Climate Change: An Interdisciplinary Problem Immersion

This multidisciplinary course will provide students with diverse perspectives on global climate change issues, providing a survey of important aspects of the problem. Topics include atmospheric chemistry, climate modeling, ecological impacts and feedbacks, economics of climate change, international climate policies, and social and environmental justice. The course will include a variety of instructors and guest lecturers, providing an overview of the complex and inter-related nature of global climate change. (This class is restricted to undergraduate students with at least 3rd year standing.) Lecture 3 (Spring).

This multidisciplinary course will provide students with diverse perspectives on global climate change issues, providing a survey of important aspects of the problem. Topics include atmospheric chemistry, climate modeling, ecological impacts and feedbacks, economics of climate change, international climate policies, and social and environmental justice. The course will include a variety of instructors and guest lecturers, providing an overview of the complex and inter-related nature of global climate change. (This class is restricted to undergraduate students with at least 3rd year standing.) Lecture 3 (Spring).

This multidisciplinary course will provide students with diverse perspectives on global climate change issues, providing a survey of important aspects of the problem. Topics include atmospheric chemistry, climate modeling, ecological impacts and feedbacks, economics of climate change, international climate policies, and social and environmental justice. The course will include a variety of instructors and guest lecturers, providing an overview of the complex and inter-related nature of global climate change. (This class is restricted to undergraduate students with at least 3rd year standing.) Lecture 3 (Spring).

This class will survey the history environmental disasters (from floods to oil spills) in modern American and global society. Students will study several specific disasters (for example, Hurricane Katrina, the Great Midwestern Floods of the 1990s, Love Canal, and the Haitian Earthquake of 2008) and analyze a series of broader themes that illuminate their meaning, including the economic impact of various disasters, the legal and political ramifications of modern disasters, and the social and cultural meaning of disasters in various societies. Lecture 3 (Fall).

Environmental philosophy examines the ethical, metaphysical, and social justice questions surrounding human interactions with nature and the management of natural resources. This course explores the nature and source of environmental values and how environmental goals are achieved through policy decisions. We evaluate and apply philosophical and ethical theory to environmental issues such as endangered species, climate change, wilderness preservation, sustainability, and environmental justice. Lecture 3 (Fall).

This course provides an overview of energy resources, technologies, and policies designed to ensure clean, stable supplies of energy for the future. The course evaluates the impacts of fossil fuel, renewable energy, and hydrogen technologies on society and how public policies can be used to influence their development. The development of U.S. energy policy is of particular concern, although a global perspective will be integrated throughout the course. Lecture 3 (Spring).

This course will expose students to approaching and working on wicked problems - unstructured, multidisciplinary issues lacking clear right or wrong answers. The course will introduce key skills for handling unstructured problems such as whole systems thinking, estimation and assumptions, valuation, and problem solving techniques, with the majority of the semester focused on a specific topic (wicked problem) and team case study. Students will work in teams to research and address one aspect or subset of the wicked problem at hand to join collectively with the results of all teams to form a more complete overall solution to the wicked problem. (This class is restricted to undergraduate students with at least 3rd year standing.) Lecture 4 (Fall, Spring).

This course explores the history of ecological science, from the eighteenth century to the present, and it features the political use of ecological ideas in environmental debates, from the 19th century to the present. We investigate how social and political ideas have influenced ecological science, how ecological concepts have influenced Western politics and society, and how different generations of ecological researchers have viewed their role in society. Lecture 3 (Fall).

Governments and organizations use a variety of tools, including laws and regulations, to take action on issues related to people and the environment. This course introduces students to environmental policies on numerous topics in a variety of institutions, contexts, and scales (such as local, state, federal, international). Students will examine how societal values inform the development, content, and impacts of environmental policies. Key topics include climate change, air and water pollution, and community sustainability. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring).

The Great Lakes ecosystem is a critically important freshwater resource, both locally and globally. This course examines the lakes and surrounding region as a case study for understanding global environmental issues. Using an interdisciplinary lens, students will assess the local, regional, national, and international scope of Great Lakes environmental issues, and analyze the roles of history, science, engineering, economics, public policy, and other relevant factors in shaping the past, present, and future of the lakes and human communities in the watershed. Lecture 3 (Fall).

This course is the foundation course for the Environmental Science major and presents an integrated approach to the interrelated, interdisciplinary principles of environmental science through lecture, case studies and active participation. In this course, the focus will be on sustainability as the foundation for problem solving while investigating a number of environmental issues and establishing environmental literacy. Topics may include biodiversity, ecosystems, pollution, energy, and global climate change. To demonstrate the interdisciplinary methodology of environmental science, elements of government/political science/policy, ethics, economics, sociology, history and engineering are embedded in the scientific matrix used to present this course. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring).

This is an introductory course on soil science, covering concepts such as soil taxonomy, soil ecology, physical soil properties, soil formation and geomorphology, and soil conservation. The lecture portion of the course will consist of in-class demonstrations and exercises, discussion groups, and traditional lecture materials. Lab exercises will focus on field sampling techniques and bench analyses, soil texture and partial size analyses, basic soil chemistry properties, land use planning, and spatial analyses. Lab 3, Lecture 3 (Fall).

Environmental issues are often difficult to address because stakeholders have different values, backgrounds, culture, risk perception, and understanding of science. This class will empower students to be effective advocates by helping them to learn about different viewpoints and considerations surrounding environmental issues. Students will have an opportunity to improve their problem-solving abilities by addressing interdisciplinary environmental, ecological, and sustainability problems in miniature on the campus of RIT. During the semester, students will research methods and strategies used by other colleges and universities to minimize environmental impacts in areas such as energy use, solid and hazardous waste management, transportation, landscaping and construction, preserving green space and natural systems (ecosystem functions and services), storm water runoff, food production and consumption, and purchasing. Student solutions to campus issues and projects will address the concept of sustainability and the tradeoffs it requires. (This class is restricted to students in the Honors program.) Lec/Lab 3 (Fall).

Through hands-on projects and case studies, this course illustrates concepts and applications of raster and vector geographic information systems (GIS) in a variety of disciplines, such as environmental science, biology, geology, geography, sociology, and economics. Students will learn how to use GIS software and spatial analyses, plan a project, create a database, and conduct an independent project. Students should have completed a foundational course in their major and be comfortable working with computers. Experience with programming is also useful. (Foundational course in student's major field of study or permission of instructor). Lec/Lab 6 (Fall).

Environmental Science Field Skills presents an integrated approach to the interrelated, interdisciplinary principles of environmental science through case studies, site visits and field work. In this course, the focus will be on learning methods for environmental analysis, including experimental design, water and soil quality, primary production and biodiversity, land use/land cover change and ecosystem restoration. The course will culminate in a stressed stream analysis of a local watershed. Additional topics may include geographic information systems, wetlands, environmental education and sustainable food production. The interdisciplinary nature of environmental science will be illustrated through elements of government/political science/policy, ethics, economics, sociology, history and engineering. (Prerequisites: ((BIOL-101 and BIOL-102 and BIOL-103 and BIOL-104) or (BIOL-121 and BIOL-122) or (BIOL-123 and BIOL-124 and BIOL-125 and BIOL-126)) and CHMG-141 and CHMG-145 and ENVS-101 and ENVS-102 or equivalent courses.) Lab 3, Lecture 3 (Spring).

Urban Ecology focuses first on the natural systems of urban areas and how those systems function in an undisturbed setting, with an emphasis on the types of ecosystem functions and services natural systems provide. Second, the course focuses on how humans have impacted those natural systems through urban development, and how those impacts can be mitigated or avoided by using the examples provided by nature to influence more sustainable development and maintain (or even enhance) ecological functions and services in urban landscapes. The course will examine and compare examples of several urban settings from around the world, paying particular attention to the connections between the physical, social and cultural aspects of sustainability. The course will meet during spring semester, with a required 2.5-week study tour to Malmö, Sweden after graduation in May. Students must apply through the Office of Study Abroad and an additional fee applies to the course. (Prerequisites: This class is restricted to students with at least 2nd year standing.) Lecture 2 (Spring).

The World Health Organization estimates that one in eight people do not have access to a safe drinking water supply. The U.S. State Department has stated that armed conflict over water rights is possible on many of the world’s river systems including the Nile, Tigris/Euphrates, Brahmaputra-Jamuna, and Mekong. What is the cause of these problems and how will changes to the hydrologic cycle and world water supply brought about by climate change affect them? Students will learn about the hydrologic cycle, the general characteristics of surface water and groundwater, and global patterns of water use. Students will learn about the health, economic, and social consequences of drought and flooding, and the effect climate change is having on water supply in arid countries. Laws and government regulation of water withdrawal and use will be covered, as will techniques to extend the available water supply. Students will consider the positive and negative consequences of increasing the sustainability of the water supply through efficiency, conservation, inter-basin transfer, water use export, grey and black water reuse, urban runoff capture, and the creation of fresh water through desalination. Lecture 3 (Fall).