Environmental Studies and Science
Environmental Studies and Science Website
Professors KUMMEL (Chair), PERRAMOND; Associate Professors KOHOUT (Associate Chair) MCKENDRY, LEE; Assistant Professors ANGSTADT, GABRIELSEN, LAWMAN
We offer three majors, Environmental Science, Environmental Science Chemistry Emphasis, and Environmental Studies. Listed below are the requirements for each of these majors.
The Environmental Studies & Science Program also offers an Environmental Studies minor. The minor is advised by faculty affiliated with the Environmental Studies & Science Program and can complement any major offered by Colorado College.
Major Requirements
Environmental Science Major
Introductory framing (2 units):
EV145: Environment and Society
EV128: Introduction to Global Climate Change
Foundational courses in natural science (4 units):
MA126: Calculus
MA117: Statistics (OR BE220 Biostatistics and Experimental design OR EV228 Analysis of Environmental Data.)
CH107: General Chemistry 1 OR EV110 Introduction to Environmental Chemistry OR CH117 General Chemistry with Environmental Emphasis
EV212: Energy
Earth Systems Core (4 units):
GY140: Introduction to Earth Systems OR GY150: Environmental Geology
EV209: Ecology and the Environment
EV351: Hydrology
EV333: Atmospheric Science
Natural Science elective courses (3 units):
Any 3 EV Natural Science Courses at 300 or 400 level (independent study at 300 or 400 level may count on case by case basis if approved by advisor. An explicitly EV focused 300 or 400-level course in GY, OBE, PC, CH, MA may also count, if approved by EV academic advisor.)
EV Social Science or EV Humanities Elective (one unit):
Any 200, 300, or 400 level EV Social Science or EV Humanities class
Capstone:
EV421: Environmental Synthesis
Thesis (optional for the major, but required for distinction):
EV499: Senior Thesis (PR: COI & appropriate research exp.)
Environmental Studies
MA125: Pre-Calculus and Calculus, OR MA126: Calculus, OR MA117: Elementary Probability and Statistic, OR EV228: Analysis of Environmental Data
EV128: Introduction to Global Climate Change
EV145: Environment and Society
One additional Environmental Science, Geology, or Organismal Biology and Ecology course, to be agreed upon with your advisor
One of the following Environmental Policy courses:
EV271: U.S. Environmental Law & Policy
EV274: U.S. Environmental Politics & Policy
One of the following 300-level Policy/Economics courses:
EV373/PS321: Public Policymaking
EV341:Ecological Economics (PR: 100-level EC)
EV356/PS356: Global Environmental Policy
One of the following Environmental Justice/Environmental Equity courses:
EV272/PS272: Cities, Sustainability, and Environmental Justice
EV276/SO130: Environmental Sociology
EV282/PH248: Contesting Climate Justice
SW220: Environmental Justice in the Southwest (WI)
EV375: Community Forestry
EV301/SW301: Political Ecology of the Southwest (WI)
EV342/HY200: Sustainable Development & Global Inequality
Two of the following Environmental Humanities courses:
EV281/PH246: Environmental Ethics
EV282/PH248: Contesting Climate Justice (unless taken as EJ option)
EV255/HY255: Nature and Society
EV285/EN230: Introduction to Literature and Environment
EV273/HY212: American Environmental History
EV261: Topics in Environmental Humanities
EV361: Advanced Topics in Environmental Humanities
Four additional EV Social Science, Humanities, or Natural Science electives, at least two of which are 300 level. Environmentally focused courses from outside the Environmental Studies Program may count as electives with advisor approval. Independent study may count on case-by-case basis if approved by advisor. EV391: Junior Research Seminar is required as one of the four electives for students writing a thesis.
Capstone:
EV421: Environmental Synthesis
EV499: Senior Thesis (optional for the major, but required for distinction, PR: EV391)
Environmental Science Chemistry Emphasis
Foundational courses in natural science (2 units):
MA126: Calculus 1
PC241: Intro Physics 1
Chemistry Core Courses (4 units):
CH107: General Chemistry 1 OR CH117: General Chemistry with Environmental Emphasis (recommended)
CH108: General Chemistry 2
CH250: Structures of Organic Molecules
CH241: Intro to Analytical Chemistry
Environmental Studies Core Courses (3 units):
EV128: Introduction to Global Climate Change
EV145: Environment and Society
Any 200-, 300-, or 400-level EV Social Science or EV Humanities course
Elective Courses (5 units total):
Chemistry Electives (2-3 units):
Choose at least 2 of the following courses, for 5 total electives
CH251: Reactions of Organic Molecules
CH266: Fundamentals of Physical Chemistry (recommended)
CH275: Foundations of Inorganic Chemistry (recommended)
CH351: Synthesis of Organic Molecules
CH342: Introduction of Instrumental Methods (recommended)
CH382: Biochemistry I
CH383: Biochemistry II
CH366: Chemical Equilibrium and Kinetics
CH367: Quantum and Statistical Mechanics
CH475: Advanced Inorganic Chemistry
Environmental Science Electives (2-3 units):
Choose at least 2 of the following courses, for 5 total electives
GY150: Environmental Geology or GY140: Introduction to Earth Systems
GY211: Earth Materials
GY335: Earth System Geochemistry
EV209: Ecology and the Environment
EV307: Stream Ecology
EV315: Atmosphere-Biosphere Interactions
EV333: Atmospheric Science
EV351: Hydrology
BE365: Plant Physiology
BE375: Environmental Microbiology
BE422: Biogeochemistry and Ecosystem Ecology
EV431: Atmospheric Chemistry
Other Environmental Science courses with Chemistry emphasis upon approval from advisor
Capstone:
EV421: Environmental Synthesis
Thesis (optional for the major, but required for distinction):
EV499: Senior Thesis (PR: COI & appropriate research exp.)
Minor Requirements
Environmental Studies Minor
Introductory courses (2)
EV128: Introduction to Global Climate Change
EV145: Environment and Society
Electives (4)
Electives are drawn from the following three areas: Environmental Science, Environmental Humanities, or Environmental Social Sciences, and must meet the following distribution requirements:
3 courses in one area, with one of these at the 300-level.
1 course from a second area
*Please consult with your minor advisor if you have questions on which courses belong to an area.
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Area One: Environmental Science
Any EV science course can count toward this requirement. Recommended courses include:
BE208: Ecology
GY140: Introduction to Earth Systems
EV209: Ecology and the Environment
EV211: Human Impacts on Biogeochemical Cycles
EV212: Energy: Environmental Thermodynamics and Energetics
EV215: Environmental Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
EV228: Analysis of Environmental Data
EV309: Population dynamics of wild, harvested, and endangered species
EV311: Water: Hydrology, Aquatic Chemistry, and Ecology
EV316: Environmental Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
EV343: Landscape Ecology
EV351: Hydrology
EV431: Atmospheric Chemistry
Area Two: Environmental Social Science
Any EV social science course can count toward this requirement, as well as a number of courses in other departments.
EC243: Environmental Economics
EV260: Topics in Environmental Social Sciences
EV271: U.S. Environmental Policy
EV341: Ecological Economics
EV352/SW352: Waters of the West
EV375: Community Forestry
PS272/EV272: Cities, Sustainability, and Environmental Justice
PS321/EV373: Public Policymaking
PS334/EV334: The U.S. Environmental Movement
PS356: Global Environmental Policy
EV276/SO130: Environmental Sociology
SW220: Environmental Justice in the Southwest
SW272: Nature, Region, and Society of the Southwest
SW301: Political Ecology of the Southwest
Area Three: Environmental Humanities
The following courses count toward this requirement:
EV221: Environmental Inquiry
EV281: Environmental Ethics
EV261: Topics in Environmental Humanities
EN280: Literature and the Environmental Imagination
EV282: Contesting Climate Justice
HY212/EV273: American Environmental History
HY255/EV255: Nature and Society
Courses
Environmental Program
(Summer only 2024-25).
An introduction to winter-specific processes on the level of ecosystems, populations, and physiological adaptations of individual organisms. Includes hands-on field investigative projects for each of these three areas in snow-covered montane and high alpine environments. Topics include snow pack dynamics, vegetation-atmosphere-snowpack coupling, habitat use by non-hibernating animals via animal tracking, winter-specific plant adaptations, and aquatic ecosystem ecology under ice. Emphasis on how winter-specific processes constrain dynamics during the growing season. (Not offered 2024-25).
An introduction to principles of chemistry focusing on anthropogenic impacts from energy and agriculture to Earth's atmosphere and hydrosphere. Topics include: atomic, structure, periodic properties; molecular structure; redox, acid-base, and solubility reactions; enthalpy of phase changes and combustion reactions; and stoichiometry. Includes laboratory focused on field sampling, statistics, and environmental analysis. Meets the Critical Perspectives: Scientific Investigation of the Natural World requirement. (Not offered 2024-25).
Selected topics in environmental science that are not offered as part of the regular course listings. Require no previous environmental science courses. 1 unit. (Not offered 2024-25).
This course provides an overview of this interdisciplinary field at a level appropriate even for non-science majors, applying concepts, methods, and models from many disciplines to the major problems facing a sustainable management of the environment. The complex interactions of the 'biosphere,' the human systems that make up the 'sociosphere,' and the physical Earth systems that support them are considered. (Does not meet the field/lab credit.) (Not offered 2024-25).
(Summer only 2024-25).
(Summer only 2024-25).
Through field-based inquiry over the semester, students learn about biotic and abiotic factors controlling aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, and demonstrate their understanding by creating lessons and inquiry projects for their K-12 students. Includes portfolio sections demonstrating mastery of questioning, analysis, and data interpretation skills related to environmental processes and systems. Meets the Critical Learning: SA requirement.
This course explores the basic fundamentals of spatial data creation, manipulation and analysis. Students will learn to use software to create data-driven insights through in class labs and projects. Students will demonstrate knowledge through daily computer lab exercises, writing assignments, and presentation of their own research project. Tools learned in the class will provide valuable skills students can later employ for research and employment.
Introduction to the contemporary Earth climate system that focuses on the roles of the atmosphere, oceans, cryosphere, and land surface, and an overview of how this system has changed in the past and is predicted to change in the future. Includes the use of mathematical models to describe complex systems and the role of policy, economics, and ethics in mitigating human impact. Meets the Critical Perspectives: Scientific Investigation of the Natural World requirement. Meets the Critical Perspectives: Quantitative Reasoning requirement. Meets the Critical Learning: SA requirement.
Basic physics principles introduced and used to study dynamic processes in the atmosphere: atmospheric energy flow, solar radiation, green house effect, large-scale circulation of the atmosphere, small scale processes including clouds and storms, weather forecasting, humanity's impact on weather and climate. Laboratory and field experiments and trips will be utilized. (Not offered 2024-25).
Introduction to humanistic and social science perspectives on global environmental change, engaging with a wide variety of explanatory frameworks and disciplinary lenses. Students will examine the socioeconomic, political, cultural, historical, and philosophical drivers of current environmental conditions. Includes perspectives emphasizing potential responses to climate change and other environmental challenges. Meets the Critical Learning: SHB requirement.
An overview of the Earth's surface systems including lithosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere. Course will also examine fluxes among these systems such as soil-forming processes, hydrologic processes, and biogeochemical cycles. (Meets the laboratory/field requirement for natural sciences.) Meets the Critical Perspectives: Scientific Investigation of the Natural World lab or field requirement. (Not offered 2024-25).
The analysis of distributions, abundances, and interrelationships of organisms, populations, communities, and ecosystems with an emphasis on environmental applications. (No credit if taken after BY 208). Meets the Critical Perspectives: Scientific Investigation of the Natural World lab or field requirement.
An introduction to chemical pollutants in the 'compartments' of air, water, and soil, and calculation and measurement of their levels using the principles of general chemistry. Chemical perspectives on problems such as toxicology, global warming, the ozone hole, food shortages, and waste disposal are also discussed. Includes a significant laboratory component involving the statistical and instrumental analysis of samples collected in the field. (Not offered 2024-25).
An introduction to the chemical, physical, geological, and biological processes and reactions that govern the composition of the natural environment and the cycles of matter and energy that transport the Earth's chemical components in time and space. Course includes a significant emphasis on mathematical modeling of radiative transfer, the global hydrologic, carbon and nitrogen cycles, and the implications of human effects on these processes to (No credit for this course for students who have completed Chemistry 108). May meet either the Critical Perspectives: Scientific Investigation of the Natural World or Scientific Investigation of the Natural World lab or field requirement. (Not offered 2024-25).
Environmental Thermodynamics and Energetics. Study of the generation and use of energy in an industrial society, environmental problems created by our energy use, and the physical and chemical principles underlying these issues. Scientific principles include: energy and the laws of thermodynamics, and the chemical equilibrium and kinetics needed to understand chemical systems as a means of energy storage. Meets the Critical Perspectives: Scientific Investigation of the Natural World requirement.
Selected topics in environmental science that are not offered as part of the regular course listings. May require at least one 100 level Environmental Science course as prerequisite. 1 unit.
This class focuses on developing a holistic understanding of transdisciplinary environmental issues through study of an integral meta-theoretical framework. Student learn to design and propose potential thesis projects by evaluating transdisciplinary environmental issues through phenomenological, empirical, and systems-based inquiry, and assess the relative merits of post-positivist, constructivist, and critical perspectives.
This course is designed to explore the relationship between sound, music, and place, as well as various aspects of how we experience and engage with our sonic environment. The course is first and foremost experiential. Students will learn through making field recordings in multiple locations, creating sound art from their soundscape documentation, collaborating on site-specific group performances, mapping sounds, engaging in soundwalks, and deep listening. This work will be informed by an interdisciplinary discussion of the intersections between sound and the environment, as well as the role of listening within the context of environmental change. In addition, students will critically explore and discuss musical works that interact with sonic landscapes and the environment. No previous experience, musical or otherwise, required. Meets the Critical Learning: CP requirement.
Meets the Critical Perspectives: Scientific Investigation of the Natural World requirement. (Not offered 2024-25).
The course examines the interaction between Europeans and the natural world from the Renaissance to the present. It looks at how nature shaped the ways Europeans lived and worked and how, in turn, they thought about and behaved toward nature. In particular, it explores the impact of the Scientific Revolution, industrialization, and mass culture on the changing interplay between nature, society, and culture. Meets the Critical Learning: HP requirement. (Not offered 2024-25).
Selected topics in the environmental social sciences that are not offered as part of the regular course listings.
Selected topics in environmental humanities that are not offered as part of the regular course listings. 1 unit.
Environmental and sustainability education focuses on the ecological, economic and social aspects of our interdependence with the natural world. Class discussion and literature analysis address the characteristics and goals of environmental and sustainability education, the evolution of the field of environmental and sustainability education, and fundamental aspects of cognitive and developmental theories as they relate to education. Students begin a course project portfolio that, when completed, meets expectations for environmental education certification from the Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education.
This course surveys key domestic actors, institutions, and policy/legal regimes that have shaped historical and contemporary regulation of environmental issues in the United States. Students will collaboratively interrogate law/policy dimensions of environmental equity and justice, explore structural deficits and opportunities, apply these insights to specific environmental regimes, and cultivate environmental legal and academic research and communication skills. Environmental Studies majors and minors can count this course or EV/PS274 toward the major, but not both. 1 unit.
This course examines the relationship between urban development and environmental justice in the United States, with a particular emphasis on the role of urban planning practices in creating and maintaining the disproportionate exposure to pollution and the unequal access to environmental amenities faced by communities of color. It also investigates the political processes through which municipal sustainability efforts are being used by activists and city officials to create solutions to environmental and social injustices in urban areas. Meets the Equity and Power: EPUS requirement. (Not offered 2024-25).
A survey of American history from the perspective of the environment, beginning with the biological and cultural invasion of the New World in 1492 and ending with current environmental problems and their historical roots. Topics include Native American vs. Euro-American views of nature, the impact of changing economic systems on the environment, and the impact of the landscape on various American cultures. 1 unit. Meets the Critical Learning: HP requirement.
Considers contemporary and historical environmental politics in the United States and how politics is translated into policy. Examines federal policies and their effectiveness in protecting the environment and furthering environmental justice and investigates the role of actors including social movements, environmental organizations, industry, and state and local governments in shaping environmental governance. Environmental Studies majors and minors may count this course or EV271 toward the major, but not both. Recommended prerequisites: EV145 or PS200. 1 unit. (Not offered 2024-25).
This course examines the political and institutional conditions that produce and organize environmental degradation and disruption, give shape to patterns of environmental inequality, and foment conflict. It concludes by examinating the conditions and strategic actions that improve the chances for positive environmental outcomes and ecological sustainabiliy. Meets the Critical Perspectives: Social Inequality requirement. Meets the Critical Learning: SHB requirement. Meets the Equity and Power: EPUS requirement. (Not offered 2024-25).
The interconnections between feminism and ecology. Ecofeminism explores the links between systems of domination such as sexism, racism, economic exploitation and the ecological crisis. We will assess criticism of ecofeminism and evaluate the potential of this philosophy for political practice. May meet either the Critical Perspectives: Global Cultures or Social Inequality requirement. (Not offered 2024-25).
Study of values underlying human relations to the natural environment. Conflicts between values. Preservation, conservation, and exploitation of natural resources. Problems in developing and applying a consistent land ethic. Some social, political, economic, and ecological aspects of current environmental crises. Counts as one unit of humanities credit.
An examination of multiple conceptions of fairness, equity, and justice in relation to climate change, and how calls for justice and fairness are used both to reinforce and to challenge existing power relations, within and among nations. Prerequisites: None. 1 unit. Meets the Critical Perspectives: Social Inequality requirement. Meets the Equity and Power: EPUS requirement.
An introduction to environmental literature, through genres such as nature writing, memoir, climate fiction (cli-fi), and topics such as wilderness, apocalypticism, climate change, and environmental justice.
Faculty-supervised independent research in environmental natural science, social science, or humanities for students with limited coursework in environmental studies or science. 1 unit.
Focuses on political ecology in a seminar setting for understanding political economy and ecological concerns. Highlights the struggles and genius of Southwest cultures under changing conditions. May have a multi-day-off-campus field trip. May meet either the Critical Perspectives: Global Cultures or Social Inequality requirement. (Not offered 2024-25).
An introduction to physical processes, biogeochemical cycles, and dynamics of freshwater biota in inland waters. Taking a process-oriented and comparative approach, the course focuses on how the function of river systems impacted due to effects from human interactions with aquatic ecosystems. Field and laboratory exercises integrate material across disciplines. Additional recommended prerequisites: GY140 or GY150; EV351. 1 unit. (Not offered 2024-25).
Why do some fisheries collapse? Will the African elephants go extinct? This course examines environmental questions in population ecology using differential and difference equation modeling in R. Course topics include population dynamics of single and multiple interacting species through time and space, the analysis of equilibria and stability, bifurcation, chaos, sensitivity, and parameterization. 1 unit. (Not offered 2024-25).
This course builds upon the skills developed in environmental chemistry or physical chemistry, making use of kinetic and thermodynamic models to examine how chemical pollutants are transported in the environment. Either significant computer simulations or laboratory investigations based on recent journal articles from areas such as the kinetics of metal adsorption on model soils, equilibrium concentrations of pesticide residues in biota based on octanol-water partitioning, and transport modeling of air particulates from an urban environment are included. (Available on a tutorial basis with instructor's consent.) (Not offered 2024-25).
The course examines transport and transformation of energy and matter through ecosystems, and how humans impact these. It focuses on solar energy, carbon, and water through the lens of atmosphere-biosphere interactions. The course develops all concepts through hands on data acquisition, analysis, and interpretation. Key concepts include fluxes, gradients, and budgets. Meets the Critical Perspectives: Scientific Investigation of the Natural World lab or field requirement.
Introduction to the fundamental principles and techniques of Geographic Information Systems and the applications of GIS to environmental studies and science. Through hands-on lab and independent exercises, students will explore geospatial data collection, geospatial data manipulation, database creation and management, spatial analysis, and cartographic mapping. Students will also be exposed to common open-source GIS tools, and basic concepts of remote sensing and Global Positioning Systems (GPS).
Selected environmental science topics that require a more advanced science background than those offered through EV 120. Offered when interest and opportunity arise. Counts as one unit of natural science credit, a few of which may meet the lab or field requirement. Usually at least one sophomore level science course is expected.)
Environmental management efforts are scientifically, ecologically, and politically contentious, yet necessary given the heightened awareness of our impacts on the environment. Students will learn about principles underlying conservation and management approaches, explore how these principles are applied in practice, and identify potential solutions to the multiple challenges environmental managers face. Case studies may focus on public lands management, restoration and conservation, forestry, and/or water resources, private lands conservation strategies, and the role of environmental non-profits. May involve day or overnight trips. (Not offered 2024-25).
Examines the role of subnational governments such as states, cities, and provinces in climate change politics, with a particular focus on the role of cities in mitigating and adapting to a changing climate. Investigates how local political actors ranging from business interests to social justice activists shape climate initiatives as well as the relationship between subnational climate policies and higher levels of government. (Not offered 2024-25).
(Not offered 2024-25).
This course explores the fundamental atmospheric thermodynamics and dynamics needed to understand weather and climate. Using theoretical frameworks, observations, and numerical models, the course covers the physical mechanisms that explain the atmosphere’s behavior across different spatial and temporal scales. Topics include the properties of the atmosphere, electromagnetic radiation and energy balance, stability, atmospheric forces and wind, the atmospheric general circulation, mid-latitude cyclones, weather forecasting, and climate variability and change. A central theme is humanity’s impact on weather and climate.
Uses social movement theory to analyze the environmental movement in the United States as well as its successes and failures. Investigates the growing diversity of perspectives within environmentalism and the challenges and opportunities that mark environmental activism today. Recommended prerequisites: PS200, EV271, or EV274. (Not offered 2024-25).
This course develops: 1.) the tools necessary for the economic analysis of environmental and natural resource problems; 2.) the ability to apply those tools in the investigation of a real world environmental resource problem and; 3.) the insight to form policy recommendations on the basis of such analysis and investigation. Particular emphasis on problems of market failure, such as externalities, public goods, non-market goods, uncertainty, income distribution, inter-temporal resource allocation and policies to correct for imperfect markets. (Not offered 2024-25).
Ecological economists adopt a transdisciplinary framework that draws from a diverse web of knowledge across the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities. Students will critique neoclassical economic thought and use a systems approach to analyze the interdependencies among social, economic, and ecological issues. May include overnight field trips. 1 unit.
Focuses on the rhetoric and practices of “sustainable development” and its attempts to reconcile economic growth, social equity, and environmental protection. Students will investigate the histories of colonialism and social struggle. Students will develop sophisticated analyses of the intersections of global socioeconomic inequality and the challenges of ecological sustainability. 1 unit. May meet either the Critical Perspectives: Global Cultures or Social Inequality requirement. Meets the Critical Learning: HP requirement. Meets the Critical Learning: SHB requirement. Meets the Equity and Power: EPG requirement. (Not offered 2024-25).
This course explores the principles of landscape ecology and their application to contemporary issues in conservation and management. Students will examine methods for detecting and characterizing landscape patterns and processes; explore how landscape patterns emerge and change over time; discuss implications for populations, communities, and ecosystems; and develop strategies for landscape scale conservation and management. 1 unit.
(Not offered 2024-25).
An introduction to hydrology in the context of watersheds, focusing on the major components of the hydrologic cycle; precipitation, canopy interception, infiltration, soil water storage, runoff, streamflow, and groundwater flow. Management of Water resources and the response of water quantity and quality to anthropogenic activity will also be discussed. 1 unit.
An introduction to western water laws, water management policies, and the legacy of water federalism. Particular attention is given to instream flow programs, Native waters, community ditches, water justice, and water conservation efforts in the Southwest. 1 unit. (Not offered 2024-25).
physical oceanography course that highlights the role of the ocean in the global climate system. Topics include ocean-atmosphere interactions, large-scale climate dynamics, wind-driven and thermohaline circulations, the global ocean's mean state, natural climate variability such as the El Niño-Southern Oscillation, sea level changes, and the ocean’s role in and response to past, present, and future climate change. This quantitative course combines theory, observations, and global climate models to emphasize the interconnectedness of the ocean with the Earth’s other systems. The course will culminate in an overview of how the ocean influences humans and ecosystems.
This course studies the actors, institutions, and mechanisms that structure global environmental regimes. Students will examine the theoretical and regulatory foundations that have shaped contemporary study and practice; explore emergent and innovative responses in policy/law to interlinked environmental issues; and interrogate connections between formal global regulation and subnational, private, and nonstate governance mechanisms. Recommended prerequisites: EV271 or PS209. 1 unit.
Selected environmental social science topics that require an intermediate background. Offered when interest and opportunity arise. May require at least one 200 level Environmental Science course as prerequisite. 1 unit.
Selected advanced topics in the environmental humanities that are not offered as part of the regular course listings.
This advanced course in curriculum, instruction, and assessment builds on foundational knowledge in environmental and sustainability education by focusing on the development and assessment of curriculum that builds environmental literacy through transdisciplinary environmental inquiry. Class discussion, lesson planning, and reflective teaching focus on developing a comprehensive framework that facilitates a broad approach for inquiring about environmental issues and detecting narrowness and bias in the arguments made by others concerning environmental challenges, issues, and problems. Teaching methods specific to environmental and outdoor education are emphasized through a practicum that spans the course. Students complete a course project portfolio that meets expectations for environmental education certification from the Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education
Forces shaping public policies and decisions; internal politics of the national bureaucracy, the Presidency and Congress. Applies theories of policymaking to such cases as the environment, race and military affairs. (Counts as one unit of Social Science credit, but not as a natural science credit.)
Focuses on the role of forest ecosystems in social, political, and economic systems and how definitions and management of forests are contested. Students will gain and apply skills and tools from multiple social science disciplines to understand the short and long-term ramifications of forest management policies. Includes service-learning field trips. May meet either the Critical Perspectives: Global Cultures or Social Inequality requirement.
This course centers on curriculum, instruction, and assessment in environmental education. Class discussion and lesson planning develop a comprehensive framework that facilitates a broad approach to environmental issues. Teaching methods specific to environmental and outdoor education are emphasized through a practicum that spans the course. Prerequisites (Not offered 2024-25).
A seminar required for third-year Environmental Studies majors planning to write a senior thesis. The course takes students through steps of the research process including establishing a research question, writing a research proposal, examining primary/secondary sources, research approaches and theory, and methodological questions within interdisciplinary examinations of environmental issues.
This workshop supports faculty-student collaborative research on a specified theme or topic. The class may focus on discussion of literature, workshopping manuscripts for publication/conference presentations, theoretical discussions, and/or project-based learning projects. The class is intended for Junior and Senior EV Science and Studies majors. The class will not count towards an elective requirement in EV. The class may be offered as an adjunct or as a half block class. It is offered on a P/F basis only.
Faculty-supervised independent research project in environmental natural science, social science, or humanities for students with substantial coursework in environmental studies or sciences. 1 unit.
This is the required capstone course for all Environmental Science and Environmental Studies majors. It is optional for Environmental Studies minors and will not count toward the 6-unit requirement of the minor. The course provides a platform for interdisciplinary integration of environmental studies and sciences by examining diverse approaches to understanding and addressing local and regional environmental issues. It also emphasizes professional development considerations as they relate to building on the skills and knowledge gained through the Environmental Studies and Environmental Science majors and minor. This is a semester-long extended format course and must be taken Pass/No Credit only.
Course focuses on the chemical composition of Earth's atmosphere, including the governing chemical mechanisms and their associated kinetics. The generation, transport, and transformation of criteria pollutants in the troposphere and stratosphere will be explored. Course has significant field and laboratory components as well as a student-designed research project. Meets the Critical Perspectives: Scientific Investigation of the Natural World requirement. (Not offered 2024-25).
An adjunct course spread out over the academic year in which guest lecturers and juniors and seniors orally present their independent research (either literature or laboratory) to the program students and faculty in an open forum for discussion. Required for an environmental science major. (Must be taken on a P/NC basis.) (Not offered 2024-25).
Students are placed in organizations working on environmental issues where they work about five hours per week. Students meet in seminar twice a block. In the seminars and written work for the course, students explore the connection between environmental theory and environmental practice, the connections between academic environmental studies and work on behalf of the environment in the community. (Semester-long, extended-format course; to count for major course must be taken for an entire semester for credit with semester-long meetings). (Must be taken on a P/NC basis.) (Not offered 2024-25).
Advanced faculty-supervised independent research in environmental natural science, social science, or humanities. Usually done as thesis research before EV499: Senior Thesis. 1 unit.
A thesis topic chosen by a student with advice from a member of the Environmental Studies Program. Environmental Science majors must have a topic grounded in the natural sciences and Environmental Studies majors may have a topic grounded in the natural sciences, social sciences, or humanities.
(Summer only 2024-25).