Environmental Studies

This course introduces students to the concept of systems, reviews ecological systems, and then goes on to human systems as these impact the environment. The course will explore the two forces that are at the core of most environmental impacts (climate change, ozone depletion, air and water pollution, and a loss of biodiversity) will be explored as will the fundamental attributes of agriculture, food, soil, and water. Throughout, the influence of culture, society, ethics, and science on the environmental problems will be discussed. 

4 CreditsN, WK-SP, CTGISPre-Req or Co-Req: FYC-101 or EN-110 or EN-109.

This course introduces students to the concepts of environmental systems and sustainability, review of ecological systems, and human impact on the environment. Students will work on a restoration/conservation project with a community partner to improve soil/water resource quality in the community. Students will be introduced to scientific writing and write a scientific paper. 

3 CreditsN, SW-LEPre-req or co-req: FYC-101 or EN-110 or EN-109. (NOTE: ESS-100 is not a prereq for ESS-110.)

Global Environmental Issues is a global public health course. Environmental problems create some of the most pressing public health issues of our time. This course seeks to train the participants to identify the public health challenges created by environmental problems in various parts of the world and exploring practical solutions for those problems.

4 CreditsN, WK-SI

Wildlife management incorporates the science and management of wild animals, both rare and common species. Threatened species may require particular knowledge of population structure and processes for effective management, while common species may need control or might be exploited as novel production products.

3 CreditsNPrerequisites: ESS100 and BI105 and BI121. A special course fee is assessed.

This course will cover the basics of microeconomic analysis as it applies to the environmental decision making and environmental policy with respect to pollution abetment, resource harvesting, and sustainability analysis. The course will also explore the strengths and weaknesses of economic models of human behavior. Finally, the course explores the growing concern of sustainable and resilient economies. Prerequisites: Sophomore standing or permission of the instructor.

3 CreditsS 

This course provides a comprehensive coverage of local, regional, national, and global resource and environmental issues from population growth to wetlands to sustainable agriculture and natural resource policies and legislation. It considers renewable and non-renewable resources such as water, land, soil, air, wildlife, and their associated habitats.

3 CreditsNPrerequisites: ESS100 and BI105 and BI121. A special course fee is as sessed.

This course will examine the major environmental laws in the United States and major Supreme Court cases covering these statutes. The status covered will be National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), The Clean Water Act (CWA), The Clean Air Acr (CAA), The Endangered Species Act (ESA), Federal Insecticide Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), and The Toxic Substances Control Act (TOSCA), The Forest Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA), Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), and the Superfund Amendment and Reauthorization Act (SARA).

3 CreditsS, CTGISPrerequisites: ESS-100 or PS-110. Must have sophomore standing or above.

General Biology I is the first course in the Biology POE core curriculum. This course will be structured around four primary case studies on the opioid crisis, climate change, environmental toxicology and the evolution of speed in animals. The cases will outline foundational concepts in molecular biology and evolution.

4 Credits

Student perceptions of what constitutes geology have shifted. Contemporary students need to be made aware that geology IS the study of the physical environment of the earth and that a central part of what geologists do entails an exploration of how humans and the built environment both affect and are affected by the earth's physical/environmental system. While our previous title and description for this course, Introduction to Physical Geology, carried these implicit understandings, we find it important now to draw students' attention explicitly to the environmental character of our study of Earth.

3 CreditsN 

This course is a survey of the various visual, statistical, and modeling approaches commonly used in the analysis of environmental data. The course covers: (1) visual literacy from exploratory data inquisition to poster creation; (2) elementary group comparison such as t-test and ANOVA and their non-parametric analogs;(3) basic systems modeling; and (4) regression modeling techniques based on the generalized linear model framework.

3 CreditsN, QS, CTGES, CTGISPrerequisites: Sophomore standing and permission of the instructor.

This course provides the student with a working overview of the hydrologic cycle, providing the student with the basic concepts of all aspects of hydrology. Particular emphasis is placed on the integrative nature of ecosystems within the watershed, including the interdependencies and driving forces of energy, the atmosphere, the hydrosphere, and the land, and the biosphere.

3 CreditsQM, NPrerequisites: ESS100.

This course is an introduction to a Geographical Information System (GIS), and the course objective is that students gain a basic, partial understanding of GIS concepts, technical issues, andapplications using Arc View GIS. It encourages thinking in spatial context. A diverse array of hands-on computer applicationsand projects are used to understand how geographical data can be analyzed spatially. Students explore analysis techniques in a problem basis learning approach using small team projects.

4 CreditsCTGISNote: A special course fee is assessed. Prerequisite: ESS100.

The Senior Capstone course is intended to provide a real-world, project-based experience working on an advanced-level project. The student teams utilize skills they have acquired in their academic career to evaluate and provide potential solutions to realistic environmental tasks. The project will be chosen each semester based on needs and opportunities in local agencies to provide an advanced project that can be done in one semester.

1-3 CreditsS, CTGISPrerequisite: ESS200 and Senior Standing or permission of the instructor.

This course is the second semester of the Senior Capstone. It is intended to provide a real-world, project-based experience working on an advanced- level project. The student teams utilize skills they have acquired in their academic career to evaluate and provide potential solutions to realistic environmental tasks. The project will be chosen each year based on needs and opportunities in local agencies to provide and advanced project that can be done in one year.

1-3 CreditsN, S, CTGISPrerequisites: ESS100 and Junior or Senior standing or permission.