Course Descriptions 

ENV-100. Issues in Environmental Studies  Faculty

An introductory interdisciplinary course with readings and research on topics across all fields of environmental studies. This course examines environmental issues through many lenses, including ecology, economics, ethics, policy analysis, and the arts. Issues explored include (but are not limited to) population, energy, biodiversity and ecosystem conservation, food and agriculture, global warming, ozone depletion, air pollution, water resources management, and solid waste. Student projects include investigations of local environmental issues and applied conservation activities within the Ursinus and surrounding communities. Four hours per week. Four semester hours.

ENV/GEOL-101Q. Geology: The Earth Around Us Dr. Joseph, Faculty
This course examines the current state of knowledge about the Earth and investigates the forces and processes that shape it. Topics include the formation of the Earth and solar system, the materials that comprise the Earth, the forces that currently act on, around, and within the planet, and the relationship of these forces to the processes and features we observe and/or experience at the Earth’s surface. To address complex and dynamic geologic processes, this course utilizes knowledge and methods from several disciplines in addition to geology, including biology, math, physics, and chemistry. Three hours of lecture and three hours of laboratory per week. Four semester hours. (LS.)

ENV/GEOL-105Q. Environmental Geology Dr. Joseph, Faculty

An introduction to environmental geosciences. Includes a study of the earth’s environmental systems: lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, mineral resources, weathering, soils, rivers and flooding, ground water, climate, oceans and coastline erosion, energy sources, human populations, and environmental change. Three hours of lecture and three hours of laboratory per week. Four semester hours. (LS.)

ENV/BE-213. Economics of Environment and Natural Resources  Faculty

Economic analysis is used to inform, analyze, and evaluate current environmental and natural resource policy decisions. Analyses of environmental problems use cost-benefit or efficiency criteria. Topics include externalities, public goods, common property rights, and sustainability. Prerequisite: BE-100. Three hours per week. Four semester hours. (SS)

ENV/BIO-220. Biology of Maya Mexico Dr. E. Dawley, Dr. R. Dawley

A study of the environments, fauna, and flora of tropical Mexico and their relation to the Maya people who inhabit that region. We will examine coral reefs, coastal waters, and lowland and highland forests, focusing on animals and plants of particular importance to the ecosystem they inhabit and to the Maya people, past and present. Prerequisite: None. Field investigations accompanied by readings, lectures, and an independent project resulting in a review or research paper. Four semester hours.  (This course is part of the UC in Maya Mexico Program.)

ENV/SOC-220. Environmental Justice Dr. Hudson

This course will examine how the burdens of local and global environmental problems are distributed across race, class, and gender. Through the examination of local, national, and international case studies, we will gain an understanding of how the risks associated with exposure to toxic pollutants and other environmental hazards coincide with pre-existing patterns of inequality, both globally and in the United States.   Close attention will be paid to the political-historical processes through which the distribution of environmental hazard has been produced, and how affected communities have resisted these processes.  Prerequisite: any 100-level course in Anthropology or Sociology or permission of the instructor. Three hours per week. Four semester hours.(SS)

ENV/PHIL-248.  Environmental Ethics Dr. Sorensen

The central issue in environmental ethics concerns what things in nature have moral standing and how conflicts of interest among them are to be resolved.  After an introduction to ethical theory, topics to be covered include anthropocentrism, the moral status of non-human sentient beings, preservation of endangered species and the wilderness, holism versus individualism, and the land ethic. Three hours per week. Four semester hours.(H)

ENV/BIO-250. Environmental Biology  Dr. Sidie

A study of the biological basis of environmental issues. Includes ecosystems, communities, populations, water, energy, geologic resources, biodiversity, weather/climate, pollution, agriculture/hunger, soil resources/pests, solid/toxic hazardous waste, toxicology, land use. Prerequisite: BIO-100 or BIO-111WQ; or permission of the instructor. Three hours of lecture. Three hours of lab per week. Four semester hours. (LS.)

ENV/ANTH-252. Peoples and Their Environments  Dr. Oboler

Human cultural patterns and social institutions are adaptations to particular physical and social environments, and also have impacts on those environments. This course is concerned with the relationship between environments and subsistence systems on the one hand, and social/political institutions and belief systems on the other, using case studies from a variety of traditional societies. We will also consider the relationship between the global ecosystem and problems of Third World development, patterns of peasant production, causes and consequences of rapid population growth, and the fate of indigenous peoples. Prerequisites: ANTH-100 or permission of the instructor. Three hours per week. Four semester hours.  (SS.)

ENV/ENGL-262. The Environment in Literature Faculty

Students in this course will study literature inspired by a variety of environments. Readings will range from classic essays “Nature” by Emerson and “Walking” by Thoreau to Terry Tempest Williams’ 1991 environmental/autobiographical study, “Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place.” Ecocriticism, the study of the relationship between literature and the physical environment will provide the theoretical framework for the course. Writing for the class will be half-analytical (critical responses to texts), and half-original, creative student writings about their own environments. Prerequisite: CIE-100. Three hours per week. Four semester hours. (H.)

ENV-272. Marine Mammal Conservation and Management 

Dr. Wallace

This course addresses historical and current issues concerning the conservation and management of marine mammals, their habitats, and related marine resources. It integrates the biological sciences, policy, law, economics, and humanities (in the form of ethics and values) in presenting and engaging the students in discussions about the history of human-marine mammal interactions, changes in human values and attitudes about the marine environment, the role of human-marine mammal interactions in societal changes, and the policy arena that has developed around marine mammals in the past century. Prerequisite: ENV-100. Three hours per week. Four semester hours.

ENV/PSYC-282. Environmental Psychology  Dr. Rideout

Study of the interrelationship between human behavior and experience and the manmade and natural environments. Topics include: influences of weather, climate, noise, crowding, and stress; personal space and territoriality; work, leisure, and learning environments; the natural environment and behavioral solutions to environmental problems. Prerequisite: PSYC-100. Three hours per week. Four semester hours. (SS.)

ENV/SOC-285. Environmental Sociology  Dr. Hudson

This course will introduce the field of environmental sociology – the study of interactions between humans, groups and the environment. Students will become familiar with a variety of theoretical frameworks for analyzing environmental problems and apply them to a range of environmental issues scaled from the local to the global. Participants will emerge with a critical ability to analyze popular accounts of environmental problems and proposed solutions with a sociological eye. Prerequisite: any 100-level course in Anthropology or Sociology or permission of the instructor. Three hours per week. Four semester hours. (SS)

ENV-299. Readings in Environmental Studies  Faculty

Individual study and directed reading of a particular topic or book within the discipline. Students will work closely with a member of the ENV faculty in selecting, reading, and discussing the topic, and in determining a proper written assignment. Prerequisites: ENV-100 and permission of the instructor. One semester hour. 

ENV/BIO-310. Biological Oceanography Dr. Goddard, Dr. Sidie

A study of the biological bases of ocean science. Topics discussed include: ocean basins, seawater physics and chemistry, currents, waves, tides, upwelling zones, tidal rhythms in organisms, ocean habitats/biota, marine virology, marine microbiology, plankton, trophic relationships, hydrothermal vent communities, coral reefs. Prerequisite: BIO-111WQ or permission of the instructor. Three hours of lecture; three hours of laboratory per week. (Course may be conducted in part at a marine field station). Four semester hours.  (LS.)

ENV/BIO-320. Biology of the Neotropics  Dr.E.Dawley,Dr.R.Dawley

A field study of Costa Rican tropical habitats including rain forests, montane forests, seasonally dry forests, and wetlands conducted at research sites throughout the county. Topics include diversity and natural history of key plants and animals, ecological interactions and evolutionary processes, and conservation. May include side trips to cloud forests or coral reefs. Prerequisite: Permission of instructor and BIO­111WQ. Field investigations accompanied by readings, lectures, and a directed research project. Course will meet 15 hours on campus and three weeks in Costa Rica between the Fall and Spring semesters. Four semester hours.(LS.)

ENV/POL-326. Environmental Law  Dr. Kane

The study of various state, national, and international legal patterns that have arisen to address environmental concerns. The environmental field will be used to examine the nature and effectiveness of civil, criminal, and administrative action to address a complicated and important social issue. Topics will include federal administrative law; international trade and environmental regulation; control of toxic substances and hazardous wastes; the impact of scientific uncertainty on regulation; federal regulatory programs; civil liability under federal regulations; citizen suits; and the preservation of natural areas. Prerequisites: POL-218 for Politics and International Relations majors or permission of the instructor. Three hours per week. Four semester hours.  (SS)

ENV/BIO-330. Marine Biology  Dr. Sidie

A field-oriented study of the important marine habitats, including pelagic and benthic zones, and intertidal communities. Topics include marine biodiversity-plants, protists, invertebrates, vertebrates; marine ecology; primary production in the sea; estuaries; plankton; nektron; marine mammals. Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor and BIO-111WQ. Lecture and field investigations. (Course conducted in part at a marine field station.) Four semester hours. (LS.)

ENV-340W. Food, Society, and the Environment. Dr. Wallace

Few issues are as complex and interdisciplinary as what we eat. The seemingly simple every-day choices we make about our food have repercussions far beyond our diets and wallets. We will explore the food systems in which we live from many different perspectives to achieve an understanding of what food and food decisions mean in terms of personal health, welfare, and budgets, and in the context of society, economy, and sustainability. Written and oral communication of critical thinking is emphasized. Sophomores and above welcomed. Prerequisite: ENV-100. Three hours of lecture plus three hours of field or lab work per week. Four semester hours.

ENV/PHIL- 348. Environmental Ethics  Dr. Sorensen

The central issue in environmental ethics concerns what things in nature have moral standing and how conflicts of interest among them are to be resolved. After an introduction to ethical theory, topics to be covered include anthropocentrism, the moral status of non-human sentient beings, preservation of endangered species and the wilderness, holism versus individualism, and the land ethic. Three hours per week. Four semester hours.  (H.)

ENV-350. Topics in Environmental Studies  Faculty

A study of a contemporary issue or specific subject area relating to the environment. Topics are often cross-disciplinary and vary according to the special interests of students and faculty. Potential topics include: energy and the environment; landscape architecture; urban environmental studies; and birds in their habitats. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor. Independent written work required. Lab and field work required in some cases. Three hours of class per week. Four semester hours.

ENV special topics courses currently being run include the following:

Environmental Issues in Oceanography Dr. Joseph

The ocean covers seventy percent of the Earths surface, playing a significant role in human lives throughout history, from the provision of food and resources to devastation and destruction by hurricanes and tsunamis even over the past year. This course is meant to provide an introduction to the basic scientific concepts of oceanography, focusing on the aspects of oceanography that affect and are affected by humans. Topics include plate tectonics, properties of seawater (chemical and physical), coastal processes (waves, tides, coastal erosion, tsunamis, hurricanes), the effects of/on the ocean in climate change, the ocean as a resource (fisheries, mining), and pollution of the ocean (ocean dumping, mercury, and oil spills). While the field of oceanography is interdisciplinary, this course will focus primarily on the non-biological aspects of oceanography. Three hours of lecture and three hours of laboratory per week. Four semester hours.

Global Climate Change Dr. Joseph

Currently, global warming is a public concern with the potential for significant global environmental, economic, political, and societal impacts. This course focuses on the science of climate, investigating what climate is and what factors determine and influence the climate of an area. Both the natural and anthropogenic (human) forces that may cause climate change are presented from a geological and historical perspective in addition to covering current climatic trends and predictions for future climate. Within the Earth’s complex and dynamic system, this involves delving into the greenhouse effect, oceanic and atmospheric circulation, Earth’s orbital patterns, the carbon cycle, and the human influence on these processes. The class will also discuss the effects of global warming from various perspectives (economic, social, etc) as well as actions (and the implications of those actions) to prevent, slow, ignore, or heighten the effects of global warming. Prerequisite: ENV-100 or permission of instructor. Three hours of lecture and three hours of laboratory per week. Four semester hours.

Wetlands Dr. Willig

Wetlands, characterized by extended flooding or saturation, hydric soils, and vegetation adapted to low oxygen levels, are important ecosystems occurring around the globe.  Differences in geomorphology and climate produce great variation in wetland structure and function.  Intensive human use of wetlands through time has led to large-scale loss and degradation.  Recognition of the many important functions wetlands provide has led to their conservation, management, and restoration.  The course will provide an introduction to and overview of the broad field of wetland study.  Field trips to campus wetlands during class meetings and to local wetlands on three Saturdays will provide hands-on experience in the characterization of wetlands.  Students will complete and present three research projects including 1) a review of an animal or plant species that we are likely to see on our field trips (classroom presentation only), 2) a study of the structure and function of a particular wetland that can be visited or reviewed in the literature (classroom presentation and 5-10 page summary paper), and 3) a collaborative classroom presentation on a topic of interest broadly related to the human-wetland interaction. Three hours of lecture plus four Saturday field trips. Four semester hours.

ENV-360. Conserving Biological Diversity  Dr. Wallace

A study of the conservation of biological diversity in the United States and abroad. Interdisciplinary analytical methods are used to investigate the loss and conservation of wildlife and habitats, with an emphasis on the development of conservation policy in the United States and comparative international case studies of endangered species protection. Specific topics include current trends in global biodiversity loss; the role of human values in biodiversity conservation; international biodiversity conservation strategies, initiatives at zoos and aquariums; and the protection of forests, rangelands, oceans, and coastal zones, birds, fish, marine mammals, and endangered species in the United States. Prerequisite: ENV-100. Three hours per week. Four semester hours.

ENV-362. Managing Parks and Protected Areas Dr. Wallace

A study of strategies for managing parks and protected natural areas locally and internationally. Emphasis is on learning the interdisciplinary tools necessary for developing management plans and implementing protected area policies. Case studies will address issues such as urban and suburban sprawl, pollution, natural resource extraction, biodiversity conservation, and the rights and concerns of indigenous peoples. Local field trips will supplement in-class learning by exposing students to protected areas studied in the classroom. Prerequisite: ENV-100. Three hours of lecture plus three hours of field work per week. Four semester hours.

ENV-364. Ecosystem Management  Dr. Wallace

Sustainability is an important social goal, but learning how to achieve it at large scales is challenging and complex. This course examines the conceptual and contextual basis for managing and conserving nature at the ecosystem level. We will explore methods and theories for large-scale conservation, discuss how science, management, and policy are integrated in these efforts, apply problem solving methods to the challenges of large scale conservation, and investigate cases from the terrestrial and marine environments. Prerequisite: ENV-100. Three hours per week. Four semester hours.

ENV 381A. Internship Faculty

An off-campus academic/work experience under the supervision of a faculty internship advisor and an on-site supervisor, comprising between 120 and 159 hours of work during the course of the internship. Students must have completed 12 semester hours of environmental studies courses including ENV 100 and have permission of the supervising faculty member to be eligible for an internship. Students must document their experience according to the requirements delineated in the College catalog section on Off-Campus Study. Graded S/U. Three semester hours. (I.)

ENV 381B. Internship Faculty
An off-campus academic/work experience under the supervision of a faculty internship advisor and an on-site supervisor, comprising at least 160 hours of work during the course of the internship. Students must have completed 12 semester hours of environmental studies courses including ENV 100 and have permission of the supervising faculty member to be eligible for an internship. Students must document their experience according to the requirements delineated in the College Catalog section on Off-Campus Study. Graded S/U. Four semester hours. (I.)

ENV/BIO-394. Watershed Investigations and Actions  Dr. Goddard

This course combines class time, research, and community action. Scientific and historical aspects of the Darby Creek watershed examined will include a brief survey of creek flora and fauna and physical properties (limnology), land development directly adjacent to the creek starting in the U.S. colonial period and the industries along the creek that lead to the declaration of a Superfund Site along the creek. Laboratory research is an investigation of pollution in a species of creek fish. Community action is a survey of pollution-indicator macroinvertebrate species with elementary schools throughout the watershed. Prerequisite: BIO-213; or permission of the instructor. Two hours of lecture and 7 hours of laboratory/community action per week. Four semester hours.

ENV/BIO-415W. Ecology Dr. Small

Studies of the interrelationships between organisms and their environments that determine their distribution and abundance in natural systems. Aspects of energy flow, biotic and abiotic limits, population growth and community organization are considered in the context of the ecosystem. Laboratories include local field work and emphasize techniques for collecting and analyzing data. Prerequisites: BIO-111Q and 212 and 213, or permission of the instructor. This course fulfills the ENV capstone requirement. Three hours of lecture, three hours of laboratory per week. Four semester hours. (LS.)

ENV-430W. Advanced Environmental Policy Analysis Dr. Wallace

This is an intensive seminar in methods of interdisciplinary environmental problem solving designed to improve professional development and practice in the many fields conservation. The objectives of this course are to help students develop an understanding of and technical proficiency in using qualitative analytical methods. Theory and cases will address environmental concerns at the local, regional, national, and international levels. Prerequisite: ENV-100, at least one ENV synthesis course, and junior standing. This course fulfills the ENV capstone and oral presentation requirements. Three hours per week. Four semester hours. (SS)

ENV-470W. Environmental Studies Senior Seminar Faculty

This is a capstone seminar in the methodology and application of critical thinking and other applied analytical and practical skills in environmental studies. It is designed to help students learn practical problem solving skills, and the theories that underlie them, that will help them to identify, define, and analyze environmental problems and develop responses to them. The seminar is designed to provide a synthesis experience for environmental studies majors and will entail group and individual work on a semester-long project. Project-related work will draw from the natural and social sciences as well as from ethics and the study of rhetoric. Prerequisites: ENV-100, junior or senior standing, and at least three additional ENV courses. This course fulfills the ENV capstone and oral presentation requirements. Three hours per week. Four semester hours.

ENV-481W. Research/Independent Work Faculty

An independent project conducted using research methods in environmental studies, and including original work in the field, laboratory, or other scholarly forum. Students must have completed 12 semester hours of environmental studies courses including ENV-100 or have permission of their adviser to be eligible for independent research. Four semester hours.  (I.)

ENV-482W. Research/Independent Work Faculty

See course description for ENV-481W.  (I.)

ENV-491W. Research/Independent Work Faculty
Students who are eligible for departmental honors can complete independent research work in this course. Work should be comprised of an independent project conducted using research methods in environmental studies, and including original work in the field, laboratory, or other scholarly forum. Students must have completed 12 semester hours of environmental studies courses including ENV-100 or have permission of their adviser to be eligible for independent research. Four semester hours. (I.)

ENV-492W. Research/Independent Work Faculty

See course description for ENV-491W.  (I.)