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Long-term patterns of human-environment interactions surveyed through archaeological case studies; varied scales of human impacts, including animal extinction, habitat destruction, agricultural practices, urban growth, state-level societies. GE: Sustainability.

Communities across the globe are increasingly concerned that the byproducts from our industrial lives are causing climate change and irreparable damage to our natural environment. Anthropology provides a rich source of information on how humans interact with nature, and provides a baseline for understanding ecosystems’ dynamic pasts, which together can be used to place today's environmental crisis in perspective. Using examples and case studies from around the world, this course surveys the changing nature of human-environmental interactions over the last 30,000 years. The course explores how long-term changes in social organization, subsistence patterns, population growth, and settlement practices have influenced the nature and scale of human impacts on the environment through time. The course is organized around major categories of human impacts including animal extinction and habitat destruction, agricultural practices, effects of urban growth and development, and impacts of state level societies on the environment. Human Impacts on the Environment develop student’s critical thinking skills and communications ability in several ways that are specified in the following five learning objectives:

1. Define key terms related to sustainability, human-environment interactions, culture, and environment
2. Identify key activities and technologies that have most impacted the environment over the past 30,000 years
3. Explain how changes in social, economic, technological, and political factors affect our human-environment interactions
4. Synthesize different methods and theoretical framework used in studying human-environment interaction.
5. Devise personal and community-level strategies for reducing negative impacts on the environment

This course satisfies the Sustainability and Social Sciences GE CLAS Core requirements

Social Sciences Sustainability

Introduction to sustainability knowledge, skills, and habits as a means to shape one's vision of a sustainable citizen; emphasis on basic skills of literacy, applied math, and finding information; traditional sustainability knowledge areas related to society, economy, and environment; intersecting themes (e.g., informed consumerism, eco-economics, and livable environments). GE: Sustainability.

This class introduces students to sustainability, a critically-important subject that explores how humans can improve their interactions with the natural environment to support long-term economic, social, and ecological well-being.  Students will explore the ways in which humans can address the environmental challenges we face today. We will examine key areas of sustainability including population dynamics, ecosystems, global change, energy and water use, food production, urbanization, environmental economics, policy, ethics, and equity.  Sustainability includes multiple perspectives and disciplines, thus this class will include material from fields spanning the social, natural, engineering, and business sciences to produce a holistic understanding of sustainability and its practices.

Social Sciences Sustainability

Nonmathematical exploration of selected areas of technology; basic science background, current technological applications, implications for society; for non-science majors. GE: Sustainability.

What's the world made of?  How do we know? This course demystifies the world around you with a step-by-step introduction to chemistry to help you analyze the choices that you make in your daily living.  We address topics such as: perfecting the art of brewing coffee, the difference between local food and food trucked in from far away, what makes Tylenol different from aspirin, the role and consequences of using fuels to generate energy, sustainability of resources as the world’s population is changing, and climate change from a technical perspective.  Calculations and mathematical manipulations are minimal, and no college-level science preparation is required.  Topics will be explored through demonstrations and hands-on activities.

Natural Sciences without Lab Sustainability

Biological and physical character of the Earth; interaction of humans with the environment, including impacts on ecosystems, climate, natural processes, resources; alternative options, including sustainability, waste management, energy, land reform. GE: Sustainability.

With human population growth and resource consumption growing exponentially, the impact of human interaction with the rest of our environment is increasingly relevant in many fields of study. Environmental Science is the interdisciplinary study of how Earth's natural systems interact, how these systems affect society, and how they respond to human activity. Environmental Science has the applied goal of solving environmental problems, drawing upon knowledge in disciplines as diverse as ecology, anthropology, economics, and political science. The specific student learning outcomes for the overall course are:

• Ability to critically evaluate popular media articles related to Environmental Science;
• Ability to locate and interpret data relevant to Environmental Science and interpret it;
• Understanding the relationship between their day-to-day life and Environmental Science, particularly in the context of sustainability;
• Recognize the multi-faceted nature of Environmental Science.

This course is taught in a blended environment, including traditional lectures, discussion periods in TILE classrooms, online learning, and both individual and group projects.

Natural Sciences with Lab Natural Sciences without Lab Sustainability

Interdisciplinary study of how Earth's natural systems interact, how these systems affect society, and how they respond to human activity; how environmental problems can be solved and avoided by drawing upon knowledge in disciplines as diverse as ecology, anthropology, economics, chemistry, and political science; blended instructional environment, including traditional lectures, discussions in TILE classrooms, laboratory, online learning, peer-reviewed writing exercises, and service learning. Offered fall semesters. GE: Sustainability.

Fundamentals of Environmental Science (ENVS:1085) is an interdisciplinary exploration of how Earth's natural systems interact, how these systems affect society, and how they respond to human activity. The course challenges students to explore how environmental problems can be solved and avoided by drawing upon knowledge in disciplines as diverse as ecology, anthropology, economics, chemistry, and political science. The course is delivered in a blended instructional environment, which includes traditional lectures, discussions and activity sessions in TILE classrooms, laboratory, online learning, peer-reviewed writing exercises, and service learning. The course is required for Environmental Science majors*, who are strongly encouraged to take this course during their first year. Other motivated students seeking a student-centered introduction to environmental science are also encouraged to enroll.  Offered fall semesters.

* exceptions can be made on a case-by-case basis by contacting the ES Program Coordinator, Andrew Forbes andrew-forbes@uiowa.edu.  Situations for an exception include if the student has transferred a 3sh environmental science course from another institution  or 3sh of Environmental Science AP credit.  In these situations the student enrolled in a 1sh laboratory course (ENVS:1090) to fulfill the requirement.  Another exception is if the student has previously received credit in ENVS:1080.  However, students considering majoring in Environmental Science are strongly encouraged to take ENVS:1085 rather than ENVS:1080.

Natural Sciences with Lab Sustainability

Historical perspective on business, science, geology, technology, politics, environment, and culture of the global oil industry; the rise of oil as the most influential international business of the last 150 years, the material foundation of economies, a major force in world politics, a shaper of daily life, and a guide to understanding Earth's deep history. Offered fall semesters. GE: Sustainability.

This course provides broad historical perspective on the business, science, geology, technology, politics, environment, and culture of the global oil industry.

This course asks students to contemplate the big questions surrounding the origins, development, and meaning of the “Age of Petroleum,” an age in which we continue to live.

How and why did oil become the most powerful international business of the last 150 years? What were the factors behind oil’s emergence as the world’s main transportation fuel, a chief source of heat and electricity, and the building block for a proliferating array of consumer goods? How and why did struggles over oil become central to world politics and shape the rise and fall of nations? How do we wrestle with the trade-offs between the unprecedented wealth and prosperity generated by oil development and the social, economic, and environmental costs that have come with it? How has the search for oil fostered human awareness of both Earth’s deep history and the fragility of ecosystems on which we depend?

Students completing this class will gain a solid foundation in the history and science of oil. Both fields emphasize the importance of thinking historically, developing explanations for why the past unfolded as it did, rather than along an alternative path. In this class, which fulfills a general education requirement for “Historical Perspectives,” students study both primary and secondary sources to learn to do the work of professional historians. As oil development increasingly impacts our lives, this course is also designed to expand your understanding of the costs and benefits of oil to modern society and prepare you to confront the challenges of ensuring energy sustainability over the long run. This course will also serve as a gateway for further study in History or Earth and Environmental sciences, as well as in other energy and sustainability-related courses at the University of Iowa. 

Instruction combines a mixture of lectures, discussions, and inquiry-based activities in order to sharpen analytical abilities, promote teamwork, and improve oral and written expression of ideas. The major graded assignments consist of three exams, class participation and discussion, and a research paper.

Historical Perspectives Sustainability

How earth-atmosphere-hydrosphere-space systems produce events catastrophic to humans on the scale of individual lives to civilizations; root causes of earthquakes, landslides, volcanic eruptions, floods, hurricanes, tsunami, tornadoes, and asteroid impact, and their local, national, and global impact; spatial and temporal occurrences of these hazards; methods and processes for hazard preparedness, response, and recovery; social, economic, and policy aspects that affect and compound the magnitude of disasters associated with natural phenomena; case studies drawn from contemporary and ancient societies. GE: Sustainability.

One or more sections may be assigned to a TILE classroom.

Natural Sciences without Lab Sustainability

Underlying processes driving human/environment interaction, including climate change, deforestation, and natural disasters; environmental challenges, including declining biological diversity; human response to more frequent severe climate events; production of a more sustainable future. GE: Sustainability.

We currently need 1.6 earths to sustain our use of natural resources.  Where we live, what we eat, and our day-to-day activities modify the local environment. In turn, we are intricately connected to one another and to the environment on which our livelihoods depend. Understanding the global environment and the role people play within the earth system is essential to understanding current debates, policies, and their potential ramifications.  This course introduces students to the natural processes, ranging from microscopic to global, and explores how the science of the global environment helps us understand the connections between people and environment.  Students will learn how the earth's systems interact and the importance of these systems to people.  The processes of observation, analysis, and inference underlying the science will be discussed throughout.  This course provides an important foundation for future study of topics such as environmental studies, business, public health, journalism, and many other fields.

Natural Sciences without Lab Sustainability

Global environmental challenges; ecological, economical, cultural, and geographical causes and effects; underlying science and potential solutions to global issues of sustainability. GE: Sustainability.

The demands on earth’s resources have never been greater, leading to a wide array of environmental impacts on a grand scale. This introductory course profiles the leading global environmental issues of our time, particularly those associated with land use, population change, pollution, energy, and climate change.  The class adopts an interdisciplinary perspective that emphasizes their causes, consequences, and solutions. The major goals of the course are to: 1) explore the most urgent global environmental issues and their relationships with physical, social, biological, and economic processes; and 2) introduce you to basic geographic concepts in the context of current environmental challenges.

International and Global Issues Sustainability

How information created by scientists about environmental issues is used by media, public relations practitioners, law makers, regulators, and decision makers in governments, organizations, and corporations, as well as by lay citizens; analysis of strategies to get scientific knowledge to the public arena in ways that inform, educate, and empower the public; examination of how this information can be used to mislead or confuse the public. GE: Sustainability.

This course will follow how information created by scientists in environmental issues is used by the media, public relations practitioners, law makers, regulators, and decision makers in governments, organizations and corporations, and by lay citizens. We will analyze strategies to get scientific knowledge to the public arena in ways that inform, educate and empower the public and in ways that can mislead or confuse the public.

 

Sustainability Values and Culture Values, Society, and Diversity

How society balances its needs against those of the natural environment when addressing modern challenges like climate change, conservation, and energy crises; exploration of sustainability through the lens of U.S. environmental policy and politics; application of fundamental theories of public policy to answer questions—when do environmental problems become policy problems; what economic, social, and political forces shape environmental policy decisions; and what are the consequences of environmental policies for individuals and organizations? GE: Sustainability. Social Sciences Sustainability

Energy is considered the lifeblood of modern societies, and as energy production and consumption accelerates worldwide, it is imperative that energy becomes sustainable or it is derived from resources that can maintain current operations without jeopardizing energy needs or climate of future generations; examination of global transition toward sustainable energy systems from a social science perspective; application of the concept of sociological imagination to understand challenges and opportunities presented by worldwide energy transformation towards sustainability. GE: Sustainability. Social Sciences Sustainability

Sport as both a global and local phenomenon; influence of global economic, political, and cultural forces on local sporting expressions, experiences, and identities; global sporting cultures from cricket to capoeira; global sporting spectacles from the Olympics and Paralympics to the FIFA World Cup; global sporting celebrities and athlete migrants from Maria Sharapova and Christiano Rinaldo to Yao Ming and Dominican Republic baseball; global sporting production, consumption, and development from global labor and environmental concerns to sport for development and peace. GE: Sustainability.

Sport is everywhere in the truest sense of the word; a nearly cultural universal. However, while sport involvement (both in terms of participation and spectating) could be said to be a globally ubiquitous practice, sport continues to act as a vehicle for the expression of local (in most cases, national or regional) cultural difference. From Argentina to Zimbabwe, sport plays an important role in forming the experiences and identities of people living in varying differing cultural, political, and economic conditions. Thus, sport could be said to be both a global and local phenomenon. 

The specific aim of the course is to encourage students to consider how various sport practices, bodies, products, and spectacles operate and are experienced as manifestations of the global-local nexus. By examining sport within differing cultural settings, it becomes evident how contemporary sport cultures are influenced by the workings of global cultural, political, and economic forces, while simultaneously seeking to express local conditions and identities. 

The course is organized around 4 primary modules - global sport practices (origins of global sport and its circulation), bodies (sporting migrants and celebrities), products (global labor forces and transnational corporations), and spectacles (global sport mega-events, tourism and activism) - with topics in each explored through a variety of case studies and related discussions, debates, and presentations.

International and Global Issues Sustainability

Develop conceptual and critical design thinking while solving problems to create 3D structures with sustainable materials, processes, and consumption; discuss, develop, and evaluate composition principles and their relation to aesthetics, modular systems, structure, and sustainable use of material through handmade models and systems that lead to final designs; engage in diverse multidisciplinary collaborations. GE: Sustainability.

This is the foundation course for Product, Furniture, and Interior Design and the introduction to 3D Design with Sustainability. Students create four project and a Digital portfolio (Website).  

They develop conceptual and critical design thinking while solving problems to make 3D structures with modular systems and sustainable material, processes, and consumption.  

Students learn traditional hand drafting and model making, use AutoCAD software and Computer Numerical Controlled (CNC) machine to create scale models, learn basic woodshop skills, research sustainable material and processes, practice how to pitch an idea and present projects, utilize map systems, take pictures using the lighting studio, edit images using Adobe software, and create a website portfolio.    

Engineering Be Creative Literary, Visual, and Performing Arts Sustainability