Course Listings

511 Ecological Patterns and Processes : This course gives students a fundamental mechanistic understanding about the way abiotic (e.g., climate) and biotic (e.g., resources, competitors, predators) factors determine pattern in the distribution and abundance of species. Students learn how individuals within a species cope with changing environmental conditions by altering their behavior, making physiological adjustments, and changing the allocation of resources among survival, growth, and reproduction. Students learn how populations of species coexist within communities and how species interactions within communities can drive ecosystem functioning. Students also learn how ecologists use scientific insight to deal with emerging environmental problems such as protecting biodiversity, understanding the consequences of habitat loss on species diversity, and forecasting the effects of global climate change on species population viability and geographic distribution. : Kealoha Freidenburg : Kealoha Freidenburg

512 Microeconomics for Environmental Management : Meets Fall-1 (August 31 - October 13)

This six-week course provides an introduction to microeconomic analysis and its application to environmental policy. Students study how markets work to allocate scarce resources. This includes consideration of how individuals and firms make decisions, and how policy analysts seek to quantify the benefits and costs of consumption and production. We consider the conditions under which markets are beneficial to society and when they fail. We see that market failure arises frequently in the context of environmental and natural resource management. The last part of the course focuses on the design of environmental and natural resource policies to address such market failures. The course is designed to cover basic knowledge of economics analysis and prepare students for ENV 834 and other more advanced offerings. : Matthew J. Kotchen : Matthew J. Kotchen

521 Physical Science Foundations for Environmental Managers : This required foundational course provides students with the physical science basics that they need in order to understand and manage environmental problems. The course draws on the following disciplines: climatology, environmental chemistry, geology, hydrology, meteorology, oceanography, and soil science. Focus is on understanding both the underlying concepts and how they apply to real-world environmental challenges. Useful both as a freestanding course and as a gateway to a wide spectrum of intermediate and advanced courses. : Shimon C. Anisfeld : Shimon C. Anisfeld

522 Introduction to Environmental Social Sciences : Meets Fall-2 (Oct 13-Dec 1)

The environmental social sciences shed light on how humans define, perceive, understand, manage and otherwise influence the environment. Insights into the cultural, institutional, political-economic, and historic drivers of human actions are needed to describe and understand human-environment interactions as well as to move towards long-lasting and flexible responses to socioenvironmental change. This basic knowledge course is designed to introduce students to a range of social science disciplines that are engaged in understanding the relationships between nature and society. Explicit focus will be in on how to mobilize the insights gained from  environmental social sciences for natural resource management.  : Amity Doolittle : Amity Doolittle

550 Natural Science Research Methods :

The course prepares students to design and execute an intensive research project. It covers elementary principles and philosophy of science; research planning, including preparation, criticism, and oral presentation of study plans; communicating research findings; limitations of research techniques; the structure of research organizations; and professional scientific ethics.

: Annise Dobson : William Lauenroth

551 Qualitative Social Science Research Methods :

This course is designed to provide a broad introduction to issues of qualitative research methods and design. The course is intended for both doctoral students who are in the beginning stage of their dissertation research, as well as master’s students developing research proposals for their thesis projects. The course covers the basic techniques of designing qualitative research and for collecting, interpreting, and analyzing qualitative data. We explore three interrelated dimensions of research: theoretical foundations of science and research, specific methods available to researchers for data collection and analysis, and the application and practice of research methods. The final product for this course is a research proposal.

: Amity Doolittle : Amity Doolittle

552 Master's Student Research Colloquium :

One of the most important aspects of scientific research involves the communication of research findings to the wider scientific community. Therefore, second-year M.E.Sc. and M.F.S. students are required to present the results of their faculty-supervised research as participants in the Master’s Student Research Conference, a daylong event held near the end of the spring term. Student contributors participate by delivering a fifteen-minute oral presentation to the YSE faculty and student body or by presenting a research poster in a session open to the YSE community. Students receive a score of satisfactory completion for this effort.

: TBD Faculty : TBD Faculty

553 Perspectives: Environmental Leadership : : Julie Zimmerman : TBD Faculty : Peter Boyd

577 Environmental Communicator (Dates TBD) :

This course prepares students for the communication tasks they will face as environmental professionals, researchers, or employees.  In their careers, most professionals spend more than half their work time communicating with others, both inside and outside their organization. To advance in their careers and contribute to the progress of an environmental cause, students need a refined ability to communicate their ideas with clarity and credibility. This course focuses on building a constellation of skills that students can apply to their work. They learn how to use communication to influence others, advocate their ideas, and collaborate with colleagues on project teams. Course topics include strategy in communication, diplomatic language, public speaking, writing styles, listening to people, and framing environmental issues for the public.  The course meets for a weekly two-hour lecture and demonstration, and students attend a one-hour small group practice session that allows them to reinforce new communicative behaviors in simulated job tasks, such as project meetings, budget requests, and public hearings.

: William Vance : William Vance

578 PSC: Financial Concepts for Environmental Managers :

This course, which meets Fall-2, exposes students to the financial concepts used by companies to make and evaluate business decisions. The class covers key financial statements of for-profit businesses; building financial projections for a business, project, or investment; financial markets: what they are and how they operate; investors: the tools they use to evaluate potential investments; and common valuation techniques: uses and limitations.

: Maureen Burke :

583 American Energy History : : : Paul Sabin

592 Documentary Film Workshop : This workshop in audiovisual scholarship explores ways to present research through the moving image. Students work within a Public Humanities framework to make a documentary that draws on their disciplinary fields of study. Designed to fulfill requirements for the M.A. with a concentration in Public Humanities. : Charles Musser : Charles Musser

595 Yale Environment Review : : Matthew J. Kotchen : Matthew J. Kotchen

604 Social Entrepreneurship in Public Health :

This is a case based course about innovation and entrepreneurship for health equity and drivers of health. Health equity means that everyone has a fair and just opportunity to be as healthy as possible. This requires removing obstacles to health such as poverty, racism, gender and other biases and their consequences, including powerlessness and lack of access to good jobs with fair pay, quality education and housing, healthy foods, safe environments, and health care. We refer to these as drivers of health. COVID-19 has brought to light for many the complexities in drivers of health, and the role of entrepreneurship and cross-sectoral collaboration in eliminating health disparities.

We examine cases of entrepreneurship for health equity in the U.S. and globally, using a research-based framework to analyze the role of innovation and design thinking, resource mobilization, financial viability, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and systems strengthening. Cases include start-ups and new ventures within existing institutions, referred to as intrapreneurship. We also examine cases of collective impact, or innovating across multiple institutions. Over the years, students in this class have began referring to these as extrapreneurship. This course brings together students from the Schools of Management, Public Health, Environment, Divinity, Engineering, Arts and Sciences, and undergraduates.

: Teresa Chahine :

609 Industrial Symbiosis - Value Creation through Data & Resource Sharing : Reducing society’s impacts on the environment can generate a variety of co-benefits. One phenomenon that depends on this potential is industrial symbiosis—the manifestation of the idea that the waste of one enterprise can become the raw material for another—studied as a sub-discipline of industrial ecology.
 
Industrial symbiosis (IS) features a collective approach to value creation grounded on byproduct exchanges and can simultaneously improve an individual firm’s operational efficiency, regional economic growth, and reduction of climate impacts, among other issues. IS is of increasing interest to business, government, and multi-lateral agencies and is being adopted globally in various forms.
 
This seminar will take a deep dive on the development processes and evolution of industrial symbiosis projects with a particular focus on data. The first section of the course will help students understand the conceptual framework of theories and data types involved in analyzing symbiosis. In the latter section, students will learn how these concepts apply to specific programs by learning the ways in which symbiosis is implemented and operated from leading professionals and scholars on almost every continent. Evaluation will be based on participation and a term project in which students will evaluate how data is collected and managed by operating industrial symbiosis programs. The goal of this seminar is for students to improve the holistic understanding of development mechanisms and outcomes of industrial symbiosis (environmental, economic, and social) through systematic data collection and analysis.  : Marian Chertow :

612 Waste and Materials Management: Fundamentals and Frontiers : : : TBD Faculty

613 Writing as a Public Scholar : : Stephanie Hanes Wilson : Stephanie Hanes Wilson

620 Integrative Assessment :

This course illustrates how to integrate the insights and models of different disciplines to address key environmental management questions facing society. Examples are drawn from across pollution and natural resource issues so that students can become familiar with a diverse set of issues. The course illustrates the merits of learning about the natural sciences, engineering, and economics in order to practice environmental management

: Robert O. Mendelsohn :

622 Decarbonizing Pathways to Limit Climate Change : Pollution from fossil fuels, deforestation, and other causes have already resulted in more than 1˚C of warming above pre-industrial levels, which has radically altered our climate. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change found that the world will face severe climate impacts even with 1.5˚C temperature rise. And without increased ambition in countries’ climate commitments and climate actions we can anticipate at least 3˚C of warming by the end of the century (UNEP 2019), leading to an unrecognizable planet. To achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement, global emissions will need to be halved by 2030 and reach net zero by mid-century. As we head into this decisive decade, we need to understand the magnitude of the climate challenge and which mitigation pathways are available to transition to a net-zero future and limit the most dangerous climate impacts. Accordingly, this course is devoted to understanding the scale of the climate problem and solution sets that would set us on an emissions pathway to achieve net-zero emissions. We start the course by examining emissions trends and impacts, as well as the necessary scale of emissions cuts consistent with achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement. We then turn our attention to strengthening our global response, with an investigation into countries’ commitments, known as nationally determined contributions (NDCs), long-term strategies and net-zero targets. This is particularly relevant this coming year as countries are preparing these commitments in advance of the 26th Conference of the Parties, to be held in November 2021. The last portion of the class is dedicated to informing the design of climate solutions, as we have a narrow window of time to steer action. We first explore theoretical frameworks for shaping our interventions, and then examine the role of different sectors and solutions sets in achieving netzero greenhouse gas emissions. : TBD Faculty :

625 Writing Workshop : This is a practical course aimed at helping students improve their writing. The goal is to help students develop their writing skills and make them better able to communicate their work and ideas through writing that is clear, accessible, and free of jargon. Students are required to write short pieces each week and to write one longer article. The class is organized as a workshop, with students reading and commenting on each other’s work. The instructor is available for weekly meetings with students to discuss their writing. There are regular readings of articles or short book selections, but the focus is on improving the students’ own writing. Students are evaluated on the completion of all assignments on time; the quality of their work; the progress their writing shows over the course of the term; and participation in discussions. : Roger Cohn : Roger Cohn

628 Global Aspects of Food and Nutrition : : : TBD Faculty

632 Social Entrepreneurship Lab : Follows SOM calendar. Must follow non-SOM student enrollment request

Section 01- M/W 1:30-3:20
Section 02-M/W 3:30-4:20


Introduction to Social Entrepreneurship is a practice-based course in which students from across campus form interdisciplinary teams to work on a social challenge of their choice. Teams include students from SOM, SPH, FES, YDS, Jackson Institute, and other schools and programs. Students start by identifying a topic area of focus, then form teams based on shared interests and complementary skills. Over the course of thirteen weeks, student teams delve into understanding the challenge through root cause analysis, research on existing solutions and populations affected; then apply human centered design thinking and systems thinking to design, prototype, test, and iterate solutions. Using tools such as the theory of change, logframe, business canvas, and social marketing strategy; teams build and test their impact models, operational models, and revenue models. Readings and assignments from the textbook “Introduction to Social Entrepreneurship” are used to guide this journey. These include technical templates, case studies, and interviews with social entrepreneurs and thought leaders in different sectors and geographies around the world. The class meets weekly for three hours in a workshop-style session, and includes guests from local social enterprises who join the class to share their experience, advice and challenges. At the end of the semester, student teams pitch their ventures to a panel of judges including social venture funders and social entrepreneurs. Teams are encouraged, but not required, to submit their ventures to one of the campus wide startup prizes (see: city.yale.edu/funding). While there are no prerequisites, this course builds on the SOM core course Innovator, and electives including Principles of Entrepreneurship, Entrepreneurship & New Ventures, Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Public Health, Global Social Entrepreneurship, Managing Social Enterprises, Business & the Environment Solutions. : Teresa Chahine : Teresa Chahine

634 Ecology of Global Drylands : : : William Lauenroth

653 Maple: From Tree to Table : This course covers the cultural, industrial, and sustainable practices of non-timber forest products through the lens of maple sap and syrup. Maple sugar is a forest product unique to northeastern North America, and it has seen a resurgence in interest as global consumers seek nutritious, natural, and sustainably produced foods. This course covers the booming industry and culture around maple syrup, from backyard operations through modern 100,000-tap investment operations. Maple producers are on the front lines of climate change and forest health threats. The course provides students with the knowledge of how challenges related to forest health and climate change are directly impacting maple producers and how these producers are learning to adapt in ways that are environmentally friendly, ecologically sound, and financially competitive in a global market. : Joseph Orefice : Joseph Orefice

669 Forest Ecosystem Management and Operations (Friday field trips) : : : TBD Faculty

681 Ethnobotany : : : Ina Vandebroek

685 Engaging Landholders and Communities in Conserving and Restoring Tropical Forest Landscapes : The design and implementation of sustainable land management strategies in tropical forest landscapes must effectively involve the people and communities who manage and govern these regions. In many cases, however, practitioners design projects that focus on technical solutions only and ignore people altogether, or base their projects upon incorrect assumptions about the people at the heart of their interventions. These trends ultimately lead to project failure and can cause a host of adverse unintended consequences that further exacerbate the problems that practitioners were trying to resolve. This pattern is particularly prevalent with recent pledges by global organizations and national governments to plant trillions of trees around the globe in an effort to address the adverse effects of climate change (see The Bonn Challenge and Trillion Trees). While these initiatives are largely well-intended, they largely ignore the socio-cultural and political complexities of the landscapes where the trees would be planted, including whether landholders already plant or protect trees and if they want to increase this practice and how, which species they want to plant or protect and how, and the effects of tree planting on land tenure systems, traditional livelihood strategies and gender dynamics. Little attention is also given to examining who removed the trees from the landscape and why, and whether tree planting is an appropriate solution. This course aims to provide forestry and land conservation students with the tools to think critically about the socio-cultural and political complexities of tropical forest landscapes and to more effectively engage landholders and communities in land management interventions. The course draws upon theoretical considerations in the social sciences literature and the applied experiences of the Environmental Leadership & Training Initiative (ELTI), a Center & Program of YSE focused on capacity development in tropical forest landscapes. ELTI staff and affiliates have 16 years of experience developing the capacity of people who manage and govern tropical forest landscapes to implement land management strategies that restore and protect tree and forest cover while supporting livelihoods. The program has a diverse collection of applied case studies featuring a range of strategies and approaches that practitioners use to engage landholders and communities on these themes. The course is designed to link YSE students to ELTI team members so they can learn directly from their experiences in a variety of contexts. Students will also interact with selected participants of ELTI’s yearlong online certificate program, Tropical Forest Landscapes: Conservation, Restoration & Sustainable Use, who are practitioners developing applied conservation and restoration projects around the globe.  : TBD Faculty :

692 Science and Practice of Temperate Agroforestry : This course explores the science and practices of temperate agroforestry, covering current knowledge of agroforestry science and shedding light on the myths and assumptions that have yet to be tested regarding the integration of trees in agricultural systems. The course begins with an overview of modern agriculture to help us better understand why agroforestry systems have potential to improve the sustainability of farming systems. We also cover the social science regarding agroforestry and why it has not been widely adopted. Silvopasture and forest farming systems are the primary focus, but windbreaks, alley cropping, and riparian forest buffers are also covered. The field of agroforestry has struggled with the promotion of hypothetical practices; this course introduces students to real-world production agroforestry systems and helps them better contribute to financially viable and environmentally sound agricultural operations. : Joseph Orefice : Joseph Orefice

704 Workshop on Remote Sensing and Photogrammetry with Drones : : : Xuhui Lee

720 Introduction to R : : : Simon Queenborough

729 Caribbean Coastal Development: Science and Policy :

This three-credit seminar explores human-ecosystem interactions at the land-sea interface in the tropics, with Caribbean islands as the main study sites.  Many tropical islands are undergoing rapid, uncontrolled development, placing severe local stress on several unique and vulnerable ecosystems types.  In addition, human induced environmental changes on scales up to global also impose stresses.  This course examines the normal functioning of these ecosystems, scientific methods to evaluate and characterize ecosystem condition and processes, how human activities interfere with natural cycles in biophysical systems, and what management and policy tools can be applied to reduce impacts.

: Gaboury Benoit : : Mary Beth Decker

747 Global Communication Skills :

This course helps students to sharpen their language and strategy in professional communication. Course topics include accent reduction, language accuracy, writing styles, presentation skills, meeting leadership, barriers to communication, and types of persuasion in multicultural contexts. We first address aspects of intelligibility, exploring how improved word choices and speech clarity affect audience understanding. We then look at the problem of comprehension and discuss strategies for increasing the student’s ability to listen accurately and read efficiently. We also examine common difficulties and cultural differences in the arrangement of information, use of evidence, and academic argumentation. Several sessions are devoted to specific skills, such as negotiating agreements and writing research reports. The course meets for lecture (two hours), and students attend a weekly small group practicum (one hour). The practicum allows students to reinforce new communicative behaviors in oral and written assignments, while receiving feedback from peers and the instructor. As students polish their skills, they improve their ability to express ideas and to interact in both academic and professional contexts.

 

 

: William Vance : William Vance

750 Writing the World :

This is a practical writing course meant to develop your skills as a writer. But its real subject is perception and the writer’s authority—the relationship between what you notice in the world around you and what, culturally speaking, you’re allowed to notice. What you write during the semester is driven entirely by your own interest and attention. How you write is the question at hand. We’ll be exploring the overlapping habitats of language—present and past—and the natural environment. And, to a lesser extent, we’ll be exploring the character of  persuasion in environmental themes. Every member of the class will write every week, and we will all read what everyone writes every week. It makes no difference whether you’re a would-be journalist, scientist, environmental advocate or policy-maker. The goal is to rework your writing and sharpen your perceptions, both sensory and intellectual.

: Verlyn Klinkenborg : Verlyn Klinkenborg

754 Geospatial Software Design :

This course introduces computer programming tools and techniques for the development and customization of geospatial data-processing capabilities. It relies heavily on use of the Python programming language in conjunction with ESRI’s ArcGIS and on JavaScript in conjunction with Google’s Earth Engine geographic information systems (GIS). Prerequisite: previous experience in GIS. Three hours lecture, problem sets.

: Charles Dana Tomlin : Charles Dana Tomlin

757 Data Exploration and Analysis :

Survey of statistical methods: plots, transformations, regression, contingency tables, analysis of variance, logistic regression, and cluster analysis. Data manipulation, web scraping, and data cleaning techniques are discussed. The R computing language is taught, and web data sources are used

: TBD Faculty : TBD Faculty

769 Seminar on Public Lands and Policy in the American West : : : Justin Farrell

775 Federal Indian Law : This course will cover the basics of federal Indian law. It will not address the substantive content of tribal law. Tribal law is a specialized study arising from the exercise of the legal authority that the tribes retain. This course is designed to lay the ground work for a deep understanding of what kinds of sovereignty Indian nations may exercise within the framework of our legal system. Normally, courses of this type begin with an historical exploration of the foundations of the relations between Indian and non-Indian peoples. Instead, we will begin with questions that are current and sketch out, roughly, where we are now. Typically, we start with cases pending before or recently decided by the Supreme Court. We use the Marshall Trilogy to build from the present back to the origins to see how the doctrines reflect the positive aspects of the legal expression of contact between Europe and the native nations of the Western hemisphere as well as the more malign aspects. We will not neglect the history; it will prove critical for understanding the ways in which federal Indian law is sui generis in domestic jurisprudence, but we will see how that history is always haunted by the specter of colonialism, extra-legality, and finally international legal norms. Self-scheduled examination or paper option. Students are required to attend the first day of class.
Follows Law School Calendar : Gerald Torres :

777 Water Quality Control :

Study of the preparation of water for domestic and other uses and treatment of wastewater for recycling or discharge to the environment. Topics include processes for removal of organics and inorganics, regulation of dissolved oxygen, and techniques such as ion exchange, electrodialysis, reverse osmosis, activated carbon adsorption, and biological methods.

: Jaehong Kim : Jaehong Kim

782 Globalization Space : Infrastructure space as a primary medium of change in global polity. Networks of trade, energy, communication, transportation, spatial products, finance, management, and labor, as well as new strains of political opportunity that reside within their spatial disposition. Case studies include free zones and automated ports around the world, satellite urbanism in South Asia, high-speed rail in Japan and the Middle East, agripoles in southern Spain, fiber optic submarine cable in East Africa, spatial products of tourism in North Korea, and management platforms of the International Organization for Standardization. : Keller Easterling : Keller Easterling

783 Field Course in Environmental Sociology : : : Justin Farrell

796 Bio-Politics of Human-Animal Relations : : : Michael R. Dove

805 Seminar on Environmental and Natural Resource Economics :

This seminar is based on outside speakers and internal student/faculty presentations oriented toward original research in the field of environmental and natural resource economics and policy. Presentations are aimed at the doctoral level, but interested master’s students may enroll with permission of the instructors.

: Kenneth Gillingham : Kenneth Gillingham

822 Strategic Communication: Delivering Effective Presentations(see description for section times and dates) : : : Taly Reich

836 Agrarian Societies: Culture, Society, History, and Development :

An interdisciplinary examination of agrarian societies, contemporary and historical, Western and non-Western. Major analytical perspectives from anthropology, economics, history, political science, and environmental studies are used to develop a meaning-centered and historically grounded account of the transformation of rural society. Four hours lecture plus discussion sections.

: TBD Faculty : TBD Faculty : Kalyanakrishnan Sivaramakrishnan

852 Food Systems and Environmental Law : We eat food every day.  The food system, from agricultural production to processing and distribution to consumption and waste, shapes our lives.  Less well known, but of equal or greater impact, the food system profoundly affects our environment, climate, and public health.  This course takes the food one eats in a day and uses those to demonstrate the environmental impact of modern agriculture and the U.S. laws that attempt to reduce those harms.


 
Today’s industrial food system bears little relation to the bucolic family farms we imagine – and that were in Congress’s mind when it passed most modern environmental laws. Since the 1970’s when most environmental laws were enacted, U.S. agriculture has grown increasingly concentrated and industrial.  In terms of output of cheap food, the system is a success: we now produce about 60% more food than we need, food is about one-third less expensive today than in 1980; and less than 2% of U.S. employment is in agriculture.  In addition, agriculture now also produces about 10% of the nation’s vehicle fuel (mostly corn-based ethanol).


 
On the other hand, the increased industrialization, without the environmental safeguards applicable to other industries, has led to agriculture being a major source of environmental and health harm.  Agriculture occupies approximately 60% of the country’s contiguous land and thus is the main driver of loss of native habitats.  Almost 800 million acres of U.S. land are used for pasture or range for livestock—activities that often destroy habitat, imperil native species, and pollute waters.  Most row crops are monocultures dependent on high doses of fertilizers and pesticides that pollute waters and endanger workers, surrounding communities, and downstream consumers.  The vast majority of our meat is produced in industrial-scale “concentrated animal feeding operations” that house thousands or even millions of animals producing more waste than many cities, yet without sewage treatment systems, and thus cause significant water and air pollution.  Agriculture is responsible for about 10% of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions and the food system as a whole contributes a quarter to a third of total greenhouse gas emissions.


 
Beyond agriculture itself, the manufacture of farm inputs is energy-intensive and highly polluting; animal slaughtering is highly polluting; and food processing, distribution, and preparation is energy-intensive.  At the end of the system, approximately 35% of food is wasted and most of that ends up in landfills where it releases methane. 


 
US environmental law directly and indirectly seeks to reduce these harms, although often in partial, ineffective, or unenforceable ways.  While there are alternative production systems that have been demonstrated to produce sufficient food with much less environmental impact, the law rarely encourages, and often discourages such approaches.  This course studies existing US environmental law and its strengths and weaknesses, and explores alternative approaches to environmental and public health protections.  We start and end with climate change – its impact on agriculture and agriculture’s impact on climate – and address other impacts and statutes between. Paper required : TBD Faculty :

860 Understanding Environmental Campaigns and Policymaking: Strategies and Tactics : This course is about the strategies and tactics used by successful environmental campaigns, taught from a practitioner's perspective. It is also a course about environmental policymaking. Policy doesn’t just happen the way it’s described in grade school civics textbooks. And it isn’t just policymakers who make it. Corporate and civic interests play an influential role at all levels of policymaking. As future participants in the policy process, whether you come at it from a perch in government, business, as an advocate, or as a private citizen, you can jumpstart your ability to participate and respond by understanding how policy campaign advocacy impacts policymaking. Though this topic is neither well documented nor regularly taught, there is a toolkit that can be learned. Most environmental campaigners and policymakers learn about policy campaigning on the job. This course attempts to advance understanding of the policy making process by exposing YSE students to case examples from the environmental policy making world of the past decade. The course examines selected case examples of successful policy campaigns, and seeks to tease out lessons and best practice. No single environmental campaign is the same, and strategies and tactics are always evolving, but there are key lessons about campaign practices that can be learned.Some of the Case studiesexamined in this course in the past have includedcampaigns enacting anti-toxic legislation in Washington State; stopping the Keystone XL Pipeline; shuttingcoal fired power plantsacross the U.S., protecting the Great Bear Rainforest and the Boreal Forest in Canada; stopping water privatization in Bolivia; banning the use of high Sulphur fuels in the Arctic; securing an international ban on Arctic ocean fishing; catalyzing the decarbonization of supply chain emissions at Levis; and encouraging banks and insurers to commit to Paris aligned lending and financing. Campaigners who have played leadership roles in thecampaigns we examinewill join us for class. We will examine each case, seek a practical understanding of strategies and tactics used by each campaign, and attempt to synthesize lessons and best practice. : Michael Northrop :

891 Biology of Insect Disease Vectors : : : Brian Weiss

892 Introduction to Planning and Development :

This course demonstrates the ways in which financial and political feasibility determine the design of buildings and the character of the built environment. Students propose projects and then adjust them to the conflicting interests of the financial institutions, real estate developers, civic organizations, community groups, public officials, and the widest variety of participants in the planning process. Subjects covered include housing, commercial development, zoning, historic preservation, parks and public open space, suburban subdivisions, planned communities, and comprehensive plans.

: Alexander Garvin : Alexander Garvin

896 Public Health Toxicology :

This course is designed to serve as a foundation for understanding environmental toxicology. It includes basic principles of toxicology, mechanisms of toxicity and cellular defense, and the fundamental interactions between chemicals and biological systems. Human exposure to foreign chemicals and their adverse effects are considered, as is the importance of federal and state agencies in protecting public health. Through the use of case studies, the course provides insights into prevention of mortality and morbidity resulting from environmental exposure to toxic substances, the fundamentals of risk assessment and regulatory toxicology, and the causes underlying the variability in susceptibility of people to chemicals.

: Vasilis Vasiliou : Vasilis Vasiliou

897 Environmental and Occupational Exposure Science :

This course examines the fundamental and practical aspects of assessing exposures to environmental agents, broadly defined, in the residential, ambient, and workplace environments. The course provides the knowledge and skills to design and conduct exposure assessments, and has a particular focus on applications to environmental epidemiology and risk assessment. Indirect and direct methods of assessing exposures, such as questionnaires, environmental sampling, biological monitoring, and spatial modeling, are reviewed; and case studies and hands-on projects are presented

: TBD Faculty : TBD Faculty

900 Doctoral Student Seminar and Responsible Conduct of Research :

This course provides the foundation for doctoral study at the School of Forestry & Environmental Studies. As a major part of the course, students will learn what it means to do scholarly research as well as become adept with philosophy of science and research methodology and proposal writing, as a basis for exploring diverse approaches to formulating and addressing research questions. Students will work with their advisers to put these concepts and principles into practice to develop the basis for their dissertation research (including building bibliography, identifying and crafting research questions, formulating research hypotheses and drafting a research proposal).  Students will further learn about funding opportunities and procedures for submitting grants. The course will also cover professional ethics and responsible conduct of research, including ethical approaches to inquiry and measurement, data acquisition and management, authorship and publication, peer review, conflicts of interest, mentoring, collaborative research, and animal and human subjects research.  Finally, the course will explore ethical ways to advocate for the application of scholarly knowledge in the interest of environmental problem solving.  Weekly assigned readings will support concepts and issues addressed in class. Students will present their embryonic research ideas in class and use feedback from the group to further develop their ideas

: Oswald J. Schmitz : Oswald J. Schmitz

902 Environmental Anthropology Research Lab :

1 credit/credit/fail. A bi-weekly seminar for Dove doctoral advisees and students in the combined YSE/Anthropology program. It consists of the presentation and discussion of dissertation prospectuses and proposals, dissertation chapters, and related publications; collaborative writing and publishing projects on subjects of common interest; and discussion of such topics as grantsmanship, data analysis, writing and publishing, and the job search. Two-hour seminar

: Michael R. Dove : Michael R. Dove

905 Doctoral Seminar in Environmental and Energy Economics : : : Kenneth Gillingham

910 Survival Skills for Doctoral Students : credit/fail. This course is aimed at preparing advanced doctoral students for successful and rewarding careers in ecology and environmental science. Students learn about academic and non-academic careers from readings of and presentations by scientists in those positions. Students identify important steps toward planning and launching their career paths, and skills for being effective in these positions; and they develop their own career plan, curriculum vitae, teaching and research plans, and critiques of professional web pages. Finally, the course exposes students to resources and opportunities for continuing to apply and polish their skills.  : William Lauenroth : William Lauenroth : Ingrid C. Burke

957 Field Skills in Land Stewardship : See ENV 954 for description.

Must register for both ENV 954 & 957 at the same time. : Mark S. Ashton : Mark S. Ashton

964 Large-Scale Conservation: Integrating Science, Management, and Policy :

Environmental sustainability and human dignity are important societal goals, but figuring out how to achieve them on large scales—geographic, temporal, and in terms of complexity—has proven to be extremely challenging. Abundant trend data show that many species, ecosystems, and other environmental and human systems are being overused, stressed, or degraded, thus undercutting the likelihood that we can reach sustainability and human rights for all. In addition, our institutions for science, management, and policy are not designed to address sustainability challenges on these scales. Over the last few decades numerous management and policy initiatives have been put forward to address large-scale resource use, including single and multiple use, parks and protected areas, ecosystem management, bioregional planning, integrated conservation and development, transboundary approaches, and adaptive governance. This course (a mixed seminar and practicum) explicitly uses an integrative (i.e., via interdisciplinary) framework to examine the conceptual and contextual basis for these efforts; compares and contrasts their scientific, management, and policy components; explores themes of leadership, problem solving, decision making, governance, change, and learning; and surveys cases from three arenas (terrestrial, aquatic, and marine). The course takes a problem-oriented, contextual, and multi-method approach that offers students conceptual, practical, and professional benefits. It includes readings, lectures, discussions, workshops, exercises, oral presentations, guest speakers, individual and small-group assignments, and possibly a field trip and group project. In past years the course took a field trip to the Connecticut River system to evaluate region-wide conservation efforts, the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, the Grand Canyon Ecosystem. It also organized an international workshop focused on the Yellowstone to Yukon initiative, and assisted a major U.S. NGO plan for transboundary projects along the U.S.-Canadian border. Extensive student participation is required throughout. Enrollment limited to eighteen.

: Susan G. Clark : Susan G. Clark

970 Environmental Protection Clinic Policy and Advocacy (Follows Law School Calendar -) :

Follows Law School Calendar

The clinic’s mission is to train students in environmental advocacy through skills-based seminars, interdisciplinary project work, and collaboration with the Natural Resources Defense Council and other significant environmental organizations. Students are assigned to teams of two-to-four members drawn from both the Law School and the School of the Environment. Teams work on a project developed in collaboration with client organizations, with most projects having both legal and policy components. In addition to covering substantive areas of environmental law, clinic seminars help students master the tools of effective environmental advocacy, including the abilities to research law and science, write and cite persuasively, navigate environmental organizations, and manage projects cooperatively. Enrollment limited. For all questions, please e-mail Alison Gocke at alison.gocke@yale.edu.

Note: Attendance at the first-class meeting is mandatory for admitted students and for those on the waiting list who wish to remain in consideration for admission if a place becomes available. Admitted students must confirm their participation in advance of the first class by a date designated by the instructors. A no-drop policy applies.

Course Bidding: Students in the School of the Environment (and students from any other school besides Yale Law School) looking to enroll in the Clinic for Spring 2021 must complete the Clinic’s Bidding Form by 4:30 p.m. on November 2nd. The Bidding Form is available here.
 

: Douglas Kysar : Douglas Kysar : Elizabeth Suatoni : David Hawkins : TBD Faculty : Conor Dwyer Reynolds

972 Advanced Environmental Protection Clinic (Follows Law School Calendar) : Follows Law School Calendar

Open only to students who have successfully completed the Environmental Protection Clinic (ENV 970). No statement of interest required. Attendance at clinic seminar is optional. For all questions, please e-mail alison.gocke@yale.edu : Douglas Kysar : Douglas Kysar : Elizabeth Suatoni : TBD Faculty

973 Capstone on Waste in the Urban Environment: Technology, Policy, and Management : Cities house 50% of world population. Often envisioned as living entities, cities are in constant evolution and, throughout this process, they generate waste—particularly municipal solid waste and construction and demolition waste. Most of this waste ends up in landfills, incineration facilities, or is downcycled for lower-grade applications. This capstone course provides the opportunity to reflect on problems related to the generation and disposition of waste in the urban environment and to exercise critical thinking to indicate potential pathways to address these problems.
 
This capstone course invites the students—either singularly or in teams of two—to conduct independent research on the fate of end-of-life material resources, with a particular focus on the waste produced in the built environment (construction and demolition and municipal waste). The choice of specific research topics is either originated by students or suggested from a list provided by the instructor. The course contains a mix of content-based sessions (e.g., waste generation, circularity, recycling) and practical sessions (e.g., critical reading, data visualization, scenario analysis) aimed at enhancing the skills necessary to produce rigorous reports. By the end of the semester, students will have compiled what they learned into an oral presentation and written final report sharing findings and recommendations. In addition, presentations will be followed by a Q&A session and feedback from the instructor and fellow students. : TBD Faculty : TBD Faculty

975 Environmental Justice Capstone: Interdisciplinary Research and Practice at the Intersection of Civil Rights & the Environment (application process) : : : Marianne Engelman-Lado

980 Social Justice in the Global Food System Capstone : This course explores social justice dimensions of today’s globalized food system, considering justice in terms of sociopolitical and environmental dynamics. We connect theory and practice through work with community-based organizations working at the nexus of food, agriculture, and social justice.
 
The capstone project work is grounded in food and social justice concepts examined through course materials and seminar discussions: We examine how governmental environmental strategies affect social equity in the food system at multiple scales. We discuss how land grabbing or food insecurity are connected to relative power on the global stage. We consider how phenomena such as structural violence and neoliberalization surface within the food system, and what this means for sustainability and justice – in urban and rural settings. We examine and debate concepts and practices including food sovereignty, agroecology, Black agrarianism, and The Right to Food used to advance positive change.
 
Through the capstone project, students will have the opportunity to deepen learning and contribute to the work of community groups forging pathways for equity and justice in the food system, particularly among communities historically marginalized from mainstream economies and policy making. Project work will include meetings with organizational leaders to understand context and co-develop appropriate project approaches. Students will work in groups to conduct in-depth research, analysis, and engage in additional professional and educational activities connected to the project. Student groups will prepare a final presentation and report to be shared with the partner organizations.
 
The course provides opportunities to develop competencies inanalyzing global food systems phenomena through social justice frameworks; and working within diverse settings on food and social justice issues, as practice for management, policymaking, other professional roles.
  : Kristin Reynolds : Kristin Reynolds

983 Water Resource Science & Management Capstone : : : Gaboury Benoit

991 Advanced Climate, Animals, Food, and Environment Law and Policy Lab : Follows the Yale Law School Calendar.


Open only to students who have successfully completed ENV 981, Climate, Animals, Food, and Environment Law and Policy Lab (CAFE Lab).Paper required. Enrollment limited to nine. Permission of the instructors required. 
In addition to listing this course among experiential permission selections, interested students should submit a brief statement describing the project they intend to pursue through the Advanced CAFE Lab. Statements should be submitted by 4:30 pm on the last day of the bidding period of the Yale Law school.
Note:The instructors will set a regular meeting time once the students have set their schedules. : Douglas Kysar : Douglas Kysar : TBD Faculty