but not exclusively in the USA. Through engaged discussion, we will trace the impact of each text, beginning with the context in which it was written and ending with its influence on our contemporary understandings of the environment. In addition, we will seek to understand the characteristics of 'classic' texts that hold attention, encourage new ways of thinking, and facilitate social change. Environmental Studies majors are strongly encouraged to take this course during their Sophomore year, if possible.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

America’s most long-lasting impact overseas has often come through environmental manipulations. This course will start in the early 20th century examining U.S. consumption of bananas, coffee, and oil and centering the people and landscapes that produced those commodities. Next, we will examine how Americans have shaped landscapes and communities overseas through warfare: we will visit battlefields and “militarized landscapes” in Normandy, Hiroshima, Korea, and Vietnam -- but also, surprisingly, in Hanford, Washington, Love Canal, New York, and hundreds of PFAS sites around the U.S. To tell global stories of American empire, we will zoom in on interwoven local ecosystems and communities, mostly overseas, often in Asia, but some within U.S. borders. We will also examine how nature shaped and often limited or foiled the U.S. “superpower.” Nature was often exploited and reconfigured, bombed and bulldozed, but it was no passive actor.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Humanities

Course Materials

When you think of ‘nature,’ what comes to mind? Do gender and sexuality come to mind? How about racial capitalism, settler colonialism, or heteropatriarchy? In this course, we will examine how systems of power shape our concepts and relationships with nature, paying particular attention to the intersections of race, gender, sexuality, and the environment. We will place feminist and queer ecologies in dialogue to destabilize assumptions about nature and science that reinforce ideas of what is “natural” and “normal.” Feminist and queer ecologies critique the ways in which heterosexuality, monogamy, and gender binaries render “nature” as orderly and pure, in need of protection from populations or relationships deemed deviant or dangerous. Instead, feminist and queer ecologies invite us to reimagine how our relationships with nature are rooted in intimacy, multiplicity, and interdependence. Special emphasis will be placed on critiquing the colonial unconscious of feminist and queer ecologies that tends to erase longstanding Indigenous practices of other-than-human relationality and kinship. Topics we will explore include environmental justice, queer theory, environmental racism, ecofeminism, science and technology studies, urban studies, rural studies, new materialism, political ecology, queer Indigenous feminisms, relationality and kinship, reproductive justice, climate justice, feminist and queer futurities, animal studies, and posthumanism.

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This course explores the linked themes of sustainability, decolonization, environmental justice, and cultural production and discourse. Students will focus on decolonizing methodologies, particularly in the context of indigenous communities. Indigenous and rural communities in Latin America have long been at the forefront of territorial struggles against extractivist projects. As a window into these movements, this place-based course offers students a unique opportunity to explore both theory and practice related to community land management in Ecuador. In partnership with the Pachaysana Foundation, students will work directly with Indigenous leaders and knowledge holders in the Amazon and the Andes to unlearn harmful systems and reimagine approaches to land management and community wellbeing. Throughout the semester, students will learn from an interdisciplinary team of faculty and staff across the college through guest lectures, as well as community partners in Ecuador who will participate via Zoom in preparation for the short-term study away. Following the end of the academic semester, students will travel to Ecuador for an experiential workshop led by Indigenous leaders, educators, and families in both the Amazon and the Andes. Includes Study Away component; permission of instructor required.

General Education Requirements:
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

Energy justice builds on the concepts of environmental and climate justice, with a focus on the visible and invisible infrastructures that produce, deliver, maintain and transform our economies and societies. Topics will include pipelines (Standing Rock), waste disposal (Yucca Mountain nuclear storage), and issues around the fracking (Bakken). The course will also focus on citizen science as a tool for revealing injustice and promoting justice, such as the work of the Public Laboratory for Open Technology and Science, a non-profit that develops open source, Do It Yourself tools for community based environmental analysis. Students will develop an independent major research project over the semester. This course can substitute for ENVI 335. Prerequisite(s): ENVI 215 or ENVI 237 or permission of instructor

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Distribution Requirements:
Social science

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This course is designed to provide students with a comprehensive introduction to the theory and application of digital imagery data analysis in geographic research. It places a strong emphasis on developing both a conceptual understanding of fundamental remote sensing concepts and practical skills for analyzing human-environmental issues such as deforestation, urban expansion, or other changes in land surface across space or time. The focus is on the interpretation and applications of data from spaceborne systems (e.g. Landsat, Sentinel-2), but other sources of remote sensing data (e.g. unmanned aerial vehicles) will be introduced too. The course structure includes f lecture periods to explore specific remote sensing f concepts, hands-on labs that take students through the major mapping and analysis methods, and individual student projects. A basic understanding of geographic data is recommended to take this class. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor.

General Education Requirements:
Quantitative Thinking Q3

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

This course introduces students to Rural Geography, a sub-discipline within Geography. Using a sustainable development framework this course emphasizes the linkages between human and physical landscapes through the evaluation of landuse and community change in rural areas throughout the US. We will explore the implications of demographic (including migration and immigration), economic, cultural, and environmental changes for rural environs using several case studies from across the US and Western Europe, including an overnight field trip to northern Minnesota and Wisconsin. Rural community strategies for adapting to and accommodating competing demands for water and landuse will be considered, including pressure for new housing developments, recreation opportunities (boating, fishing, hiking, biking), and conservation needs. Students will be exposed to theoretical and empirical approaches to rural development in different regional contexts, as well as problems associated with these development paradigms. We will explore the rapidly changing rural environments in a developed world context in order to deepen our understanding of the interconnectedness of human and physical systems more broadly.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA
Internationalism OR U.S. Identities and Differences

Distribution Requirements:
Social science

Course Materials

Biodiversity is fast disappearing from the face of the planet. To keep a check on wildlife species, populations, and individuals, we need robust methods to enumerate individual and population scale processes such as abundance, distribution, resource use, and behavior. In this course you will be exposed to the fundamentals of wildlife monitoring techniques and their relevant applications. We will learn about wildlife census techniques and how these methods have been used to expand and champion wildlife conservation. We will engage in hands-on, outdoor experiences such as camera trapping, distance sampling, diet monitoring, animal handling, and telemetry. Three hours of lecture/discussion and three hours of laboratory each week. Prerequisite(s): BIOL/ENVI 170 or BIOL 180. Recommended: STAT 155.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

Biodiversity is fast disappearing from the face of the planet. To keep a check on wildlife species, populations, and individuals, we need robust methods to enumerate individual and population scale processes such as abundance, distribution, resource use, and behavior. In this course you will be exposed to the fundamentals of wildlife monitoring techniques and their relevant applications. We will learn about wildlife census techniques and how these methods have been used to expand and champion wildlife conservation. We will engage in hands-on, outdoor experiences such as camera trapping, distance sampling, diet monitoring, animal handling, and telemetry. Three hours of lecture/discussion and three hours of laboratory each week. Prerequisite(s): BIOL /ENVI 170 or BIOL 180. Recommended: STAT 155.

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Course Materials

During this course, we will explore the evolution of animal behavior in an ecological context. We will study how animals forage for food, attract mates, avoid predators, select suitable environments, and ensure the survival of their offspring. We will examine how particular behaviors give individuals an evolutionary advantage, and how, often, multiple strategies coexist within a population, showcasing the diversity of behavioral adaptations. During the lab portion of this course, you will become experimental behavioral ecologists by designing, conducting, and analyzing the behavior of a variety of animals, including birds, crickets, pill bugs, and squirrels. Students who have taken or plan to take “BIOL/ENVI 380 – Animal Behavior: Fundamentals and Applications” are not eligible to enroll.Prerequisite(s): BIOL 170 or BIOL 180. Recommended: STAT 155

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

What does it mean to set aside and develop a space for a memorial or monument? What are the purposes and goals of those objects and places? How are these employed and reflected in the design? Legacy, memory, honor, education, influence: which is primary? How does the order of these change the spatial design? What are the necessary components and spatial requirements for a place to honor George Floyd, or Renee Goode and Alex Pretti? We begin with a brief historical overview of elevated meaning in place making. We will explore historic and contemporary examples by reading and discussing analyses of international and local monuments and memorials, their context, the relation to power, and if we think these spaces achieve their goals. The course will also focus on the tools designers use to achieve these experiences in place. We will explore preservation and ecological restoration as a form of memorial, and how this type of framework may or may not be useful.Coursework will focus on research, reading and discussion, and the majority of the assignment work will be writing. Students will explore writing in different formats: case study, proposal, reflective writing, and will be challenged to use both narrative and professional voices to communicate design ideas. Students will develop guidelines for memorials as part of the final project.This course is recommended for Juniors or Seniors as it is a deeper engagement with specialized subject matter. Students will be expected to be more self-directed. Basic coursework skills and an ability to do analysis/research independently is highly recommended.

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Varies by semester. Consult the department or class schedule for current listing.

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Course Materials

As we usher in the Anthropocene, where 'Amazon' is more likely to be recognized as a global marketing forum than a mighty river, the fate of biodiversity remains uncertain. Human growth has resulted in unprecedented changes in our planet's ecosystems. Species have been lost, modified, and forced to live in concrete jungles. Human history, culture and socio-political nuances in different parts of the world result in distinctive challenges as well as sometimes optimistic scenarios with respect to wildlife conservation. In this seminar we will investigate perspectives from South Asia where animals and humans coexist at very high density and proximity, consider the North American system where views about biodiversity can often be very polarizing, and explore conservation in Africa where pockets of pristine wilderness persist. We will engage with the primary literature of wildlife conservation, hear from scientists on the frontlines, make field trips, and discuss the idea that there could be a unifying model that safeguards biodiversity without detrimentally impeding human development. Prerequisite(s): BIOL 170

General Education Requirements:
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Natural science and mathematics

Course Materials

This course is an intensive internship experience (8-10 hours/week) with an environmental organization or business in the Twin Cities metro region. An internship is an excellent way for students to apply knowledge learned in the classroom and laboratory, to learn more in an environmental area, and to explore career options. Required for Environmental Studies majors. It is recommended that students complete this course during the fall of their senior year. Graded S/SD/N only. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor required. Corequisite(s): ENVI 490

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Course Materials

This Senior capstone seminar complements the internship experience by bringing together students to discuss common experiences and reflect on professional development challenges. Weekly assignments include reflective writing, mentor profiles, mock job interviews and meetings with ES alums and community leaders. Prerequisite(s): For Environmental Studies majors only. Corequisite(s): ENVI 489

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials