Teaching

co-taught with Dr. Emily Minor

Examination of ecological, biogeochemical and evolutionary principles; techniques and philosophies of ecological remediation, restoration and conservation; environmental regulation and policy; sustainability in theory and practice.  

3 credits.  

Introduction to the concepts of sustainability science and the complex problems associated with sustainability. In particular, students will examine the challenge of supporting nine billion people without destroying the planetary resource base, social cohesion, and integrity of the individual. Labs will cover introduction to methods in sustainability.  

4 credits with lab.  

Introduction to use of geographic information system analysis to enhance geographic pattern and relationship recognition in geo-spatial data. Data collection and data quality. Data transformation and linkages. GIS modeling.  

4 credits with lab.  

This course examines the impact humans have had on landscapes in the past as well as mechanisms to regulate future changes. The course provides an introduction to the fields of landscape ecology and planning with specific examples which will be examined both through scientific literature and lighter reading assignments.

In this course we will cover the historical context of landscape ecology, the basic principles of the field and then learn about specific approaches to quantify landscapes especially in the face of change over time using Geographic Information Systems (GIS). In particular we will focus on urbanization as it relates to land use and land cover change and provide the basics of planning both at the regional scale and for urban environments. Other topics such as agricultural expansion and deforestation will also be covered briefly.

The last portion of the course will examine urban planning within the lens of sustainability and relate the course back to the principles of landscape ecology through a critical study of conservation subdivisions. 

4 credits.

This May Experience course is designed to examine and explore the environmental, social, and economic sustainability of eco-tourism in Fiji. Students will visit and assess numerous eco-tourist destinations within Fiji, with a particular emphasis on understanding the impact of humans and tourism on the local natural environment and culture.  

2 credits.  

This course examines political, economic and technological ideas related to striving towards low carbon societies. The course starts out with an overview of climate change science paying particular attention to themes of air quality, human security and technology. A large portion of the course is spent looking at community structure (local government, campus level and national level) to develop a Climate Action Plan. Students will explore the challenges inherent in environmental policy and management.

Students will grapple with the complexity of the following ongoing challenge: how to achieve carbon neutrality considering fiscal and political constraints. Students will research extensively in this emerging field and conduct applied research projects that relate to the most current controversies concerning carbon offsets. Students will work with real word cases at the community level to explore the role of governmental entities in Climate Action Planning in upstate SC. The lecture portion of the class will however focus on a variety of topics which are truly interdisciplinary. We will first cover the science of climate change. The students will review the latest literature both at the global and regional scale. We will also examine case studies of natural resource management especially with regards to managing commons. We will then analyze the role of carbon neutrality within pathways to environmental sustainability.  

4 credits with lab.