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Sustainability Courses | Fall 2011 Search other terms: Summer (Sessions 1 & 2) 2011 |Spring 2012 Defining related and focused courses | Full course list | Sustainability focused course list with descriptions | Sustainability related course list with descriptions Defining sustainability related and focused courses This is a cross-campus list of courses offered in Spring 2011 related to sustainability issues. The purpose of this list is to enable students interested in sustainability topics to find relevant courses, and to promote sustainability related course offerings on campus. If you would like to have your course listed here you, or if you discover that a course listed here is already full then please contact IUOS.
Exceptions can be made for courses that do not meet all criteria, but perhaps excel in certain areas. Full sustainability course list | Back to top >>
Sustainability focused course list with descriptions | Back to top >> Search by department: | Anthropology | Apparel Merchandise/Interior Design | Biology | Business | Criminal Justice | Geography | HPER | International Studies | SPEA | |
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| Course Name | Course Number | Instructor | Day/time | Description | |
| Anthropology >> top >> | |||||
| 28755 | Tucker | MW 9:30-10:45AM |
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| E527 - Environmental Anthropology | 28768 | Brondizio | T 1:00-3:15PM | Environmental anthropology is the general designation for the anthropological investigation of human-environment relationships. This field brings together interests in local, state, and global nexuses; environmental values and religion; environmental cognition and perception; resource management, land use, and global climate change; people and parks and conservation initiatives; human rights and environmental justice; gender, race, class, and ethnic dimensions, as well as globalization and consumerism. This rainbow of foci is the product of discussion, debate, and interdisciplinary cross-fertilization over the last 100 years, in the course of which paradigms have risen and fallen and that witnessed a changing social, economic and cultural milieu with respect to both the practice of anthropology and the nature of human-environment relationships. This graduate seminar will discuss environmental approaches in contemporary anthropology by unfolding the storyline of the field. | |
| Apparel Merchandise/Interior Design >> top >> | |||||
| R416 – Sustainability in Product | 13536 | Embry | TR 2:30-3:45PM | Examination of sustainability concepts as applied to decision making throughout the process of product design, development, retailing, use, and disposal. | |
| Biology >> top >> | |||||
| L222 - The City as Ecosystem | 11162 | Reynolds | TR 11:15AM-12:30PM | Building sustainable cities requires an awareness of the problems of our existing approaches and an appreciation of the potential for change that is firmly rooted in an understanding of ecosystem ecology. Emphasizing cities as ecosystems, this course applies ecological principles to sustainable use of energy and resources. We address the thesis that to be leaders in sustainability, cities will need to move away from the current linear model involving high throughput of nonrenewable energy and “cradle-to-grave” flow of matter toward a more cyclical, self-sufficient model based on natural ecosystem processes, lower throughput of renewable energy and “cradle-to-cradle” flow of materials. Sustainability requires more than ecological and scientific understanding, however. Sustainability entails reconcilation and synergy between environmental, economic, and social concerns and thus requires knowledge that is integrated across fields. Three distinct types of knowledge are key and will all be emphasized in this course: information (facts, concepts, principles), skills (to think critically about and act on the information), and sense of place, or sense of connectedness to the environment and the whole community of life, both human and non-human. | |
| L350 - Environmental Biology | 1197 | Schultz | MW 12:20-1:10PM | Students will learn about the processes that have created and maintained the natural world and how these processes have been and continue to be impacted by human kind. We will explore a wide range of environmental issues including global climate change, population growth, loss of biodiversity, and increasing levels of anthropgenic toxins in the environment. This is a service learning course; students will be expected to work at one of 3 local organizations over the course of the semester. | |
| Business >> top >> | |||||
| G456 – Sustainable Enterprise | 28735 | Kreft | T 6:30-9:00PM | The course will expose students to the various ways in which sustainability issues influence businesses and communities on a local, national, and international level. The course will detail the connection between sustainable business strategies and maximizing long-term corporate profits, and will provide students with the skills necessary to assess firm strategy in terms of sustainable development and pinpoint strengths and weaknesses. Ultimately, this course will train students on how to identify potential opportunities for firms to exploit and threats for firms to respond to optimally in an effort to maximize the long-term profit potential of the firm in a sustainable manner. | |
| Communication and Culture >> top >> | |||||
| C220 - Performing Human/Nature: Defining Relationships with the Environment (previously C204) | 28827 | Robinson | TR 09:30AM-10:45AM |
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| P410 - Environmental Justice | 28815 | Kane | W 5:45-8:15PM | This is an intensive writing, interdisciplinary course on comparative environmental justice with a core focus on water issues. We will draw on writings and fieldwork of scholars from the fields of Anthropology, Geography, Human Rights Law, Criminology, Cultural Studies, Communications, Journalism, and Ecology. Their writings and films will provide us with the knowledge to compare and contrast situations and interventions taking place in North and South America, the Mexican borderlands, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Europe. Our goal will be to understand environmental crisis as a combination of cultural, political, economic, legal and ecological processes that are set in motion by different factors, and take on different character in localized settings. | |
| Geography >> top >> | |||||
| G208 - Human/Environment Interactions | 3238 | Lave | TR 8:00-9:15AM | Just as people shape physical environments through agriculture, development, and resource use, environments shape us. This course focuses on the deeply interconnected ecological, hydrological, climatic, social, cultural, and economic forces at the core of human/environment interactions, and introduces the field of Environmental Geography. | |
| G411/511 - Sustainable Development Systems | 12302/12307 | Evans | M 4:00-6:30PM | This course will explore spatial and geographic dimensions of sustainability. Content will cover both social and biophysical aspects of sustainability, and the tradeoffs that often exist between the two. In particular, we will consider when the sustainability of ecosystems is threatened by economic development and when the sustainability of social systems is threatened by changes in or limitations of the biophysical environment. The course will examine the role of spatial relationships in social-ecological systems, including the interplay between local, regional and global systems that affect the potential for sustainability at these different scales. The course will first consider whether the concept of sustainability is even a useful one in development contexts and then turn to a consideration of other concepts that are arguably more tractable. In particular we will discuss the resilience of social-ecological systems and the ability of societies and ecosystems to adapt to various types of disturbances. |
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| G442/G552 - Sustainable Energy Systems | 10652/10653 | Barthelmie | W 4:00-6:30PM | Examination of current energy use and the role of renewable energy resources in meeting future demand. The course covers the physical and technological basis for geothermal, wind, solar, hydro and marine energy in addition to the environmental, economic and social impacts of developing and utilizing these sustainable resources. This course fulfills the N&M distribution requirement | |
| G461 - Human Dimensions of Global Environmental Change | 28934/18937 | Roy Chowdhury | W 2:30-5:00PM | G461/561 introduces the student to issues in global environmental change (GEC), focusing on the human dimensions of landscape change. The International Human Dimensions Programme (IHDP) defines GEC as the “set of biophysical transformations of land, oceans and atmosphere, driven by an interwoven system of human activities and natural processes” and its human dimensions as “the causes and consequences of people's individual and collective actions, including changes that lead to modifications of the earth's physical and biological systems.” This seminar investigates the human causes of global change, while contextualizing such “driving forces” within the larger body of research on the impacts of global change on society and the environment, and efforts to mitigate such changes. | |
| HPER >> top >> | |||||
| R350 – Sustainable Tourism | 10667 | Chancellor | MW 2:30-3:45PM | This course will examine the critical issues addressed by sustainable tourism, which are the positive and negative influences of tourism on the destination’s economy, society/culture, and environment. By the end of the course students should be able to: - Explain concepts, theories, and importance of sustainable tourism to a destination - Identify and describe sustainable tourism indicators - Describe and analyze best practices for sustainable tourism opportunities - Analyze a tourist destination for sustainability - Create a responsible travel itinerary considering sustainable tourism issues unique to an area. |
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| R429/529 – Ecotourism: Administration and Management | 3897/6908 | Basman | T 5:45-8:15PM | This course will integrate and examine the theoretical foundations, practical applications and best management practices in ecotourism, under the umbrella of sustainable tourism practices. The focus of this course will include: concepts of sustainability in ecotourism development and practice; ecotourism relation to nature-based and adventure tourism; social, environmental, cultural and economic impacts of ecotourism; spatial strategies for ecotourism destinations, and ecotourism as a business. The format of the course will be lectures, discussions, and assigned local trips. | |
| International Studies >> top >> | |||||
| I203 - Global Integration and Development | 6575 | Lindley | MW 9:30-10:45AM | I203 is the core course for the International Studies concentration in Global Integration and Development. As an introductory course it will focus on the specifics of and interactions between the political, cultural, social and economic factors that influence human development at global, national and local levels. We will explore these factors at work in developing countries and seek to blend theory with practical application. I203 covers a substantial part of the social sciences literature on development and will include discussions on dependency, globalization and sustainability as well. This course also introduces major theoretical perspectives on the structure, function and governance of international markets. | |
| SPEA >> top >> | |||||
| E162 – Environment and People | Many | Many | An interdisciplinary examination of the problems of population, pollution, and natural resources and their implications for society. | ||
| E400 – The Foundations of LEED | 12996 | Gulyas | TR 6:00-8:30PM | Foundations of Green Building will provide a thorough overview of the sustainably built environment, emphasizing USGBC’s LEED program for green building certification and providing a useful grounding in other green building certification systems, including Energy Star, ReGreen, Green Globes, NAHB Green Building Standard, and others. This course will address the core principles of LEED and green building, and how the LEED process can resolve the many issues which negatively impact the environment, human health, and climate change. The facets of green building the course will explore include: Site Planning, Water Management, Energy, Material Use, and Indoor Environmental Quality. Students will be qualified to take the LEED GA (Green Associate) exam, the new level of green professional accreditation created for those in non-technical fields. | |
| E400 – Environmental Sustainability | 12998 | Clark | MW 9:30-10:45 AM | Not available | |
| E555/V550 – Energy Resources, Technology, and Analysis | 10791 | Carley | TR 8:00-9:15AM | This graduate level course will introduce students to tools and theories used to assess energy resources, technology, and policy. Students will learn about the full life-cycle of energy resources—including all types of conventional fossil fuels and renewable energy sources—how they work, and how the nature of these sources shape their roles within the energy sector. The course will also focus on energy policies to address global warming and resource scarcity challenges of the 21st Century. | |
| V450/462 – Community Development | 11123/11124 | Schneller | TR 4:00-5:15PM | The process and outcomes of local citizen-based efforts to improve social, economic, and cultural conditions. Interaction of public and nonprofit sectors in community revitalization. Experiences, cases, and problems involving both rural and urban settings. | |
| V450 – Climate Change and Electricity | 11125 | Clark | TR 9:30-10:45AM | The course “Climate Change and Electricity” will examine how global warming concerns will affect policy makers and power producers in deciding how electricity will be made and used in our increasingly electrified national economy. The interaction of various government agencies, industry and interest groups with legislators and regulators to determine where power will be produced, how and at what cost will be described. Why and how the U.S. reliance upon investor-owned ‘for profit’ companies to supply 75% of our electricity will be compared to the rest of the world’s public power commitment. The political challenge presented by our current use of coal for 50% of U.S electricity—over 90% in Indiana—in an era of global climate change concerns will be addressed and various policy options considered. Is ‘clean coal’ an oxymoron or potential panacea? Can the 30-year moratorium on building new U.S. nuclear plants end without resolving radioactive waste disposal issues? How much new power will be required for electricity to replace gasoline in U.S. vehicles? What obstacles block the dramatic growth needed in wind, solar, biomass and other renewable energy sources to replace current fossil fuel generators? How can the difficulty of siting new power plants and additional transmission lines connecting them to the national power grid be overcome? How much could more efficient power use reduce the need for new power generation? The advocacy techniques used by the various players in environmental/energy policy disputes (e.g. coalition-building, grassroots fundraising and mobilization, earned vs. paid media) will be analyzed with special attention to topical media discussions of climate change legislation and related issues. | |
| V515 – Sustainable Communities | 31628 | Brown | TR 8:00-9:15AM | This course will examine human patterns and systems of settlement and explore proactive strategies for moving communities toward economic, social and environmental sustainability. The course begins with an overview of the imperatives for change as the majority of the world’s people become urban dwellers for the first time in the history of civilization. Indianapolis and Bloomington are used as primary case studies and learning labs for group projects to illustrate the complex interrelated challenges communities of all sizes face as they strive to thrive in a carbon-constrained world of dwindling resources and growing population. We will explore new thinking in sustainable community design, from the scale of individual green buildings and complete streets to new thinking regarding sustainable regional systems of transportation, land use, commerce, natural systems restoration, waste, food, water and energy. Case study materials, group projects, tours, in-class exercises and visiting sustainability professionals will provide models for understanding community sustainability and social behavior; approaches for achieving behavioral change through community based social marketing and systems thinking; integrated sustainable community design approaches; organizational leadership theory and practice; dynamic governance frameworks; and tools for discovery, communication and execution that have proven effective at achieving positive change for communities large and small. | |
| V596 – Sustainable Development | 29419 | Reuveny | MW 9:30-10:45AM | Focuses on theories and policies of sustainable development. Course employs an interdisciplinary approach by combining approaches and models with neoclassical economics, ecological economics, political science, and ecology to study dynamical interrelationships between the macro-economy at the national and international levels of analyses, markets, political institutions, and the ecosystem. | |
Sustainability related course list with descriptions| Back to top >> Search by department: | Biology | Business | Collins LLC | Geography | Geology | HPER | International Studies | Law | Physics | Political Science | SPEA | |
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| Course Name | Course Number | Instructor | Day/time | Description |
| Biology >> top >> | ||||
| L473 – Ecology | 1198 | Phillips | TR 11:15AM-12:30PM | Ecology is the scientific study of how organisms interact with each other and their environment, and as such ecology can be viewed as the theater within which the evolutionary play takes place. In this introductory course, students will integrate individual, population and community level processes to understand the factors which influence these interactions over different spatial and temporal scales. This course will provide an opportunity for students to learn about ecological patterns and the mechanisms that generate those patterns. In addition, the course will enable students to develop an improved understanding of ecological concepts that can provide a foundation for thinking critically about present and future environmental issues. |
| L579 – Community Ecology | 31490 | Clay | TR 2:30-3:45PM | Communities consist of resident populations of all species (e.g. animals, plants, microbes) that coexist in the same place at the same time. The field of community ecology seeks to understand the distribution and abundance of species. Elucidating the processes that give rise to these patterns requires an understanding of how populations interact within communities, and with their abiotic environment. The objectives of this course are to become familiar with the main concepts and theories of community ecology (species interactions, indirect interactions, niche theory, community assembly, null and neutral models, succession, trophic structure, measures of diversity, diversity and stability, habitat heterogeneity, island biogeography). In addition, community ecology has important applications for agriculture and fisheries, biological invasions, biological control of pests and conservation biology. |
| Business >> top >> | ||||
| G202 – Corporate Social Strategy | Several | Kreft | Several | G202 is intended to make you aware of the broad range of ways in which the non-market environment—government policymakers and other social regulators—affects business, and give you an understanding of the process through which businesses and other special interest groups create and change the rules of the game under which they function. In today’s economy, successful business strategy entails more than outmaneuvering rival companies; managers must also devise strategies to cope with the global, non-market forces that confront businesses and other forms of organization. Managers need to understand how social regulations are formed and how special interest groups, including their own businesses, can affect the formation process. This is true both for the CEO of a multinational corporation dealing with multiple governments and the administrator for a local partnership trying to deal with city officials. |
| Collins LLC >> top >> | ||||
| L100 - Edible Wild Plants: Fall | 6740 | Bertuccio | TR 2:30-4:30PM (course meets from 8/30-9/27 only) | We will be spending time in the outdoors observing, learning, drawing, and collecting edible wild plants. Each session will be in a different location: woods, fields, wetlands, lawns etc. We will have the opportunity to see where these plants are growing, what their needs are and to collect and use them in recipes. Each session will result in a recipe booklet with its own artwork and recipes, tested and tasted by the group. |
| Geography >> top >> | ||||
| G110 - Intro to Human Geography | 3231 | Knudsen | MW 1:25-2:15PM (plus discussion component) | An introduction to the principles, concepts, and methods of analysis used in the study of human geographic systems. Examines geographic perspectives on contemporary world problems such as population growth, globalization of the economy, and human-environmental relations. |
| G307 - Biogeography: Distribution of Life | 31304 | Dragoni | TR 11:15AM - 12:30PM | Not available |
| G338/528 – Intro to GIS | 3242/6805 | Evans | MW 9:30-10:45AM | G338/538 provides an introduction to geographic information systems and science (GIS/GIScience) and spatial technologies in geography and related fields, and is a prerequisite for subsequent GIS courses such as 438/539. This course is designed to solely train you in a particular software toolkit, although you will develop proficiency in ArcGIS – the core software program used for the course. Rather the course emphasizes a basic understanding of fundamental GIS concepts so that you are knowledgeable enough to apply them in different software environments. Although the course does not have a designated lab section, it relies heavily on computer lab exercises to implement and practice concepts taught in lectures. |
| G451 - Water Resources: Semi-arid Environments | 28933/28936 | Brown | T 4:00 - 6:30PM | We will be spending time in the outdoors observing, learning, drawing, and collecting edible wild plants. Each session will be in a different location: woods, fields, wetlands, lawns etc. We will have the opportunity to see where these plants are growing, what their needs are and to collect and use them in recipes. Each session will result in a recipe booklet with its own artwork and recipes, tested and tasted by the group. |
| Geology >> top >> | ||||
| G105 - Earth: Our Habitable Planet | 3269 | Douglas | MW 1:25-2:15PM (plus lab component) | Introduction to planet Earth as a dynamic and complex global system. Course materials will demonstrate physical and chemical linkages between biosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and geosphere that directly impact lifestyles of human populations at time scales of years to centuries. Two lectures and one laboratory each week. |
| G116 - Our Planet and its Future | 6699 | Dunning | MW 11:15AM-12:05PM (plus lab component) | The interaction between geologic and environmental processes in the earth. Special emphasis on how these processes affect public policies and laws. Multimedia exercises and videotape presentations (made specifically for this course) are included. Two lectures and one discussion section/laboratory per week. |
| HPER >> top >> | ||||
| C512 - Environmental Health Science | 8379 | W 5:45-8:15PM | Components of environmental health and public sanitation programs. Topics include water supply, air and stream pollution, sewage treatment and waste disposal, insect and rodent eradication, energy alternatives, food and drug quality assurance, occupational health, radiological health, and communicable disease control. | |
| R429/R529 - Ecotourism Administration and Management | 3973/6526 | Knapp | M 1:25-2:15PM and R 2:30-5:00PM | Exploration of the principles, theories, concepts, and practical realities of ecosystem management. Enables students to design, initiate, and coordinate to completion complex projects of an ecological nature. |
| International Studies >> top >> | ||||
| I202 - Health, Environment, and Development | 12066 | Muehlenbein | TR 11:15AM-12:30PM | This core course for the Global Health and Environment thematic concentration of the International Studies major will review human-environment interactions from a global perspective, focusing specifically on how global change can alter human susceptibility to disease. Discussions will be focused on the general population and environmental changes that contribute to health deficiencies at the regional and global levels. Specific population changes to be discussed include: general population growth; transportation of people and products; urbanization and lack of sanitation; contact with wildlife; war and social disruption; and public health deficiencies. Specific ecological changes to be discussed include: changes in land use (irrigation, deforestation, and fragmentation); reduced biodiversity (altered host-parasite dynamics); pollution; natural disasters; and climate change (altered habitats of disease vectors). Readings will be selected to reflect the general interests of natural and social scientists alike. By the end of the course, students will be able to demonstrate knowledge of human-environment interactions and the various environmental risk factors associated with the emergence of infectious and chronic diseases as well as an understanding of how environmental and health sciences inform international and global policies. |
| Law >> top >> | ||||
| B558 – Conservation Law Clinic | 7920 | Weeks | R 9:50-10:45AM | Working with the staff attorneys of the Conservation Law Center, Inc., which offers the Conservation Law Clinic in cooperation with the Law School, second- and third-year students will provide legal services to nonprofit organizations and other clients in support of natural resource conservation. Students will gain specific knowledge of laws relating to the work they do on particular conservation issues. The clinic will present opportunities for general skills development in research, advocacy, legislative drafting, and administrative practice. Students will also gain experience in the broader application of nonlegal disciplines by working with experts in the biological sciences, ecology, agriculture, and forestry. |
| B768 – Water Law | 31724 | Fischman | TR 12:40-2:10PM | This course examines the legal control of water resources, focusing on water's special status as partially public and partially private property. Topics include riparian water rights, prior appropriation, the historical evolution of water rights, federal water rights, and groundwater use. |
| B782 – Intro to Environmental Law | 10085 | Barnes | MTW 10:55-11:50AM | This is an introductory course in U.S. environmental law and policy. After briefly reviewing the common law foundations of environmental law, the regulatory process, and the regulatory toolkit, the primary focus will be on six major environmental statutes: the National Environmental Policy Act; the Clean Air Act; the Clean Water Act; the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act; the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Recovery Act (Superfund); and the Safe Drinking Water Act. |
| Physics >> top >> | ||||
| P110/120 – Energy and Technology | 5701 | Sokol | TR 9:30-10:45AM | Physics 110/120 is a course for non-majors interested in an understanding of the basic concepts of energy and how they impact our everyday lives. The course provides a physical basis for understanding interaction of technology and society, and for the solution of problems, such as energy use and the direction of technological change. Success in this course will certainly not hinge on how good you are in mathematics, but rather on how well you can master new physical concepts. This course does not require much mathematics ( a little bit of algebra, and scientific notation, i.e., numbers like 6.57 x 10 22 meters ; we will help you brush up on this). It does, however, require curiosity, and a dedication to grapple with, and master, new concepts. You may possibly have to develop a slightly new approach to thinking about life, and solving problems. I hope you will leave this course with a significantly improved understanding about energy and its role in modern society |
| P310/510 - Environmental Physics | 5763/5771 | Brabson | TR 3:35-4:50PM | Course goals: 1) The course should raise your comfort level with physics and calculus to the point where you can attack a broad spectrum of real-world environmental problems. Essentially all human activity involves the physics of energy. Understanding human activity from the standpoint of energy gives you leverage in solving hard problems. For example, during 2007 the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) published it's fourth comprehensive study on climate change, bringing to our attention the extensive evidence of the human impact on climate. In addition to understanding the science underlying CO2 production, this course identifies a number of the consequences of this CO2 production. This course will provide the quantitative background necessary to grapple with this and related climate problems. With increases in both population and in per capita energy use, we are obliged to understand the consequences of our use of energy. 2) Serious problems at the global level, such as global warming and acid rain, and similar problems at the local level, such as urban air and water pollution require a crossdisciplinary effort. The discipline of physics is a major player in this effort. While this course focuses on the subject of energy, it will also address much of the basic physics used in meteorology, geophysics, and environmental science. 3) As with most problems of science, both an intuitive and a quantitative understanding are essential to the resolution of problems of the environment. P310/P510 is designed to give you that intuitive and quantitative understanding. |
| Political Science >> top >> | ||||
| Y313 - Environmental Policy | 5795 | Hershey | TR 1:00-2:15PM | This course is intended to survey the political activity, conflicts, and choices related to American environmental problems. To learn how environmental policy develops, we will examine the political and institutional framework within which environmental problems are addressed (or not addressed) in the U.S. Second, we’ll focus on the politics of several especially important environmental problems such as energy and automobiles. Finally, we will take a critical look at the political, economic, and ecological feasibility of alternative solutions to environmental problems. Members of the course will take an essay midterm (30% of the grade) and a final exam (35%). Class members will also conduct research on the politics of a local environmental problem either as individuals or in collaboration with others in the class, leading to the writing of a two-part research paper (35%). |
| SPEA >> top >> | ||||
| E272 – Intro to Environmental Sciences | 29379 | Edwards | MW 9:30-10:45AM | Application of principles from life and physical sciences to the understanding and management of the environment. Emphasis will be placed on (1) the physical and biological restraints on resource availability and use, and (2) the technological and scientific options to solving environmental problems. |
| E311 – Intro to Risk Assessment and Communication | 11290 | Henshel | MW 4:40-5:30PM (plus discussion component) | This course will cover basic human health and risk assessment procedures, as outlined by the various regulatory agencies (especially EPA) and standard setting groups. Because risk communication is an integral part of any risk management process, risk communication techniques and applications will be integrated into the course material. |
| E332/532 – Intro to Applied Ecology | 8441/9527 | Mincey | MW 9:30-10:45AM | Applied ecology is the application of ecological principles to study and evaluate the effects and consequences of human activities on communities, ecosystems, landscapes, and the biosphere. This course, as an introduction to applied ecology, will require a review of general ecology, including interactions among organisms and between organisms and their physical (abiotic) environment. Further, we will consider human dimensions of ecology, especially the ecological effects of human activities. My objective is to provide a solid foundation for those of you interested in more ecology-related coursework and to allow those of you pursuing management and policy to read relevant literature insightfully, facilitating application of ecological concepts to your future endeavors. As an introductory course, the course emphasizes breadth instead of depth, but as you develop specific interests, you will find opportunities for depth in later courses or on your own. |
| E363 – Environmental Management | 6029 | Lame | TR 8:00-9:15AM | Introductory course in environmental management. Subjects covered include current issues and trends, total quality environment management, managing scientific and technical personnel, managing contracts and grants, nontraditional approaches to regulation, environmental conflict resolution, working with the media, risk communication, and working with communities. |
| E400/E555 – Biological Assessment and Criteria | 12997/13003 | Simon | TR 7:00-8:15PM | Biological Assessment and Environmental Indicators incorporates the three pillars of biological integrity, including regionalization, reference condition, and multimetric index development. Biological criteria is linked with the principles of biological integrity. Biological integrity is a mandate of the Clean Water Act and is defined as “the capability of supporting and maintaining a balanced, integrated, adaptive community of organisms having a species composition, diversity, and functional organization comparable to that of the natural habitat of the region.” The purpose of the course will be to provide an overview of the pillars of biological assessment and legal aspects of criteria development. The course will study how abiotic, biotic, and human factors interrelate with each other to affect environmental condition. A large part of the course will incorporate the necessary tools for evaluating environmental change. |
| E400/V450 – Leadership and Creativity in Environmental Policy | 12999/13044 | Waldron | MW 2:30-3:45PM | The key to a competitive advantage in today’s professional world is to have the leadership capacity to build relationships and staff teams capable of creating the ideas, know-how, innovation and expertise to solve complex [environmental] problems (Bennis and Pink). What leadership and thinking competencies will you need to direct staff groups and guide organizations to effectively address complex [environmental] problems in a radically changing world? Your SPEA training has well prepared you with sophisticated analytical skills and proficiency in reductive thinking (you are ‘left-brain’ fit). This course will bridge your policy analysis or other training with enhanced knowledge and practice of your right-brain capabilities: inventive, creative, empathetic and conceptual thinking. Students will achieve working knowledge of successful leadership principles and practices that offer a decisive difference for success. |
| E460 – Fisheries Wildlife and Management | 6034 | Bennett | TR 5:30-6:45PM | This course first reviews taxonomy, vertebrate biology, and population ecology, then introduces the student to a variety of conflicts concerning fisheries and wildlife. Cases examine endangered species, over harvesting, maximum sustained yield, habitat evaluation, and recreational use. |
| E476/V450 – Environmental Law and Regulation | 11115/6107 | Cox | MW 2:30-3:45PM | Introductory course in environmental law and regulation. Subjects covered include command and control regulation, air quality, water quality, toxics, waste management, energy, natural resources, international environmental law, and alternative dispute resolution. |
| E528 - Forest Ecology and Management | 6038 | Randolph | MW 1:00-2:15PM and F 1:00-5:00PM | Learning how to ask and answer relevant ecological questions through a series of field and laboratory exercises is a primary objective of this course. Proper field and laboratory techniques, good experimental design, careful observation and data collection, and appropriate analysis will be emphasized. A second important objective is learning how to organize, analyze and present data, to arrive at sound conclusions supported by appropriate literature sources, and to communicate that information clearly and effectively. A third important objective is learning some specific information about forests, forest ecology, and forest management. Because of limitations in time and space, the course will focus upon mixed deciduous forests in southern Indiana. However, there is much to learn about the ecology and management of these forests. And, the concepts and methods we will examine are readily transferable to other forest ecosystems. |
| E555 – Energy Systems Engineering | 31627 | White | MW 2:30-3:45PM | This course will focus on a review of principles of engineering (mass and energy balance) and on their application to understanding the environmental context and functioning of energy systems. We will explore a broad range of energy systems (both renewal and nonrenewable), the environmental science context, the pollution potential and pollution control technologies, and the environmental trade-offs. Problem-solving exercises and exams will assist students in learning key concepts. |
| E563/V550 – Environmental Management | 13033 | Lame | TR 2:30-3:45PM | Not available |
| E710/V550/V710 – U.S. Environmental Policy | 12526/12524/29393 | Ringquist | MW 4:00-5:15PM | This course focuses on the actions taken by the national and state governments to protect and improve environmental quality in the United States. Course content is selected to help students realize five goals:1. To understand government options in environmental protection, including the prioritization of environmental problems and the various instruments available to governments seeking to address these problems. 2. To understand environmental politics, or the influences that shape the selection of environmental problems and policy instruments by government decision makers. 3. To understand the content of environmental policy, including key statutes, administrative rules, and court decisions. 4. To understand the process of making environmental policy, with a specific emphasis on the implementation and enforcement of policy. 5. To understand key innovations in environmental policy, the perceived need for these innovations, and their effects. |
