ENVS 098 The Next Millennium: Would Technology Help Us Resolve the Environmental Dilemma?
Over the last century we have witnessed the dominance of man over nature. Technology, our understanding of our environment and our consumption habits have been the principal weapons used to achieve this conquest. Now, at the beginning of a new millennium, many questions and concerns about our actions and perceptions are being raised. Can today's technology and the new knowledge about our environment and human nature assure our survival? How can we use the next one hundred years to reconstruct and restore our future? These are the fundamental questions that the class will investigate. The course will rely on evidence, the use of hypothesis and theories, logic as well as the students' scientific inquiry and creativity. We will discuss systems, models and simulations, constancy, patterns of change, evolution and scale.
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ENVS 200 Introduction to Environmental Analysis
Introduction to Environmental Science will expose students to the principles that underlie our understanding of how the Earth works. The goal of Earth System Science is to obtain a scientific understanding of the entire Earth system by describing its component parts (lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, biosphere) and their interactions, and describe how they have evolved, how they function, and how they may be expected to respond to human activity. The challenge to Earth System Science is to develop the capability to predict those changes that will occur in the next decade to century, both naturally and in response to human activity. Energy, both natural and humangenerated, will be used as a unifying principle. Knowledge gained through this course will help you make informed decisions in all spheres of human activity: science, policy, economics, etc.
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ENVS 301 Environmental Case Studies
A detailed, comprehensive investigation of selected environmental problems. Guest speakers from the government and industry will give their accounts of various environmental cases. Students will then present information on a case study of their choosing.
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ENVS 399 Environmental Research Seminar
This seminar is designed to help Juniors prepare for the Senior Thesis
research. Topic selection, advisor identification, funding options, and basic
research methods will be discussed.
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ENVS 400 Environmental Studies Seminar
Application of student and faculty expertise to a specific environmental problem, chosen expressly for the seminar.
Fall 2007 Topic: Road Ecology & Management
Roads are an essential part of society and culture. However, they can also cause widespread environmental and cultural transformations. This course will focus on the environmental science and ecology of roads and will be designed to incorporate students from a wide range of academic disciplines.
The format of the course will be part lecture and part seminar. First ¼ of the semester will be based on lectures and readings that will provide an overview in the basic concepts and questions related to road ecology. The remainder of the class will be held in seminar format and include discussions of readings and presentations by students. Each student will be required to complete a course project related to roads and will be required to give oral presentations, assign readings, and conduct a seminar on their chosen topic.
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ENVS 404 Urban Environments: Speaking About Lead in West Philadelphia
Lead poisoning can cause learning disabilities, impaired hearing, behavioral problems and at very high levels, seizures, coma and even death. Young children up to the age of six are especially at risk because of their developing systems. They often ingest lead chips and dust while playing in their home and yards.
In ENVS 404, Penn undergraduates will learn about the epidemiology of lead poisoning, the pathways of exposure, and methods for community outreach and education. Penn students will collaborate with middle school and high school teachers in West Philadelphia to engage middle school children in exercises that apply environmental research relating to lead poisoning to their homes and neighborhoods.
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ENVS 405 Urban Environment II
This course is an independent study where Penn undergraduates can explore the health, environmental, and natural resource issues of Philadelphia focusing on the specific needs of West Philadelphia. Current public health concerns impacting vulnerable populations such as children, especially lead poisoning and asthma, would be potential topics. Environmental issues such as water supply, air quality, radon, brownfields, and sprawl would also be good areas of study. Community service can be a component of the study. Permission from the instructor is required.
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ENVS 406 Community Based Environmental Health
The ABCS course will explore a wide variety of water and air health risks that are present in the environment that have the potential to produce significant human health impacts. Both biological and toxic agents will be researched by the students to determine points of exposures, and how these agents produce deleterious effects to an often unsuspecting population. Emerging topics, such as endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) in water supplies, pathogens and toxics in our food and water supply, household molds and second-hand smoke, will comprise some of the most relevant topics that will be explored. The community-based component of the course will require students to work with community organizations to assess a significant environmental health issue(s) in West Philadelphia and to develop practical, cost-effective solution(s) to meet community needs while mitigating impacts to an at-risk population.
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ENVS 407 Urban Environments: Prevention of Tobacco Smoking in Adolescents
Cigarette smoking is a major public health problem. The Centers for Disease Controls reports that more than 80% of current adult tobacco users started smoking before age 18. The National Youth Tobacco Survey indicated that 12.8% of middle school students and 34.8% of high school students in their study
In ENVS 407, Penn undergraduates learn about the short and long term physiological consequences of smoking, social influences and peer norms regarding tobacco use, the effectiveness of cessation programs, tobacco advocacy and the impact of the tobacco settlement. Penn students will collaborate with teachers in West Philadelphia to prepare and deliver lesson plans to 4th through 6th graders. The undergraduates will survey and evaluate middle school and Penn student body smoking usage. One of the goals of this course is to raise awareness of the middle school children to prevent addiction to tobacco smoke during adolescence. The collaboration with the middle schools gives the Penn students the opportunity to apply their study of the prevention of tobacco smoking to real world situations.
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ENVS 408 Urban Environments: The Urban Asthma Epidemic
Asthma as a pediatric chronic disease is undergoing a dramatic and unexplained increase. It has become the #1 cause of public school absenteeism and now accounts for a significant number of childhood deaths each year in the USA. The Surgeon General of the United States has characterized childhood asthma as an epidemic. In ENVS 408, Penn undergraduates learn about the epidemiology of urban asthma, the debate about the probable causes of the current asthma crisis, and the nature and distribution of environmental factors that modern medicine describes as potential triggers of asthma episodes.
Penn students will collaborate with the Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) on a clinical research study entitled the Community Asthma Prevention Program. The Penn undergraduates will co-teach with CHOP parent educators asthma classes offered at community centers in Southwest, West, and North Philadelphia. The CHOP study gives the Penn students the opportunity to apply their study of the urban asthma epidemic to real world situations.
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ENVS 409 Environmental Impact: Urban Housing
Homes can be built or renovated to minimize the environmental health risks and the waste of natural resources. The course will consist of lectures, student research projects and community service. The lectures will cover a range of topics including environmental health risks, healthy home environments, conservation, recycling, green construction, urban housing, and geology of West Philadelphia. For their community service, the Penn students will work with the Habitat for Humanity on their local projects building and renovating houses.
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ENVS 415 Forest, Water, and People in the Humid Tropics
The conversion of tropical forests to other land uses can have a wide range of positive and negative social and environmental impacts, including changes in water quality and quality, ecosystem services, and community resources. Of particular concern are the impacts of forest-to-pasture conversions on water and soil resources and the effectiveness of reforestation projects designed to reduce the negative environmental impacts of deforestation. Because forests can use more water than pasture and other land covers, there has been recent debate regarding the appropriateness and hydrologic costs of reforestation projects designed to reduce the environmental impacts of forest conversions. This course will evaluate the environmental and social-economic impacts of tropical forest conversions and the effectiveness of internationally financed reforestation projects.
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ENVS 421 Science in Elementary & Middle School
An intensive approach to current methods, curricula, and trends in teaching
science as basic learning, K-8. "Hands-on" activities based on cogent,
current philosophical and psychological theories including: S/T/S and gender
issues. Focus on skill development in critical thinking. Content areas:
living things, the physical universe, and interacting ecosystems.
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ENVS 463 Brownfield Remediation
This course is intended to give an overview of the genesis of the so-called "Brownfield" problem and of the various efforts that our society is taking to try to solve, or at least ameliorate it. The course will place the "Brownfield" problem in the broader context of the growth and decline of industrial base cities like Philadelphia. Students will study the general constitutional and statutory framework within which we approach the problems of orphan, polluted sites and the disposal of contemporary solid wastes. They will also analyze the principal actions that have been taken by federal and state governments to address remediation and redevelopment of abandoned industrial sites. In addition, the course will explore environmental equity issues.
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ENVS 499 Senior Thesis
The Environmental Studies major requires 2 semesters of ENVS 499. The culmination of the Environmental Studies Major. Students write a thesis on a topic which combines their concentration with Environmental Studies. Students work with an advisor in their discipline
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ENVS 502 Environmental Chemistry
The chemistry of water, air, and soil will be studied from an environmental perspective. The nature, composition, structure, and properties of pollutants, their means of detection and methods of purification and remediation will also be studied.
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ENVS 507 Wetlands
The course will focus on the natural history of different wetland types including the factors of climate, geology, and hydrology which influence wetland development and associated soil, vegetation, and wildlife characteristics and key ecological processes. Lectures will be supplemented with weekend trips to different wetland types ranging from tidal salt marshes to non-tidal marshes, swamps, and glacial bogs in order to provide field experience in wetland identification, characterization, and functional assessment. Outside speakers will discuss issues in wetland seed bank ecology, federal regulation, and mitigation. Students will present a short paper on the ecology of a wetland animal and a longer term paper on a selected wetland topic. Readings from the text, assorted journal papers, government technical documents, and book excerpts will provide a broad overview of the multifaceted field of wetland study.
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ENVS 533 Research Methods in Environmental Studies
This course is designed to prepare Master of Environmental Studies students to undertake their Capstone exercises. In this course, we will discuss how to identify an appropriate research project, how to design a research plan, and how to prepare a detailed proposal. Each student should enter the course with a preliminary research plan and should have identified an advisor. By the end of the course, each student is expected to have a completed Capstone proposal that has been reviewed and approved by his/her advisor.
This course does not fulfill any requirement in the undergraduate Environmental Studies Major or Minor.
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ENVS 541 Modelling Geographic Objects
This course offers a broad and practical introduction to the acquisition, storage, retrieval, maintenance, use, and presentation of digital cartographic data with both image and drawing based geographic information systems (GIS) for a variety of environmental science, planning, and management applications. Its major objectives are to provide the training necessary to make productive use of at least two well known software packages, and to establish the conceptual foundation on which to build further skills and knowledge in late practice.
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ENVS 601 Proseminar
A detailed, comprehensive investigation of selected environmental problems. This is the first course taken by students entering the Masters of Environmental Studies Program.
This course does not fulfill any requirement in the undergraduate Environmental Studies Major or Minor.
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ENVS 604 Conservation and Land Management
Using protected lands in the Delaware Valley, this field-based course will explore various strategies for open-space conservation and protection. In addition, students will be introduced to land management techniques used on such sites to restore or preserve them in accordance with goals set for their use or protection. Emphasis will be placed on developing skills in "Reading the Landscape" to determine conservation and restoration priorities. Students will produce a site assessment report and/or field reports on sites that they visit.
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ENVS 607 American Natures
This seminar will explore the history of environmental thought in the United States from roughly the 18th century to the present. Topics include: the use and development of natural resources: the definition, planning, and management of public spaces such as national parks, game lands, and zoos; establishment of environmental standards; the emergence of conservation ecology; "green" politics; and ecofeminism. Students will be encouraged to examine the public discussion of these issues as well as the development of policy. Course requirements include several short papers (3-5 pages) and active participation in class discussion.
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ENVS 608 Geology & Ecology of the Isle of Arran, Scotland
The Isle of Arran, off the west coast of Scotland, might very well be called the birthplace of modern Geology. James Hutton, Scottish Physician and gentleman farmer, conceived of the concept of Uniformitarianism, while wandering about the Isle of Arran. Hutton's Theory of the Earth laid down this concept, which later became one of the foundation principles of modern geology and earned him the appellation "Father of Modern Geology". The island offers a wide variety of rock types and geological events that has drawn geologist and students from around the globe to this tiny island.
The position of the Isle of Arran off the west coast of Scotland, places it close to the warm waters of the Gulf Stream, allowing for a much milder and wetter climate than might be expected from the island's latitude. The distribution and types of plants and animals found on the island are a direct consequence of this milder and wetter climate. The proximity to ocean waters also gives the class a chance to examine near shore marine environments.
ENVS 608 is a two-week intensive field course in the geology, natural history, ecology, and culture of the Isle of Arran, Scotland. Pre-trip classes will be held online before the trip to ensure that all students are adequately familiar with basic principles of field-based natural science. Students will then meet in Glasgow and travel together to the Isle of Arran where they will be based for the duration of the two weeks. Students will participate in a number of field exercises that include: mapping of dikes, examination of raised beaches (causes and consequences), cave formation, and modern landscape formation based on underlying geology. The types of plants and animals found on the island will be examined in light of their position on the island and the underlying geology. Students will map floral distributions as part of a multi-day exercise, examine the red deer population and the effects of interbreeding with an introduced Japanese Sika deer, and the possible consequences of reintroducing the wolf. Students will also examine ancient standing stones, stone circles, runrig agricultural practices effects on modern landscapes, and tour Brodick Castle as part of the cultural aspect of the course. Guest lectures from local historians are also planned.
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ENVS 610 Regional Field Ecology
Over the course of six Saturday field trips, we will travel from the barrier islands along the Atlantic Ocean in southern New Jersey to the Pocono Mountains in northeastern Pennsylvania and visit representative sites of the diverse landscapes in the region along the way. At each site we will study and consider interactions between geology, topography, hydrology, soils, vegetation, wildlife, and disturbance. Students will summarize field trip data in a weekly site report. Evening class meetings will provide the opportunity to review field trips and reports and preview upcoming trips. Six all-day Saturday field trips are required.
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ENVS 611 Environmental Law
This course will provide an introduction to environmental law and the legal process by which environmental laws are implemented and enforced. The course will examine the common law roots of environmental regulation in tort principles such as nuisance, negligence and trespass. We will examine important Constitutional principles in substantive and procedural law as well as significant environmental laws and approaches. Finally, we will examine emerging theories of citizen's rights and the government's role in environmental law and regulation. Students will learn how to read and analyze course decisions and apply some of the elements of legal thinking to actual cases and current problems.
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ENVS 612 Economics and the Environment
This course provides a comprehensive introduction to basic economic tools and methods, as they are applied to environmental issues -- including pollution control, resource depletion, the global commons, intergenerational equity, and policy decision-making. The course is designed for those with little or no prior economics background; disciplined sceptics are welcome.
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ENVS 613 Business and the Natural Environment
This course explores dramatic changes taking place at the interface of business, society, and the natural environment. Previously, business and environmental interests were believed to be adversarial. Now, some contemporary thinkers are suggesting that environmental capabilities can be a source of competitive advantage for corporations. A recent Harvard Business Review article refers to the sum of these changes as "The Next Industrial Revolution." In this course we will study examples on the cutting edge of these developments. We will look at corporations that are creating a "double bottom line" by strategizing about the ecological impact of their decisions, as well as the economic impact. We will learn about industrial designers who are rethinking everything from tennis shoes to corporate headquarters' buildings with the environment in mind. We will consider new alliances among business, environmental activists and government regulators -- all stakeholders in a sustainable society.
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ENVS 617 Inovative Environmental Management Strategies
This course will evaluate innovative environmental management strategies used by corporations, governments, the public, and NGOs including approaches such as the concept of pollution prevention, environmental management systems, green buildings, green product design, product labeling, environmental education, the power of information, market-based techniques, and industrial ecology. Some professionals believe that these innovative approaches have the potential to result in more environmental improvement than will be realized by additional regulatory requirements. This course will address which approaches work best and identify critical elements needed to ensure the best approaches to specific problems. Students will be exposed to real-life situations through expert guest lecturers, case studies, and "hands on" projects.
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ENVS 619 African Wildlife Conservation
This seminar focuses on one of the more high-profile but often misunderstood issues in environmental studies, African Studies, and international politics - wildlife conservation in sub-Saharan Africa. While it examines the multiple dimensions of wildlife conservation; ecological, economic, social, cultural, and political; the seminar's primary emphasis is the social science dimensions rather than the technical, natural science aspects of the subject. This is not an accidental choice of focus. Political and social factors are often overlooked in discussions of African wildlife conservation but, as this seminar argues, often have a greater weight than biological or ecological concerns in deciding questions of resource management in Africa. The geographic focus of this course will be on East Africa, especially Tanzania and Southern Africa. Though the seminar focuses on the continent of Africa and the specific natural resource of wildlife, its larger theoretical lessons should be applicable to other places and other environmental issues.
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ENVS 620 Topics on African Environmental Issues
Africa is a land of great contrasts and possesses a rich mix of scenic beauty, impressive biodiversity, many cultures, economies and interesting history. Almost completely encircled by water and home to a network of some of the worlds largest and longest rivers, Africa is also home to two vast and expanding hot deserts. While Africa contains enormous amounts of mineral wealth, it also has fifteen of the worlds least developed countries. Its climate ranges from the harsh extremes in hot deserts to the Arctic Current dominated temperate climate of the southern tip of Africa and the pleasant Mediterranean climate of North Africa.
Africa's remarkable ecological diversity is unique and is an expression of the varied climates in the continent, with camels in Egypt, Goliath frogs (the largest frogs in the world) in Cameroon and the African penguins in Namibia and South Africa. Africa has extensive fertile grasslands and lush equatorial forests, yet many of its people suffer from hunger and starvation. Despite possessing some of the most scenic and pristine landscapes in the world, poor resource management has resulted in serious environmental problems in various parts of Africa, including air and water pollution, deforestation, loss of soil & soil fertility and a dramatic decline in biodiversity through out the continent.
This course aims to explore Africa's natural environment and the impact of human activities on it. Each semester the course will offer an overview of Africa's environment as it relates to one of the two topics highlighted below:
- Water issues
- Environmental impact of development projects, natural resource extraction and consumption.
Each semester, in addition to analyzing one of the above topics, we will pick a couple of case studies from within the US that can be used to show parallels between some of the issues discussed in the African case studies. The students will be asked to conduct research on a relevant topic in any region in Africa for a paper due at the end of the semester.
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ENVS 623 Crossing Borders
Transboundary issues arise at the local, regional, supra-national, and global levels. Pollution does not respect political boundaries; habitats are defined by ecosystems, not by regulation. This course will introduce the difficulties posed by cross-border issues and, using case studies, explore a range of policy, regulatory and management mechanisms employed to address these challenges. Among the topics to be covered include: interstate compacts (e.g. Chesapeake Bay), NAFTA Commission on Environmental Cooperation (e.g. biodiversity in North America), Regional Cooperation (e.g. Baltic Sea, international watercourses), European Union regulation (e.g. Hazardous Waste directives and the Basel Convention), and international conventions (e.g. The Kyoto Protocol on greenhouse gas emissions).
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ENVS 625 Overview of Environmental Justice: Issues, Actions and Visions for the Future
Many people refer to the Environmental Justice Movement as the most significant social rights movement to occur in this country since the Civil Rights Movement Communities around the United States have expressed concerns related to the siting, permitting and clean up of hazardous waste sites in minority and low-income areas. Beginning with the protests in Warren County, North Carolina, Environmental Justice has become a most critical and controversial issue in this country. This course will provide an overview of the history, guiding principles, and issues of concern regarding Environmental Justice and will examine the approaches taken by communities, EPA, state and local government over the years to address these concerns. Students will be expected to evaluate and assess the various issues and case studies presented to them in a critical fashion, and to discuss these case studies, and make recommendations for appropriate action.
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ENVS 627 The Delaware River. An Environmental Case Study
The Delaware River and Estuary offer an opportunity to examine efforts to protect the environment in a multi-state, economically and ecologically complex area. This case study will review environmental protection efforts in and around the River, the stressors on the environment, and attempts to balance environmental protection with economic, employment, and other needs. It will address scientific issues , relationships between air /water quality, transportation and sprawl issues, the balancing of water quality and water quantity. Students will learn about the institutions responsible for managing this complex system, and what goals and indicators of progress are used by these organizations. Students will be asked to research in detail one or more aspects of the environmental management systems, identify the key drivers in determining environmental quality, recommend improvements to the system, and propose a vision for the future.
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ENVS 628 Science, policy and management of rivers and their watersheds
When governments oversee environmental quality at the federal, state and local level, their regulatory authority terminates at the geographic boundary. However, nature seldom recognizes those arbitrary boundaries unless they coincide with a natural one. For both analytical and planning purposes, the watershed has become the logical unit for environmental investigation. In this course, we will introduce the science of rivers and their watersheds - topography, hydrology, ecology and biogeochemistry. We will then discuss policy that governs freshwater in the United States and elsewhere. Finally, we will evaluate current best-management practices designed to improve and maintain water quality and quantity. During these discussions, we will view competing interests, such as whether upstream needs should take precedence over downstream demands, and when the rights of individual landowners should give way to the interests of others dependent on freshwater resources. Course requirements will include 2-3 short response papers, a presentation and a final paper.
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ENVS 629 Global Environmental Politics
Nation-states and multinational corporations are the most powerful actors in the global political economy. What does this mean for efforts to protect the global environment? Do environmental activists stand a chance? Drawing on insights from green political theory, international relations, and political economy, the field of global environmental politics may have the answer. Following a survey of relevant state and non-state actors in global environmental politics and a review of major international environmental agreements, we will examine diverse theories of global environmental politics. Regime theory, global governance, green critiques of globalization, green theories of state sovereignty, and social movement theory offer competing accounts of the role of state, society, and economy in creating and managing global environmental change. Our goal will be to assess these competing explanations and strategies for promoting global ecological sustain ability.
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ENVS 630 Global Energy Systems and Policy
This is a survey course addressing the wide range of energy systems employed throughout the world; the principal impacts associated with such systems; and the role that energy plays in sustainable development. The course will utilize a sustainable development framework, following the efforts of such organizations as the UN Commission on Sustainable Development, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the International Atomic Energy Agency, and others in addressing global energy systems and policy. The course will address such topics as the on-going role of “conventional” energy systems; renewable and advanced technology energy supply technologies; energy resources and "peak oil" concerns; energy security; efficiency considerations; environmental and health concerns; rural energy and the Millennium Development Goals; and energy indicators for addressing sustainable development policies. It will use the People's Republic of China as a case study, exploring how these individual topics are being addressed within that country; examining the nature of the energy transformation now occurring there; and exploring potential Chinese options for sustainable development.
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ENVS 631 Current EPA Regulatory Practices and Future Directions
The regulatory approach continues to be the foundation of environmental protection in the US. This course provides an overview of key environmental laws and regulations, and the processes used to write permits, conduct inspections and take enforcement actions. It is taught mainly from the perspective of the federal government and will also include perspectives from the states, NGOs, and the regulated community. Techniques used to set priorities, ensure fairness, and encourage compliance are included. Current issues in major regulatory programs will be reviewed and future directions will be discussed.
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ENVS 632 Energy and the Environment in the U.S.
This is a survey course that will examine the current U.S. energy industry, from production to consumption, and its impacts on local, regional, and the global environment. The course will seek to provide a fuller understanding of existing energy systems, ranging from technical overviews of each, to an exploration of the well-established policy framework each operates within. Near-term demands upon each energy supply system will be discussed, with particular focus on environmental constraints. Policy options facing each energy industry will be reviewed. By semester's end, successful students will have developed an intellectual framework to understand the challenges facing the U.S. energy system.
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ENVS 635 Major Global Environmental Problems of Today and How We Must Deal With Them Tomorrow.
Global environmental problems of today are some of the greatest challenges of the new millennium. Almost everyone is in some way part of the problem and increasingly will be asked to be a part of the solution. The problems that we face today often differ from those of the past because it is sometimes difficult for the international community to agree on the extent, causes, and impacts of the problem and how to allocate responsibility for the resolution of the problem. Governments, businesses and NGOs around the world have recognized the need to take the initiative and address these issues through regulation, voluntary approaches, and cooperation on an international level. How best to manage these problems is the constant challenge. This course will provide an overview of several of the major global environmental problems facing the world today, and how they are connected by common causes, underlying themes and concepts critical to the understanding and management of these issues. It will examine the over-arching concepts of sustainability and globalization as well as frameworks for assessing and managing the issues.
The course will also consider the role of the major players/stakeholders in the situation, including governments, non-government organizations, and private sector individuals/participants, and where appropriate, touch on such issues as intergenerational aspects and the potential long-term irreversibility. With the assistance of regional and national experts, we will address specific problems, such as: human populations and their environmental impact; issues surrounding resources such as food, water, habitats, and energy; global climate change; the ozone layer; and problems of international/environmental terrorism, catastrophes, and disease. Each student will prepare a report and presentation on some aspect of a topic discussed during the term.
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ENVS 637 Global Water Issues
Descriptions coming soon.
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ENVS 638 Topics in Global Water Management, Governance and Finance
This course will focus on the governance and finance issues surrounding the efforts to meet the UN Millennium Goal [MDG] for water supply and sanitation. Every twenty seconds someone in the world, usually a child, dies from a water-related problem. The MDG is "by the year 2015 to halve the percentage of the world's population without access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation". Inadequate organization, corruption, poor educational systems are some of the critical barriers relating to good governance. Finding sufficient funding, promoting public-private partnerships, and establishing needed legal/financial systems are some of the financial challenges. Using case studies, guest speakers, and the latest information available this course will provide insights to students on how to address these issues.
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ENVS 639 Policy to Practical in Environmental Management: Water Issues
This course explores some of the most challenging national and global water-related topics and includes guest lectures by and trips to meet representatives from several of the leading organizations addressing these issues. Examples of these topics include meeting the UN Millennium Development Goal of halving the number of people worldwide who do not have adequate drinking water and sanitation; the control of polluted runoff from farms and urban areas; the manag ement of multi-state water pollution programs; and assessment of the impacts of low-level toxics in water. In addition to learning about the environmental issues, students will also visit regional and global experts in such places as the Philadelphia, Washington DC, and New York City. Students must attend two full-day field trips and one afternoon trip.
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ENVS 643 Brownfield Remediation
This course is intended to give students an overview of the genesis of the
so-called "Brownfield" problem and of the various efforts our society is
taking to solve or, at least, ameliorate it. The course will place the
"Brownfield" problem in the broader context of the growth and decline of the
industrial base of cities like Philadelphia. Students will study the general
constitutional and statutory framework within which we approach the problems
of orphan, polluted sites and the disposal of contemporary solid wastes. They
will also analyze the principal actions that have been taken by Federal and
state government to address remediation and redevelopment of abandoned
industrial sites. The course will also explore environmental equity issues.
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ENVS 645 Planning for Land Preservation
An introduction to the tools and methods for preserving private lands by government agencies and private non-profit organizations. Topics include purchase and donation of development rights (also known as conservation easements), land acquisition, limited development, land swaps, and the preservation of urban greenways, trails, and parks. Preservation examples include: open space and scenic areas, farmland, forestland, battlefields, and natural areas.
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ENVS 647 The Environment and Urban Infrastructure
Using the Philadelphia Region as a case study, this course examines the environmental impact of the physical infrastructure in an urbanized area. This infrastructure include such things as water/sewer lines, highways, railroads, airports, solid and hazardous waste facilities, energy and communication systems, and the transportation of goods. The course will also examine the possibilities for minimizing these impacts in the future. Experts from various fields will provide information on the challenges that are faced in balancing human needs and environmental protection.
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ENVS 651 Communicating About the Environment to a Broader World
Environmental writing no longer is the exclusive province of academics or
activists. Global warming, energy, food safety, water quality, land use:
These are all issues that impact individuals as well as the world at large.
Disseminating accurate and compelling information to the broadest audience is
essential. In this course, we will explore writing styles and voices for a
full range of outlets. There is a heavy emphasis on writing, with a final
research/writing project required.
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ENVS 654 Public Science Education in Informal Settings
Increasingly, the lay public receives much of its knowledge about science,
environmental issues, and natural history through visits to natural history
museums sci-tech centers, nature and environmental education centers, zoos and
planetariums. This course will look at the practical approaches to
disseminating knowledge about natural sciences and the environment to the
visiting public in informal educational settings. We will look behind the
scenes at the internal functioning of museums and nature centers, and discuss
typical topics of interest to these organizations including effective use of
collections and how they support exhibition design and construction, and
public programming; educational field trips, and the importance of field and
collections-based research; public relations and dealing with the media;
supervision and training of volunteers, interns, and docents; and fund-raising
and grant writing for informal natural science educational settings.
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ENVS 658 Violence and the Environment
Governments, corporations, environmental organizations, anti-environmental organizations, and individuals have resorted to violence as a means to achieving an environmental end. Although some defend such violence as the only way to achieve specific goals, do the ends ever really justify the means? Does violence have a place in the environmental movement? How should environmentalists respond to pro- or anti-environmental violence? This course will study instances of such violence and explore why violence has been seen as an acceptable or, sometimes, the only way to achieve a desirable end.
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ENVS 662 Green Design and the City
Can our cities become examples of sustainable design? Does inner city revitalization tie into sustainability? Are there successful examples to learn from? This seminar will focus on how existing cities attempt to integrate green design principles within them. It will look at case studies, both in the US and abroad.
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ENVS 663 Brownfield Remediation
This course is intended to give an overview of the genesis of the so-called "Brownfield" problem and of the various efforts that our society is taking to try to solve, or at least ameliorate it. The course will place the "Brownfield" problem in the broader context of the growth and decline of industrial base cities like Philadelphia. Students will study the general constitutional and statutory framework within which we approach the problems of orphan, polluted sites and the disposal of contemporary solid wastes. They will also analyze the principal actions that have been taken by federal and state governments to address remediation and redevelopment of abandoned industrial sites. In addition, the course will explore environmental equity issues.
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ENVS 664 Sustainable Design
This seminar will focus on how physical design can improve sustainability. It will be broken down into 3 parts: Green Buildings, Green Urbanism, and Smart Growth Planning. Starting small, we will begin by looking at which types of construction actually constitute Green Buildings and which of these are the most effective. Our look at Green Urbanism will focus on existing cities and towns. They will be examined in terms of how urban design and transportation can promote sustainability. Finally, Smart Growth planning concepts for new developments will be discussed. This will include a survey of New Urbanism. Both these closely allied approaches are recent attempts to guide new growth in a more sensitive manner. We will also take advantage of local resources within our region, and include visits to nearby sites, along with talks by local experts.
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ENVS 674 Assessment and Remediation of the Environment Using Biological Organisms.
This course is an introduction to current and developing techniques for analyzing environmental contamination and remediation of damaged environments. Knowledge of these options will be important for both students interested in policy/law options, as well as providing a starting point for those pursuing a more science-oriented understanding of environmental issues. The first portion of the course will address bioindicators--the use of living systems to assess environmental contamination. Many new methods of rapidly-analyzing environmental samples are becoming available. These include systems ranging from biochemical assays to monitoring of whole organisms or ecosystems, as well as techniques ranging from laboratory to field and satellite surveys. The course will survey these approaches to familiarize the student with this rapidly developing field. The second portion of the course will introduce techniques for bioremediation--the use of living organisms to restore contaminated environments. Several case studies will be provided (perhaps with external speakers). Students will be expected to prepare a final paper examining a particular technique in detail.
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ENVS 678 Advanced Biogeochemistry
The course will cover nature of the field and its application. Topics include: elemental cycling at various scales, from global to watershed level, the interaction between geology
