Department of Earth and Environmental Science
Institute for Environmental Studies Academic Programs; Environmental Courses at Penn
LISTED BY DEPARTMENTS:
AFRICAN STUDIES (AFST)
department website
environmental courses
ANTHROPOLOGY (ANTH)
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environmental courses
ARCHITECTURE (ARCH)
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environmental courses
BIOLOGY (BIOL)
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environmental courses
BUSINESS AND PUBLIC POLICY (BPUB)
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environmental courses
CHEMICAL AND BIOMELECULAR ENGINEERING (CBE)
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environmental courses
CHEMISTRY (CHEM)
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environmental courses
CITY AND REGIONAL PLANNING (CPLN)
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environmental courses
COMPARATIVE LITERATURE AND LITERARY THEORY (COML)
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environmental courses
ECONOMICS (ECON)
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environmental courses
EDUCATION (EDUC)
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environmental courses
ELECTRICAL & SYSTEMS ENGINEERING (ESE)
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environmental courses
ENGINEERING AND APPLIED SCIENCE (EAS)
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environmental courses
ENGLISH (ENGL)
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environmental courses
ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES (ENVS)
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environmental courses
FOLKLORE & FOLKLIFE (FOLK)
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environmental courses
GEOLOGY (GEOL)
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environmental courses
HISTORY (HIST)
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environmental courses
HEALTH AND SOCIETIES (HSOC)
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environmental courses
HISTORIC PRESERVATION (HSPV)
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environmental courses
INSURANCE AND RISK MANAGEMENT (INSR)
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environmental courses
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECHTURE & REGIONAL PLANNING (LARP)
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environmental courses
LEGAL STUDIES (LGST)
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environmental courses
MATERIAL SCIENCE & ENGINEERING (MSE)
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environmental courses
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING AND APPLIED MECHANICS (MEAM)
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environmental courses
NURSING (NURS)
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environmental courses
OPERATIONS & INFORMATION MANAGEMENT (OPIM)
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environmental courses
PHYSICS (PHYS)
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environmental courses
POLICTICAL SCIENCE (PSCI)
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environmental courses
PUBLIC HEALTH (PUBH)
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environmental courses
SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY (STSC)
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environmental courses
SOUTH ASIAN STUDIES (SAST)
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environmental courses
URBAN STUDIES (URBS)
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environmental courses
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COURSE DESCRIPTIONS:
AFRICAN STUDIES (AFST)
AFST 227. (AFST503, ANTH227, ANTH504) Media in AfricaAFST 467.
IES keywords: environmental issues incorporated; history, humanities, and social sciences
AFST 620. (ENVS620) Topics on African Environmental Issues IES keywords: environmental focus; history, humanities, and social sciences; science and health
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 world's 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 world's 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 following two topics 1) Water issues; 2) 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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ANTHROPOLOGY (ANTH)
ANTH 133. (LALS133) Native Peoples and the Environment. (M) Freshman Seminar.
IES keywords: environmental issues incorporated; history, humanities, and social sciences
The relationship between the activities of native peoples and the environment is a complex and contentious issue. One perspective argues that native peoples had little impact on the environments because of their low population densities, limited technology, and conservation ethic and worldview. At other extreme, biodiversity, and Nature itself, is considered the product of a long history of human activities. This seminar will examine the Myth of the Ecologically Noble Savage, the Myth of the Pristine Environment, the alliance between native peoples and Green Politics, and the contribution of native peoples to appropriate technology, sustainable development and conservation of biodiversity.
ANTH 229. Underwater Archaeology. (M)
IES keywords: environmental issues incorporated; history, humanities, and social sciences
Archaeological finds are made underwater as well as on land. These underwater finds may offer vivid and unusually complete information on ancient trade patterns and politics, technology, and environments. This course will cover research on shipwrecks and on settlements and landscapes that have been preserved underwater. Attention will be paid to the special challenges and methods of underwater research and to understanding undersea finds in their local archaeological context.
L/L 415. Archaeology of Animals. (M) Prerequisite(s): ANTH 001 or permission from instructor.
IES keywords: environmental issues incorporated; history, humanities, and social sciences, science and health
This course introduces the study of animal bones from archaeological sites. Faunal analysis is an interdisciplinary science which draws methods from archaeology, biology, and paleontology. Bones, shells, and other remains yield evidence for the use of animals by humans, and evidence for the biology of animals and for past environments. The course will focus on research approaches to important transitions in human-animal relationships: the development of human hunting and fishing, animal domestication, early pastoralism, and the emergence of market economies in animal products. Class presentations will include lectures and discussion concerning research design and archaeological case material, with additional videos, slidework with field and laboratory equipment, and supervised work identifying and archaeological materials from Museum collections.
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ARCHITECTURE (ARCH)
ARCH 255. (ARCH 755) Sustainability in Action. Hughes/Billhymer.
IES keywords: environmental focus; engineering, design and systems
The term Sustainability loosely organizes a diverse mix of issues relating to the science, politics, and business of how humans can endure on Earth. Sustainability is about carrying capacity: making resource decisions without compromising the ability of future generations to make their own resource decisions. Sustainability thus requires an understanding of the systems whose carrying capacities matter for human endurance; three prominent and interconnected systems are the environment, the economy, and society. Sustainability also requires an understanding of the decision-making that operates on these resource systems and affects their carrying capacities. In sum, the study of Sustainability requires an introduction to environmental science, energy production, human settlements, economic development, social justice, policy development, and international relations. This course will provide that introduction though a weekly lecture series drawing on scholars from across the university and a small group project that addresses a real problem confronting an institution in Philadelphia.
ARCH 401. Architecture and Landscape Design I. Prerequisite(s): ARCH 302.
IES keywords: environmental focus; engineering, design and systems
An introduction to fundamental topics in architecture and landscape architecture. Issues of mapping, placement, scale, and construction are explored through studio design exercises, site visits, and discussions. Course work focuses on the preparation and presentation of discrete design projects that emphasize the acquisition of representational and analytical skills, and the development of imaginative invention and judgment.
ARCH 402. Architecture and Landscape Design II. Prerequisite(s): ARCH 401.
IES keywords: environmental focus; engineering, design and systems
A continuing exploration of architectural design. Content and technique in representation and construction are explored through various studio design exercises.
ARCH 433. (ARCH533) Environmental Systems I. IES keywords: environmental focus; engineering, design and systems
An introduction to the influence of thermal and luminous phenomenon in the history and practice of architecture. Issues of climate, health and environmental sustainability are explored as they relate to architecture in its natural context. The classes include lectures, site visits and field exploration. Open to Intensive Architecture Majors only.
ARCH 434. (ARCH 534) Environmental Systems II.
IES keywords environmental issues incorporated: engineering, design, and systems
This course examines the environmental technologies of larger buildings, including heating, ventilating, and air conditioning, lighting, and acoustics. Class meetings are divided between slide lectures, work sessions, and site visits.
ARCH 533. (401) Environmental Systems I.
ARCH 534. (434)Environmental Systems II.
ARCH 638. Technology Special Topics.
IES keywords: environmental focus; engineering, design, and systems
Faculty.
This series of six classes will discuss the issues and current thinking in sustainable architecture: 1) Introduction: why sustainability is important; 2) Human comfort: what makes people happy in a building; 3) Climatic response: designing buildings that respond to the weather; 4) Energy use: where energy is used and how to control it; 5) Materials: reduce, re-use and recycle? 6) The Future: where is it all going?
ARCH 752. (CPLN656, UDES752) Case Studies in Urban Design.
IES keywords: environmental issues incorporated; urban issues; engineering, design, and systems
Conway.
Through three case studies and a final project this course explores several fundamentally different ways in which the urban design process is realized in this country: The campus as historical prototype and contemporary paradigm; the new community both modernist and neo-traditionalist; expansion/relocation of CBD; and urban/suburban in-fill. Particular emphasis is placed on the roles of planning, historic preservation and landscape architecture in the practice of urban design.
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BIOLOGY (BIOL)
BIOL 140. (BIOL440) Humans and the Environment. Natural Science & Mathematics Sector. Class of 2010 and beyond. Prerequisite(s): Sophomore standing or greater. Some biology background suggested.
IES Keywords: Environmental focus; science and health
Intensive exposure to current issues and solutions in contemporary human interactions with the environment. Global in scope, but focused on case histories. Emphasis on providing biological and sociological background for a given major environment-human interaction, and state-of-the-art suggested solutions
BIOL 140. (BIOL440) Humans and the Environment. Natural Science & Mathematics Sector. Class of 2010 and beyond. Prerequisite(s): Sophomore standing or greater. Some biology background suggested.
IES Keywords: Environmental focus; science and health
Intensive exposure to current issues and solutions in contemporary human interactions with the environment. Global in scope, but focused on case histories. Emphasis on providing biological and sociological background for a given major environment-human interaction, and state-of-the-art suggested solutions BIOL 325. Marine Biology.
Prerequisite(s): BIOL 102 or 121 or permission of instructor.
IES Keywords: Environmental focus; science and health
An introduction to marine biology and oceanography. Topics will include chemical and physical oceanography, a survey of form, function and phylogeny of algae, invertebrates and vertebrates, and an examination of ecological and evolutionary principles as applied to marine organisms and ecosystems. BIOL 400. Field Botany. Prerequisite(s): BIOL 101 or 124 or permission of instructor.
IES Keywords: Environmental focus; science and health
Students will learn to identify plants in the field using keys and manuals; lab exercises will also include the use of quantitative techniques for measuring plant populations and characterizing plant communities. Students will also learn how to collect and prepare herbarium specimens. Most of the class time will be spent outdoors.
BIOL 414. Advanced Ecology. (K) Petraitis/Casper/Dunham. Prerequisite(s): BIOL 240 and one semester of calculus or permission of instructor.
IES Keywords: Environmental focus; science and health
Theoretical and conceptual background of core issues and questions in population, community, and ecosystem ecology. Topics include physiological ecology, demography, the growth and regulation of natural populations, species interactions, and biogeochemical cycling.
BIOL 415. (ENVS416) Freshwater Ecology. (B) Bott. Prerequisite(s): BIOL 101 or 121 and one semester of college chemistry. IES Keywords: Environmental focus; science and health
Survey of the physical, chemical and biological properties of freshwater ecosystems, both riverine and lentic, natural and polluted. BIOL 423. Plant Ecology. (M) Casper. Prerequisite(s): A year of introductory biology or equivalent.
IES Keywords: Environmental focus; science and health
The course consists of both lecture material and hands on research involving questions in plant population or community ecology. Quantitative information from published studies will be discussed, and students, working in teams, will summarize and analyze data from class experiments BIOL 440. (BIOL140) Advanced Analysis of Humans and the Environment. Natural Science & Mathematics Sector. Class of 2010 and beyond. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor.
Advanced version of BIOL 140: Humans and the Environment. Additional readings and course work as directed.
BIOL 450. Plant Systematics. Prerequisite(s): BIOL 101 or 124 or permission of instructor. Lab fee $150.
IES Keywords: Environmental focus; science and health
Plant Systematics is a study of diversity in the flowering plants emphasizing evolutionary relationships. Learn how DNA sequence data have revolutionized the interpretation of plant evolution by providing direct evidence of phylogenetic relationships. Each class will combine lecture and lab sessions where plant samples will be examined. The course includes a field trip to Bartram's Garden.
BIOL 465. Ecological Techniques in Conservation. Prerequisite(s): Previous field experience and introductory statistics recommended.
IES Keywords: Environmental focus; science and health
Course will be taught at the Smithsonian Institution's Conservation & Research Center adjacent to Shenandoah National Park just outside Front Royal, Virginia in January (preparatory lectures at Penn) and March (field work at CRC). Students must pre-register. Prepayment of transportation and living expenses required. Students should be prepared for strenuous, extended field work under varied weather conditions.
The main focus of this course is to provide an overview of techniques used by conservation biologists and wildlife managers. The emphasis is on field work and most of each day will be spent outside attempting to collect real data on real organisms. The general topics covered will be survey techniques for forest birds, small mammals, white-tailed deer, and vegetation. A brief introduction to Geographic Information Systems and Global Positioning Systems is also included. Each topic will start with an introductory lecture the night before and then field work during the day
535. Ecological Modeling. (K)
Dunham. IES Keywords: Environmental focus; science and health
Survey and development of mathematical theories in ecology, particularly theories of population growth, predation, and competition, as well as other topics of current interest.
BIOL 615. Seminar on Environmental and Evolutionary Biology.
IES keywords: environmental focus; science and health
Selection and presentation of current papers of interest in the areas of environmental and evolutionary biology.
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BUSINESS AND PUBLIC POLICY (BPUB)
BPUB 261. (BPUB761, BPUB961, ESE 567, OPIM261, OPIM761) Risk Analysis and Environmental Management. Prerequisite(s): None, but microeconomics helpful.
IES Keywords: environmental issues incorporated; management, planning and policy; business and economics
This course is designed to introduce students to the complexities of making decisions about threats to human health and the environment when people's perceptions of risks and their decision-making processes differ from expert views. Recognizing the limitations of individuals in processing information, the course explores the role of techniques such as decision analysis, cost-benefit analysis, risk assessment and risk perception in structuring risk-management decisions. We will also examine policy tools such as risk communication, incentive systems, third party inspection, insurance and regulation in different problem contexts. The problem contexts for studying the interactions between analysis, perceptions, and communication will include risk-induced stigmatization of products (e.g. alar, British beef), places (e.g. Love Canal), and technologies (e.g. nuclear power); the siting of noxious facilities, radon, managing catastrophic risks including those from terrorism. A course project will enable students to apply the concepts discussed in the course to a concrete problem.
BPUB 761. (BPUB261, BPUB961, ESE 567, OPIM261, OPIM761) Risk Analysis and Environmental Management. Prerequisite(s): None, but microeconomics helpful.
IES Keywords: environmental issues incorporated; management, planning and policy; business and economics
This course is designed to introduce students to the role of risk assessment, risk perception and risk management in dealing with uncertain health, safety and environmental risks including the threat of terrorism. It explores the role of decision analysis as well as the use of scenarios for dealing with these problems. The course will evaluate the role of policy tools such as risk communication, economic incentives, insurance, regulation and private-public partnerships in developing strategies for managing these risks. A project will enable students to apply the concepts discussed in the course to a concrete problem
BPUB 961. (BPUB261, BPUB761, OPIM261, OPIM761) Risk Analysis and Environmental Management. (M) Kunreuther. Prerequisite(s): None, but microeconomics helpful.
IES Keywords: environmental issues incorporated; management, planning and policy; business and economics
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CHEMICAL ENGINEERING (CHE)
CHE 375. (ESE 360) Engineering and the Environment. (B) Prerequisite(s): Sophomore Standing.
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues, science
The principles of green design, life cycle analysis, industrial ecology, pollution prevention and waste minimization, and sustainable development are introduced to engineers of all disciplines as a means to identify and solve a variety of emerging environmental problems. Case studies are used to assess the problems and devise rational solutions to minimize environmental consequences.
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CHEMICAL AND BIOMOLECULAR ENGINEERING (CBE)
375. (ESE 360) Engineering and the Environment. (B) Prerequisite(s): Sophomore Standing.
The principles of green design, life cylce analysis, industrial ecology, pollution prevention and waste minimization, and sustainable development are introduced to engineers of all disciplines as a means to identify and solve a variety of emerging environmental problems. Case studies are used to assess the problems and devise rational solutions to minimize environmental consequences.
CHEMISTRY (CHEM)
CHEM 012. (COLL003) Environmental Chemistry.
IES keywords: environmental focus: course deals primarily with environmental issues, science
Staff.
The course requires math literacy at the high school algebra level (2 years) and a willingness to learn Excel. Students must also have taken one year of high school chemistry.
The course aims to teach chemical content and principles in the context of significant environmental issues. Topics to be covered include: composition of the atmosphere; protecting the ozone layer; chemistry of global warming; traditional hydrocarbon fuels and energy utilization; water supply, its contaminants, and waste water treatment; acid rain; nuclear energy; and new energy sources. Students will develop critical thinking ability, competence to better assess risks and benefits, and skills that will lead them to be able to make informed decisions about technology-based matters. L/R 012. Environmental Chemistry. (C) Physical World Sector. All classes. The course requires math literacy at the high school algebra level (2 years) and a willingness to learn Excel. Students must also have taken one year of high school chemistry.
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues, science
The course aims to teach chemical content and principles in the context of significant environmental issues. Topics to be covered include: composition of the atmosphere; protecting the ozone layer; chemistry of global warming; traditional hydrocarbon fuels and energy utilization; water supply, its contaminants, and waste water treatment; acid rain; nuclear energy; and new energy sources. Students will develop critical thinking ability, competence to better assess risks and benefits, and skills that will lead them to be able to make informed decisions about technology-based matters.
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CITY AND REGIONAL PLANNING (CPLN)
CPLN 507. Urban Design Methods. (A)
IES keywords: environmental issues incorporated; management, planning and policy
This seminar focuses on professional and research techniques in the practice of urban design. Seminar topics in the first half will examine research methods associated with measuring, analyzing and guiding design in urban contexts, including: environmental behavior & psychology, cognition, mapping, morphology, design regulation and policy. The second half of the course includes professional techniques in: communication, self-representation, design roles, processes, and ethics.
CPLN 530. Introduction to Land Use Planning. (A)
IES keywords: environmental issues incorporated; management, planning and policy
Overview of the methods and tools for managing land use and shaping the built environment. Explores principles of successful plan creation emanating from theory and case studies.
CPLN 531. Introduction to Environmental Planning & Policy. (A)
IES keywords: environmental focus; management, planning and policy
Overview of national programs for protecting the environment, managing natural resource areas, preserving biodiversity, and remediating brownfields, in an overall framework based on sustainability. covers basic principles of geology, hydrology, limnology, and climatology, Oregon's Land Use Transportation Air Quality (LUTRAQ) connection, environmental impact assessment, environmental justices.
L/R 550. (CPLN450) Introduction to Transportation Planning. (A) Prerequisite(s): CPLN 540.
IES keywords: environmental issues incorporated; management, planning and policy
Exploration of the technological and design aspects of urban transportation systems including discussion of land use patterns, facilities operations, congestion, and environmental issues. Highlights current policy debates revolving around mobility issues, federal and state legislation, and metropolitan organization responsibilities.
CPLN 621. (URBS416) Metropolitan Food Systems.
IES keywords: environmental focus; management, planning and policy
This course introduces students to the planning and development of metropolitan food systems. Major topics include regional planning and policy; sustainable agriculture; food access and distribution; and markets. The class includes a mix of lectures, discussion, and field trips; and students will work on real-world projects in Philadelphia. Ultimately, the course aims to develop students' broad knowledge of food systems planning in the global North and South, with an emphasis on community and economic development strategies for sustainable food systems and food security
CPLN 631. (ENVS645) Planning for Land Conservation. (B)
IES keywords: environmental focus; management, planning and policy
An introduction to the tools and methods for preserving private lands. Emphasis is on land preservation in growth management strategies.
CPLN 660. Theory and Principles of Urban Design. (A)
IES keywords: environmental issues incorporated; management, planning and policy
An introduction to the theoretical basis for beliefs and practices in city and environmental design, including the relation of the built environment to the natural environment, the organization of groups of buildings, the use and meaning of public places, and the relation of technology to land use and community.
SM 672. (URBS206, URBS506) Public Environment of Cities. (B) Staff.
CPLN 675. Land Use and Environmental Modeling.
IES keywords: environmental focus; management, planning and policy
CPLN 677. Land Conservation Finance. (A)
IES keywords: environmental issues incorporated; management, planning and policy
This course examines how private, non-profit land trusts and state, federal, and local governments can pay for conservation easements and land acquisition in order to protect valuable resources and manage growth. Topics include: purchase of conservation easements and land, taxes, funding referenda, sale of bonds, borrowing funds from banks, fund raising, foundation grants, installment purchase agreements, like-kind exchanges, bargain sales, and purchase and resale of land. The course will involve several case studies. This course can count toward the Certificate in Land Preservation.
SM 679. (ARCH756) Sustainable Urban Forms. (B)
IES keywords: environmental focus; management, planning and policy
This seminar provides an advanced introduction to policy development and is intended to engage students in policy-making. Policy outcomes often have formal and/or scalar qualities. Yet policy developers often treat these as unintended consequences. And designers typically operate within the constraints created by such consequences. But could design thinking improve policy outcomes? Our test bed for this examination will be the relationship between energy and urban form, which presents a critical policy challenge for young professionals from many fields. The seminar will survey current research and policy options emerging from local, regional, state, and federal governments and discuss their implications for design outcomes at the scale of buildings, neighborhoods, and regions? None of these implications have been fully explored by policy makers at any level of government. This seminar will explore each in turn, allowing students to develop a deep understanding of the policy content on this important issue as well as of the policy process in general. Students will develop projects ranging from an analysis of policy to a presentation of the design implications of existing/proposed/alternative energy policies. The intent is for the seminar to make an active contribution
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COMPARATIVE LITERATURE AND LITERARY THEORY (COML)
COML 776. (LARP770) Topics in Landscape Architecture. (B)
This is a topics course. The topic could be "French Landscape Architecture: Case Studies," "Renaissance Garden Theory," "Picturesque as Modern," or "Lawrence Halprin: Theory, Practice, Context and The Archival Record."
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ECONOMICS (ECON)
ECON 026. Economic Development: Middle East II. (C) Staff. The course can be taken independently of or after ECON 025.
The course begins by studying labor surplus models as a prelude to examining employment, structural change, land tenure and land reform. It then looks at land and agricultural policies in Israel, Egypt, Iran and Turkey. The second part studies the oil sectors, energy markets and impact on the Middle East economies.
EDUCATION (EDUC)
SM 503. (URBS546) Global Citizenship. (B) Hall.
IES Keywords: environmental issues incorporated; history, humanities and social sciences
This course examines the possibilities and limitations of conceiving of and realizing citizenship on a global scale. Readings, guest lecturers, and discussions will focus on dilemmas associated with addressing issues that transcend national boundaries. In particular, the course compares global/local dynamics that emerge across different types of improvement efforts focusing on distinctive institutions and social domains, including: educational development; human rights; humanitarian aid; free trade; micro-finance initiatives; and the global environmental movement. The course has two objectives: to explore research and theoretical work related to global citizenship, social engagement, and international development; and to discuss ethical and practical issues that emerge in the local contexts where development initiatives are implemented.
SM 605. Sustainability in Schools. (B) Prerequisite(s): Admission to School Leadership Program.
IES Keywords: environmental focus; history, humanities and social sciences
This course looks at the issue of sustainability across three dimensions: financial, environmental and programmatic. 1. The issue of financial sustainability focuses on the need of schools to carefully manage funding sources and expenditures and raise supplemental dollars to underwrite aspects of the mission of the school. Included in this focus will be the topics of marketing, communications, and development. 2. Environmental sustainability is increasingly emphasized by schools as an educational goal and an operating principal. This topic will include incorporating sustainability practices into school wide decision making to build campuses which are increasingly green and less wasteful. 3. The third and final focus of the course, programmatic sustainability, brings together many of the themes of the entire leadership program as it reviews the ways schools must think about new models of educating children including the implications of such issues as emerging research on learning, environmental sustainability, globalization, and equity and access. The course utilizes the conceptual framework for sustainability developed by the National Association of Independent Schools.
ELECTRICAL AND SYSTEMS ENGINEERING (ESE)
ESE 360. (CBE 375) Introduction to Environmental Systems. (B)
IES keywords: environmental focus, science and health; engineering, design and systems
The principles of green design, life cycle analysis, industrial ecology, pollution prevention and waste minimization, and sustainable development are introduced to engineers of all disciplines as a means to identify and solve a variety of emerging environmental problems. Case studies are used to assess the problems and devise rational solutions to minimize environmental consequences.
ESE 567. (OPIM261, OPIM761) Risk Analysis and Environmental Management. (C)
IES keywords: environmental issues incorporated; management, planning and policy
This course is designed to introduce students to the complexities of making decisions about threats to human health and the environment when people's perceptions of risks and their decision-making processes differ from expert views. Recognizing the limitations of individuals in processing information the course explores the role of techniques such as decision analysis, cost-benefit analysis, risk assessment and risk perception in structuring risk-management decisions. We will also examine policy tools such as risk communication, incentive systems, third party inspection, insurance and regulation in different problem contexts.
The problem contexts for studying the interactions between analysis, perceptions, and communication will include risk-induced stigmatization of products (e.g. alar, British beef), places (e.g. Love Canal), and technologies (e.g. nuclear power); the siting of noxious facilities, radon, managing catastrophic risks including those from terrorism. A course project will enable students to apply the concepts discussed in the course to a concrete problem.
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ENGINEERING AND APPLIED SCIENCE (EAS)
EAS 301. (EAS 505) Climate Policy and Technology. (C)
IES keywords: environmental focus; engineering, design and systems
The course will exam Pacala and Socolow's hypothesis that "Humanity already possesses the fundamental scientific, technical and industrial know-how t solve the carbon and climate problem for the next half-century." Fifteen "climate stabilization wedges" i.e., strategies that each have the potential to reduce carbon emissions by 1 billion ons per year by 2054, will be examined in detail. Technology and economics will be reviewed. Socio-political barriers to mass-scale implementation will be discussed. Pacala and Socolow note "Every element in this portfoloio has passed beyond the laboratory bench and demonstration project; many are already implemented somewhere at full industrial scale".
EAS 401. (EAS 501) Energy and Its Impacts: Technology, Ecology, Economics, Sustainability. (A)
IES keywords: environmental focus; engineering, design and systems
Any Unversity student interested in energy and its impacts, who is an undergraduate junior or senior. Students taking the course as EAS 501 will be given assignments commensurate with graduate standing.
The objective is to introduce students to one of the most dominating and compelling areas of human existence and endeavor: energy, with its foundations in technology, association to economics, and impacts on ecology and society. This introduction is intended both for general education and awareness and for preparation for careers related to this field. The course spans from basic principles to applications. A review of energy consumption, use, and resources; ecological impacts, sustainability and design of sustainable energy systems; methods of energy analysis; forecasting; electricity generation systems (steam and gas turbine based power plants, fuel cells), energy for transportation (cars, aircraft, and ships); nuclear energy and wastes; renewable energy use: solar, wind, hydroelectric, geothermal, biomass; prospects for future energy systems: fusion power, power generation in space.
EAS 402. (EAS 502) Renewable Energy and It's Impact. (B) Prerequisite(s): Any undergraduate and graduate university student interested in renewable energy and its impacts, preferably at the upper level undergraduate and non-engineering graduate level of maturity.
IES keywords: environmental focus; engineering, design and systems
The objective is to introduce students to the major aspects of renewable energy, with its foundations in technology, association to economics, and impacts on ecology and society. This introduction is intended both for general education and awareness and for preparation for careers related to this field. The course spans from basic principles to applications. A review of solar, wind, biomass, hydroelectric, geothermal energy, and prospects for future energy systems such as renewable power generation in space.
EAS 403. (EAS 503) Energy Systems and Policy. (C)
IES keywords: environmental focus; engineering, design and systems
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, a review of industry organization, and 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. EAS 501. (EAS 401) Energy and its Impacts: Technology, Ecology, Economics, Sustainability. (A) Any university student interested in energy and its impacts, who is a graduate student or who is an undergraduate Junior or Senior seeking graduate course credit. Students taking the course as EAS 501 will be given assignments commensurate with graduate standing.
IES keywords: environmental focus; engineering, design and systems
The objective is to introduce students to one of the most dominating and compelling areas of human existence and endeavor: energy, with its foundations in technology, association to economics, and impacts on ecology and society. This introduction is intended both for general education and awareness and for preparation for careers related to this field. The course spans from basic principles to applications. A review of energy consumption, use, and resources; ecological impacts, sustainability and design of sustainable energy systems; methods of energy analysis; forecasting; electricity generation systems (steam and gas turbine based power plants, fuel cells), energy for transportation (cars, aircraft, and ships); nuclear energy and wastes; renewable energy use: solar, wind, hydroelectric, geothermal, biomass; prospects for future energy systems: fusion power, power generation in space.
EAS 502. (EAS 402) Renewable Energy and It's Impact. (B) Prerequisite(s): Any undergraduate and graduate university student interested in renewable energy and its impacts, preferably at the upper level undergraduate and non-engineering graduate level of maturity.
IES keywords: environmental focus; engineering, design and systems
The objective is to introduce students to the major aspects of renewable energy, with its foundations in technology, association to economics, and impacts on ecology and society. This introduction is intended both for general education and awareness and for preparation for careers related to this field. The course spans from basic principles to applications. A review of solar, wind, biomass, hydroelectric, geothermal energy, and prospects for future energy systems such as renewable power generation in space.
EAS 503. (EAS 403) Energy Systems and Policy. (C)
IES keywords: environmental focus; engineering, design and systems
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, a review of industry organization, and 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.
EAS 505. (EAS 301) Climate Policy and Technology. (C)
IES keywords: environmental focus; engineering, design and systems
The course will exam Pacala and Socolow's hypothesis that "Humanity already possesses the fundamental scientific, technical and industrial know-how to solve the carbon and climate problem for the next half-century." Fifteen "climate stabilization wedges" i.e., strategies that each have the potential to reduce carbon emissions by 1 billion ons per year by 2054, will be examined in detail. Technology and economics will be reviewed. Socio-political barriers to mass-scale implementation will be discussed. Pacala and Socolow note "Every element in this portfolio has passed beyond the laboratory bench and demonstration project; many are already implemented somewhere at full industrial scale".
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ENGLISH (ENGL)
SM 584. (FOLK575, HSSC575) Environmental Imaginaries. (M)
IES keywords: environmental issues incorporated; history humanities and social sciences
Drawing on theories of worldmaking and ethnographic works on culture and environment, this seminar will examine the production of Cartesian-based environmental imaginaries and their alternatives across a range of genres and practices.
ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES (ENVS)
SM 073. (EDUC545, PHIL073) Topics in Ethics. (M)
Topics vary each semester.
SM 095. Risk Communication and the Environment.
IES Keywords: environmental focus; management, planning and policy
Throughout nature it is evident that life is not risk free. Humans are particularly adept at modifying and shaping our environment, but with each advance in science, technology, and medicine comes an element of risk. Toxicants in our environment such as heavy metals, plastics, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, and air pollutants pose an exposure risk and are hot topics of concern, but the magnitude of their threat is often difficult to understand and communicate. How should these risks be translated from the academic laboratory to the public? What filters shape the way that we perceive risks? This seminar will promote an analysis of the risks we face on a daily basis, and the determinants which shape our willingness to accept some risks while rejecting others. Students will be asked to identify real environmental hazards, and to study how those exposures affect the public. A goal of this seminar is to nurture skills in critical appraisal, and spoken and written communication, which will be important in lifelong advocacy pursuits.
SM 098. The Next Millenium: Would Technology Help Us Resolve the Environmental Dilemma?. (C)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues
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 in this conquest. Now, at the beginning of a new millennium, questions and concerns about our actions and perceptions are being raised. Can today's technology and new knowledge about our environment and human nature assure our survival? How can we use the next hundred years to reconstruct and restore our future? These are the fundamental questions that the class will investigate. This course will rely on evidence, the use of hypotheses, theories, and logic as well as students' scientific inquiry and creativity. We will discuss systems, models, simulations, constancy, patterns of change, evolution, and scale.
ENVS 200. Introduction to Environmental Analysis(C) Physical World Sector.
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues
This course will expose students to the principles that underlie our understanding of how the Earth works. The goal of Earth Systems 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 Systems 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 human-generated, will be used as a unifying principle. Knowledge gained through this course will help students make informed decisions in all spheres of human activity: science, policy, economics, etc.
ENVS 295. Maritime Science and Technology: Woods Hole Sea Semester. (C)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues
Prerequisite(s): Laboratory course in physical or biological science or its equivalent; college algebra or its equivalent. This set of courses requires special application procedures. Contact Dr. Dmochowski for information and an application. Only the "SEA semester: Ocean Exploration" and "SEA Semester: Oceans and Climates" can be taken for Penn credit without taking a leave, and all students must have permission from Dr. Dmochowski before registering at SEA.
A rigorous semester-length academic and practical experience leading to an understanding of the oceans. The Sea Semester is composed of two intensive six-week components taken off-campus. The Shore Component is six weeks at Woods Hole, Massachusetts, with formal study in: Oceanography, Maritime Studies, and Nautical Science. This is followed by six weeks aboard a sailing research vessel, during which students conduct oceanographic research projects as part of the courses, Practical Oceanography I and II.
Maritime Studies. A multidisciplinary study of the history, literature, and art of our maritime heritage, and the political and economic problems of contemporary maritime affairs.
Nautical Science. The technologies of operation at sea. Concepts of navigation, naval architecture, ship construction, marine engineering systems, and ship management are taught from their bases in physics, mathematics, and astronomy.
Practical Oceanography I. Taken aboard SSV Westward or SSV Corwith Cramer. Theories and problems raised in the shore component are tested in the practice of oceanography at sea. Students are introduced to the tools and techniques of the practicing oceanographer. During two lectures daily and while standing watch, students learn the operation of basic oceanographic equipment, the methodologies involved in the collection, reduction, and analysis of oceanographic data, and the attendant operations of a sailing oceanographic research vessel. Practical Oceanography II. Taken aboard SSV Westward or SSV Corwith Cramer. Students assume increasing responsibility for conducting oceanographic research and the attendant operations of the vessel. The individual student is responsible directly to the chief scientist and the master of the vessel for the safe and orderly conduct of research activities and related operation of the vessel. Each student completes an individual oceanographic research project designed during the shore component.
ENVS 299. Independent Study. (C) Staff. Prerequisite(s): Permission of department. May be repeated for credit.
Directed study for individuals or small groups under supervision of a faculty member.
ENVS 301. Environmental Case Studies. (C) Prerequisite(s): ENVS 200.
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues
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.
ENVS 399. (GEOL399) Environmental Studies Research Seminar for Juniors. (B) Prerequisite(s): ENVS 200.
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues
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.
ENVS 400. Environmental Studies Seminar. (C) May be repeated for credit.
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues. Application of student and faculty expertise to a specific environmental problem, chosen expressly for the seminar
ENVS 404. (HSOC404) Urban Environments: Speaking About Lead in West Philadelphia. (B) Natural Science & Mathematics Sector. Class of 2010 and beyond. ABCS Course. Requires community service in addition to class time.
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues, science and health
Lead poisoning can cause learning disabilities, impaired hearing, behavioral problems, and at very high levels, seizures, coma and even death. 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 learn about the epidemiology of lead poisoning, the pathways of exposure, and methods for community outreach and education. Penn students 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.
ENVS 405. (HSOC405) Urban Environment II. (A) Prerequisite(s): ENVS 404 or permission of instructor. Requires community service.
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues; science and health
An independent study where Penn undergraduates can explore the health, environmental, and natural resource issues of Philadelphia, with a focus on the specific needs of West Philadelphia. Current public health concerns impacting vulnerable populations such as children, especially lead poisoning and asthma, are 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.
ENVS 406. (HSOC406) Community Based Environmental Health. (A) ABCS Course. Requires community service in addition to class time.
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues, science and health
From the fall of the Roman Empire to Love Canal to the epidemics of asthma, childhood obesity and lead poisoning in West Philadelphia, the impact of the environment on health has been a continuous challenge to society. The environment can affect people's health more strongly than biological factors, medical care and lifestyle. The water we drink, the food we eat, the air we breathe, and the neighborhood we live in are all components of the environment that impact our health. Some estimates, based on morbidity and mortality statistics, indicate that the impact of the environment on health is as high as 80%. These impacts are particularly significant in urban areas like West Philadelphia. Over the last 20 years, the field of environmental health has matured and expanded to become one of the most comprehensive and humanly relevant disciplines in science.
This course will examine not only the toxicity of physical agents, but also the effects on human health of lifestyle, social and economic factors, and the built environment. Topics include cancer clusters, water borne diseases, radon and lung cancer, lead poisoning, environmental tobacco smoke, respiratory diseases and obesity. Students will research the health impacts of classic industrial pollution case studies in the US. Class discussions will also include risk communication, community outreach and education, access to health care and impact on vulnerable populations. Each student will have the opportunity to focus on Public Health, Environmental Protection, Public Policy, and Environmental Education issues as they discuss approaches to mitigating environmental health risks.
This honors seminar will consist of lectures, guest speakers, readings, student presentations, discussions, research, and community service. The students will have two small research assignments including an Environmental and Health Policy Analysis and an Industrial Pollution Case Study Analysis. Both assignments will include class presentations. The major research assignment for the course will be a problem-oriented research paper and presentation on a topic related to community-based environmental health selected by the student. In this paper, the student must also devise practical recommendations for the problem based on their research.
ENVS 407. (HSOC407) Urban Environments: Prevention of Tobacco Smoking in Adolescents. (B) ABCS Course. Requires community service in addition to class time.
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues, science and health
Cigarette smoking is a major public health problem. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Control 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 used some form of tobacco products.
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 lessons to middle school students. The undergraduates will survey and evaluate middle school and Penn student smoking. One of the course goals is to raise awareness of the middle school children to prevent addiction to tobacco smoke during adolescence. Collaboration with the middle schools gives Penn students the opportunity to apply their study of the prevention of tobacco smoking to real world situations.
ENVS 408. (HSOC408) Urban Environments: The Urban Asthma Epedemic. (B) ABCS Course. Requires community service in addition to class time.
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues; science and health
Asthma as a pediatric chronic disease is undergoing a dramatic and unexplained increase. It has become the number one 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 Children’s 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.
ENVS 416. (BIOL415) Freshwater Ecology. (M) Prerequisite(s): BIOL 101 or 121 and one semester of college chemistry.
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues
Survey of the physical, chemical and biological properties of freshwater ecosystems, both riverine and lentic, natural and polluted.
ENVS 450. Techniques in environmental accounting and system analysis. (C) Prerequisite(s): One year of introductory calculus and statistics, working knowledge of spreadsheet software.
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues; engineering, design and systems
This course covers the development and analysis of environmental budgets and input-output models that are commonly used in earth and environmental science. The first part of the semester will concentrate on the physical laws, systems principles, and analytical tools used in developing and evaluating input-output models and environmental budgets. In the remainder of the semester, we will develop and analyze hydrologic, energy and nutrient budgets for a variety of systems.
ENVS 452. Disturbances and Disasters. (A)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues
This course covers the earthand environmental science of natural disturbances and disasters. Floods, tsunamis, snow and ice storms, hurricanes, earthquakes, fires, droughts, and meteor impacts will be discussed and covered with case studies and readings. The distribution and frequency, geologic and ecosystem level impacts, and risk management of each disturbance will be discussed.
ENVS 463. (ENVS643, URBS463, URBS663) Brownfield Remediation. (M)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues
This course gives 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.
ENVS 499. Senior Thesis. (F) Prerequisite(s): ENVS 400-level course (may be taken concurrently). The Environmental Studies major requires 2 semesters of ENVS 499.
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues
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.
ENVS 501. (MUSA501) GIS, ArcGIS & NeoGeography. (L)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues; engineering design or systems
This distance learning course introduces students to the fundamental techniques for using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to analyze neighborhood markets. GIS is a computer-based data processing tool used to manage, visualize and analyze spatial information. Using Arc GIS 9.2, this course provides a hands-on experience to create maps, integrate demographic and economic data to conduct analysis within students' field of interest, including geography, history, archaeology, engineering, real estate, sociology, architecture, and political science/ policy studies. Students will also be introduced to advanced geospatial analysis tools and integrated online mapping environments using NeoGeography. The class will enable students to learn how to address research questions and problems specific to their fields through GIS; the focus throughout will be on professional and research applications of this technology. Students will have virtual lectures and GIS lab support throughout online meetings at least two times per week. One-on-One and small group work sessions will be scheduled as needed. Prior experience with GIS is not required. This is a PC-based progam, only.
ENVS 502. Environmental Chemistry. (M)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues
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.
ENVS 504. Biogeochemical Cycles. (L)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues
The presence of life on Earth has had a profound effect on the chemistry of the planet. This course examines the major elemental cycles of the globe, studying how these cycles link the atmosphere, oceans, and land. We will analyze how life influences these cycles, particularly how human activity affects them. We will study nutrient cycles in soil, wetlands, lakes, rivers, estuaries, the sea and the atmosphere, integrating these interactions to global-scale processes. One semester of chemistry recommended as background.
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues
ENVS 505. Delaware River Research Seminar. (M) Prerequisite(s): ENVS627 is recommended.
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues
The Delaware River extends through 5 states and is the longest un-dammed river east of the Mississippi. As a result, the river and the surrounding watershed are confronted with serious and complex environmental issues. This is a seminar course aimed at providing students who are broadly interested in environmental issues in the Delaware River Basin, such as soil and water pollution, land-use, sustainability, and policy, with the opportunity to pursue individual projects in their field of interest. Through discussions and meetings with the instructor(s), students will identify relevant topics, develop project ideas, and critically analyze issues using literature and available data. Interested students should be self-motivated, organized, and have the ability to work independently.
ENVS 507. Wetlands. (M)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues
The course focuses on the natural history of different wetland types including climate, geology, and, hydrology factors that influence wetland development Associated soil, vegetation, and wildlife characteristics and key ecological processes will be covered as well. Lectures will be supplemented with weekend 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.
ENVS 530. Rocky Mountain Field Geology and Ecology. (L) Field work is done in and around Red Lodge, Montana. An additional fee for Room and Board applies. Permission of the Instructor is required for non-MES students.
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues
This is a two-week intensive field course in the geology, natural history, and ecology of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, which comprises a range of environments from the mile-high semi-deserts of intermontane basins to the alpine tundra of the Beartooth Plateau above 12,000 feet. The program is based at the Yellowstone-Bighorn Research Association (YBRA) field station on the northeast flank of the Beartooth Mountains near Red Lodge, Montana. The course includes day trips from the field station as well as overnight visits to sites within Yellowstone National Park. 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.
ENVS 533. Research Methods in Environmental Studies. (M)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues
This course is designed to prepare Master of Environmental Studies students to undertake their Capstone exercises. In this course, we 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.
ENVS 541. Modeling Geographical Objects. (M)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; engineering, systems and design
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.
ENVS 575. (ENGL584, FOLK575, HSSC575) Environmental Imaginaries. (M)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; history, humanities and social science
Behind struggles over resource use and patterns of development are collective fictions that relate people to their material surroundings. "Environmental imaginaries" refers to the contending discourses that arrange society around processes of development and change. What are the Cartesian fictions that enable the chronic separation of culture from environment? How are these fictions produced, enacted, and materialized in such diverse sites as Appalachian strip mines, Sea World, nature talks, and permit hearings? How might alternative ways of knowing and being be conjured through naming practices, narratives, and other speech genres, as well as yardscapes, protest rallies and other forms of public display? Drawing on theories of worldmaking and ethnographic works on culture and environment, this seminar examines the production of Cartesian-based environmental imaginaries and their alternatives across a range of such genres and practices.
ENVS 580. Ecology of Health. (A)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues, health and science
Movements of people and populations in various historic periods have led to the introduction of diseases new to a population. The colonial period, for example, witnessed the introduction of smallpox to the Americas by European colonizers, resulting in the decimation of indigenous populations. Accompanying changes in agricultural practices, ecological destruction, and changes introduced by war, development, and trade often led to altered habitat, diet, and disease patterns that threatened both colonizers and the colonized. Today, rapid and easy movement of individuals and goods around the globe, as well as new technologies, continued status inequality between rich and poor nations, and sociopolitical conflicts, have created a condition of new, emergent, and reemerging diseases. In addition, the ability of microbes to alter in response to changed environments make identification and control of disease-causing agents a challenge to medical science.
This course will focus on the social, political, and economic sources and ramifications of world-wide disease patterns. Infectious diseases such as malaria, dengue fever, tuberculosis, and AIDS will be examined. Ecological changes and new technologies, often alter food resources, productive activities, and the environment resulting in new disease patterns; one example is arsenic poisoning in Bangladesh brought about by deeply bored wells. The activities of national and international organizations to cope with disease outbreaks, to formulate strategies for disease surveillance and notification, and to create solutions are important to understanding the state of global health. Selected case studies will be used, placing them within a framework of sociological analysis of health and disease, medical research, poverty and disease, as well as national and international organizational and policy responses.
ENVS 601. Proseminar: Contemporary Issues in Environmental Studies. (M)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues
A detailed, comprehensive investigation of selected environmental problems. This is the first course taken by students entering the Master of Environmental Studies Program.
ENVS 604. (ENVS414) Conservation and Land Management. (M)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues
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 land trust properties in accordance with goals set for their use or protection. Sustainable land uses such as community supported agriculture, ecovillages, and permaculture design will be covered. Emphasis will be placed on developing skills in "Reading the Landscape" to determine conservation and restoration priorities. Students will produce a site assessment report on sites that they visit.
ENVS 610. Regional Field Ecology. (L) Some Saturday field trips required.
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues
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, visiting 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.
ENVS 611. Environmental Law. (B)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues
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.
ENVS 612. (ENVS412) Economics and the Environment. (M)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues; management, planning and policy
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 skeptics are welcome.
ENVS 613. (ENVS413) Business and the Natural Environment. (B)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues, management, planning and policy
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.
ENVS 615. Professional Case Studies in Environmental Analysis and Management. (M)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues; management, planning and policy
This course is designed for students nearing the end of their MES program. It will provide students with hands-on experience working with local environmental professionals on projects in the Delaware Valley region. Each student will select a project made available by a local public or private agency. Among the tasks that students will perform are data collection and analysis, project planning, and documentation. Each student will prepare a detailed report under the direction of the agency representative that can be the basis for a Capstone project. Those interested in continuing on to the Capstone phase will use the report as the basis for a publishable document to be prepared in conjunction with the participating agency.
ENVS 617. Innovative Environmental Management Strategies. (M)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues; management, planning and policy
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.
ENVS 621. Public Voices, Private Rights: Perspectives on American Environmentalism. (A)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues, history, humanities and social science
This course will address various aspects of American environmentalism. We will look at structural issues such as the foundations of environmental protection in common law, the constitutional limits on environmental protection, and the creation of bureaucratic environmental policy making. We will also look at philosophical issues such as American Conservationism and Preservationism, the anti-environmental backlash, and environmental justice. Finally, we will discuss scientific and legal issues such as the economics of risk, the question of who can speak for Nature, and voluntary actions/command and control.
SM 623. Crossing Borders: Policy, Regulatory and Management Issues in Transboundary Environmental Protection. (B)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues, management, planning and policy
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).
ENVS 625. Overview of Environmental Justice: Issues, Actions and Visions for the Future. (B)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues
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, discuss these case studies, and make recommendations for appropriate action.
ENVS 627. The Delaware River: An Environmental Case Study. (B)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues,
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 and 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. They will identify the key drivers in determining environmental quality, recommend improvements to the system, and propose a vision for the future.
ENVS 629. Global Environmental Politics. (A)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues, management, planning and policy.
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 sustainability.
ENVS 631. (ENVS431) Current EPA Regulatory Practices and Future Directions. (A)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues, management, planning and policy.
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.
ENVS 632. Energy and the Environment in the U.S. (M)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues
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.
ENVS 633. Community Involvement in Environmental Analysis and Management. (A)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues, management, planning and policy.
This course will investigate the various community involvement and communication tools, venues, and practices used during the analysis and management of decisions affecting the environment. Students will be exposed to real-life situations through expert guest lecturers, case studies, and hands on projects. The course will investigate communication practices for project specific issues relative to the National Environmental Policy Act ( NEPA), Superfund, and other local, state, and federal vehicles. Students can expect to learn, experience, and apply communication tools to ongoing proposals for major highway, impoundment, and other infrastructure proposals as well as for environmental clean up initiatives launched under various authorities. Students will also examine and contribute to citizen advisory and stakeholder forums for major watershed and estuary programs. Specific communication challenges to achieve environmental justice and the conveyance of technical information will be explored.
SM 635. Major Global Environmental Problems of Today and how we must deal with them tomorrow. (B)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues, management, planning and policy.
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.
ENVS 637. (ENVS437) Global Water Issues. (A)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues, management, planning and policy.
Water- related illnesses are estimated by some to kill up to 5000 people per day worldwide and many of these casualties are children. This course will explore the causes of this global crisis and what is being done to address the issue. It will provide an overview of international agreements, wastewater and water supply issues, technological advances, political/financial/cultural and other barriers to success, and what students can do to become involved in resolving the issues. Guest lecturers and case studies will provide insights to problems in problem areas around the world. Students will be asked to evaluate specific problems and suggest improved approaches to improving access to clean water.
SM 638. Global Water Policy and Governance. (A)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues, management, planning and policy.
At the turn of the 21st century the United Nations established a series of goals to assist developing countries. These Millennium Development Goals [MDG] include targets for water and sanitation: " by the year 2015 to reduce by one half the percent of the world's population that does not have access to safe water and adequate sanitation". This course explores the policies and actions being taken by the world community, the United States, and NGOs to meet these targets. It will also address water governance issues such as financing, community leadership, and capacity building for water/sanitation in developing countries. Two mandatory full-day field trips are included [one to the United Nations in New York City; another to US Government leaders in Washington, DC].
ENVS 641. Water in Environmental Planning. (M)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues, management, planning and policy.
This course will present a combination of technical and non-technical material. Its purpose is to introduce the people who are not engineers or scientists to the practices that engineers and scientists use to study water and watersheds. It will present the following concepts: Hydrology, Water Treatment, and Waste Water.
SM 643. (ENVS463, URBS463, URBS663) Brownfield Remediation. (M)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues 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.
The students will collaborate with high school students at the West Philadelphia High School to identify sites in their neighborhoods and to learn how to determine the sites ownership and land use history. The students will study ways of determining environmental risk and the various options that are available for remediation in light of community ideas about re-use. Students will be expected to participate actively in the seminar and the sessions with high school students. Students in the course are required to prepare and present a term paper on a topic in the general area of "Brownfield" analysis and remediation.
ENVS 645. (CPLN631) Planning for Land Preservation. (B)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues
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.
ENVS 646. A Primer on Stream and River Ecology. (M)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues
This class explores streams and rivers from the perspectives of both the natural and social sciences. Students will get a solid grounding in the hydrology, geology, physics, chemistry, and biology of streams and rivers, and they will learn how all these fit together in a watersheds ecosystem. They will also examine the impacts that human development has had on such ecosystems over time -- how rivers have become polluted, what mechanisms they have to fight pollution, and what we need to do to protect, maintain and restore them now and in the future.
In addition to considering such questions within a theoretical framework, the class will look at issues in the real world. Students will set up an actual monitoring system, in which they will process samples taken from above and below a sewage treatment plant in a local stream, and then analyze and interpret the sample data. They will also learn about ongoing research projects in the watersheds that supply New York City its drinking water and in the streams and rivers of developing nations. In both cases, they will not only study the science but also the politics of streams, rivers, and the water that they convey.
ENVS 652. God, Gold & Green: Themes and Classics in American Environmental Thought. (C)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues
Through an exploration of enduring themes and classics, this course traces environmental thought in America from the first European settlements to the present. We begin by considering the preconceptions that Europeans brought to the New World and the realities they found when they arrived. We look at the issues raised by the unprecedented industrial and urban expansion of the 19th century and the accompanying westward migration that filled the continent. We examine how the conflict between economic growth and environmental limits created competing models of prosperity, equality and justice. And finally, we look at ways to transcend those divides and build a sustainable and equitable future. The primary vehicles for understanding the evolution of environmental thinking across several centuries are some of the classic texts of environmental thought - from The Book of Genesis to Henry Thoreau's Walden to Rachel Carson's Silent Spring to Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth. The course seeks to provide a theoretical and historical framework that will help students understand current issues and address real problems.
SM 656. Environmental Sociology. (B)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues
The context in which debates take place and decisions and laws about the environment are made, leads to a focus on the community, defined here as workers and residents. Members of urban and rural communities, situated near polluting factories, hazardous sites or landfills, are affected by these contaminants. Using a sociological framework, this course will study the community and its relationship to environmental issues. Community members often first identify local hazards; they form organizations, map polluted sites, and enumerate residents with diseases that may originate from contaminants. Sociologists identify these grassroots initiatives as community epidemiology. Social justice concepts highlight the intersection of race, poverty, and environmental hazards. Major social institutions corporations, government agencies, health care providers have played a role in covering over occupational and environmental hazards. Worker and community action has forced these institutions to take a role in identification and remediation of hazardous sites, and of continuous monitoring of neighborhoods and residents. In terms of health effects, among citizens, experts, and major institutions, and debates about both the local and global consequences of environmental hazards, will be among the topics covered.
The emergence of institutional structures at the local, state, national, and international levels, to deal with environmental protection, identification and testing of hazards, and establishing limits for exposure, will be examined. The course will include readings on significant contemporary and historical occupational and environmental events in the United States. In addition, selected, international case studies of occupational and environmental issues will be undertaken.
SM 658. Violence and the Environment. (B)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues
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.
ENVS 662. Green Design and the City. (B)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues
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.
Urban design and transportation will be examined within this context, including how to create pedestrian friendly spaces. Infill construction and the adaptive use of existing buildings will be discussed, as well as the reuse of brownfield sites. We will also look at what types of construction actually constitute green buildings.
We will take advantage of our local resources within Philadelphia, and include visits to nearby sites, along with talks by local experts. There will be a series of short projects given throughout the term. They will usually include both a written component and a presentation to the class. The energetic execution of these projects, their presentations and the subsequent discussions, will be a key part of this seminar.
SM 664. Sustainable Design. (C)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues
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.
ENVS 668. Selected Topics in Environmental Health. (C)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues
From the fall of the Roman Empire to Love Canal to today's epidemics of asthma and childhood obesity, the impact of the environment on health has been a continuous challenge to society. This course will examine how environmental factors have contributed to chronic disorders and diseases. Selected topics will include cancer clusters, COPD, radon and lung cancer, lead poisoning, environmental tobacco smoke and the aforementioned obesity and asthma, epidemics. Students will be contrasting priority environmental health issues internationally with those in their local communities. Class discussions will also focus on risk communication, community outreach and education, access to health care and vulnerable populations. Students will be asked to research one environmental health topic in detail, to present their findings to the class, and to propose recommendations for future action.
ENVS 674. Assessment and Remediation of the Environment Using Biological Organisms. (M)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues
This course is an introduction to current and emerging 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.
ENVS 678. Advanced Biogeochemistry. (B)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues
A soils course would be helpful, but not required.
The course will cover nature of the field of biogeochemistry and its application. Topics include, elemental cycling at various scales, from global to watershed level, the interaction between geology and biology in controlling how these relationships have changed over the Earth's history and man's influence on these cycles.
The course will include an examination of the CENTURY computer model, a popular model for examining nutrient cycling in terrestrial ecosystems. Students will submit a term paper on a related subject, such as comparing the functioning of two watersheds or summarizing current understanding of a particular cycle, etc.
ENVS 680. Advanced Environmental Chemistry. (M)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues
This course will examine the environmental contamination of water, air, and soil. Students will continue the evaluation of composition, structure and properties of pollutants, their means of detection and methods of purification and remediation. Successful completion of ENVS 502 or a thorough knowledge of general and organic chemistry is recommended.
ENVS 681. Modeling Geographical Space. (M)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues
This course explores the nature and use of digital geographic information systems (GIS) for the analysis and synthesis of spatial patterns and processes through 'cartographic modeling'. Cartographic modeling is a general but well defined methodology that can be used to address a wide variety of analytical mapping applications in a clear and consistent manner. It does so by decomposing both data and data-processing tasks into elemental components that can then be recomposed with relative ease and with great flexibility.
SM 699. (GEOL699) Masters of Environmental Studies Capstone Seminar. (C) Permission of instructor required. EAS 999. Independent Study. (C) Staff. Permission of instructor required.
Directed study for individuals or small groups under supervision of a faculty member.
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FOLKLORE
SM 575. (ENGL584, ENVS575, HSSC575) Environmental Imaginaries. (M) IES Keywords: environmental issues incorporated; history, humanities and social sciences
"Environmental imaginaries" names the contending discourses that order society around processes of development and change. Behind public controversies over development, its subject, objects, and technologies, are an array of collectively wrought fictions that relate people to their material surroundings. We will be especially attentive to solipsistic cartesian fictions that enable the persistent separation of culture from environment. How are these fictions produced, enacted, and materialized in such diverse sites as Appalachian strip mines and Sea World, nature walks and permit hearing?
What kind of environmental imaginary sustains the notion that "wisdon sits in places"? How are alternative ways of knowing and being cojured through naming practices, narratives, and other speech genres, as well as yardscapes, protest rallies and other forms of public display? We will traverse the border between humanities and social sciences. How is Bakhtin's law of placement essential for urban planners? Why is Bateson's notion of the thinking system vial for environmental writers? Moving from theories of world making, multiple realities, and aesthetic ecologies through ethnographic literature on culture and environment, and into your own experience,
obsevation, and written reflections, this seminar will explore the production of environmental imaginaries acress a range of modern genres and practices. At stake is nothing less than place, identity, and the nature of human being.
GEOLOGY (GEOL)
L/R 003. (PHYS003) Evolution of the Physical World
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues
The big bang, origin of elements, stars, Earth, continents and mountains.
SM 096. Field Approaches to Understanding the Earth & Environmental Science. (A). IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues
Corequisite(s): GEOL 100 or GEOL 109 highly recommended. This is a field based course. Weekend fieldtrips are required.
Understanding landscapes and the relationships between the natural world and society is fundamental to the natural sciences, architecture, medicine and public health, real estate and finance, urban studies and a range of other disciplines. The primary goal of this course is to expose students to the science of reading landscapes and disciplines that are founded in observation and hypothesis testing in the field. In addition, the course will orient incoming students to the physical environment in which they will be living while they are at Penn.
The course will be centered around lectures and discussions that are based on ten or more field trips that will take place on weekends and afternoons throughout the semester. The trips will be led by faculty members and will cover topics of plate tectonics, bedrock and surficial geology, geomorphology, hydrology, environmental geology, pollution and field ecology.
L/R 100. Introduction to Geology. (A)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues
All classes. Field trips required.
An introduction to processes and forces that form the surface and the interior of the Earth. Topics include, changes in climate, the history of life, as well as earth resources and their uses.
GEOL 103. Natural Disturbances and Human Disasters. (B)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues
Natural disturbances play a fundamental role in sculpturing landscapes and structuring natural and human-based ecosystems. This course explores the natural and social science of disturbances by analyzing their geologic causes, their ecological and social consequences, and the role of human behavior in disaster reduction and mitigation. Volcanoes, earthquakes, floods, droughts, fires, and extraterrestrial impacts are analyzed and compared.
L/L 109. Introduction to Geotechnical Science. (A)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues
Open to architectural and engineering majors as well as Ben Franklin Scholars. Field trips. Relations of rocks, rock structures, soils, ground water, and geologic agents to architectural, engineering, and land-use problems.
GEOL 111. Geology Laboratory. (C)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues
Prerequisite(s): GEOL 001 or 100, preferably taken concurrently. Field trips required.
Hands-on study of earth materials and processes. Identification and interpretation of rocks, minerals and fossils. Topographic and geologic maps. Evolution of landscapes. Field trips lead to a synthesis of the geologic history of southeastern Pennsylvania.
L/R 125. Earth and Life Through Time. (C)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues
Origin of Earth, continents, and life. Continental movements, changing climates, and evolving life.
L/R 130. Oceanography. (B)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues
The oceans cover over 2/3 of the Earth's surface. This course introduces basic oceanographic concepts such as plate tectonics, marine sediments, physical and chemical properties of seawater, ocean circulation, air-sea interactions, waves, tides, nutrient cycles in the ocean, biology of the oceans, and environmental issues related to the marine environment.
L/L 201. (GEOL521, GEOL531) Mineralogy. (A) Prerequisite(s): GEOL 100 and CHEM 001 or 101.
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues
Crystallography, representative minerals, their chemical and physical properties. Use of petrographic microscope in identifying common rock-forming minerals in thin section.
L/L 205. (GEOL406) Paleontology. (B)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues
Prerequisite(s): GEOL 100 or permission of instructor. Two field trips required.
Geologic history of invertebrates and their inferred life habits, paleoecology, and evolution. Introduction to paleobotany and vertebrate paleontology.
L/L 206. (GEOL506) Stratigraphy. (A)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues
Prerequisite(s): GEOL 100 or permission of instructor. Two field trips, field project.
Introductory sedimentary concepts, stratigraphic principles, depositional environments, and interpretation of the rock record in a paleoecological setting.
L/L 208. (GEOL630) Structural Geology. (B)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues
Prerequisite(s): GEOL 100 and 111; PHYS 150 strongly recommended. Three field trips required.
Introduction to deformation as a fundamental geologic process. Stress and strain; rock mechanics. Definition, measurement, geometrical and statistical analysis, and interpretation of structural features. Structural problems in the field. Maps, cross-sections, and three-dimensional visualization; regional structural geology.
GEOL 299. Independent Study. (C) Staff. Prerequisite(s): Permission of department. May be repeated for credit.
Directed study for individuals or small groups under close supervision of a faculty member.
GEOL 305. (GEOL545) Earth Surface Processes. (B)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues
Prerequisite(s): ENVS 200, GEOL 100, or permission of the instructor. This course includes two required weekend field trips, and a hands-on laboratory.
Patterns on the Earth's surface arise due to the transport of sediment by water and wind, with energy that is supplied by climate and tectonic deformation of the solid Earth. This course presents a treatment of the processes of erosion and deposition that shape landscapes. Emphasis will be placed on using simple physical principles as a tool for (a) understanding landscape patterns including drainage networks, river channels and deltas, desert dunes, and submarine channels, (b) reconstructing past environmental conditions using the sedimentary record, and (c) the management of rivers and landscapes under present and future climate scenarios. The course will conclude with a critical assessment of landscape evolution on other planets, including Mars.
L/L 317. Petrology and Petrography. (B)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues
Prerequisite(s): GEOL 201. Two field trips.
Occurrences and origins of igneous and metamorphic rocks; phase equilibria in heterogeneous systems. Laboratory study of rocks and thin sections as a tool in interpretation of petrogenesis.
SM 390. Geology Field Work. (C) 4-8 weeks, usually during the summer.
GEOL 401. Environmental Geology. (M)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues
The purpose of this course is to better understand the interactions of humans and the environment through an examination of geologic processes and features as they influence, and are influenced, by human activities. the ultimate goal of such study is to make better land use decisions. Following a review of some basic geologic concepts, we will study hazardous geologic processes including; volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, river flooding, coastal flooding and erosion, landslides, and subsidence. Next, we will discuss environmental impacts associated with the use of fossil fuels, water, and soils. The course will conclude with student presentations of selected topics in environmental geology.
SM 405. Paleoecology. (M) Prerequisite(s): GEOL 205 or permission of instructor.
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues
Relationship of fossil assemblages to life assemblages; structure of ancient communities, and interaction of organisms with each other and with the physical environment; evolution of communities.
L/L 415. Paleobotany. (M)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues
Prerequisite(s): Basic course in Geology or Biology or permission of instructor. Two field trips.
Fossil record and evolution of plants. Methods and application of paleobotanical research.
L/L 417. Advanced Petrology. (A)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues
Prerequisite(s): GEOL 317.
Chemistry, physics, phase equilibria, microscope study in igneous and metamorphic petrology.
GEOL 418. Geochemistry. (M)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues
Prerequisite(s): GEOL 201. May be taken concurrently.
This course provides a comprehensive introduction to theory and applications of chemistry in the earth and environmental sciences. Theory covered will include nucleosynthesis, atomic structure, acid-base equilibrium, thermodynamics, oxidation-reduction reactions. Applications will emphasize oceanography, atmospheric sciences and environmental chemistry, as well as other topics depending on the interests of the class. Although we will review the basics, this course is intended to supplement, rather than to replace, courses offered in the department of Chemistry. It is appropriate for advanced undergraduate as well as graduate students in Geology, Environmental Science, Chemistry and other sciences, who wish to have a better understanding of these important chemical processes
GEOL 420. Introduction to Geophysics. (M)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues
Prerequisite(s): GEOL 100 or 109, two semesters Math and Physics, and/or instructor's permission.
This course will cover the application of geophysical investigation techniques to problems of the earth's plantary structure, local subsurface structure and mineral prospecting. The topics will include principles of geophysical measurements and interpretation with emphasis on gravity measurement, isostasy, geomagnitism, sesmic refraction and reflection, electrical prospecting, electromagnetics and groung radar.
L/L 421. Elemental Cycling in Global Systems. (B)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues
Prerequisite(s): ENVS 200, GEOL 100, or permission of the instructor.
Humans have an enormous impact on the global movement of chemical materials. Biogeochemistry has grown to be the principal scientific discipline to examine the flow of elements through the global earth systems and to examine human impacts on the global environment. This course will introduce and investigate processes and factor controlling the biogeochemical cycles of elements with and between the hydrosphere, lithosphere, atmosphere and biosphere. Students will apply principles learned in lectures by building simple computer-based biogeochemical models.
GEOL 428. Introduction to Isotope Geochemistry. (A)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues
This course is for advanced undergraduate students interested in learning about or pursuing applications of isotope geochemistry, with an emphasis on biological and climatic processes (e.g. plant physiology, soils, nutrient cycling, and atmospheric chemistry).
GEOL 477. Introduction to Vertebrate Paleontology. (M)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues
Prerequisite(s): GEOL 100, BIOL101, GEOL205 or similar course. Permission needed by department to verify prerequisites.
GEOL 499. Senior Thesis. (F)
Students write a thesis on a geologic topic. Students work with an advisor in their discipline.
GEOL 501. Pleistocene Geology. (M) Prerequisite(s): GEOL 100 or equivalent.
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues
Origin, extent in space and time, and effect on geologic processes of Late Cenozoic climatic change; Pleistocene stratigraphy in different parts of the world.
L/L 502. Data Analysis and Computer Modeling in Geology. (M) Prerequisite(s): GEOL 100 or 109 and the instructor's permission.
Data analysis from simple parametric statistics to multivariate statistics, including cluster and factor analysis. Additional topics include: Bootstrapping, Markov chains, runs tests, spectral analysis, and other general techniques to analyze data sequences and time-series. Map studies include: analysis of distributions of points and lines, directional data, spherical distributions, shape and trends surfaces.
GEOL 503. Earth Systems and Earth Hazards. (B)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues
Prerequisite(s): Geology 100 (introductory physical geology,) or permission of the instructor. The course is intended for Masters' students in Environmental Studies and Applied Geology, as well as upperclass geology majors.
This course will examine the hazards that arise from living on an active planet from a large-scale systems standpoint. We will briefly survey the Earth's major systems, emphasizing energy generation, storage, and flow within the Earth, and then proceed to an examination of the hazards that result. This will include earthquakes and tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, river and coastal flooding, and hurricanes, tornadoes, and other major storms. We will touch briefly on global warming and other current topics.
GEOL 511. Geology of Soils. (A)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues
Prerequisite(s): GEOL 100 or equivalent. Field trips.
Nature, properties, genesis, and classification of soils; soils of the United States.
GEOL 515. Evolution/Revolution of Land Ecosystems. (M) IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues
Permission of instructor needed.
Origin and diversification of land ecosystems. Interaction between plants and animals. Effects of past climatic change and other external factors. The importance of past changes in land ecosystems to our understanding of current global change.
GEOL 517. Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology. (M)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues
L/L 521. (GEOL201, GEOL531) Mineralogy of Rock Preservation.(A)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues
Graduate School of Fine Arts students only.
Advanced crystallography, representative minerals, their chemical and physical properties, with emphasis on building stone preservation. Use of petrographic microscope in identifying common rock-forming minerals in thin section.
GEOL 525. Plant Paleoecology. (M)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues
Deciphering the ecology of fossil plants, ecosystems, and landscapes through quantitative and qualitative methods.
GEOL 528. Aqueous Geochemistry. (M)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues
Prerequisite(s): GEOL 100 and 511 and permission of instructor.
Chemical composition and interactions of soils and soil water with applications to current problems.
GEOL 530. Hydrogeology. (B)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues
Flow of water (and associated contaminants) in natural porous media.
L/L 531. (GEOL201, GEOL521) Advanced Mineralogy. (A)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues
Advanced crystallography, representative minerals, their chemical and physical properties. Use of petrographic microscope in identifying common rock-forming minerals in thin section.
GEOL 540. Geotectonics. (M)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues Prerequisite(s): GEOL 205, 206, 208, 317 and 420, or permission of instructor. Field trip.
Bulk structure of the Earth. Plate tectonics and plate boundaries. Plumes, rifting, and intraplate tectonics. Geotectonics and seismicity.
SM 546. Basin Analysis. (M)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues Undergrads need permission of instructor.
An in-depth study of selected depositional basins using petrologic, stratigraphic, sedimentologic, and seismic techniques. Aspects of the depositional processes and basin architecture will be considered in light of the tectonic regime associated with basin formation.
SM 555. Problems in the Early Evolution of Vertebrates. (M)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues
Prerequisite(s): GEOL 100, GEOL 205. Short paper based on fossil vertebrate materials.
An analysis of key problems in the paleontology and evolutionary biology of early vertebrates, including: origins of chordates, origins of bone and other hard tissues, organization of the vertebrate head, origins of the major vertebrate classes, environmental contexts of key vertebrate transitions, diversifications of Paleozoic fishes, origin and diversifications of tetrapods, extinctions.
GEOL 599. Independent Study. (C)
Directed study for individuals or small groups under supervision of a faculty member.
GEOL 602. Geotechnics: Introduction to Geotechnical Engineering. (B)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues; engineering design and systems
Prerequisite(s): Permission of Instructor.
The course begins with a study of the Earth's composition, the formation of soil materials by the weathering process (Physical and Chemical), and a discussion of soil mineralogy, with particular emphasis on the clay minerals. Following this introduction, soil classification systems and physical properties of soils will be presented, as well as the State of Stress in a Soil Mass together with Seepage Theory and Groundwater Flow. The technical portion of the course will conclude with the development of Consolidation Theory and Analyses, Shear Strength Theory, Lateral Earth Pressure Theory and Application, and Slope Stability Analysis.
The course will conclude with the presentation of two Case History Sessions, presenting applications of Geotechnical Engineering Practice and the influence of the Geologic setting.
GEOL 604. Geostatistical Analysis. (A)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues
Prerequisite(s): STAT 101 or equivalent statistics course; BIOL 556 suggested or other Inferential Statistics courses, covering uni- and multi-variate techniques.
Univariate and multivariate approaches to the analysis of spatial correlation and variability. Many disciplines, including geology, ecology and the environmental sciences regularly need to analyze and make predictions from data that is spatially autocorrelated. Mine reserve estimation, pollutant dispersal and the use of randomization tests in ecology are examples of where spatial statistics may be applied
SM 606. Topics in Sedimentary Petrology and Stratigraphy. (M)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues
Prerequisite(s): GEOL 205, 206, 706 or permission of instructor.
Analysis of selected paleoenvironmental, stratigraphic, and sedimentological problems in the field and laboratory.
ADVANCED STRATIGRAPHY: In-depth study of sedimentology, stratigraphic principles, and paleoecological interpretation based on the rock record.
SEDIMENTARY PETROLOGY: Interpretation of rocks using microscopic techniques. Students will make thin-sections of various sedimentary rock types collected from regional depositional basins (Geol 706). Diagenetic, syn- and post-depositional processes will be investigated.
SM 611. Field Study of Soils. (B)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues Prerequisite(s): GEOL 511 or permission of instructor. All day field trips.
Processes of soil development in a variety of temperate environments. Effects of lithology and climate on soil properties.
GEOL 613. (LARP513) Hydrology. (M)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues
Emphasis on basic concepts and principles of hydrology. Framework will be the concept of the continuous natural movement of water in the hydrological cycle.
SM 615. Advanced Vertebrate Paleontology Seminar. (C)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues May be repeated for credit.
Topics in vertebrate paleontology and paleoecology.
GEOL 616. Geology of the Carboniferous Period. (M)
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues
Paleogeography, biogeography, stratigraphy, paleoclimatology, flora, and fauna of the Carboniferous Period.
SM 617. Topics in Sedimentology. (M) Prerequisite(s): GEOL 206 or permission of instructor.
IES Keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues CLIMATE CHANGES THRU TIME: Issues of anthropologenically-induced climate changes are hotly debated. However, it is not possible to make meaningful predictions of future climates without understanding the forces that have controlled past climates. This course will review the geologic evidence for past climate changes and discuss processes that affect global climate changes. It will involve analysis and modeling of various sedimentary environments, systems, and processes.
ANCIENT TERRESTRIAL ENVIRONMENTS: Multi-disciplinary approaches and techniques that enable the extraction of comprehensive information (weathering, deposition, diagenisis, tectonics) from ancient continental deposits. The goal is the reconstruction of integrated environmental, geographic, and climatic conditions for selected time slices.
SM 618. Geochemistry Seminar. (C)
IES keywords: environmental issues incorporated: science, geology
Topics in geochemistry.
SM 620. Geophysics Seminar. (M)
IES keywords: environmental issues incorporated: science, geology
Topics in solid Earth geophysics.
SM 621. Advanced Biogeochemistry. (M) Prerequisite(s): Geol421 or permission from instructor.
Through close readings from the primary literature, students will undertake an in-depth study of biogeochemical cycling and human disturbance of biogeochemical cycles. Special emphasis will be on carbon and nitrogen cycling in terrestrial ecosystems, but may include other topics based on the interests of enrolled students.
SM 625. Advanced Paleobotany Seminar. (M) May be repeated for credit.
IES keywords: environmental issues incorporated: science, geology
Topics in paleobotany, paleoecology and evolution.
SM 628. Seminar in Isotope Geochemistry. (M) Prerequisite(s): Intermediate background in chemistry, physics, biology, or geology.
IES keywords: environmental issues incorporated: science, geology
This course is for advanced undergraduates and graduate students interested in learning about or pursuing applications of isotope geochemistry, with an emphasis on biological and climatic processes (e.g. plant physiology, soils, nutrient cycling, and atmospheric chemistry).We will meet to discuss readings both from the literature and textbook chapters where necessary for background. Grading will be on the basis of class participation and short weekly writing assignments. The latter will be completed prior to the class by both students and professor to ensure thorough discussion of each topic.
SM 630. (GEOL208) Advanced Structural Geology Seminar. (M) May be repeated for credit. Four-day field trip
IES keywords: environmental issues incorporated: science, geology
Topics in tectonophysics and/or regional structural geology.
GEOL 636. Quantitative Paleoclimatology. (M)
IES keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues; science, geology
This course provides a comprehensive, rigorous survey of our knowledge of the Earth's climate system from ancient to modern.Topics to be covered will include geological evidence for past climate changes, with an emphasis on quantitative methods using geochemistry and geophysics; the basis of earth system modeling; statistical climatology; climate change detection; time-series analysis in climatology.
SM 637. Recent Climate Change. (A)
IES keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues; science, geology
Increases in "greenhouse gases" produced through human activity appear to be affecting the Earth's climate. This course will examine climate change over the last 500 years. We will examine the available instrumental records over this time period as well as proxy climate records such as ice core, tree ring, sediment cores, coral cores and others. Students will research individual topics and present them regularly, review published articles, and attend some seminars.
SM 639. Isotopes in Paleoclimatology. (A)
IES keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues; science, geology
Isotope records in tree rings, ice cores, corals, and sediments can be used to reconstruct past climate variables such as temperature, salinity, atmospheric CO2, El Nino events, cloud cover and precipitation. This course focuses on isotope techniques and applications in paleoclimatology. Special emphasis will be placed on stable carbon, stable oxygen and radiocarbon. This course is suitable for upper level undergraduates and graduate students.
SM 640. Digital Mapping. (M)
IES keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues
Global positioning systems (GPS) and geographic information systems (GIS) have greatly changed the way cartographic data is collected and analyzed. This course will discuss design strategies for mapping projects involving GPS, differential GPS, and GIS, and provide a hands-on introduction to the use of these technologies. The principal emphasis of the course will be on learning to choose appropriate and efficient data acquisition techniques and to develop data collection protocols suited to the aims of any given project. Though the mechanics of importing digital data into GIS will be discussed, and the analytical capabilities of GIS will be an important factor in project design, actual data analysis through GIS will not be taught.
SM 646. First Billion Years: The Early History of Earth and Life. (A)
IES keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues; science, geology
The course will cover the origin of the Earth. Topics will range constituent atoms to planetesimals; the formation of the Earth including its accretion and differentiation; the early bombardment history of the earth and the formation of the Moon; the cooling of the Earth and the origins of continents and oceans. additionally variour theries for origin of life will be covered including the Archean world, tectonics, the evolution of the atmosphere and oceans, and early life.
GEOL 651. (GEOL451) Geocomputations I. (M)
IES keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues; science, geology.
Review and applications of selected methods from differential equations, advanced engineering mathematics and geostatistics to problems encountered in geology, engineering geology, geophysics and hydrology.
GEOL 652. Physical Geology for Environmental Professionals. (A)
IES keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues; science, geology
Study of the genesis and properties of earth materials (minerals, rocks, soil, water); consideration of volcanic, erosional, glacial, and earthquake processes along with the characterization of the earth's deep interior crustal and near-surface structure. Classroom study of minerals, crystals, fossils, and rocks as time permits.
GEOL 653. (GEOL453) Introduction to Hydrology. (A)
IES keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues; science, geology Introduction to the basic principles of the hydrologic cycle and water budgets, precipitation and infiltration, evaporation and transpiration, stream flow, hydrograph analysis (floods), subsurface and groundwater flow, well hydraulics, water quality, and frequency analysis.
SM 654. Geomechanics I: Solids. (A)
IES keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues; science, geology Mechanical properties of solid and fluid earth materials, stress and strain, earth pressures in soil and rock, tunnels, piles, and piers; flow through gates, wiers, spillways and culverts, hydraulics, seepage and Darcy's law as applied to the hydrologic sciences.
GEOL 655. Engineering Geology. (B)
IES keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues; science, geology
Engineering properties of earth materials; engineering testing, classification and use of earth materials; geologic and geophysical investigations and monitoring; geologic hazards; planning and use of the geologic environment.
GEOL 656. Fate and Transport of Pollutants. (A)
IES keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues; science, geology
This course covers basic groundwater flow and solute transport modeling in one-,two- and three-dimensions. After first reviewing the principles of modeling, the student will gain hands-on experience by conducting simulations on the computer. The modeling programs used in the course are MODFLOW (USGS), MT3D, and the US Army Corps of Engineers GMS (Groundwater Modeling System).
GEOL 657. Field Geophysics. (B)
IES keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues; science, geology Prerequisite(s): GEOL 420: Introduction to Geophysics.
Use of geophysics field equipment (gravity, magnetic, seismic, electrical, electromagnetic, and radar) to collect geologic site investigation data. Theoretical analysis of collected geophysical and geological data to interpret subsurface conditions.
SM 658. (GEOL458) Geostatistics. (C)
IES keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues; science, geology Statistical analysis of data from geological, geotechnical, and geohydrologic sources.
GEOL 659. Surface Water Hydrology. (B)
IES keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues; science, geology This course will focus on various aspects of surface water hydrology. Topics covered include: study of all aspects of precipitation and runoff; study of the natural occurrences of floods and droughts; the establishment of design floods; methods of preventing or alleviating damages due to floods; water losses through evaporation, transpiration, and infiltration; storm water management; and hydrologic considerations in environmental issues.
GEOL 661. Environmental Groundwater Hydrology. (B).
IES keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues; science, geology. This course is designed to introduce the major definitions and concepts regarding groundwater flow and contaminant transport. The theory underlying concepts, including mathematical derivations of governing equations used to model groundwater flow and contaminant transport, will be discussed and applications to environmental problems addressed.
GEOL 663. Groundwater Modeling. (B) IES keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues; science, geology
GEOL 665. Engineering Geology & Geotechnics. (A) Engineering Geology I is NOT a prerequisite for this course.
IES keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues; science, geology
Based on numerous case histories, the theme of this course is characterization of the geologic environment for engineering and environmental investigations. Covered are the various exploration tools and methods, including interpretation of remotely sensed imagery; field and laboratory measurements of material properties; and instrumentation monitoring. Rock masses and the significance of discontinuities are discussed as are soil formations in terms of occurrence and mode of deposition, and their typical physical properties. The latter half of the course is dedicated to the geologic hazards; i.e. ground subsidence and collapse, landslides and earthquakes, with emphasis on prediction, prevention and damage control.
GEOL 666. Geology Field Work.
4-8 weeks during the summer.
IES keywords: environmental focus: course deals primarily with environmental issues
GEOL 677. Seminar in Environmental Geology.
IES keywords: environmental focus; science and health
GEOL 706. Topics in Regional Geology. (M)
IES keywords: environmental focus; course deals primarily with environmental issues; science, geology
Prerequisite(s): GEOL 208 &/or 206, preferably both; GEOL 390. Field Trips required.
Topics in sedimentology, stratigraphy, petrology, and/or structural geology of selected regions. Regional geologic synthesis and tectonics.
FORELAND BASINS: Structure, sedimentology, and biology/paleobiology of forelandbasins, based on the study of modern and ancient examples. These will include the modern Persian Gulf region, and the ancient Carboniferous Appalachian basin. There will be at least one field trip.
DEPOSITIONAL BASINS: Investigation and interpretation of a number of different tectonically-controlled basins throughout the region. Field work essential. All-day and weekend field trips required. Students will integrate stratigraphic, sedimentological, structural, and tectonic principles within various basinal settings.
GEOL 715. Paleobiology Seminar.
IES keywords: environmental focus: course deals primarily with environmental issues
Origin of coal, coal petrology of coal bearing basins.
GEOL 777. Seminar in Quaternary Environments.
IES keywords: environmental focus: course deals primarily with environmental issues
Interdisciplinary approach to selected environmental problems of the Pleistocene.
GEOL 999. Independent Study and Research. (C) Staff. Prerequisite(s): Permission of departmental committee. Hours and credits to be arranged.
Directed study for individuals or small groups under supervision of a faculty member.
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HISTORY (HIST)
SM 565. Environmental History. (M)
IES keywords: environmental issues incorporated, history, humanities and social sciences
A reading seminar in recent environmental or ecological history. Topics include epidemics and history, the Columbian exchange, the ecology of land-use and settlement, cultural perceptions of nature, cities and their regions, and ecology and environmentalism.
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HEALTH AND SOCIETIES (HSOC)
SM 135. (PSCI135) The Politics of Food. (M)
IES keywords: environmental issues incorporated, history, humanities and social sciences
This academically based community service seminar will explore the many different politics that shape food production and consumption and problems like food insecurity and obesity here in West Philadelphia and around the world. Students will be encouraged to think broadly about how people engage in politics --articulate goals, form alliances, struggle for power, respond to and engage in leadership- in many different areas: cities, farms, factories, kitchens, markets, schools, churches, research institutions, social movements, elections, legislatures. A focus on case studies of leaders who have made a difference in the politics of food will include guest speakers, who work on food related issues.
SM 179. (ENVS179, HIST320, STSC179) Environmental History. (B)
IES keywords: environmental focus, history, humanities and social sciences
Environmental history studies the interactions between humans and the natural world. In this kind of study, mosquitoes and rain are actors in history as well as humans and their impact. This course explores these interactions through case studies and topics nationally and globally, such as energy, disease, human migration and settlement, animals, technological changes, urban and suburban development, conservation and politics. This course is geared toward students who want to think about how history happens, in different places and over time.
SM 387. (HIST387, SAST388) Health Environments in Asia. (A)
IES keywords: environmental issues incorporated, history, humanities and social sciences
A comparative social history seeking to explain today's nutritional deficits among third world peoples. Based on an eco-system approach, it considers contending theories, traces the rise of the world food system, and compares detailed case studies covering the period 1800-1980.
HISTORIC PRESERVATION (HSVP)
HSVP 538. Fundamentals of the American Landscape. (M)
The course presents the history of common American landscapes and surveys of the field of cultural landscape studies. The cultural-landscape perspective is a unique lens for understanding holistically the historical evolution of the built environment and the abstract economic, political and social processes that shape the places where most Americans spend most of their time. The course will focus on the forces and patterns (natural and cultural) behind the shaping of recognizably "American" landscapes, whether urban, suburban, or rural. Class discussions, readings, and projects will draw on work from several disciplines-cultural geography, vernacular architecture, environmental history, art, and more.
INSURANCE AND RISK MANAGEMENT (INSR)
INSR 205. (INSR805, LAW 741) Risk Management. (C)
IES keywords: environmental issues incorporated; management, planning, and policy; business and economics
This course describes the concepts and techniques available to corporations, non-profit organizations, and other organizations in their efforts to manage pure risks. The costs associated with such pure risks as product liability, environmental impairments, property losses, work-related injuries, and employee benefits (e.g., pensions, health insurance, etc.) affect the daily management of organizations. Managers who make decisions without appropriate consideration of risk management issues can jeopardize the long-term survival of their organizations. The course examines a common set of techniques which can be used by managers in dealing with these problems, including risk assumption, prevention, diversification, and transfer via insurance and non-insurance market mechanisms. In turn, students learn to recognize that the institutional structure of the organization itself influence its own risks and their corresponding treatments.
INSR 805. (INSR205, LAW 741) Risk Management. (C)
IES keywords: environmental issues incorporated; management, planning, and policy; business and economics
This course describes the concepts and techniques available to corporations, non-profit organizations and other organizations in their efforts to manage pure risks. The costs associated with such pure risks as product liability, environmental impairments, property losses, work-related injuries, and employee benefits (e.g., pensions, health insurance, etc.) affect the daily management of organizations. Managers who make decisions without appropriate consideration of risk management issues can jeopardize the long-term survival of their organizations. The course examines a common set of techniques which can be used by managers in dealing with these problems, including risk assumption, prevention, diversification, and transfer via insurance and non-insurance market mechanisms. In turn, students learn to recognize that the institutional structure of the organization itself influence its own risks and their corresponding treatments.
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LANDSCAPE ARCHITECHTURE & REGIONAL PLANNING (LARP)
LARP 511. Workshop I: Ecology and Materials (Module 1 and 2). (A)
IES keywords: environmental issues incorporated; management, planning, and policy
Module 1: Land, Water and Vegetation Systems; This workshop examines particular sites within the major physiographic regions in the vicinity of Philadelphia (inner and outer coastal plains, piedmont plateau, etc.) where the inter-connections between the underlying geology, hydrology, vegetation, and human interventions are discussed. Field trips to both natural and constructed sites introduce students to the substance and ecology of these places; there are trips to bogs, forests, flood plains, dunes, and uplands, etc. A vocabulary (recognition, identification and nomenclature) of the materials of landscape, its substance, its ecology, and its changing nature owing to place and time is developed.
Module 2: Transformation of Materials; This workshop examines the transformation and production of materials used in the construction of landscapes. The relationship between rock type, landform assemblages and stone extraction and manufacturing; the production of plants, their modes of cultivation, propagation, and plant management (coppice, polarding, etc.); and the transformation of wood from forest plantations to standard size lumber are examined both in their sites of production and in built landscapes. Field trips to nurseries, quarries, lumber yards, as well as to urban sites where the students observe those materials, seen in Module 1 in their natural state, now transformed to comply with the aesthetic and functional requirements of urban landscapes.
LARP 512. Workshop II: Landform and Planting Design (Module 1 and 2). (B)
IES keywords: environmental issues incorporated; management, planning, and policy
Corequisite(s): Summer Field Ecology Laboratory
Module 1: Landform; This foundation workshop focuses on the means by which landscapes are shaped by earthwork grading. Lectures and exercises develop the student's sensibility toward three-dimensional form given by ground-plane manipulation. Students explore the formal, textural, and scalar differences between naturally-occurring landform types, such as eskers, drumlins, etc., and human scaled landform types, such as stairs, ramps, and terraces. Related environmental considerations, such as drainage, aspect, growth, and the relationship between planting and landform are also covered in this workshop. Teaching in Workshop II emphasizes hands-on work with modeling and drawing, and field trips to sites that are especially appropriate for observing, measuring, and experiencing the sculptural qualities and capabilities of landform.
Module 2: Planting Design; This workshop focuses on both the cultural and the technical aspects of planting design. Through a series of short design projects students investigate the characteristics of basic plant typologies, such as bosque, grove, glade, allee, hedgerow, etc., their origins in productive landscapes, and their application to contemporary landscape architecture. Students also learn technical aspects of planting such as basic horticulture, hardiness zones, and soil requirements. Planting details, planting plans and plant lists, specifications, plant inspection and selection criteria, and site inspections are also covered at this time. During the first week of May, a five-day field course focuses on techniques of urban revitalization, sustainable land use, reclamation, and restoration. The field trips offer insight into the diversity of approaches to using plants to promote positive environmental change.
LARP 535. Theory I: Case Studies in Landscape Architecture. (A)
Reading and Writing the Site: A Historical Survey - The objectives of the course are to allow the students to acquire familiarity with some major episodes of (largely western) landscape architecture through a study of selected key sites and their designers, and to understand the historical contexts for their creation and continuing interpretation; and to advance the profession of landscape design by a critical understanding of built works from different times and cultures. By "critical understanding" is meant the ability to research a site on the ground, in libraries and in archives, to "read" it fully, to grasp the different ways in which it has been or can be represented, to isolate some of its significant aspects, and to be able to communicate that understanding verbally and visually. The students are expected to acquire a sufficient knowledge of the key moments or milestones in landscape architectural history to undertake the conceptual and synchronic enquiries of visually and verbally an understanding and assessment of a given site and its cultural production.
LARP 540. Theory II: Topics in Contemporary Landscape Architecture. (B)
IES keywords: environmental issues incorporated; management, planning, and policy
This course builds upon the historical survey of Theory I by focusing upon recent, contemporary built works, their designers, and the issues that these raise for professional theory and practice today. It also addresses the topic of how we talk about - how we criticize - recent built work: what criteria do we invoke, what modes of description can we adopt, and what kind of commentary or conclusions are we concerned to elaborate as a result? The agenda is a mixed one, and the structure of the semester mirrors that: there are presentations by visitors as well as by other Penn faculty, and these focus both on built work and on topics arising there from. Students begin the course by brain-storming about the issues, topics, designs and designers that should be at the center of the discussions.
LARP 611. Workshop III: Site Engineering and Water Management (Module 1 and 2). (A)
IES keywords: environmental issues incorporated; management, planning, and policy
Module 1: Site Engineering: Landform and grading. This intermediate workshop continues the study of landform manipulation with particular emphasis on the design of infrastructure. Students explore more complex exercises of contour manipulation, vehicular and pedestrian circulation systems, road and path alignment, and drainage and utility planning.
Module 2: Water Management: This workshop focuses on the study of water in the landscape, with particular emphasis on the role it plays as a determining factor on the functioning and viability of landscapes. Students learn to assess the drainage characteristics of a site as a basic tool for understanding landscapes. Direction and expression of water flow, storm water management, swales, retention and detention basins, riparian plantings, and wetlands restorations are addressed in this workshop.
Teaching in both of these workshops includes illustrated lectures, case studies, and field trips. Students are asked to develop grading and circulation schemes as well as water management solutions for their projects in design studio, thus incorporating the workshop into the design activities of the curriculum.
LARP 612. Workshop IV: Advanced Landscape Construction (Module 1 and 2). (B)
IES keywords: environmental issues incorporated; management, planning, and policy
Module 1: The Art and Craft of Detailing: This first module of Workshop IV introduces students to the design and construction of a used by landscape designers in the creation of the man- made environment. The course focuses on the various materials available for these designs, their physical characteristics, their modes of production, sequences of assembly, their life-in-use, maintenance needs, and ultimate re-cyclability where appropriate. Some of the topics covered in this module are the various materials employed in the design of the ground plane and its conditions of change: surfaces, transitions, accessibility and the laws of ADA, joints, seams, edges, etc.; free standing and retaining walls; decks and overhead structures; and understanding and developing specifications. Construction techniques covered in this course include: reinforced concrete and "in-earth" retaining wall systems, reinforced concrete superstructures, wood frame superstructures, steel frame superstructures, glass superstructures, and tensile membrane or cable-net superstructures and ETFE type air-inflated superstructures.
Module 2: Urban Landscapes and Manufactured Sites Topics; This advanced workshop presents innovative techniques associated with current professional practice in landscape architectural construction, engineering, and planting design with special emphasis on urban landscapes. A number of special topics and case studies such as site remediation, landfill sites, structural soils and urban plantings are introduced by specialists.
The teaching in Workshop IV includes detailed studies of construction documentation, project design, material and horticultural technology, and new building techniques. These studies are facilitated through case studies and visits to selected built works and professional offices.
SM 720. Topics in Representation. (B) Prerequisite(s): LARP501,LARP533, LARP601, ARCH501, ARCH532 OR ARCH601.
IES keywords: environmental issues incorporated; management, planning, and policy
In these advanced representation courses the work extends to new ways of documenting and seeing landscape. These courses are open to all interested School of Design students who have previous drawing experience or have taken foundation studios. Recent topics have been: Seeing & Imagining Landscapes (fall annually) instructors: Valerio Morabito and Paolo Burgi; Landscape Drawing (spring annually) instructors: Laurie Olin, Trevor Lee, David Gouverneur; Shifting Landscapes: A Workshop in Representation (spring 2005, 2004), instructor: Anuradha Mathur; and The Agile Pencil and Its Constructs (spring 2004), instructor: Mei Wu.
LARP 730. Topics in Professional Practice. (B)
IES keywords: environmental issues incorporated; management, planning, and policy
These seminar courses explore ideas and methods in current landscape architectural practice. They include instruction in professional procedures, office management, project development, contracts, and collaborative ventures. They include visits to construction sites, professional offices and archives. These courses are open to all interested PennDesign students. Recent topics have been: Office Practice (spring annually) instructor: Lucinda Sanders.
LARP 741. (CPLN632) Modeling Geographic Space. (A)
IES keywords: environmental issues incorporated; management, planning, and policy
The major objective of this course is to explore the nature and use of image-based (as opposed to drawing-based) geographic information systems (GIS) for the analysis and synthesis of spatial patterns and processes. This course is open to all. Previous experience in GIS is not required. Offered in spring annually.
SM 743. Cartographic Modeling. (A)
IES keywords: environmental issues incorporated; management, planning, and policy
This course offers students an opportunity to work closely with faculty, staff, local practitioners, and each other in conducting independent projects that involve the development and/or application of geographic information system (GIS) technology. These projects often take advantage of resources made available through Penn's Cartographic Modeling Lab [http://www.cml.upenn.edu]. This course is open to all students who can demonstrate sufficient experience, expertise, or initiative to purse a successful term project. Offered in fall annually.
LARP 745. Topics in Digital Media: Advanced Topics in GIS. (M)
IES keywords: environmental issues incorporated; management, planning, and policy
The primary objective of this course is to equip students with a selected set of sophisticated and specialized tools for the practical use of geographic information systems in a variety of application settings. Participants will have the opportunity to focus on particular topics in each of four major areas including: data acquisition - e.g. remote sensing, LiDAR imagery, global positioning systems, mobile GIS, applied geocoding, geodatabases, ArcSketch, and/or CAD interaction; communication - e.g. web mapping, animation, and/or professional cartographic techniques; problem solving - e.g. cartographic pattern recognition, geospatial allocation, agent-based modeling, geostatistics, network analysis, and/or spatio-temporal simulation; and tool building - e.g. Python scripting, GoogleMap mashups, and/or open source GIS. The course is conducted in a seminar format with weekly sessions devoted to lectures, demonstrations, and discussions conducted by the instructor, studentsand invited guests. Offered in the spring annually.
LARP 750. Topics in Horticulture and Planting Design. (C)
IES keywords: environmental issues incorporated; management, planning, and policy
These courses explore relevant topics in horticulture and planting design as they relate to contemporary landscape architecture. The aim is to supplement fundamental skills and ideas explored in the core curriculum workshops with more advanced, cutting-edge research, technology and case studies. The teaching faculty are leading practitioners and researchers in the field. These courses are open to all interested School of Design students.
Recent topics have been: Building New Urban Landscapes (fall 2009) instructor: Tom Ryan; Urban Horticulture (fall 2009) instructor: David Ostrich; Advanced DesignwithPlants(fall2006),instructor:DennisMcGlade;UrbanHorticulture:Designing and Managing Landscape Plantings in Stressful Environments (fall even years), instructor: Paul Meyer; Advanced Planting Design (spring annually), instructor: Rodney Robinson, (fall 2004) instructor: Sheila Brady; and Sustainable Large Scale Planting of Trees, Shrubs, Perennials and Grasses (fall 2001), instructor: Wolfgang Oehme.
LARP 755. Issues in Arboretum Management I (internship). (A) Arboretum Staff.
IES keywords: environmental focus; management, planning and policy; engineering, design and systems
The Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania provides a case study in public garden management. Aspects of horticulture, landscape design, education, conservation, history, preservation, and management are considered. Work often includes seminars followed by outdoor practical sessions. For more information contact Jan McFarlan at the Arboretum, 215-247-5777, ext. 156. (This course is an internship that meets at the Morris Arboretum in the Chestnut Hill section of Philadelphia on Thursday afternoons during the Fall term.)
LARP 756. Issues in Arboretum Management II (internship). (B) Arboretum Staff.
IES keywords: environmental focus; management, planning and policy; engineering, design and systems
A continuation of LARP 755. Students research, design, complete and present a project as part of their work. For more information contact Jan McFarlan at the Arboretum, 215-247-5777, ext. 156. (This course is an internship that meets on Thursday afternoons during the Spring term.)
LARP 760. Topics in Ecological Design. (C)
IES keywords: environmental issues incorporated; management, planning, and policy
These elective courses explore relevant topics in ecological design and new technologies as they relate to contemporary landscape architecture. The course explores topics such as ecology, sustainability, habitat restoration, hydrology, green roof and green architecture technology, soil technology, and other techniques pertinent to the construction of ecologically dynamic, functioning landscapes. The teaching faculty are leading practitioners and researchers in the field. These courses are open to all interested PennDesign students.
Recent topics have been: Large-Scale Land Reclamation Projects (spring annually) instructor: William Young, (spring 2004) instructor: James Ludwig; Restoration Ecology (fall 2006, 2004), instructor: David Robertson; Sustainable Landscape Design for Watershed Protection (fall 2008, 2006, 2005, 2004,2003, 2002), instructor: Katrin Scholz- Barth; and Ecological Restoration in the Urban Context (spring 2002, 2001), instructor: Deborah Marton.
LARP 770. (COML776) Topics in Landscape Architecture History and Theory. (C) Hunt.
IES keywords: environmental focus; management, planning and policy; history, humanities and social sciences
This advanced seminar explores central issues in the history and theory of landscape architecture from the Renaissance to the present day. The focus will be upon the cultural context of built works, their relation to conceptual writings (contemporary with the designs as well as modern) and the dialogue between modern professional practice and historical example and method. These courses fulfill the Landscape Architecture Theory III requirement and are open to all interested students in the PennDesign and elsewhere in the University. These courses are cross-listed with Comparative Literature 776-401.
Recent Topics have been: Six Landscape Architects & What We Say About Them (spring 2007); Open Spaces & Open Places: The Design and Use of American Landscapes (spring 2006), co-taught with Emily Cooperman; Reception, or the After Life of Landscapes (Spring 2005), Land Art and Ian Hamilton Finlay (fall 2004), Lawrence Halprin: Theory, Practice, Context & the Archival record (spring 2004) co-taught with Emily Cooperman; Franch Landscape Architecture: Case Studies (spring 2003); Picturesque as Modernism (spring 2002); Understanding Venice Research Seminar (spring 2009); Sculpture Parks and Sculpture in Parks (fall 2008).
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LEGAL STUDIES (LGST)
LGST 204. (LGST804, REAL204, REAL804) Real Estate Law. (C)
IES keywords: environmental issues incorporated; management, planning and policy;
This course examines the fundamentals of real estate financing and development from a legal perspective. The course serves as a foundation course for real estate majors and provides an introduction to real estate for other students. It attempts to develop skills in using legal concepts in a real estate transactional setting. The course will be of interest to students contemplating careers in accounting, real estate development, real estate finance, city planning, or banking. The main topics covered may include the following: land acquisition; finance; choice entity; tax aspects; management (leasing, environmental); disposition of property (sale of mortgaged property, foreclosures, wraparound mortgages, sale-leasebacks); and recent legal developments.
LGST 215. (LGST815, MGMT213, MGMT713) Environmental Management: Law & Policy. (C)
IES keywords: environmental issues incorporated; management, planning and policy;
This course provides an introduction to environmental management with a focus on law and policy as a basic framework. The primary aim of the course is to give students a deeper practical sense of the important relationship between business and the natural environment and to think critically about how best to manage this relationship.
LGST 220. (LGST820) International Business Ethics. (C)
IES keywords: environmental issues incorporated; management, planning and policy; business and economics
This course is a multidisciplinary, interactive study of business ethics within a global economy. A central aim of the course is to enable students to develop a framework to address ethical challenges as they arise within and across different countries. Alternative theories about acting ethically in global environments are presented, and critical current issues are introduced and analyzed. Examples include bribery, global sourcing, environmental sustainability, social reports, intellectual property, e-commerce, and dealing with conflicting standards and values across cultures. As part of this study, the course considers non-Western ethical traditions and practices as they relate to business.
LGST 230. Social Impact and Responsibility: Foundations.
IES keywords: environmental issues incorporated; management, planning and policy;
This course provides undergraduates with the opportunity to develop an integrated framework for approaching the wide-ranging field of social impact and responsibility. The course involves the critical analysis of key issues that lie at the foundation of social impact and responsibility as an area of study, and is organized around addressing the question: How should business enterprises and business thinking be engaged to improve society in areas not always associated with business?
A key element of the course is the development of frameworks to define and measure social improvement. The course also examines approaches for success in corporate philanthropy, corporate social responsibility, socially responsible investing, business-nonprofit partnerships, social entrepreneurship and the adaptation of business thinking to the social sector. Examples are drawn from a range of areas, including the environment, education, health, economic development, microfinance, human rights, and community engagement. The course is intended for students who seek careers in this field and for students who seek to prepare themselves for the social and political demands placed upon business enterprises operating in a global economy. The course is required for the secondary concentration in Social Impact and Responsibility.
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MATERIAL SCIENCE & ENGINEERING (MSE)
MSE 555. Environmental Degradation. (A)
IES keywords: environmental issues incorporated: engineering, design and systems
This course is designed to provide an understanding of the corrosion principles and the engineering methods used to minimize and prevent corrosion. Metals and alloys are emphasized because these are the materials in which corrosion is the most prevalent. Aqueous environments are also emphasized these are the common corrosion conditions.
In the first half of the course, the impact and electrochemical nature of corroare described, and then the corrosion fundamentals (electrochemical reactions, phase (pourbaix) diagrams, aqueous corrosion kinetics, passivity, and high-temperature oxidation) are emphasized. The forms of corrosion (galvanic, pitting and crevice, environmentally induced cracking) and corrosio in the human body (for example, surgical implants and prosthetic devices) and in other selective environments (concrete, seawater, and water solutions conta dissolved salts, sulfur, and bacteria) are also described in the second half
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MECHANICAL ENGINEERING AND APPLIED MECHANICS (MEAM)
MEAM 250. Energy Systems, Resources and Technology. (C) Prerequisite(s): Sophomore standing in Engineering. Freshman Chemistry, Freshman Physics or Mechanics.
IES keywords: environmental issues incorporated; engineering, design and systems
The course will present a comprehensive overview of the global demand for energy, and the resource availability and technology used in its current and future supply. Through a personal energy audit, students will be made aware of the extensive role that energy plays in modern life, both directly, through electricity and transportation fuel, and indirectly in the manufacturing of goods they use. The course will cover how that energy is supplied, the anticipated global growth in energy demand, the resource availability and the role of science and technology in meeting that demand in a world concerned about climate change. The roles of conservation, improved efficiency and renewable energy in meeting future demand in a sustainable, environmentally benign way will be covered.
MEAM 402. (MEAM502) Energy Engineering. (A) Prerequisite(s): MEAM 203 or equivalent, and MEAM 333 or equivalent, (Heat Transfer can be taken concurrently with MEAM 402).
IES keywords: environmental issues incorporated; engineering, design and systems
Quantitative introduction to the broad area of energy engineering, from basic principles to applications. The focus is on the science and engineering, and includes environmental impact and some economics considerations. A review of energy consumption, use, and resources; sustainability, methods of energy and exergy (second law) analysis; power cycles, combined cycles, and co-generation; batteries and fuel cells; nuclear energy and wastes; fusion power; solar energy; power generation in space.
MEAM 502. (MEAM402) Energy Engineering. (A) Prerequisite(s): MEAM 203 or equivalent, and MEAM 333 or equivalent (could be taken concurrently with MEAM 402).
IES keywords: environmental issues incorporated; engineering, design and systems
Quantitative introduction to the broad area of energy engineering, from basic principles to applications. The focus is on the science and engineering, and includes environmental impact and some economics considerations. A review of energy consumption, use, and resources; sustainability, methods of energy and exergy (second law) analysis; power cycles, combined cycles, and co-generation; batteries and fuel cells; nuclear energy and wastes; fusion power; solar energy; power generation in space.
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NURSING (NURS)
NURS 677. (PUBH530) Environmental Toxicology: Risk Assessment and Health Effects. (A)
IES keywords: environmental issues incorporated; science and health
This course presents general principals of toxicology and the disposition of toxins in the body. Case studies of the effects of environmental and occupational toxins on individuals will be analyzed. This course is designed for students who desire a strong foundation in toxicological concepts and principals and provides an overview of major toxins in our environment and their association with human health.
NURS 678. (PUBH533) Exposure Assessment and Safety in the Workplace. (B)
IES keywords: environmental issues incorporated; science and health
This course is designed to present an overview of the interdisciplinary nature of monitoring and controlling workplace hazards. Didactic course content on the major factors contributing to occupational health hazards and safety will be presented along with discussion of regulatory and site-specific interventions to promote worker safety and health. Five site visits will be conducted to apply the principles of workplace assessment and to discuss strategies that are used for hazard recognition and evaluation in different work environments. Experts in workplace hazard recognition and control will share current challenges and priorities from their worksites.
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OPERATIONS & INFORMATION MANAGEMENT (OPIM)
OPIM 261. (BPUB261, BPUB761, BPUB961, ESE 567, OPIM761) Risk Analysis and Environmental Management. (C)
IES keywords: environmental issues incorporated; management, planning, and policy; business and economics
Crosslisted with OPIM 761, BPUB 261, 761, 961, and ESE 567. See description under OPIM 761.
OPIM 761. (BPUB261, BPUB761, BPUB961, ESE 567, OPIM261) Risk Analysis and Environmental Management. (C) Cross listed with OPIM 261, BPUB 261, 761, 961, and ESE 567.
IES keywords: environmental issues incorporated; management, planning, and policy; business and economics
This course introduces students to the complexities of making decisions about threats to human health and the environment when people's perceptions of risks and their decision making processes differ from expert views. Recognizing the limitations of individuals in processing information the course explores the role of techniques such as decision analysis, cost-benefit analysis, risk assessment and risk perception in structuring risk-management decisions. We will also examine policy tools such as risk communication, incentive systems, third party inspection, insurance and regulation in different problem contexts. A course project will enable students to apply the concepts discussed in the course to a concrete problem.
OPIM 762. Environmental Sustainability and Value Creation. (C)
IES keywords: environmental issues incorporated; management, planning, and policy; business and economics
MBA mini elective. This course is one of the set of mini-elective courses satisfying the core requirement.
This course approaches environmental issues from the standpoint of business. It emphasizes the trends in corporate practices and uses case studies to examine the interactions between the environment and the firm. 'Sustainable Development' and the role of regulatory agencies and NGOs are also highlighted. This course has four objectives: to increase environmental literacy; to ask questions about environmental issues as managers carry out their traditional business functions; to recognize environmental concerns as competitive opportunities; to teach students to think strategically and act entrepreneurially on environmental issues
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PHYSICS (PHYS)
PHYS 016. Energy, Oil, and Global Warming. (C) Natural Science & Mathematics Sector. Class of 2010 and beyond. Prerequisite(s): Algebra and Trigonometry. May be counted as Science Studies for students in Class of 2009 and prior. Target audience: Non-science majors (although science/engineering students are welcome).
The developed world's dependence on fossil fuels for energy production has extremely undesirable economic, environmental, and political consequences, and is likely to be mankind's greatest challenge in the 21st century. We describe the physical principles of energy, its production and consumption, and environmental consequences, including the greenhouse effect. We will examine a number of alternative modes of energy generation - fossil fuels, biomass, wind, solar, hydro, and nuclear - and study the physical and technological aspects of each, and their societal, environmental and economic impacts over the construction and operational lifetimes. No previous study of physics is assumed.\
POLICTICAL SCIENCE (PSCI)
L/R 154. Politics of Global Environment. (C)
IES keywords: environmental issues incorporated; history, humanities and social science
This course explores the emerging politics of global ecological decay and restoration occurring at the individual, local, nation-state, and international levels.
PSCI 258. Human Rights. (C)
IES keywords: environmental issues incorporated; history, humanities and social science
The focus is human rights in global, political, and developmental contexts, especially since 1945. Human rights are part of a wide range of academic disciplines, engineering, history, law, philosophy, and religion being among the obvious. These disciplinary perspectives will be touched upon; politics will be the central one. Some of the main topics include justifications; cross- cultural perspectives; global and international institutional developments and foreign policy. Selected topics will include war, hunger, life, reproduction, servitude, consent, information and the environment.
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PUBLIC HEALTH (PUBH)
PUBH 503. Environmental and Occupational Health. (B) Emmett.
This course will provide a broad introduction to the scientific basis of occupational and environmental health. Content will address issues in the ambient, occupational and global environments as well as the tools, concepts and methods used in environmental health.
SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY (STSC)
SM 179. (ENVS179, HIST320, HSOC179) Environmental History. (B) Greene.
Environmental history studies the interactions between humans and the natural world. In this kind of study, mosquitoes and rain are actors in history as well as humans and their impact. This course explores these interactions through case studies and topics nationally and globally, such as energy, disease, human migration and settlement, animals, technological changes, urban and suburban development, conservation and politics. This course is geared toward students who want to think about how history happens, in different places and over time.
SM 226. (HSOC226, SAST289) Science, Medicine and Technology in South Asia. (M) Petrie.
This course examines the history of science, technology and medicine in the Indian subcontinent from ca. 1750 to the present. The first half of the semester will focus on the period of British dominance, considering such topics as: the role of science, medicine and technology in colonial rule and anti-colonial nationalism; Western understandings of and impacts upon Indian environments; the relationship between Western and indigenous forms of knowledge. The second half of the course will examine the post-colonial period, with a particular focus on development and environmental issues and the policies of the governments of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
STSC 271. (ENVS271) Law, Environment and Technology. (M) Staff.
This course will survey episodes in the history of the United States, especially in the twentieth century, that illustrate technology's central role of shaping environments, that illustrate the uses of the law in mediating social conflict concerning technologies and the environment. An important intent of the course will be to lead students to consider various environments along the spectrum of human manipulation, ranging from wilderness to agricultural landscapes and from designed gardens to urban and industrial environments. The main focus of the course will be on uses of the law by competing groups to mediate environmental conflicts through negotiation of treaties; lobbying legislative bodies to pass laws; influencing regulators to stiffen or weaken regulations; drawing police authorities into the fray; and seeking favorable rulings from the courts.
STSC 272. (ENVS272) Energy in American History. (M) Staff.
Energy is at the center of many discussions of today's world. How central is an apparently unlimited supply of energy to a healthy economy? What is the importance of sources of energy supply to national security? How can we expend the energy we need to foster human life as we know it without allowing climate change to disrupt the existing global environments that sustain the lives of humans and other living species in accustomed ways? How crucial is the current level of energy use to patterns of American consumption, and how willing are Americans to alter their consumption habits in order to reduce energy use? What is the connection between various sources of energy and the relationships of social, economic, and political power that exist in the U.S. today. This course will examine changes in energy sources, energy use, and energy technologies across American history in
order to help students understand how the U.S. and the world arrived at its present situation with regard to energy and to understand the complex technological, environmental, social, economic, and political challenges implicit in any effort to modify the current trajectories of energy use.
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SOUTH ASIAN STUDIES (SAST)
SM 289. (HSOC226, STSC226) Science, Medicine and Technology in South Asia. (M) Petrie.
This course examines the history of science, technology and medicine in the Indian subcontinent from ca. 1750 to the present. The first half of the semester will focus on the period of British dominance, considering such topics as: the role of science, medicine and technology in colonial rule and anti-colonial nationalism; Western understandings of and impacts upon Indian environments; the relationship between Western and indigenous forms of knowledge. The second half of the course will examine the post-colonial period, with a particular focus on development and environmental issues and the policies of the governments of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
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URBAN STUDIES (URBS)
SM 205. Introduction to Environmental Design: People and Design (B)
IES keywords: environmental issues incorporated; history, humanities and social science; urban issues; management, planning and policy
The built environment of a city is more than a mere backdrop; the design can affect people's experiences. Environmental design focuses on the relationship between people and the built environment. It also looks at how the built environment interacts with the natural one. This course will allow students to gain a deeper understanding of how people create, perceive, and use the designed environment. We'll approach these concepts by analyzing design at a variety of scales, from products to interior design to architecture. Finally, using that knowledge, we'll conclude by analyzing urban spaces of the city.
SM 206. (CPLN672, URBS506) Public Environment of Cities: An Introduction to the Urban Landscape. (B)
IES keywords: environmental issues incorporated; history, humanities and social science; urban issues; management, planning and policy
The Public Environment of Cities explores urbanism - the study of the environmental, political, economic, socio-cultural, historical, and aesthetic conditions affecting urban life and culture. At the heart of urbanism is our public environment - the parks, squares, and sidewalks in and upon which our public life is played out. The course will explore the city through the examination of three broad themes: Democracy, Diversity, and Design. We examine in detail how contemporary issues affect our perceptions, use, and inhabitation of the public environment and how the open spaces of the city provide frameworks for the daily social life and commerce as well as the important ceremonies, celebrations, and festivities of its inhabitants.
L/R 225. (ARCH255, ENVS255) Sustainability in Action.
IES keywords: environmental issues incorporated; history, humanities and social science; urban issues; management, planning and policy
The term Sustainability loosely organizes a diverse mix of issues relating to the science, politics, and business of how humans can endure on Earth. Sustainability is about carrying capacity: making resource decisions without compromising the ability of future generations to make their own resource decisions. Sustainability thus requires an understanding of the systems whose carrying capacities matter for human endurance; three prominent and interconnected systems are the environment, the economy, and society. Sustainability also requires an understanding of the decision-making that operates on these resource systems and affects their carrying capacities. In sum, the study of Sustainability requires an introduction to environmental science, energy production, human settlements, economic development, social justice, policy development, and international relations. This course will provide that introduction though a weekly lecture series drawing on scholars from across the university and a small group project that addresses a real problem confronting an institution in Philadelphia. SEE POSTED SYLLABUS FOR INFORMATION ABOUT RECITATION SECTIONS.
SM 290. Metropolitan Nature: Urban Sustainability. (A)
IES keywords: environmental issues incorporated; history, humanities and social science; urban issues; management, planning and policy
Metropolitan Nature begins with the premise that in order to understand the complex and skewed relationship between nature and its natural resource base, we must examine different scales simultaneously. The course explores a variety of issues concerning natures role in the contemporary urban world with a focus on urban sustainability. At its core, sustainability is a radical concept. Co-opted by marketing slogans, stripped of meaning and context, it has become vague and pliable. It does, however, have a real meaning, which will form the basis for examining nature in the city. Sustainability demands a systems view of both the economy and environment and understanding the management of their interactions. The course focuses on the ecological aspects of the emerging field of ecological economics fostering an understanding of the ecological principles of urban sustainability.
SM 463. (ENVS463, URBS663) Brownfield Remediation: The Historical, Scientific, and Policy Dimensions of "Brownfields" in Old Industrial Cities. (M)
IES keywords: environmental issues incorporated; history, humanities and social science; urban issues; management, planning and policy
This course gives 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.
SM 663. (ENVS463, ENVS663, URBS463) Brownfield Remediation: The Historical, Scientific, and Policy Dimensions of Brownfields in Old Industrial Cities. (M)
IES keywords: environmental issues incorporated; history, humanities and social science; urban issues; management, planning and policy
This course gives 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 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 governments to address remediation and redevelopment of abandoned industrial sites. In addition, the course will explore environmental equity issues.
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Institute for Environmental Studies
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