Course Search Results

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. 

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

Discovery, underlying principles, and impacts of global climate change; scientific evidence, global climate models, international treaties, ethics, advocacy and denial of climate change; strategies for climate adaptation and mitigation of unsustainable practices.

Climate change is likely the most significant public health challenge facing the world. In this course, you will learn about the science and impact of climate change and environmental policy on the world’s health. You will understand linkages between the climate crisis and global energy policy, population, poverty, and disease. The course will help you understand strategies for addressing, adapting, and mitigating problems relating to our changing planet and will prepare you to listen to all voices, advocates and skeptics, with a critical ear. You will discover actions big and small that you can take to make a difference. Grades are decided based on attendance (10%), 5 quizzes (50%), team presentations (20%), and a final exam (20%). This course meets a requirement for the Sustainability Certificate.

International and Global Issues Sustainability

How resources, commodities, people, and ideas cross borders; examination of globalization through issues of technology, social justice, environment; perspectives from anthropology, gender studies, geography, energy science, and development. 

The original tree huggers were rural Indian women who in the 1970s wrapped themselves around tree trunks to keep loggers at bay. It is this class of women who today trek long distances in search of firewood to cook dinner on wood stoves now deemed harmful to their own health, local forests, and the earth’s climate. From policy to individual livelihoods and aspirations, this course introduces you to the politics of environment in India from the colonial period (19th century) to today. Gender, class, caste, and indigeneity are key to understanding ‘environmentalism from below’ in India, where tiger protection, forest conservation, mega dams, industrial agriculture, the global patent regime and family planning initiatives have sparked public protest, everyday resistance, and social change. While the course will focus primarily on India, occasional comparative case studies offer insight into the Indian situation. We will reflect on these questions: How is your life connected to environmental and social processes unfolding on the other side of the planet? How do the questions we ask shape the knowledge we produce?  How can we bring together knowledge from different fields to address complex human problems?  Assignments include quizzes, exams, essays, and a final research project. This course assumes no prior knowledge of India or South Asia and meets a General Education requirement in the area of International and Global Issues. It is also an approved course for the Sustainability Certificate. For GWSS majors, it will fill the Global/Comparative Focus distribution requirement. For SJUS majors, it qualifies for two Social Justice Emphasis Areas: The Environment and Ecological Justice and Gender, Women's & Sexuality Studies.

International and Global Issues Sustainability

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.

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 60,000 years.

There are no required textbooks. Required readings will be posted on ICON.

Social Sciences 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. 

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

Gain experience working with geospatial technology, such as geographic information systems (GIS) and remote sensing, using geospatial data and analysis to illuminate and improve sustainability issues that face current and future generations. 

The Earth is undergoing an era of rapid change. Understanding this change and its impacts on life on Earth depends on systematically analyzing and interpreting evolving data, tools, and theories that are highly interdisciplinary. Spatial technologies, such as geographic information systems (GIS) and remote sensing, are uniquely positioned to tackle sustainability issues to increase resiliency in a changing planet. There is a sizeable amount of spatial data that has become accessible through platforms such as Google Earth Engine. This class will introduce students to introductory geospatial skills using inquiry-based activities to build success in basic geospatial data analysis and critical spatial thinking. Through this class, students will use cutting-edge technology to examine sustainability issues such as urban heat islands, glacier retreats, deforestation, and drought. Ultimately the goal is for students to gain experience working with different types of geospatial data used to illuminate and improve sustainability issues that face our current and future generations.

Learning Objectives:

• Extend knowledge of the underlying physics to execute geospatial data analysis through the implementation of geospatial programming. 
• Connect how geospatial data and analysis can support a systems-approach to sustainability concepts and topics.
• Critically examine geospatial datasets and visualizations regarding social-environmental issues to appraise how these may or may not be misleading to the general public by supporting your ideas with evidence and reason.

Quantitative or Formal Reasoning Sustainability

Examination of local, national, and international politics that guide government action (and inaction) in the face of increasingly intense and increasingly frequent natural disasters; draws on core concepts from political science related to distributive politics, natural resource governance, state capacity, government responsiveness, and collective action.  International and Global Issues 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.  Social Sciences 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.

In this course we will examine how the media, public relations practitioners, scientists, and decision makers in governments, corporations and other organizations talk about environmental and sustainability issues and how that influences public understanding of these issues. We will analyze strategies to get scientific knowledge to the public arena in ways that inform, educate and empower the public. We will also examine how individuals and organizations can communicate in ways that might mislead or confuse the public.

Sustainability Values and Society

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. 

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.

Natural Sciences with Lab 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. 

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

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. 

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

Natural Sciences without Lab Sustainability

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

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

Introduces the current state of sports participation and physical activity and how increasing both will lead to positive economic, human, and environmental outcomes. Learn the social-ecological model as a framework for understanding sports participation and physical activity; address strategies relevant to coaches and organizational administrators to create and deliver positive sport and physical activity environments.

 

The course informs students of the current state of sports participation and physical activity and how increasing both will lead to positive economic, human, and environmental outcomes. Students will learn the social-ecological model as a framework for understanding sports participation and physical activity. Furthermore, students will learn strategies relevant to coaches and organizational administrators (such as national sport governing bodies) to create and deliver positive sport and physical activity environments. As a result, students are equipped to contribute to sport participation framework roles such as coach, administrator, community member, and/or policy maker, leading to sustainable communities.

Unit 1 discusses the current state of sport and physical activity in the U.S., benefits of sport and physical activity, and the financial barriers many people encounter. Unit 2 discusses Long-Term Development for Sport and Physical Activity and emphasizes the importance of Physical Literacy. Unit 3 discusses effective coaching frameworks as encouraged by the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee and Sport-Based Youth Development. Unit 4 discusses opportunities at multiple levels of the framework for effective sport participation and physical activity to reduce the environmental impact of the sport industry and improve mental health outcomes of athletes and participants.

Sustainability Values and Society

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.  Historical Perspectives Sustainability

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?  Social Sciences Sustainability

Why countries struggle to cooperate on pressing environmental issues; reducing greenhouse gas emissions, ozone depleting materials, and other environmental issues; examination and analysis of approaches taken to address global environmental issues.

This class will introduce you to the international relations of environmental issues. It will examine the broad question of how and why countries, international organizations, and other actors cooperate on environmental issues and how the nature of the international system and environmental issues can pose unique challenges to cooperation. It will also introduce you to theories and cases of attempts at cooperation. Through these theories and cases, you will learn how the system (the ways countries and other international actors are connected and the environmental system) influences decisions on addressing environmental challenges. This class will focus on attempts to address environmental issues like the ozone hole, acid rain, climate change, as well as river disputes. There will be weekly quizzes, short papers, and weekly discussion posts.

International and Global Issues Sustainability

Engagement in scientific inquiry methods and exploration of the core principles and evidence underlying current knowledge regarding global socioscientific challenges like climate change and freshwater access. Opportunity to gain scientific literacy and interdisciplinary understanding of life, physical, and earth sciences, alongside skills in investigation, data analysis, and decision-making processes.

Scientific inquiry methods and exploration of core principles and evidence underlying current knowledge regarding global socioscientific challenges like climate change and freshwater access. Scientific literacy and interdisciplinary understanding of life, physical, and earth sciences; skills in investigation, data analysis, and decision-making processes.

Natural Sciences without Lab Sustainability

Basic concepts of physical geology, historical, and environmental geology of the Rocky Mountains in context of mineral exploration, mining, and environment; collection of a teaching suite of basic igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks and rock forming minerals; scientific/educational photography, field inquiry, and curriculum development projects; students spend 10 days probing the mountains of Colorado for clues to its geologic past including mountains, seas, and volcanic activity; knowledge is tested in the field along with connecting the geology of Colorado with future teaching employment locations.

Basic concepts of physical geology, historical, and environmental geology of the Rocky Mountains in context of mineral exploration, mining, and environment; collection of a teaching suite of basic igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks and rock forming minerals; scientific/educational photography, field inquiry, and curriculum development projects; knowledge is tested in the field along with connecting the geology of Colorado with future teaching employment locations.

Natural Sciences with 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.

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

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). 

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

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