In this course, you will have the opportunity to explore and research issues relating to the impact of environmental issues, challenges, and policies, on both a local and global scale. This is an interdisciplinary course which looks at environmental issues principally from an Economic perspective. At the same time, it includes the perspectives of other disciplines such as Sociology, Psychology, Architectural technology, and Hospitality management which are introduced throughout the semester by invited guest lecturers.
In the course, you will have the opportunity to conduct research on a wide range of environmental topics that have an economic impact on society. Your semester research projects will be guided by a specific question or problem that will be explored in depth.
Open Lab will be used for a lot of the course work. The course syllabus along with links to readings, upcoming assignments, and details on the mapping project will be posted here. Also, PowerPoint presentations, specific questions for class discussion on assigned readings, and your notations of progress with the semester research project will be posted here. On days that the class meets online, Blackboard will be used to complete assignments. Blackboard will also be used for grading purposes.
To prepare for weekly discussions, you should visit this course site weekly to link to and complete the assigned readings. Reminders will be announced in class. All assigned readings for the course (or links to them) should be completed before the next class session. On the days the class meets online, you will be directed to Blackboard to complete assignments related to the week’s assigned reading. On days the class meets in person, you will be asked to prepare for in-class discussions and assignments that relate to the assigned readings. You will also be asked to post comments and responses to topics introduced by guest lecturers and films throughout the semester, which will count as part of class participation.
The mapping project will be an opportunity to explore, analyze and present your findings on a particular environmental issue. In this project, you will work in teams of 2-3 on developing a map that details the location, history and impact of the issue. The Arc Gis program that will be used for this purpose will be reviewed in detail in class, as will detailed instructions on the project and the process.
