Sustainability

This course focuses on a range of issues addressing art, architecture and their relationship to a sustainable environment. Through an analysis of critical theory, students will gain an understanding of the language and critical issues of art, architecture and their impact upon the environment. Through a hands-on approach, students will apply these concepts to make ceramic artwork in the SJU Pottery Studio. By using all native materials, designing through a programmatic structure of indigenous systems, in a sustainable framework the student will parallel architectural and design schematics presented in theory and research to an applied reality. Students will critically analyze readings, will discuss examples of art and architecture and will meet with artists in order to expand their understanding of the relationship between art, architecture and the environment.

A survey of the scientific basis of human interactions with nature. Topics include global environmental problems analysis of local and regional issues, population biology and conservation of ecological systems. Intended for non-majors. Lecture and laboratory.

A springtime ritual throughout NE United States, including St. John's, is the production of maple syrup from the sap of the sugar maple tree. This course provides an introduction to the history of the process, methods for producing syrup, and the biological and chemical principles underlying the production of sap and syrup.

This course examines how people use communication to articulate viewpoints about the natural environment in the public sphere. Students study an array of environmental discourse, including speeches, advocacy campaigns, advertisements, image events, environmental reporting and news, film and media, to see how these messages convey meaning and shape audience attitudes and behavior about the environment.

Examination of the economics of natural resources and the environment with special focus on environmental policy formulation.
Topics include inter-temporal efficiency criteria, cost/benefit analysis, and sustainability issues.

This section of ENVR 100 is part of the new "Hands-On-The-Land" series of experiential learning courses offered by the Environmental Studies Department with the assistance of the St. John's Arboretum and faculty from several other departments. This course will introduce the history, methods and science of natural papermaking via the process of making paper by hand. Students will learn to identify and gather plants in the St. John's Arboretum suitable for making paper, then explore ways to break down the plants and reform the fibers into a variety of handmade papers involving creative fiber combinations unique to the CSB and SJU environment. The course will include readings on papermaking's thousand-year history and will explore the contemporary uses of plant-based handmade paper. Discussion will include the environmental ramifications of using various types of plants found in the region.

This course will introduce students to the natural history and ecology of Minnesota’s small to mid-size forest carnivores. While there will be a lecture component to this course, most of our time will be spent conducting field work related to forest carnivores. As part of the Hands-On-The-Land series this course will make extensive use of the St. John's Arboretum. After an introduction to population sampling techniques (scent stations with track identification, mark-recapture techniques, and camera trapping techniques), we will develop a research design and set up carnivore scent stations and remote-trigger camera traps. Students will gain skills in carnivore tracking, carnivore ecology, and scientifically-reliable research design. Students from all majors are welcome.

Interdisciplinary introduction to environmental studies. Case-based investigation of environmental issues combining perspectives from the social sciences, natural sciences, and humanities. Topics will vary but may include such subjects as endangered species, air/water pollution, environmental justice/racism, animal rights, global warming, ecotourism, agriculture, nature writing, campus ecology, and others.

An interdisciplinary introduction to the science underlying environmental issues. This course will focus on earth systems science, providing a basic understanding of how the earth's hydrosphere, lithosphere, atmosphere and biosphere work and how they interact.

There are over 450 national  parks and monuments in the United States and the majority preserve examples of landscapes and geology at their most impressive. Our national parks and monuments have two purposes: 1) to preserve features of scientific and cultural importance and 2) to make those features available for the education and enjoyment of the public. Geology of the National Parks provides a view of the diverse aspects of geology preserved in our national parks and monuments through the conceptual framework of the rock cycle.  The course is designed to provide students with an appreciation of why the preservation of geologic features within national parks helps us understand natural science and how geology relates to society and the environment.  An optional, May-term course (Geology Field Experience) will provide ‘hands-on’ experience exploring the geology of selected parks and monuments in the western U.S.

Workshop focusing on current environmental issues in application, intended for students new to the major or minor. Course may be repeated for credit when topics vary with approval of the Department Chair.

In this course, we examine the environmental, economical, and social equity issues of food, production, processing, distribution and consumption. We explore the journey of food from the field to our table. To map successfully this journey we analyze women's and men's roles, historically and currently, in food production; examine different approaches to food sustainability and environmental sustainability; and delve into politics of food regulation.

An interdisciplinary scientific exploration of environmental issues through case studies.  Specific case studies will be chosen by the instructor, but will typically center around the broad topics of population, climate change, food and agriculture, biodiversity, pollution and energy.

Case-study based and issue-oriented approach to understanding relationships between societies and their environments from a geographical perspective.  Centered on exploring how humans around the world have modified their environments, and how societies respond to environmental change.  Examining these processes includes exploring the current and historical roles played by social and cultural institutions, by political and economic systems, and by forces such as development and globalization.

Is Earth's climate rapidly changing, and if so, what is causing it?  Heated ideological debates and images of imminent environmental catastrophe generated by the issue of climate change often obscure the scientific foundation upon which it rests. In this course students will gain a basic understanding of the interdisciplinary science behind climate change and its impacts.  Following an introduction to the climate system, we will explore Earth's climatic history and how we know about this history, the drivers of climate change past and present, and the impact of climate change and stability on human societies in the past, present and future.  Labs will focus on furthering understanding of climatic processes, methods in paleoclimatology, and the use of models in climate science.

This course examines the relationships between human cultures and the environments they inhabit. We will engage with the ways in which environments are collusions of human knowledge, perspective, histories, and economic and other cultural systems. Many of the course texts grapple with environmental management systems throughout the world, and ways that people plan for, participate in, subvert, and are affected by environment management schemes. Furthermore, this course also emphasizes the ways in which people shape knowledge about the environment and environmental management throughout historical vantages as well as Western science, particularly of conservation biology and ecology.  

An analysis of the sustainability of Asian societies with respect to environmental, economic and social issues.  We will examine practices of ancient and medieval Asia, and continue with an assessment of contemporary environmental issues.   Particular attention will be given to Japan and China as comparative subjects.

Asia is a complex and diverse part of the world that contains more than half of the world's population, some of the world's fastest growing economies, and countries and cultures that are fundamentally linked to our everyday lives in North America. In this upper-division, reading-intensive course, students will be introduced to the natural environments, political developments, demographic trends, gender issues, religious and cultural frameworks, and past and present relationships between the United States and Asian countries, The course will emphasize current events, problems, and trends across sub-regions and in individual countries, and will draw on diverse sources of information including books, academic and popular articles, films and novels. 

Environmental history is the study of the relationship between humans and nature over time. This course examines the changing American understanding of nature in the 19th and 20th centuries with particular attention to the development of public policies toward natural resources and wildlife, the emergence of a new set of values recognizing non-utilitarian values in nature, and to the evolution of the conservation and environmental movements. Intellectual, political, economic, scientific, and social evidence will all be examined in the process of placing nature back into the human history of North America.

This course explores the efforts of nation-states to collectively deal with global environmental problems, identifies alternatives to the nation-state (e.g. environmental NGOs), and studies domestic political movements to protect the environment. As a historically rooted endeavor, this course examines how global environmental action has emerged as a result of increased international cooperation, newly available scientific information, ambivalence about the success of development, and changing attitudes regarding our responsibility to nature. Through the application of social science concepts such as the "tragedy of the commons," collective action theory, and regime formation theory, students will attempt to devise public policy solutions for global environmental issues. Many global environmental effects are felt most strongly in the developing world and these countries’ experiences have given rise to many of the most potent critiques of modernization and development theory.

This course investigates a variety of ethical issues that arise from consideration of the relation between humans and the non-human natural world (i.e., the environment, animals, land, ecosystems, wilderness areas). This course will introduce students to the basic concepts of environmental ethics, to specific ethical issues associated with environmental policy, and to philosophical theorizing about the environment.

A sustainable world requires major rethinking of the ways we plan, design and manage human settlements. We need a new paradigm for urban planners and policy makers, addressing both cities, infrastructures and buildings, as well as the relationships between town and country. Sustainable development has ecological, economic and social aspects. Our organization and design of space is a prime source of resource and energy use, as well as being a key to well functioning and healthy communities. The course will include seminars, readings and case studies on themes including land use, ecological footprint, social neighborhood planning, citizen participation, work and mobility, life cycle design, low carbon / zero emission cities and urban ecology. The major focus of the course will be to examine different models of urban development, from traditional settlements to modern cities, and to develop an understanding of the complex human and environmental issues involved.

This course explores what major religious traditions about humanity’s relationship to the rest of creation. Among the religious traditions surveyed in this course are Buddhism, Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. Certain aspects of Native American spirituality are also considered. Particular attention is given to different Christian perspectives on the human relationship to creation.

How do we sustain the environment and provide food security to 9 billion people in 2042? This course examines the causes of food insecurity; investigates the environmental, human and cultural costs of industrial agricultural food production; identifies the environmental consequences of producing protein-rich foods, e.g. fish farming, meat, and soybeans; considers the effect of climate change on food production; and explores the potential and the risks of agricultural biotechnology to increase the global food supply. In addition, we explore emerging agricultural practices as possible solutions to the problem of balancing human needs and the environment.

An exploration of the historical, theoretical and empirical development of the science of ecology. Topics include dynamics of populations, interactions among species, and the organization and function of ecosystems. We devote special attention to the interplay between theoretical and empirical studies, with emphasis upon current research whenever possible. In the laboratory, students are expected to work in teams to design and implement a research project and present their findings in a public forum.

An exploration of the ecology of lakes, streams, wetlands and other aquatic ecosystems. Topics include lake physical and chemical limnology, ecological interactions in lakes and streams and the sustainable use of aquatic resources. Laboratories take place on campus lakes, on shore and in the lab.

Theoretical and practical examinations of how societies throughout history have organized their economies to accomplish social aims. Emphasis on how different societies have conducted vital functions such as health care, environmental protection, social security, defense, energy production, and trade. Special attention is paid to reform efforts and their effectiveness.

Participants study the central concepts and structures of science and plan and implement age-appropriate instruction based on the Constructivist model of learning. The identification of misconceptions and ways to address them through hands-on activities are included. Science process skills and the nature of science constitute a thread running throughout the course, as well as the incorporation of multicultural and special needs issues. Aspects of the MN Academic Standards and the National Science Teaching Standards are implemented in long and short term instructional planning. Clinical observations and a teaching experience are required.

This course is designed for individuals that are planning on teaching in the field of environmental education in formal classroom settings and/or interpretive settings, such as environmental learning centers. Some of the issues that will be explored are the incorporation of environmental education in standards based settings, the dichotomy of advocacy versus education, and the history, trends and best practices of environmental education. The relationship between the two types of environmental education settings will also be explored, including collaboration, and students will be designing and teaching environmental education curriculum based on the North American Association for Environmental Education's "Excellence in Environmental Education - Guidelines for Learning". This course will include a practicum experience.

This course will examine the evolution of our modern understanding of the natural world. How do we imagine nature, and do other cultures (past and present) imagine it differently? Where exactly did our currently understanding of the natural world come from, and where does it seem to be heading in the future? In asking these questions, we will also explore how different visions of nature (nature as God's creation, nature as a mechanical structure, nature as a complex ecosystem, human nature etc.) have shaped our approach to our understanding of the lives we live. Students will examine a mix of history, biology, political philosophy, literature, film and cultural theory texts as part of a course of study designed to investigate where, why and how writing and nature intersect in our world today.

This course focuses on the writings of Dr. Vandana Shiva in preparation for her visit to campus in February as the Renaissance speaker.  We will read Shiva’s most famous book (Stolen Harvest: The Hijacking of the Global Food Supply)  and her most recent one (Staying Alive: Women, Ecology and Development).  We will also watch two documentaries in which she features prominently as an expert witness on issues of food and biotechnology, globalization, and development issues.  The course is discussion based but will also require a final paper.

Case-study based and issue-oriented approach to understanding relationships between societies and their environments from a geographical perspective.  Centered on exploring how humans around the world have modified their environments, and how societies respond to environmental change.  Examining these processes includes exploring the current and historical roles played by social and cultural institutions, by political and economic systems, and by forces such as development and globalization.

This course is an upper level, reading intensive course focusing on global environmental issues from the perspective of geography. Using water as a topical focus, the course will consider human modifications of and responses to the environment; the sometimes unintended consequences of such actions; and water as a key resource and potential source of conflict in the 21st century. As an environmental studies course, the subject matter is interdisciplinary and will include physical geography.

This is an introductory course in Geographic Information Systems (GIS). GIS is designed to collect, store, and us spatial and geographical information, such as land use, property ownership, roads, rivers, lakes, forest cover type, elevation, versus tract boundaries and data, and political boundaries. In this course, students will learn to use ESRI's ArcGIS software within a larger context that also includes a history of cartography, the uses and abuses of maps, elements of map design, mental maps, participatory GIS, and a range of ethical issues that must be considered in learning how to use this powerful technology responsibly.

Environmental issues are a fundamental component of the for-profit and non-profit enterprise landscape. A large number of organizations now measure and compare success by implementing robust environmental stewardship, engaging stakeholders in sustainability initiatives and by making these efforts both measurable and visible.
This course will familiarize students with what sustainability is, why it's important, how enterprises can measure it, what enterprises are succeeding and failing at, and how the focus on sustainable enterprises will affect developed and developing countries.

Examines issues of sex and gender from cross-cultural perspectives. Themes vary but may include: international sex trade, global women's movements, gender and economic development, GLBT human rights movements, health and environmental issues, or cross-cultural conceptions of masculinity. Course will vary according to the particular instructor's design.

Geology is the study of the composition of the Earth and its dynamic systems. One system, using solar and gravitational energy, involves the processes of weathering, erosion and deposition of sediments by the atmosphere, wind, rivers, ground water and glaciers. The other system, using internal energy of the Earth, is tectonic. This involves movement of material in the Earth’s interior resulting in plate movement which creates and destroys the crust and results in volcanism, earthquakes and mountain-building. Laboratory is required.

Food and Culture examines how food functions in society and culture beyond the mere provision of nutrients. How do people use food to establish and communicate their individual, group and social identity? How does food security contribute to social and cultural development? What are the primary factors influencing food choices and food preferences? These questions will be critically examined through reading, personal essays, and a group project that examines the foodways of a specific culture or ethnic group.

Examination of the field of conflict (e.g., between individuals, groups and societies, within and between nations), the relationship of the roots of conflict to social concepts of gender, and the resolution of conflict through such methods as direct action, mediation, arbitration, removal of the sources of conflict through economic, social and political development. Study of examples in historical context.

This course will examine the history and development of international human rights concepts, organizations and institutions. The full range of human rights will be explored, including civil, political, economic and social rights as well as the right to development and a healthy environment. Topics such as the relationship between human rights and culture, women’s issues, religion and globalization will also be discussed. Case studies will be used to examine the efforts of governments, nongovernmental organizations (such as Amnesty International) and the international community to implement and protect human rights.

Are human beings naturally violent and warlike, or do we have the potential for peace? John Lennon once said, "If everyone demanded peace instead of another television set, then there'd be peace." Maybe it's not quite that simple, but is peace possible? If it is, how might we achieve it, and what roles can individuals play in the process? This course is designed to help senior peace studies majors and minors search for and evaluate answers to these and related questions by examining theories and evidence from a variety of fields (including, but not limited to: peace studies, anthropology, psychology, history, sociology, biology, and futures studies), with a view to integrating their four year academic experience.

ntroduction to the study, analysis and evaluation of U.S. political institutions, processes and policies. Subjects of the course include the structure of the federal government, constitutional rights and liberties, the functions of political parties, interest groups, communication media, and the process of democratic decision-making.

Analysis of the fundamental structure of the international system, including power, development, war and peace and trade viewed from a political, economic and social perspective.

Examination of how politics is practiced in many different ways. Through examples of countries from Europe to developing world, this course analyses different forms of institutions, governmental decision-making and political revolutions. The course highlights the significance of particular histories, the availability of economic resources for development, and the influence of distinct cultures and social traditions to explain why these countries reflect economic and political forms different from the United States.

Examination of the normative nature of public policy making. The principles of public policy analysis are examined. Course focuses on the place of equality, efficiency, justice, authority, community, and other principles in the practice and evaluation of policy. Policy examples are taken from education, health care, poverty, housing, crime, employment and other areas.

This course will explore how key ideas and debates in the history of American political thought have been translated into practice, both in the United States and elsewhere in the world. We will examine, for example, how the Framers attempted to create a presidency that was both effective and effectively checked, and ask how the presidency has changed in comparison to those initial hopes and fears. We will examine Abraham Lincoln's use of, and arguments for, presidential emergency powers during the Civil War; and how the Bush administration used (or some would argue, abused) the arguments of Lincoln and the Federalist Papers to justify sweeping presidential powers in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks. Other contemporary applications explored in the course will include the present-day Tea Party's appropriation of the rhetoric of the American Revolution, and the contemporary resurgence of the pre-Civil War doctrine of state nullification of federal law. Finally, we will link the

Community organizing is a set of principles and approaches to collective action by people who share common values and interests. It developed as a specific practice after World War II but has deep roots in the American social action tradition. In this course we will explore the historical roots of community organizing, its current status and contemporary debates in the field. We will learn basic organizing principles and techniques and study their application through field observations and case studies. We will compare community organizing to related forms of civic action, reflect on the social values that inform its practice, and explore key ethical issues inherent in community organizing practice. Students will describe and analyze current and historical practice, apply organizing techniques, and evaluate community organizing as a form of civic engagement.

Examination of United States foreign policy. The course focuses on key players as well as institutions and unofficial individuals or groups involved in the making of U.S. foreign policy. Case studies will be used to bring a 'real-life' element to the class.

Examination of international economic linkages that play a significant role in defining relations among states and non-state actors in the post-cold war world. While security has been perceived primarily in military terms, in the new world economic conditions will determine the ranking among nations. Agreements establishing the European Union, the North American Free Trade Area, and the World Trade Organization (WTO)/General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) are symbolic of the significance of global economic concerns. The course analyzes national and international responses to the challenge of global economic competition.

This course examines the relationships between human cultures and the environments that they inhabit. We will engage with the ways in which environments are collusions of human knowledge, perspective, histories, and economic and other cultural systems. Many of the course texts grapple with environmental management systems throughout the world, and ways that people plan for, participate in, subvert, and are affected by environment management schemes. Furthermore, this course also emphasizes the ways in which people shape knowledge about the environment and environmental management through historical vantages as well as Western science, particularly conservation biology and ecology.