ENVS 201 Introduction to Environmental Studies: Social Sciences (4 cr)
Walker
This course introduces some of the major contributions of the social sciences to understanding how and why environmental problems happen—the social 'root causes' of these problems. Environmentally harmful human behavior is not simply a fact of life: it is a product of specific social conditions, which can be studied, understood, and changed. This course also examines social approaches to resolving environmental problems, including ideas such as 'sustainability', ‘market-based’ environmental policies, reforms of property systems, and social movements that promote concepts such as environmental justice, ecofeminism, and deep ecology. In this course, students practice applying these conceptual approaches by using them to analyze the root causes, consequences, and possible solutions to specific environmental topics. In previous years, the course has focused on topics such as global warming, energy, and the Pacific Northwest salmon crisis. This course fulfills Social Sciences Group Requirement and is required for Environmental Studies and Environmental Science majors.
ENVS 411 Environmental Issues: Nature in Metropolis (4 cr)
Tyman
According to the United Nations, the next quarter century will see an "urban population explosion." Already, more than half of the world lives in cities. Simultaneously, amidst world climate collapse, the human relationship with nature is more tenuous than ever. The traditional dichotomy of nature and city, wilderness and metropolis does not allow for the interwoven complexity of this relationship. This course transcends this familiar dualism by exploring the interstices of nature and culture. We will examine how urban experience influences human conceptions of and experiences with nature through literature, personal essays and poetry. Readings will also include foundational urban theorists such as Jane Jacobs and eco-topic visions for future green mega-cities. Seasonality, urban wildlife, and parks and green spaces are among the topics covered in this course. By the end of the term, students should have an understanding of urban ecology as a subjective experience as well as an area of academic study that is gaining increasing interest.
ENVS 607 Seminar: Political Ecology (4 cr)
Walker
Political ecology examines the politics (in the broadest sense of the word) of the environment. Whereas environmental politics courses often focus on the role of government and interest groups in shaping specific environmental policies, political ecology expands our understanding of 'politics' to examine the roles of: 1) environmental rhetoric ('discourse'), ideology, and knowledge; 2) politics and environmental change; 3) economic systems (including 'globalization'); 4) gender-based dimensions of resource ownership and use; 5) and everyday struggles within communities and households (including 'community'-based resource management) as they shape human relationships with nature. Although much of the political ecology literature comes from studies of the less-developed 'third world,' this course also examines the political ecology of the 'first world.'
ENVS 610 Theory and Practice (4 cr)
Toadvine
This course is the first segment of your year-long introduction to graduate environmental studies. The course has the following goals: (a) to deepen your understanding of the different disciplinary perspectives that contribute to environmental studies, including their research methods, vocabularies, and core concepts; (b) to engage you in thoughtful dialogue
concerning the nature of interdisciplinary, objectivity, and knowledge within the context of "environmental studies"; (c) to provide you with opportunities to interact with a wide range of faculty engaged in environmental research who may serve as formal or informal advisors to your ongoing studies; (d) to introduce you to professional aspects of academic work in
environmental studies; and (e) to encourage, for masters students, significant background research toward the formulation of a concrete thesis or project proposal; and, for doctoral students, significant work toward a professional research product.
ENVS 202 Introduction to Environmental Studies: Natural Sciences (4 cr)
Bridgham
In this course, students explore the value and limitations of science in understanding environmental issues; become more familiar with scientific concepts underlying selected environmental issues and quantitative techniques that scientists use to evaluate these issues; develop an understanding of how science is used to manage natural resources to promote a sustainable economy; practice thinking creatively, analytically, and without bias (i.e. thinking critically); explore how environmental science issues pervade our lives; and gain confidence making decisions about these issues based on their knowledge and values. Four environmental issues are examined in some depth: human population growth, loss of biodiversity, climate change, and energy use. This course fulfills the Natural Sciences Group Requirement and is required for Environmental Studies majors. Prerequisite: Math 95 or equivalent.
ENVS 350 Ecological Footprint of Energy Generation (4 cr)
Bothun
Detailed study of the ecological consequences of all forms of energy generation, including fossil fuels and alternative energy sources.
ENVS 411/511 Environmental Education: Theory & Practice (4 cr)
Lynch
In-depth examination of environmental education in theory and practice. Topics include learning theories, environmental literacy, and how to successfully plan, implement and evaluate educational programs. We will also examine how environmental education is practiced in Oregon, nationally and around the globe. A major focus is the group project, in which you will work in collaboration with a community partner to help develop environmental education materials.
ENVS 411 Environmental Issues: China (4R cr)
Vynne
China is quickly becoming the world’s "Environmental Superpower," facing a greater number of environmental challenges than other major countries. The environmental impacts of China’s actions reach across the world: they are the second largest emitter of greenhouse gases; demand for traditional medicines depletes wildlife across Asia; and natural resources are extracted from Africa and Southeast Asia to support the growing Chinese economy.
This course will draw from a variety of resources to explore the driving forces behind major environmental issues facing China, the impact on neighboring and distant countries, and potential solutions to mitigate environmental destruction.
Environmental issues to be explored during the term may include: biodiversity loss & wildlife trade, air & water pollution, waste, energy consumption, human health, and deforestation. Prerequisites: Jr. or Sr. standing or permission of the instructor.
ENVS 411 Environmental Issues: Monitoring Tools and Techniques (4 cr)
Kohler
An introduction to the theory, techniques, and practice of environmental and ecological monitoring designed to ground students in the data collection, analysis, and presentation methods used to characterize conditions in a variety of environmental settings.
ENVS 420/520 Perspectives on Nature and Society (4 cr)
Walker
Comparative exploration of social science approaches to environmental issues. Focus on interaction of social institutions, culture, politics, and economy with the physical landscape.
ENVS 607 Grad Orientation (2 cr)
Bridgham
Introduction to disciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches to environmental studies. Development of professional and academic skills culminating in a professional research project.
ENVS 203 Introduction to Environmental Studies: Humanities (4 cr)
Toadvine
This course is a survey of the contribution of humanities disciplines (e.g., literature, intellectual history, religious studies, and philosophy) to understanding the relationship between human beings and the natural environment. Theoretical perspectives covered in the course include the intellectual history of Western cultural attitudes and perceptions of nature, the role of religion in shaping environmental values, Native American perspectives on the environment, and the suggestions of contemporary radical ecology movements – deep ecology, social ecology, and ecofeminism – for revitalizing human relationships with the environment. The last segment of the course examines humanities perspectives on several current environmental issues: wilderness preservation, the Pacific Northwest salmon crisis, population and resource use, and global climate collapse. The course emphasizes the skills of textual and cultural interpretation, value reasoning, and critical inquiry as these are demonstrated in the engagement of the humanities with environmental concerns. This course fulfills the Arts and Letters Group Requirement and is required for Environmental Studies and Environmental Science majors.
ENVS 345 Environmental Ethics (4 cr)
Toadvine
This course introduces key concepts and methods in environmental ethics and surveys a range of contemporary positions in this field while developing skills of value clarification and ethical reasoning applicable to areas of interdisciplinary environmental study and problem-solving. Topics covered include the interdependence of facts and values in environmental decision-making, the relation of environmental ethics to traditional ethical theory, the conceptual foundations of environmental ethics, attributions of intrinsic value and rights to nature and other species, consumption and sustainability in our conceptions of the good life, and problems of resource distribution and environmental justice. The course concludes with case studies of specific ethical problems confronting environmentalists today (recent examples include restoration of oak savanna and the Klamath River salmon controversy). Emphasizing the skills of critical thinking, value reasoning, and philosophical inquiry within an interdisciplinary context, this course guides students in the application of these skills to real-world examples requiring analysis and interpretation. The course fulfills a General Education requirement in the Arts and Letters Group.
355 Environmental Data Analysis and Modeling (4 cr)
(TBA)
Statistical methods of data modeling and analysis with specific application to environmental data sets.
Environmental Leadership Program projects are two-quarter learning opportunities; this project class is taken in the second term. As a leadership program, we will be focused on applying what you learned in the classroom in the first term to a project that will make a difference in our community. We will also focus on skills development, including public speaking, website design and professional poster development. A major emphasis will be on developing leadership through good communication, organization and collaboration skills. Active, engaged participation is central to this class. If you prefer passive learning, this class is not for you! The success of this term, even more so than last term, depends upon your active involvement in your teams. Everyone is expected to share their opinions, perspectives and experiences and to make sure this is a positive learning experience for everyone on the team.
The Environmental Education initiative students will have completed the Environmental Education course, and during the spring will have the opportunity to go into the field and implement the environmental education programs they developed during the winter term. The Mapping and Monitoring students will have taken a course on mapping and monitoring tools and techniques, and in the spring will be working with community partners, collecting data in the field that will be used for restoration projects, sustainability initiatives, endangered species protection, etc.
ENVS 411/511 Environmental Issues: Ideologies, Ecojustice, Global Warming (4R cr)
Bowers
The course will introduce students to Gregory Bateson's theory of double bind thinking, which explains how the language that now dominates our political and educational discourse is based on analogs that were constituted by Enlightenment thinkers who had no awareness of ecological limits, the importance of the cultural commons—and whose writings gave conceptual direction and moral legitimacy to the Industrial Revolution. The differences between social justice and ecojustice will be introduced, as the social justice agenda does not take account of how gaining equal participation in the consumer society undermines ecojustice—which has to do with issues of environmental racism, exploiting the resources of Third World cultures, further enclosing (monetizing) the cultural commons, and undermining the prospects of future generations. Grounding our political vocabulary in current analogs will help recognize how the social justice agenda represents an example of double bind thinking. The issue of global warming, including accompanying changes in availability of water, changing the chemistry of the world’s oceans, etc., will be discussed in terms of educational reforms that address what the current discourse on technological solutions for slowing the rate of global warming fails to consider—namely, how to reduce people’s dependency upon consumerism. This complex issue will require returning to the issues of language; particularly how the root metaphors constituted in the distant past, such as anthropocentrism, individualism, progress, mechanism, etc., continue to marginalize people's awareness of the cultural and environmental commons even though they participate in them on a daily basis.
The emphasis on how the thought patterns from the past, including the culturally context-free use of language which can be traced back to Plato, continue to be reproduced in the present by our leading thinkers and scientists (E.O. Wilson, Richard Dawkins, and Francis Crick being three examples) will be useful to environmental studies students regardless of their area of specialization, as most university students graduate with the mistaken idea that language is a conduit through which objective data and information is passed.
ENVS 610 Thesis Development (3 cr)
Westling
Students will design course activities, in cooperation with the Instructor, to focus on preparing to write their MA or MS Thesis Prospectus. Each student will be responsible for several class meetings of the course, providing appropriate readings and assignments to facilitate group collaboration and critique of the thesis plan. Enrollment limited to ENVS Master’s Students.
ENVS 201 Introduction to Environmental Studies: Social Sciences (4 cr)
Walker
This course introduces some of the major contributions of the social sciences to understanding how and why environmental problems happen—the social 'root causes' of these problems. Environmentally harmful human behavior is not simply a fact of life: it is a product of specific social conditions, which can be studied, understood, and changed. This course also examines social approaches to resolving environmental problems, including ideas such as ‘sustainability’, 'market-based' environmental policies, reforms of property systems, and social movements that promote concepts such as environmental justice, ecofeminism, and deep ecology. In this course, students practice applying these conceptual approaches by using them to analyze the root causes, consequences, and possible solutions to specific environmental topics. In previous years, the course has focused on topics such as global warming, energy, and the Pacific Northwest salmon crisis. This course fulfills Social Sciences Group Requirement and is required for Environmental Studies and Environmental Science majors.
ENVS 203 Introduction to Environmental Studies: Humanities (4 cr)
Jaquette
This course is a survey of the contribution of humanities disciplines (e.g., literature, intellectual history, religious studies, and philosophy) to understanding the relationship between human beings and the natural environment. Theoretical perspectives covered in the course include the intellectual history of Western cultural attitudes and perceptions of nature, the role of religion in shaping environmental values, Native American perspectives on the environment, and the suggestions of contemporary radical ecology movements – deep ecology, social ecology, and ecofeminism – for revitalizing human relationships with the environment. The last segment of the course examines humanities perspectives on several current environmental issues: wilderness preservation, the Pacific Northwest salmon crisis, population and resource use, and global climate collapse. The course emphasizes the skills of textual and cultural interpretation, value reasoning, and critical inquiry as these are demonstrated in the engagement of the humanities with environmental concerns. This course fulfills the Arts and Letters Group Requirement and is required for Environmental Studies and Environmental Science majors.
ENVS 410/510 Water Rights and the American West (4 cr)
Rudestam
American western water law and policy have been a source of increased public interest and philosophical debate as resources become depleted and water dependent ecosystems become more distressed. This four-credit course examines conflict over water rights in the American West. Using the Deschutes Basin in Eastern Oregon as a case study, we will study water law and policy, examine the root causes of conflicts over water and innovative approaches used to resolve them. We will spend six days in the field meeting with landowners, wildlife biologists, irrigation district managers, tribal managers, economists, water traders, and environmentalists in the Deschutes Basin. The course will culminate in an overnight raft trip on the Deschutes River.
See flyer for more details.
The purpose of the class is for students to develop an informed critique of agricultural production. We will review traditional non-industrialized, modern industrialized, modern organic, and GMC (genetically modified crops)-based systems through the lens of sustainability. For our purposes, sustainability includes not only environmental, but also economic and cultural considerations. While holding a holistic perspective, the course examines the various material components of production systems. In each unit we will highlight problems and explore alternatives to current methods of production. The greatest single share of the course material stems from North American experience but the class is decidedly global in scope.
5223 University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403-5223, Voice (541) 346-5000, Fax (541) 346-5954
Visit us in Pacific Hall, Room 10 or email us at ecostudy@uoregon.edu
