Course Description: This course explores ways to understand interactions between our social and natural worlds. Familiarizing students with concepts and theories from environmental geography, political ecology, and related fields is the first major course goal. As such, ENVS 100 1 provides basic social science background for upper level courses in the Environmental Studies and Environmental Science major, along with BOMI 233: Ecology and the Human Future (natural science). Campus and the Delaware, Ohio area serves as a point of engagement throughout the semester: environmental and sustainability issues are everywhere, and understanding how these issues play out on the ground in real places is the second major goal of the course. All students in ENVS 100 1 will engage in a course project that reveals their understanding of course content, culminating in a presentation of results. This project can look at a local issue, such as water runoff or recycling or green energy, or focus on a particular environmental object‚ invasive plants, Canadian geese, feces, carbon from air travel, or microplastics, for example. Students will develop an overview of their topic, then show how concepts and theories, learned in class, help to understand and explain the complexities of environmental issues. Projects will be presented during the final weeks of the semester. Social science. Suggested for first semester freshmen interested in E&S and related majors. Open to all freshmen & sophomores. No prerequisites. ENVS 100 2/400 1 (.25 credit) should be taken with this course by new program majors.
Course Delivery- Hybrid: ENVS 100.1 will be delivered live, in person, outside (as much as feasible) and available via Zoom for synchronous viewing for students not on campus. To the best of my ability, I will integrate in person and virtual students, with Zoom open on all student devices. Course Scurries: Once I know which students are attending in person, and which are attending virtually, I will group you together in a small scurry, mixing in-person and virtual students. In-person students will help the instructor keep the virtual students in their scurry engaged in the course, a scurry advocate so to speak. All sessions are recorded and accessible for asynchronous viewing. The course consists of some lectures, but is primarily focused on a semester long project, guided by the instructor and campus librarians and other staff. This project gives all students (in person or otherwise) the chance to present (in person or on zoom) progress, discuss their work and get feedback from the instructor and peers.
Course Description: This course explores ways to understand interactions between our social and natural worlds. Familiarizing students with concepts and theories from environmental geography, political ecology, and related fields is the first major course goal. As such, ENVS 100 1 provides basic social science background for upper level courses in the Environmental Studies and Environmental Science major, along with BOMI 233: Ecology and the Human Future (natural science). Campus and the Delaware, Ohio area serves as a point of engagement throughout the semester: environmental and sustainability issues are everywhere, and understanding how these issues play out on the ground in real places is the second major goal of the course. All students in ENVS 100 1 will engage in a course project that reveals their understanding of course content, culminating in a presentation of results. This project can look at a local issue, such as water runoff or recycling or green energy, or focus on a particular environmental object, invasive plants, Canadian geese, feces, carbon from air travel, or microplastics, for example. Students will develop an overview of their topic, then show how concepts and theories, learned in class, help to understand and explain the complexities of environmental issues. Projects will be presented during the final weeks of the semester. Social science. Suggested for first semester freshmen interested in E&S and related majors. Open to all freshmen & sophomores. No prerequisites. ENVS 100 2/400 1 (.25 credit) should be taken with this course by new program majors.
Course Delivery- Hybrid: ENVS 100.1 will be delivered live, in person, outside (as much as feasible) and available via Zoom for synchronous viewing for students not on campus. To the best of my ability, I will integrate in person and virtual students, with Zoom open on all student devices. Course Scurries: Once I know which students are attending in person, and which are attending virtually, I will group you together in a small scurry, mixing in-person and virtual students. In-person students will help the instructor keep the virtual students in their scurry engaged in the course, a scurry advocate so to speak. All sessions are recorded and accessible for asynchronous viewing. The course consists of some lectures, but is primarily focused on a semester long project, guided by the instructor and campus librarians and other staff. This project gives all students (in person or otherwise) the chance to present (in person or on zoom) progress, discuss their work and get feedback from the instructor and peers.
Course Description: Certain great books have played key roles in capturing public attention and motivating citizen action in the modern environmental movement. This course will use these books as inspirations for in-depth study of the scientific ideas that underlie the ongoing environmental issues discussed in each text. Students will read Silent Spring by Rachel Carson while studying pesticide effects on the environment, Arctic Dreams by Barry Lopez to motivate an examination of how climate change affects the arctic landscape, and Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey paired with Desert Cabal by Amy Irvine as an inspiration to explore desert ecology and environmental pressures on drylands. Newer works that are motivating current conversations among environmental scientists, such as Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer, which explores merging Native American and western science perspectives on nature, and Merchants of Doubt by Naomi Oreskes, which documents organized deception on climate change by the fossil fuel industry, will also be incorporated. Scientific papers on the topics in each book will also be assigned and students will discuss the status of scientific knowledge on each environmental issue at the time each book was written as compared to our current understanding. We will also consider the importance of these books in the environmental movement and discuss the different roles that science and literature play in our human understanding, exploration and reactions to the natural landscape and environmental crisis.
Course Delivery- Fully Remote: This is a MWF online lecture class. The Monday lecture will be asynchronous. The Wednesday and Friday lectures will be synchronous meetings at the scheduled class time conducted in Zoom.
Course Description: A combined cornerstone (ENVS 100 2) / capstone (ENVS 400 1) course which affords an opportunity for new Environmental Studies and Environmental Science majors and graduating seniors to substantively engage with each other. Seniors will present work completed while at OWU and reflect on the experiences gained in internships, field study, research and other theory-to-practice opportunities. Seniors will interact with and help guide new students to shape their plans for future work in their majors at OWU. Freshmen will also engage with other E&S faculty, campus staff (B&G, AVI), City of Delaware employees, regional NGOs, and other environmental professionals. Occasional readings on environmental issues will be assigned to stimulate discussion. Freshman E&S majors may choose to live together in the E&S Themed Community residential floor, leading to living-learning opportunities for E&S majors. ENVS 100 2 should be taken with either ENVS 100 1 or BOMI 233 by new majors.
Course Delivery- Remote: This course will be fully remote for Fall of 2020 (due to being shifted from the schedule, as all noon courses were). Students in both 100.2 and 400.1 will discuss environmental issues, review their plans for (100.2) or accomplishments (400.1) at OWU.
Course Description: A combined cornerstone (ENVS 100 2) / capstone (ENVS 400 1) course which affords an opportunity for new Environmental Studies and Environmental Science majors and graduating seniors to substantively engage with each other. Seniors will present work completed while at OWU and reflect on the experiences gained in internships, field study, research and other theory-to-practice opportunities. Seniors will interact with and help guide new students to shape their plans for future work in their majors at OWU. Freshmen will also engage with other E&S faculty, campus staff (B&G, AVI), City of Delaware employees, regional NGOs, and other environmental professionals. Occasional readings on environmental issues will be assigned to stimulate discussion. Freshman E&S majors may choose to live together in the E&S Themed Community residential floor, leading to living-learning opportunities for E&S majors. ENVS 100 2 should be taken with either ENVS 100 1 or BOMI 233 by new majors.
Course Delivery: Fully Remote