UGRD > ENVSTY
Environmental Studies
ENVSTY 101 The Nature of Environmental Problems +
Description:
An introduction to environmental issues and analysis emphasizing comparisons between the sustainable characteristics of ecosystems, both natural and human, and the human impacts on the Earth's life support systems. Topics include human population growth, food production, use of natural resources, pollution, loss of bio-diversity, and conservation strategies. More Info
Offered in:ENVSTY 111L Environmental Concerns and Chemical Solutions +
Description:
Human society is constantly facing such environmental issues and problems as ozone depletion, air pollution, acid rain, environmental toxins, and renewable energy resources. This course provides students with a foundation in chemistry that can be used to examine these and other environmental concerns. A combination of lecture and group discussion illustrates the science behind these issues, and helps students develop an unbiased view.CHEM 111L and ENVSTY 111L are the same course. More Info
Offered in:ENVSTY 210 Second-Year Seminar: Conflict and Resolution +
Description:
Environmental problem solving involves stakeholder interactions in which conflict can arise and must be resolved in order to provide a solution. In this seminar, students will be introduced to the basic understanding of conflict and a working knowledge of the three major forms of dispute resolution - negotiation, mediation, and arbitration that are needed in adaptive management and stakeholder negations associated environmental problems. This course will prepare students for upper-level conflict resolution courses. Coursework will include readings, written reflective exercises with peer-review feedback, and role-playing activities. This course is designed forvertical alignment and cohort developing in the environmental studies and sustainability major. More Info
Offered in:ENVSTY 220 Introduction to Interdisciplinary Studies +
Description:
Interdisciplinary thinking is defined as having basic knowledge about each potently relevant discipline to understand its perspective, and access, translate, think critically about, and use its insights. The goal of this course is to prepare students to become interdisciplinary thinkers and problem solvers. By the end of this course, students will be able to explain why a knowledge society needs both disciplinary specialization and interdisciplinary breadth, understand the differences between disciplinary, multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, and transdisciplinary approaches; identify the defining elements of a discipline and how this information is used tin interdisciplinary works; identify and explain the assumptions of interdisciplinary study; and identify and develop attitudes and skills that are conductive to interdisciplinary critical thinking. More Info
Offered in:ENVSTY 267L Introduction to Coastal Biological Systems +
Description:
This course will survey coastal marine habitats in terms of the organisms that inhabit these regions; the biological processes that dominant within those environments and the impacts of that habitat on humans. The objectives of the course will be for the students to gain an appreciation and understanding of the diversity and function of coastal marine systems in terms of the biological organisms and biological processes that are found there.EEOS 267L and ENVSTY 267L are the same course. More Info
Offered in:ENVSTY 280 Special Topics in Environmental Studies +
Description:
The course covers a variety of areas in environmental studies. The topic is announced during preregistration period. More Info
Offered in:ENVSTY 301 Internship in Environmental Studies +
Description:
The internship requires a minimum of 100 hours of service doing environmental work with government, non-government, corporate, or research organizations. The program can assist students in finding appropriate internship placements. Each student's supervisor at the placement organization provides a report on the intern's performance and students submit a paper to the program director describing their internship experience. The number of credits varies according to the number of internship hours. This course may be taken on a pass/fail basis only. More Info
Offered in:ENVSTY 310 Third-Year Seminar: Professional Development +
Description:
In this seminar course students will develop professionally by learning about resumes, personal statements, job cover letters, public presentations, interview skills and etiquette, reading and evaluating the primary literature, writing reports/proposals, learn how to prepare an internship, job, or graduate school application package. After learning about these topics, students will write and evaluate resumes, personal statements, cover letters, make and present a presentation to the general public, and conduct a mock interview. This course also is designed for vertical alignment and cohort development in the environmental studies and sustainability major. More Info
Offered in:ENVSTY 321 Spiders of Nantucket +
Description:
In this course, students will learn about spider biology, anatomy, life history, classification and taxonomy, and ecology through classroom lectures and discussions, field sampling, and laboratory processing and identification activities. More Info
Offered in:ENVSTY 364 Environmental Justice +
Description:
Environmental justice is defined by the state of Massachusetts as the equal protection and meaningful involvement of all people with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies and the equitable distribution of environmental benefits. This course provides an overview of environmental justice as an aspect of U.S. environmental policy. The goal of the course is to give students the ability to develop and articulate informed opinions about environmental justice, to understand how the concept came into use, and to think critically about measuring and solving environmental justice problems. The course uses written assignments, case studies, and role-playing exercises to help students develop the analytical skills necessary to tackle this topic. More Info
Offered in:ENVSTY 371 Telling the Story: broadcast multi-media communications about natural, built, and human environments +
Description:
Through lecture and hands on studio activities, students in this course will develop the knowledge and skills necessary to create and publish audio files necessary for communicating their stories about natural, built, and human environments to a broad audience such as stakeholders and community members. This course will train student sin foundational communications skills such as finding, developing, and storyboarding stories and train student sin current technical best practices such as rights and responsibilities and recording, editing, and posting audio files. Studio time will consist of mixture of directed and independent activities. More Info
Offered in:ENVSTY 375 Environmental and Forensic Geochemistry +
Description:
Environmental and forensic scientists need to be able to predict the fate of toxic elements and anthropogenic compounds in the environment. This course introduces a toolbox of geochemical approaches to fingerprint sources and model transport, including mass balance, residence time, thermodynamic and kinetic modeling, and isotope fractionation. We will then examine several classic case studies and conduct our own geochemical investigations through semester-long, small-group research projects. More Info
Offered in:ENVSTY 380 Special Topics in Environmental Studies +
Description:
The course covers a variety of areas in environmental studies at an advanced level. The topic is announced during preregistration period. More Info
Offered in:ENVSTY 395L Immersive Field Trip: Exploring Individuals, Societies, and Natural Systems +
Description:
This course will provide students with an immersive experience in which students will gain knowledge of individuals, societies, and natural systems away from their home institution. Domestic or global learning will occur as students gain intellectual and practical skills, gain personal and social responsibility, and integrate their learning through synthesis and advanced learning across general and specialized studies. Some sections may also partake in civic engagement and service learning. Each section of the course will visit international or domestic locations and situations based on instructor expertise and opportunities. More Info
Offered in:ENVSTY 410 Fourth-Year Seminar: Environmental Issues +
Description:
In this fourth-year seminar, students will be exposed to current global environmental issues in a discussion and debate-style format designed to stimulate student interest and develop critical thinking skills. Issues covered will fall under fie topic areas: environmental philosophy, principles versus politics, energy issues, food and pollution, and toxic chemicals. Each issue reading is framed with an issue summary, an issue introduction, and issue pro and con stance, and an issue post-script. Students will write issue or analysis reports for each issue and discuss the issue in class via general discussion, panel discussions, role-play discussions, and debates. This fourth-year seminar course also is designed for vertical alignment of the curriculum and cohort development for environmental studies and sustainability majors. More Info
Offered in:ENVSTY 478 Independent Study +
ENVSTY 479 Independent Study +
Description:
Study of a particular area of this subject under the supervision of a faculty member. Students wishing to register must do so through the department. More Info
Offered in:ENVSTY 480 Special Topics +