Sustainability & Environmental Studies

ENV 101: Introduction to Sustainability and Environmental Studies 

This interdisciplinary, introductory seminar explores current environmental issues from a variety of perspectives (historical, social, and scientific) and disciplines (humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences). Attitudes toward the natural world and approaches to public and private decision-making are examined in terms of environmental justice issues. Field trips are taken to examine local and regional practices and issues.  

Richard Frost MW 2:15-3:40 pm  

Richard Frost MW 3:55-5:20 pm 

Alysa Remsburg TuTh 9:25-10:50 am 

Alysa Remsburg TuTh 11:00-12:25 pm 

Margot Higgins TuTh 11:00-12:25 

Margot Higgins 12:40-2:05 

Margot Higgins 3:55-5:20 

ENV 303: Topics in Sustainability and Environmental Studies 

ENV 303 Section 01: Woodlands of the Driftless: History, Ecology, and Management 

Why do our local woodlands look and function the way they do?  We need multiple disciplines to answer this question. Human dimensions have interacted with ecological processes throughout the history of the Driftless region to shape the forest patches we see.  We will examine several competing values that influence management choices: forest products, biodiversity, recreation, aesthetics and other ecosystem services.  Field trips, guest speakers, and an assignment off campus will allow students to apply class concepts to real places.  Understanding human interactions with woodlands brings greater meaning to our time in nature, and helps us make more informed choices for land management in any place. 

Alysa Remsburg W 8:50-11:35

ENV 304: Topics in Environmental Justice 

Topic: Global Parks & Wilderness  

This course will examine how concepts of wilderness have been envisioned historically, the ways in which views about parks and wilderness have evolved, and the extent to which the 1964 Wilderness Act is still relevant. The management, use, and access to wilderness areas have created great controversy especially with regard to under-represented groups that include Native American, African American, Latina/o, LGBTQ+, disabled communities, and senior citizens. In addition, wilderness areas have created conflict among wilderness purists, loggers, hunters, sport outfitters, ranchers, and miners, among others. Students will become familiar with the biophysical, social, and political economic drivers that influence wilderness and national park establishment and management, and consider the role of dominant paradigms and social discourses in these processes. We will consider perspectives from political ecology, environmental history, and non-western science to examine these dynamics. Finally, we will assess the exportation of the U.S. Park model to other parts of the world, and the complications posed by issues such as co-management and fortress conservation. 

Margot Higgins  Online

ENV 496: Environmental Studies Capstone 

As a culmination of the sustainability and environmental studies minor, this course has two main purposes. The first is to take action locally on an environmental service learning project. Action in the community builds professional skills, offers networking, and solidifies student interests. The second purpose is to help students clarify personal and career goals that are based on their environmental philosophy. Hearing from recent graduates and professionals in environmental fields provides students with a wide variety of perspectives and ideas as they consider their future decisions.  

Alysa Remsburg F 9:55-11:50 

Bio 307: Ecology 

A study of interactions that determine the distribution and abundance of living organisms. The basic principles of ecology are presented in order to develop an understanding of the nature of these interactions at the individual, population and community levels of biological organization. 

Jason Freund MWF 9:55-10:50 am 

Ross Vander Vorste MWF 1:10-2:05 pm 

BIO 341 – Limnology 

This course includes fundamentals of aquatic ecology, with special reference to community ecology. Taxonomy, stratification and succession of organisms to be investigated. Energy traffic through aquatic ecosystems will also be investigated. Field trips required. Lect. 2, Lab 3. 

Lecture:  

Eric Strauss TuTh 11:00-11:55 am 

Lab: 

Eric Strauss Tu 2:15-5:15 pm 

Th 2:15-5:15 pm 

Fr 12:05-3:05 pm 

CHM 412 – Aquatic & Soil Chemistry 

This course examines the role of chemistry in shaping our environment, focusing specifically on aquatic and terrestrial systems. Students will learn how to apply fundamental chemical principles to complex real systems in order to characterize environmental behavior. Learning to understand and predict the fate of organic and inorganic pollutants in soil-water systems will be emphasized. Special topics that relate to current events will also be explored, and the connection between environmental issues and social/economic challenges will be examined. 

Kristofer Rolfhus MWF 12:05-1:00 pm 

GEO 101 – Earth Environments 

This course concentrates on understanding the earth's dynamic environments through the study of processes and physical and human interactions related to the lithosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere. A scientific approach is used to examine fundamental concepts in earth and environmental science related to topics such as plate tectonics, landform development, atmospheric processes, global climate, and water resources, in order to provide an understanding of how the earth system functions and the human role in these phenomena. Lect. 3, Lab 2. 

Lecture: 

Colin Belby TuTh 9:25-10:50 am 

Joan Bunbury MWF 9:55-10:50 am 

Jeffrey Kueny TuTh 12:40-2:05 pm 

Staff MWF 1:10-2:05 pm 

Lab: 

Jeffrey Kueny W 11:00-1:00 pm 

M 8:50-10:50 am 

M 11:00-1:00 pm 

Shrobona Karkun Sen W 8:50-10:50 am 

W 1:10-3:10 pm 

M 1:10-3:10 pm

Th 1:10-3:10 

Joan Bunbury Tu 7:45-9:45 am 

Tu 9:55-11:55 am 

Tu 1:10-3:10 pm 

Staff Th 8:50-10:50 am 

Th 11:00-1:00 pm 

GEO 211 – Global Climate Change 

This course serves as an introduction to causes of natural and human-induced climate change, and the current and future impacts of climate change on environmental systems and society. Actions that could be taken by governments, industry, non-profit organizations, and individuals to mitigate the magnitude and effects of climate change will be addressed. The course will investigate social, cultural, and political aspects associated with climate change policy, including how vulnerability, resilience, and adaptability to a changing climate vary across the globe. 

Jeffrey Kueny TuTh 9:25-10:50 am 

MWF 2:15-3:10 pm 

GEO 221 – Weather & Climate 

An introduction to physical principles and the dynamic processes that govern the behavior of the atmosphere at global and regional scales. Spatial and temporal variations of energy, moisture, circulation, and weather systems; and the patterns of the world climate systems are discussed. Lect. 3; Lab 2. 

Lecture: 

Staff MWF 12:05-1:00 pm 

Lab:  

Staff F 8:50-10:50 am 

GEO 460 – Environmental Hazards 

Environmental processes are investigated in light of the hazards they might pose for development and how they may be avoided, mitigated and managed. This course is taught largely at an undergraduate level. Graduate students will have additional course requirements/expectations. 

Daniel Sambu MWF 3:20-4:15 pm 

*Combined section class 

MIC 434 – Aquatic Microbial Ecology 

An ecological study of bacteria, cyanobacteria and algae of aquatic ecosystems. Topics include microbial strategies for survival under various environmental conditions, the role of microorganisms in biogeochemical cycling of elements, interactions of microorganisms with other aquatic biota, the role of microorganisms in pollution problems, and applications of microbial ecology to biotechnology. Laboratory emphasis is on experimental design and sampling techniques, quantification of microbial biomass, and measurement of microbial activities in aquatic habitats. One weekend field trip required. This course is taught largely at an undergraduate level. Graduate students will have additional course requirements/expectations. Lect. 2, Lab 3. 

Lecture: 

Bonnie Bratina TuTh 1:10-2:05 pm 

*Combined section class 

Lab: 

Bonnie Bratina F 8:50-11:50 am 

*Combined section class 

ARC 404 – Environmental Archaeology  

This course investigates the relationship between prehistoric human societies and their biotic communities. An array of techniques using plant and animal remains from archaeological contexts to reconstruct aspects of ancient environments, climates, and human subsistence patterns are examined. Applications of environmental data toward the understanding of human settlement and subsistence systems are discussed. 

Constance Arzigian TuTh 12:40-2:05 pm 

GEO 200 – Conservation of Global Environments 

Introduction to natural resources, resource management, environmental and land use ethics, environmental impacts of resource utilization and strategies to resolve environmental conflicts. Course examines the relationships between society and the environment from the global to the local scale. 

Brian Pompeii TuTh 9:25-10:50 am 

TuTh 11:00-12:25 pm 

Daniel Sambu MWF 9:55-10:50 am 

MWF 2:15-3:10 pm 

GEO 340 – Polar Environments 

This course explores the human and environmental geography of the Arctic and Antarctic, including physical landscape and climate, terrestrial and marine ecosystems, natural resources and development, exploration, governance, and indigenous peoples. The circumpolar northern Arctic region will be compared with the southern continent of Antarctica. Anthropogenic and climate change impacts on the Arctic and Antarctic will be discussed, as will the interconnectedness of polar regions to global processes and international issues. 

Joan Bunbury MWF 11:00-11:55 pm 

*Combined section class 

PH 335 – Environmental Health 

This course will examine the interdisciplinary and global impacts of human-environment relationships. Emphasis is placed on the critical nature of our understanding these relationships in order to improve ecosystem health, human health and well-being, global economics and sustainability. Politics, economics, science, technology, human behavior (both individual and collective), history, ethics, and the media are examined for the purpose of improving the quality of life for all people through the creation of a sustainable global society. The science, methods and processes of environmental health will be considered. The role of environmental health in public and population health will be examined. 

Emily Whitney TuTh 12:40-2:05 pm 

PSY 302 – Environmental Issues: Applied Psychology 

This course is an exploration of psychological perspectives on environmental issues. The course covers a variety of topics, such as how our attitudes, thoughts, and behaviors have contributed to environmental degradation, how we can use social and cognitive psychological tools to promote environmentally sustainable behaviors, the psychological effects of environmental toxins and disasters, and the psychological benefits of nature. 

Katherine Kortenkamp MW 12:40-2:05 pm 

REC 306 - NatureRx: Environmental Ethics and Behaviors in Recreation and Tourism 

This course provides an overview of the natural resources used for outdoor recreational pursuits and nature-based tourism. Students analyze leisure, recreation, and tourism activities dependent on natural resources, present issues associated with recreational land use, and develop environmental awareness and a personal environmental ethic. 

Laurie Harmon TuTh 12:40-2:05 pm 

RTH 420 – Nature & Forest Therapy 

This course is designed to provide students with specialized sessions relating to nature-based therapy knowledge and application in outdoor leisure and recreational therapy settings from international and domestic perspectives. The course provides special emphases on general nature-based therapy concepts and benefits, planning for nature-based therapy walks with various clients with and/or without special needs, the process of implementing nature-based therapy walks, actualizing mindfulness in nature, nature connection, relevant environmental literature (e.g., outdoor therapies related to trauma or depression), interactions between humans and environments, medicinal plants, and practice doing therapeutic walks. This course is taught largely at an undergraduate level. Graduate students will have additional course requirements/expectations. 

Nam Yun Kil Th 2:30-5:30 

*Combined section class

ART 331 – Art & the Environment in the United States 

This course presents a thematic overview of the visual arts of the United States - from pre-colonization to today - focused on the interrelationships between the natural environment and human society. Students study a diversity of artistic responses to the environment, including artworks that 1) depict landscapes and environments; 2) are sited in or made from the land; 3) engage with environmental issues such as biodiversity, deforestation, and climate crisis. In addition to art historical study, students also reflect on their own social responsibility about the environment by participating in an applied art project. 

Sierra Rooney TBA (internet) 

ENG 481 – Humanities, Ecology & Capitalism 

In this seminar in Literature and Culture, we examine what it means to “talk about nature” in a range of texts—from classical philosophical and economic writings, through Romantic poetry and contemporary fiction to recent movies and streaming series on Netflix and HBO—in which “talking about nature” increasingly involves talking about “capitalism” and the implications of treating nature as a “commodity” and of prioritizing “growth” at the expense of nature. The connections of ecology and capitalism are brought to the foreground, for example, in the recent season of True Detective: Night Country, where conflicts between science, capitalism and indigenous culture drive the narrative. These connections are also explored in such texts as Andreas Malm’s The Progress of This Storm and the related film How to Blow Up a Pipeline, which the course will address along with such novels as Jasmyn Ward’ Salvage the Bones and films like Avengers: Infinity War. 

Kimberly DeFazio M 5:30-8:15 pm 

*Hybrid class