Environmental Studies (Archive 2018-2019)
Environmental Studies Major Archive 2018-2019
Major Requirements: 13 courses and corresponding laboratories where applicable, 49 credits
CUES Shared Core Requirements (6 courses and corresponding laboratories where applicable, 21 credits)
Choose one of the following courses:
STATS-250 Applied Statistics
MATH 128 or higher. REMINDER: STATS 250 is a required prerequisite MKT 220, FIN 200 and ISOM 201(prerequisite for ISOM 319)
4.00
Application of statistical analysis to real-world business and economic problems. Topics include data presentation, descriptive statistics including measures of location and dispersion, introduction to probability, discrete and continuous random variables, probability distributions including binomial and normal distributions, sampling and sampling distributions, statistical inference including estimation and hypothesis testing, simple and multiple regression analysis. The use of computers is emphasized throughout the course. Normally offered each semester.
BIO-273 Biostatistics
BIO 111/L111
4.00
Introduction to the statistical methods used to evaluate biological problems. Sampling, probability, confidence intervals, hypothesis tests, experimental design, analysis of variance, regression, and correlation are some of the topics offered. Software for data handling, graphics, and analysis will be used.
Environmental Studies Core Requirements (4 courses and corresponding laboratories where applicable, 16 credits)
PHIL-362 Environmental Ethics
PHIL-119, PHIL-123, PHIL-127 or PHIL-120
4.00
An examination of the moral issues involved in the interaction of humans with their natural environment. Topics include: the environmental crisis, human-centered vs. nature-centered ethics, intrinsic value in nature, obligations to future generations, the importance of preserving endangered species and wilderness, radical ecology, eco-feminism, and the role of social justice in environmental issues. Prerequisite: PHIL 119, or 123, or 127. 1 term -4 credits. Normally offered every year.
UES-211 Environmental Science II
UES-L211 must be taken concurrently.
3.00
Focuses on how environmental conditions affect human, animal and ecological health. Areas may include control of environmental contaminants; public health and infectious disease control; sanitation systems; antibiotic resistance; health issues associated with food production; the effects of industrialization on the environment; and the impact of disasters on environmental health.
UES-L211 Environmental Science II Lab
UES-211 must be taken concurrently.
1.00
Illustrates topics covered UES 211 through laboratory exercises. Exercises may include analysis of environmental samples (soil, water, and air). Field trips may be required.
UES-330 Research Methods
UES-111 UES-L111 UES-211 UES-L211
4.00
How environmental professionals decide what to study, how they select a research design, sample and collect data, analyze results, interpret findings, and write up reports. Students are introduced to the techniques most frequently used by environmental professionals and undertake their own small research project. Required for all environmental studies majors.
Choose one of the following:
UES-301 Issues in Environmental Justice
4.00
Investigates the environmental justice movement, its basis in law, and its leaders. Students will study key topics pertaining to environmental and health disparities and learn about community organizing and advocacy and their application to shape decision-making. Sustainable practices and their integration into daily life to create healthy communities and equity will be considered.
SOC-221 Environment and Society
4.00
This course will explore our natural environment and human interacations with it. We will connect a critical study of society, power, and inequality to the study of our natural environment and the ways it is altered by human behaviors. We will also consider ways to change our society's relationship with the natural environment to keep our earth clean and safe for human society.
Concentration Requirement (3 courses, 12 credits)
Choose one of the following concentrations:
Environmental Policy Concentration
GVT-438 Environmental Policy & Politic
This course will have a service learning component Junior Status required
4.00
From Rio to the Boston Harbor Project, this course examines the policies and politics of the environment. It examines the origins of the environmental movement in the United States focusing on the development and present function of government and non-government organizations responsible for the development and implementation of global, national, state and local environmental policies.
Choose two of the following. At least one must be at or above the 200-level:
EC-131 Environmental Economics
4.00
Identifies the environmental effects of economic activity, including polluted water and air, noise, and radiation, and values their costs and benefits. Analyzes mechanisms, including taxes and permits, for achieving a socially preferable level of pollution. Traces role played by institutions, including common ownership, in affecting environmental decay. Resource depletion (of oil, forests, and fisheries) and appropriate policy responses.
EC-151 Economic & Human Geography
4.00
The study of how economic and human activity is distributed across space, the reasons for these spatial distributions, and the processes that change the spatial organization of economic activity over time. Topics include: maps, map projections, and geographic information systems; population geography; the organization and location of cities, towns and villages; transportation and communication policy; industrial location; the geography of world trade; and geographic features of economic development. The course takes a global perspective, and draws on cases and examples from all over the world. Cultural Diversity B
GVT-223 American Politics & Institutions
GVT 110 or GVT 120 or instructor's permission
4.00
This course will provide an examination of the institutions involved in the American policy-making process. The student will learn about the presidential system that exists in the United States. The course will focus on a relationship between the President and Congress and how that relationship impedes or facilitates the public policy process, including the budgetary process. The course will include a discussion of the president's role as head of the executive branch, and the implementation of congressional policies. Attention will be given to the role of the judiciary in the policy process. Normally offered every year.
GVT-224 Introduction to Public Policy
GVT 110 or instructor's permission
4.00
This course examines the process and politics of agenda-setting and public policy formulation in the United States. The primary focus is on understanding the complex interaction between institutions and actors involved in public policy making at the federal level, although many of these observations are transferrable to other levels of government (state and local) and other political systems. Students will learn by doing as they become elected Members of Congress in a semester-long legislative simulation. Normally offered every fall.
SOC-335 Crime Mapping
SOC-214
4.00
This course examines crime and place. Students will use Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology to look at crime patterns and develop crime prevention and reduction strategies. Although this will be a hands on course design, no prior knowledge of GIS or mapping techniques will be required.
Urban Environmentalism Concentration
Choose three of the following. At least two must be at or above the 300-level:
EC-151 Economic & Human Geography
4.00
The study of how economic and human activity is distributed across space, the reasons for these spatial distributions, and the processes that change the spatial organization of economic activity over time. Topics include: maps, map projections, and geographic information systems; population geography; the organization and location of cities, towns and villages; transportation and communication policy; industrial location; the geography of world trade; and geographic features of economic development. The course takes a global perspective, and draws on cases and examples from all over the world. Cultural Diversity B
EC-410 Urban Economics: Asian Megacities in Comparative Perspective
Take EC-101
4.00
More than half of the world population lives in urban areas. This course sets out to explain the existence, growth, geographic patterns, and impact of cities, and the effects of public policy on urban form, structure, and activity. It addresses the urban issues of transportation, congestion, housing, crime, poverty and inequality, governance, and the environment, and asks how planning and policy can tackle these. The context of these discussions is the megacities of Asia: 24 of the world's 37 megacities (those with ten million or more inhabitants) are in Asia, where they are home to almost 500 million people. The choices made by these cities will be considered in comparative perspective, including with Boston, New York, Paris, and London.
ENT-352 Green and Sustainable Business
ENT-101 and Junior Standing
3.00
Over the past decade, the world of business and the environment has exploded. Beginning as an engineering-driven movement among a handful of companies during the 1980's, many firms have learned that improved environment performance can save money and create a competitive advantage. In this course, we will cover how businesses of all sizes are more attentive to environmental issues and the realization that a green business: improves employee morale and health in the workplace, holds a marketing edge over the competition, strengthens the bottom line through operating efficiencies, is recognized as an environmental leader, can have a strong impact in the community and beyond, and can improve public relations.
UES-310 SL-The Civilian Conservation Corps and the American Landscape
Class will meet for 75 minutes a week and then travel over spring break. Instructor's consent is required
4.00
In this course students meet community needs by engaging in service-learning outside the classroom.Focuses on the history and lasting effect of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) on the physical and political landscape of the United States.Tracks the progression of work of the more than 3 million men who served in the CCC from 1933 to 1942, from the planting of billions of trees to the development of recreational opportunities on federal and state lands. Looks at the role the CCC played in redefining conservation and creating a mainstream environmental movement. Investigates the lasting legacy that the CCC left on the American landscape through the development of other conservation corps programs. Connected with a required Alternative Spring Break trip, this experiential education offering will allow students to experience and complete similar work to that completed by CCC members.
UES-321 Introduction to Permaculture
4.00
Permaculture is the design of food systems and social structures to provide for human needs while restoring ecosystem health. Examining the interconnections between environmental, social and economic components, Permaculture is informed by the disciplines of systems ecology, ecological design and ethno-ecology.
UES-325 Environmental History of the U.S.
4.00
Explores how Americans have understood the environment and their relationship to it through analysis of classic environmental texts, historical contexts, and societal perspectives. Analyzes how the environment has changed from pre-colonial times to the present and how these changes have been described through the lens of environmental history. Themes include differing viewpoints of European and indigenous peoples toward the natural environment, the impacts of the Western expansion on native species and landscapes, the rise of industrialism and its impacts on natural resources and ecosystems, and the rise of 20th century environmentalism.
UES-350 Community Food Systems
4.00
Explores local and bioregional food systems through the lens of holistic design and of building a resilient food culture through the ethics of sustainability. Students will examine environmental, social and economic factors of building successful community food systems from seed to table. Provides students with the tools to assess the decisions that direct our current food chain including processing, marketing, and food distribution. Students will make connections to food justice, health, food insecurity while analyzing commercial agriculture and small scale sustainable farming.
Internship Option
Internships may be approved for credit by the CUES director. An approved internship for 3- or 4- credits may be used as a concentration course option at the discretion of the CUES director.
UES-503 Local Internship
Environmental Science and Environmental Studies majors and minors only with junior standing.
1.00- 4.00
Application of the principles and techniques of environmental science or studies to a specific environmental problem through a local internship placement of 10 hours per week (minimum) for 12 weeks. Typically, this experience will include literature research, classroom meetings, and field work in an off-campus environmental agency or NGO.
UES-505 Global Internship
1.00- 4.00
Application of the principles and techniques of environmental science or studies to a specific environmental problem through a global internship placement of 10 hours per week (minimum) for 12 weeks. Typically, this experience will include literature research, classroom meetings, and field work in an off-campus environmental agency or NGO.
Note: Certain courses required for the major will also meet core curriculum requirements and can be double-counted.
Residency Requirement Policy: In the College of Arts and Sciences, a two-course (8 credit) residency requirement must be satisfied for completion of a minor and a four-course (16 credit) residency requirement must be satisfied for the completion of a major.
Environmental Studies Learning Goals and Objectives
Learning goals and objectives reflect the educational outcomes achieved by students through the completion of this program. These transferable skills prepare Suffolk students for success in the workplace, in graduate school, and in their local and global communities.
| Learning Goals | Learning Objectives |
|---|---|
| Students will know/understand |
Students will be able to... |
| Science as a process for understanding environmental phenomena and issues |
|
| How science is communicated |
|
| How to communicate scientific findings |
|
| How to work collaboratively |
|
| How decisions about the environment are made |
|
| The physical and chemical characteristics of the natural environment |
|
| That energy can be changed from one form to another, and the need for, and impacts of, human energy use |
|
| How to apply systems thinking to environmental problems |
|
| How to pursue a career in the environmentally related fields |
|
Environmental Studies Minor Archive 2018-2019
Minor Requirements: 5 courses and corresponding laboratories where applicable, 20 credits
UES-101 Environmental Studies
4.00
Focuses on the natural environment through the lens of social science and humanities. Students will study texts from those disciplines to acquire a deeper understanding of the values and beliefs that underlie environmental issues. Students will investigate the policy-making processes and institutions through which those issues are decided, and the social inequalities in the distribution of environmental problems. Texts to be studied will range from literature, philosophy, and film to policy statements, impact reports, community advocacy materials, and investigative journalism.
UES-111 Environmental Science
Take UES-L111 concurrently
3.00
Applies the fundamentals of science to environmental issues. Topics include population dynamics and resources, environmental degradation, ecosystems, geologic processes, deforestation, biodiversity, climate change, air, soil, and water resource management, and pollution and risks to health.
UES-L111 Environmental Science Lab
Take UES-111 concurrently
1.00
Laboratory exercises are used to illustrate topics covered in UES 111. Field testing and analysis of environmental samples. Field trips may be required.
Choose three of the following. At least two must be at the 300-level or above.
PHIL-362 Environmental Ethics
PHIL-119, PHIL-123, PHIL-127 or PHIL-120
4.00
An examination of the moral issues involved in the interaction of humans with their natural environment. Topics include: the environmental crisis, human-centered vs. nature-centered ethics, intrinsic value in nature, obligations to future generations, the importance of preserving endangered species and wilderness, radical ecology, eco-feminism, and the role of social justice in environmental issues. Prerequisite: PHIL 119, or 123, or 127. 1 term -4 credits. Normally offered every year.
UES-211 Environmental Science II
UES-L211 must be taken concurrently.
3.00
Focuses on how environmental conditions affect human, animal and ecological health. Areas may include control of environmental contaminants; public health and infectious disease control; sanitation systems; antibiotic resistance; health issues associated with food production; the effects of industrialization on the environment; and the impact of disasters on environmental health.
UES-L211 Environmental Science II Lab
UES-211 must be taken concurrently.
1.00
Illustrates topics covered UES 211 through laboratory exercises. Exercises may include analysis of environmental samples (soil, water, and air). Field trips may be required.
UES-310 SL-The Civilian Conservation Corps and the American Landscape
Class will meet for 75 minutes a week and then travel over spring break. Instructor's consent is required
4.00
In this course students meet community needs by engaging in service-learning outside the classroom.Focuses on the history and lasting effect of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) on the physical and political landscape of the United States.Tracks the progression of work of the more than 3 million men who served in the CCC from 1933 to 1942, from the planting of billions of trees to the development of recreational opportunities on federal and state lands. Looks at the role the CCC played in redefining conservation and creating a mainstream environmental movement. Investigates the lasting legacy that the CCC left on the American landscape through the development of other conservation corps programs. Connected with a required Alternative Spring Break trip, this experiential education offering will allow students to experience and complete similar work to that completed by CCC members.
UES-321 Introduction to Permaculture
4.00
Permaculture is the design of food systems and social structures to provide for human needs while restoring ecosystem health. Examining the interconnections between environmental, social and economic components, Permaculture is informed by the disciplines of systems ecology, ecological design and ethno-ecology.
UES-325 Environmental History of the U.S.
4.00
Explores how Americans have understood the environment and their relationship to it through analysis of classic environmental texts, historical contexts, and societal perspectives. Analyzes how the environment has changed from pre-colonial times to the present and how these changes have been described through the lens of environmental history. Themes include differing viewpoints of European and indigenous peoples toward the natural environment, the impacts of the Western expansion on native species and landscapes, the rise of industrialism and its impacts on natural resources and ecosystems, and the rise of 20th century environmentalism.
For one of the three courses, students may select either:
UES-301 Issues in Environmental Justice
4.00
Investigates the environmental justice movement, its basis in law, and its leaders. Students will study key topics pertaining to environmental and health disparities and learn about community organizing and advocacy and their application to shape decision-making. Sustainable practices and their integration into daily life to create healthy communities and equity will be considered.
SOC-221 Environment and Society
4.00
This course will explore our natural environment and human interacations with it. We will connect a critical study of society, power, and inequality to the study of our natural environment and the ways it is altered by human behaviors. We will also consider ways to change our society's relationship with the natural environment to keep our earth clean and safe for human society.
Note: Certain courses required for the minor will also meet core curriculum requirements and can be double-counted.
Residency Requirement Policy: In the College of Arts and Sciences, a two-course (8 credit) residency requirement must be satisfied for completion of a minor and a four-course (16 credit) residency requirement must be satisfied for the completion of a major.
Minor Programs Policy: A student declaring a minor may use no more than two courses from a major to fulfill the requirements for the minor. No more than one course from one minor may count toward the fulfillment of a second minor. Students may not minor in a subject in which they are also completing a major. For more information, see the Minor Programs section of the CAS Degree Requirements page.
Honors Archive 2018-2019
Honors
Students participating in the program must meet the following criteria:
- Be invited by the CUES Honors Advisory Committee
- Graduate with a major GPA of 3.5 or higher
- Graduate with an overall GPA of 3.5 or higher
- Complete UES-H555 (minimum registration for 4 credits)
- Develop and complete an independent study project under the supervision of a member of the CUES Honors Advisory Committee. Depending on the nature of the project, the study may be conducted on or off campus, or involve a combination of both.
- Develop and defend a thesis to the CUES Honors Advisory Committee
- Present findings in a colloquium.
- CAS Honors Program students only: Present work from your senior honors experience at the Honors Symposium or Pecha Kucha event
Environmental Studies Courses Archive 2018-2019
Environmental Studies Courses
ENST-310 The Civilian Conservation Corps and the American Landscape
Class will meet for 75 minutes a week and then travel over spring break. Instructor's consent is required
4.00
This course will focus on the history and lasting affect of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) on the physical and political landscape of the United States. From 1933 to 1942 more than 3 million men served in the CCC, and this course will track the progression of their work from the planting of billions of trees to the development of recreational opportunities on federal and state lands. Over time, CCC work progressed from the conservation of natural resources to the conservation of human resources and promotion of recreation on public lands. As the CCC changed over time, so too did public opinion concerning the CCC's work and mission. This class will explore opposition to CCC projects by significant figures in America's environmental movement such as Aldo Leopold and Bob Marshall, and the resulting influence on the environmental movement in America. We will also look at the role the CCC played in redefining conservation and creating a mainstream environmental movement. In addition, this class will consider the affect that the CCC had on New Deal politics. Finally, this class will study the lasting legacy that the CCC left on the American landscape through the development of other conservation corps programs. Students will also read first hand accounts, view films, and possibly hear directly from a CCC veteran. As a class connected with an Alternative Spring Break trip, this experiential education offering will allow students to experience and complete similar work to that completed by CCC members. During Alternative Spring Break, students will visit important CCC history sites such as the first CCC camp in the country and a major national park development project. During the course, assignments will challenge students to identify CCC sites in Massachusetts or their home states. Local site visits are a possibility for this class. Other assignments will challenge students to identify modern environmental organizations who can trace their origins to the CCC (either by mimicking the CCC model or by opposing the CCC), and investigate how their current work is related to those beginnings.
ENST-321 Introduction to Permaculture
4.00
Permaculture is the design of food systems and social structures to provide for human needs while restoring ecosystem health. Examining the interconnections between environmental, social and economic components, Permaculture is informed by the disciplines of systems ecology, ecological design and ethno-ecology.
ENST-402 Environmental Studies Capstone II
4.00
A continuation of ENST 401
ENST-403 Environmental Studies Practicum
This class fulfills the Expanded Classroom Requirement. Junior standing or above required or consent of the instructor.
4.00
This course combines a practicum placement of at least 10 hours a week for 12 weeks in a position that offered the student significant opportunity to learn about environmental problems as the basis for reflection, analysis, and skill development through appropriate reading, writing, and oral presentation assignments. Specific learning objectives will be tailored to the student's placement. Interested students should consult instructor in advance. ECR. 4 credits. Prerequisite: junior standing, limited to Environmental Studies majors and minors.