Course |
Fall 2019 |
Spring 2020 |
Fall 2020 |
Spring 2021 |
510
Introduction to Statistics and Data Analysis in the Environmental Sciences
510 Introduction to Statistics and Data Analysis in the Environmental Sciences :
An introduction to statistics and data analysis with emphasis on practical applications in the environmental sciences. Includes graphical analysis, common probability distributions, hypothesis testing, confidence intervals, and linear regression. The second part of the course introduces the topics of multiple regression and ANOVA that are typically not covered in an introductory class such as AP statistics. There are weekly problem sets using MINITAB, SPSS, or R, as well as a final project. This course is a prerequisite for other statistics courses offered through F&ES, and it presents statistical methods used in many Yale courses in both the natural and social sciences. Three hours lecture : Jonathan Reuning-Scherer : Jonathan Reuning-Scherer
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Reuning-Scherer Tu,Th - 10:30-11:50 |
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Reuning-Scherer TBA - TBA |
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510E
Introduction to Statistics and Data Analysis in the Environmental Sciences
510E Introduction to Statistics and Data Analysis in the Environmental Sciences : by Application only
An introduction to statistics and data analysis with emphasis on practical applications in the environmental sciences. Includes graphical analysis, common probability distributions, hypothesis testing, confidence intervals, and linear regression. The second part of the course introduces the topics of multiple regression and ANOVA that are typically not covered in an introductory class such as AP statistics. There are weekly problem sets using MINITAB, SPSS, or R, as well as a final project. This course is a prerequisite for other statistics courses offered through F&ES, and it presents statistical methods used in many Yale courses in both the natural and social sciences. This course is taught in a flipped classroom approach: students watch videos before class, and classroom time is spent answering questions and working examples on computers. Enrollment limited to thirty : Jonathan Reuning-Scherer : Jonathan Reuning-Scherer
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Reuning-Scherer Tu,Th - 2:30-3:50 |
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Reuning-Scherer TBA - TBA |
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511
Ecological Patterns and Processes
511 Ecological Patterns and Processes : The course, which meets Aug. 29–Oct. 5, 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
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Freidenburg Tu - 10:30-11:50 |
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Freidenburg TBA - TBA |
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512
Microeconomics for Environmental Management
512 Microeconomics for Environmental Management : This six-week course which meets August 29 - October 5 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 F&ES 834 and other more advanced offerings. : TBD Faculty : Matthew J. Kotchen
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Faculty Tu,Th - 4:00-5:20 |
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Kotchen TBA - TBA |
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520
Society and Environment: Introduction to Theory and Method
520 Society and Environment: Introduction to Theory and Method :
First Class will meet on Friday, August 31 12:00-1:00, Kroon 321
Introductory course on the scope of social scientific contributions to environmental and natural resource issues. Section I, overview of the field and course. Section II, framing of environmental problems: placing problems in their wider political context, new approaches to uncertainty and failure, and the importance of how the conceptual boundaries to resource systems are drawn. Section III, methods: the dynamics of working within development projects, and the art of rapid appraisal and short-term consultancies. Section IV, local communities, resources, and (under)development: representing the poor, development discourse, and indigenous peoples and knowledge. There are two guest lectures by leading scholars in the field. No prerequisites. This is a core M.E.M. specialization course in F&ES, a core course in the combined F&ES/Anthropology doctoral degree program, and a prerequisite for F&ES 869/ANTH 572. Three hours lecture/seminar. : Michael R. Dove : Michael R. Dove
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Dove M - 9:00-11:50 |
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Dove TBA - TBA |
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521
Physical Science Foundations for Environmental Managers
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
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Anisfeld Th - 10:30-11:50 |
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Anisfeld TBA - TBA |
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522
Topics in Community Engagement
522 Topics in Community Engagement : To be offered as a Fall-2 course, Oct. 21- Dec 6
This basic knowledge course is designed to introduce students to a range of socio-cultural and political factors that drive the actions of individual and communities surrounding natural resource management.
In Part 1: Introduction to social science and conservation we will explore basic questions such as: What is knowledge? And What is Nature? Students will be introduced to the many disciplines that the intersection of environmental problems, and specific attention will be placed on the field of political ecology.
In Part 2: Justice and Indigenous Peoples we will learn the basic concepts of “justice” and discussion the ways in which climate change can be seen as a justice issue. We will also explore the thorny issues of integrating local knowledge with scientific knowledge.
In Part 3: Environmental Governance we explore the role of the state and markets in shaping natural resource use. Concepts like property rights, the commons, and decentralization will be introduced.
Finally, in Part 4: Pulling it together: Working with communities we will talk about basic approaches to community-based, participatory research and how to integrate culture and livelihoods into conservation. : Amity Doolittle : Amity Doolittle
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Doolittle Tu,Th - 4:00-5:20 |
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Doolittle TBA - TBA |
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530
Ecosystems and Landscapes
530 Ecosystems and Landscapes :
This course is an introduction to concepts in ecosystem and landscape ecology. Topics covered include biogeochemical cycling, food web interactions, biodiversity, and the abiotic and biotic controls that act on them. The course emphasizes how to integrate this knowledge to understand and manage natural systems so they continue to serve their own and human needs. : Mark Bradford : Mark Bradford
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Bradford M,W - 9:00-10:20 |
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Bradford TBA - TBA |
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550
Natural Science Research Methods
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 : William Lauenroth : William Lauenroth
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Lauenroth Tu,Th - 9:00-10:20 |
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Lauenroth TBA - TBA |
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551
Qualitative Social Science Research
551 Qualitative Social Science Research :
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
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Doolittle Tu,Th - 9:00-10:20 |
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Doolittle TBA - TBA |
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573
Urban Ecology for Local and Regional Decision Making
573 Urban Ecology for Local and Regional Decision Making : Urban ecology is the interdisciplinary study of urban and urbanizing systems from local to global scales. While urban ecology shares many features with the biological science of ecology, it emphasizes linkages with social, economic, and physical sciences and the humanities. Geographically, the subject includes central and edge cities, suburbs of various ages and densities, and exurban settlements in which urban lifestyles and economic commitments are dominant. In application, urban ecology can be useful as a social-ecological science for making cities more sustainable, resilient, and equitable. Emerging “grand challenges” in urban ecology include the development of robust approaches and understanding of (1) integrated social-ecological systems in urban and urbanizing environments; (2) the assembly and function of novel ecological communities and ecosystems under novel environmental conditions; (3) drivers of human well-being in diverse urban areas; (4) pathways for developing healthy, sustainable, and disaster-resilient cities; and (5) co-production of actionable science for policy, planning, design, and management. : Morgan Grove : Morgan Grove
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Grove Tu - 1:00-3:50 |
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Grove Tentative |
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577
PSC: Environmental Communicator (Dates TBD)
577 PSC: 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
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Vance M - 6:00-9:00 |
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Vance TBA - TBA |
578
PSC: Financial Concepts for Environmental Managers
578 PSC: Financial Concepts for Environmental Managers :
This course which meets October 21-December 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. Meeting dates to be determined. : Maureen Burke : Maureen Burke
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Burke W - 6:00-8:00 |
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Burke TBA - TBA |
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583
American Energy History
583 American Energy History : From the powerful winds that carried ships across the oceans to the coal and oil that fueled industrial growth, energy production and consumption have shaped American history and powered the nation’s grandest ambitions. This course examines how the American energy system evolved over time, and why. How has the struggle to control and deploy energy shaped American politics and economic development? What have been the impacts of energy transitions on social and environmental change? : : Paul Sabin
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Sabin Tentative |
584
Agricultural Climate Change Mitigation (January 15-February 19)
584 Agricultural Climate Change Mitigation (January 15-February 19) :
Agriculture and land use change (primarily to clear land for agriculture) are responsible for roughly a quarter of anthropogenic emissions. This course will explore the range of solutions that have been proposed, some of which are new while others are already implemented on hundreds of millions of hectares. These include both demand reduction (diet change and food waste) and supply-side strategies. Agricultural production approaches include biosequestration
(i.e. conservation agriculture, agroforestry systems), emissions reduction (i.e., nutrient management, low-methane rice), and intensification, both agrichemical and agroecological. Climate change adaptation is also a critical need. Controversial issues like livestock and biofuels will be discussed. : Eric Toensmeier : Eric Toensmeier
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Toensmeier Tu - 6:00-8:50 |
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Toensmeier Tentative |
590
The Climate Change Negotiations: A Practical Approach
590 The Climate Change Negotiations: A Practical Approach : This course meets on four evenings in the fall, October 22, 29, November 5 & 12
This course introduces students to the history of the international climate change negotiations (from the UNFCCC to the Paris Agreement), discusses the ways in which negotiating differences are typically resolved, identifies the issues to be addressed at this year’s Conference of the Parties, and concludes with a mock negotiation. : Susan Biniaz : Susan Biniaz
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Biniaz M - 5:30-7:20 |
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Biniaz Tentative |
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592
Documentary Film Workshop
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 :
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Musser O - Tues 7pm-10pm; Wed 10:30-1:20 |
Musser O - Tues 7pm-10pm; Wed 10:30-1:20 |
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595
Yale Environment Review
595 Yale Environment Review :
The Yale Environment Review is a student-run online publication that aims to bridge the gap between the environmental science community and the wider public. Its aim is to provide easy access to fact-based research for policy makers, environmental managers, and anyone interested in the latest findings in the natural and social sciences. Student writers select two peer-reviewed journal articles each term and learn how to translate them into clear and concise language. Joining the Yale Environment Review will help students improve their writing skills, familiarize themselves with science communication, and publish their work.
: Matthew J. Kotchen : TBD Faculty
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Kotchen Th - 12:00-1:00 |
Kotchen Th - 12:00-12:50 |
Faculty TBA - TBA |
Faculty TBA - TBA |
601
Perspectives: Bristol Bay / Pebble Mine
601 Perspectives: Bristol Bay / Pebble Mine : Schedule will also include discussion sessions
: Julie Zimmerman : Julie Zimmerman : Paul Anastas
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Zimmerman M - 12:00-1:00 |
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Zimmerman TBA - TBA |
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603
Environmental Data Visualization & Communication
603 Environmental Data Visualization & Communication :
Welcome to the Information Age. Data production is growing at 50% per year, or more than doubling every two years. We are not only producing more data from existing sources, we are constantly creating entirely new streams of data, whether statistical, text, audio, video, sensor, and bio-metric data. Yet, our ability to access, manage, understand, and synthesize all this data is extremely limited. Visualization is a powerful means of enhancing our cognitive abilities to learn from data, especially when informed by insights into human behavior and social systems. While developing the quantitative skills necessary for analyzing Big Data is important, understanding how to effectively explore and communicate insights from data – whether big or small – is equally essential for policymakers, researchers, and practitioners alike. In this course, you will learn how to effectively explore, identify, and communicate key insights from environmental data to diverse audiences through visualization and presentation. Classes will consist partly of short lectures on key principles of effective communication, data management, and visual design, coupled with discussions, peer critiques, and hands-on visualization activities. Throughout the term, we will introduce R and Tableau and use these tools to develop and experimentally test alternative visualizations. The experiments will illustrate and reinforce key principles examined during lectures and discussion. No prior experience with R or other programming languages is necessary. : Jennifer Marlon : Jennifer Marlon : Simon Queenborough
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Marlon M - 10:30-12:20 |
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Marlon Tentative |
604
Public Health Entrepreneurship & Intrapraneurship
604 Public Health Entrepreneurship & Intrapraneurship : This course aims to familiarize students with the principles and practice of innovation and entrepreneurship in the context of public health, as defined by the well being of society, including social and environmental determinants of health. We examine a set of public health challenges within the context of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), using a hybrid method combining case studies and assignments. Case studies provide an opportunity to analyze cross-cutting challenges faced by innovators and entrepreneurs in the field of public health. Assignments allow students to dig deeper into specific topic areas within public health innovation and entrepreneurship. The target audience for this course includes graduate and undergraduate students in the MBA, MAM, MPH, and other programs at Yale SOM, SPH, and across campus. It is a precursor, but not a prerequisite, for Introduction to Social Entrepreneurship where students design ventures tackling social challenges through new or existing organizations. : Teresa Chahine :
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Chahine O - Section 1 - T/Th 1:00-2:20; Section 2-T/Th 2:40-4: |
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605
Environmental Risk Communication
605 Environmental Risk Communication :
Risk communication is a critical, but often overlooked part of how organizations identify and manage risks. Risk communication can help people take risks seriously (e.g., to wear a seatbelt or bicycle helmet, check for radon in their homes, evacuate from a coming hurricane) that they might otherwise ignore. Risk communication can also provide
reassurance when data indicate that a risk is not serious. For environmental professionals, effective risk communication enables them to communicate information in a way that is understood and accepted by different stakeholders (e.g., the public, industry, government leaders, etc.) and allows the participation of these stakeholders in risk management decisions. This course will provide an overview of the theory and practice of effective communication about environmental and health risks to diverse stakeholders. Students will be expected to actively participate in class discussions, drawing upon assigned readings, lectures, and videos. : Andrew Schwarz : Andrew Schwarz
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Schwarz W - 2:30-5:20 |
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Schwarz Tentative |
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608
Air Pollution and Public Health
608 Air Pollution and Public Health : Exposure to air pollution is a leading contributor to the global disease burden. This course discusses major emission sources, atmospheric transformation and transport, measurement and modelling techniques for human exposure assessment, and the health impacts of air pollutants. Emphasis is placed on students gaining hands-on experience with measurement (e.g., low-cost sensors, passive samplers) and spatial analysis tools (e.g., ArcGIS) for application to research, public health practice, and community engagement. Through a series of laboratory sessions, students quantitatively characterize indoor and outdoor exposure concentrations and learn methods to critically assess data quality. The public health implications of air pollutant exposure are examined through review of recent epidemiological and toxicological research. The course discusses inequitable distribution of air pollutant exposure across the United States in relation to environmental health disparities. The health benefits of air pollutant intervention strategies in developed and developing regions and implications for public action are also covered. : TBD Faculty : TBD Faculty
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Faculty W - 10:00-11:50 & 2:00-2:50 |
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Faculty Tentative |
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609
Advanced Seminar in Industrial Ecology: Waste Management and the Circular Economy
609 Advanced Seminar in Industrial Ecology: Waste Management and the Circular Economy : Diversion of waste from disposal has been a long-standing issue in environmental policy and management. It has gained renewed salience as the notion of the circular economy (CE) has captured the imagination of policymakers, business leaders, and environmental advocates around the world. The CE has also been challenged as to its environmental goals, scientific foundations, and economic feasibility. In a circular economy resources are kept in circulation for as long as possible, the maximum value is extracted from them while in use, and products and materials are recovered at end of life for continued productive usage. The core conception of closing material cycles and key strategies in the circular economy—reduction, reuse, recycling, extension of product lifespans, product-service systems, systems analysis—have been proposed and examined for more than two decades in industrial ecology. This seminar will start with an introduction to solid waste management systems as they exist in developed countries. In the second half of the semester, the seminar will explore the environmental and resource premises and possibilities of the circular economy through examination of the core literature followed by a deeper dive into several elements of the CE.The goal of this 3-credit seminar is twofold: (1) to develop a sophisticated understanding of the circular economy in order to assess its potential in contributing to sustainability and (2) to apply the concepts and methods of industrial ecology. : Reid J. Lifset :
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Lifset Tu - 2:30-5:20 |
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611
Introduction to Environmental Data Science
611 Introduction to Environmental Data Science : This course provides an introduction to the rapidly growing and promising area of data science in environmental and social-environmental research that is accompanying the explosion of data in our digital age. The course helps students develop highly marketable tech skills and incubate and launch new interdisciplinary collaborative projects at Yale that integrate data science techniques to solve important problems. Nearly every aspect of life is now connected (e.g., mobile phones, smart devices, social media) and/or digitized (e.g., book archives, government records, websites, communication), and observation of the natural environment increasingly occurs in digital form. In this course, students are introduced to various techniques and software for wrangling, cleaning, managing, and analyzing data and text at various scales, with an emphasis on integrating these methods into analysis and research. The course has an innovative format that leverages distributed knowledge around Yale. Students meet as a whole class a few times during the term to cover overarching topics. Meanwhile, students also work with the instructors to: (1) design a coherent path of study using the resources of StatLab, YCRC, and other workshops around campus, and (2) create a data project that will be presented to the class at the end of the term. : Eli Fenichel : TBD Faculty : Simon Queenborough : Jennifer Marlon
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Fenichel F - 2:30-4:30 |
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Faculty TBA - TBA |
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613
Writing as a Public Scholar
613 Writing as a Public Scholar :
Environmental scholars and practitioners increasingly recognize the need, and often have the desire, to communicate their passions and expertise to a wide, lay audience. The seminar starts from the premise that to do this effectively a mastery of written storytelling is essential, particularly in today’s saturated and fractured media landscape. Students will read popular works by classic and contemporary scholars, such as Rachel Carson and Richard Prum; practitioners in the sciences, such as Atul Gawande and Peter Wohlleben; and journalists such as Elizabeth Kolbert and John McPhee; as well as growing number of authors, such as Bill McKibben, whose work crosses these categories. Some pieces students will analyze multiple times, developing a increasingly nuanced understanding of storytelling technique : Stephanie Hanes Wilson : Stephanie Hanes Wilson
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Wilson Th - 1:00-3:50 |
Tentative (No Semester)
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615
Political Ecology of Conservation and Restoration of Tropical Forest Landscapes
615 Political Ecology of Conservation and Restoration of Tropical Forest Landscapes : Study of the relationship between society and the environment focusing on tropical forest conservation. Global processes of environmental conservation, development, and conflicts over natural resource use and control; approaches to conserving trees and forest cover using strategies that support biodiversity and rural agricultural livelihoods; specific focus on tropical forest landscapes dominated by agriculture and cattle ranching practices using Panama and Colombia as a case studies. The course includes a required field trip for graduate students during Spring Break: March 17-March 23 in Panama at the ELTI’s focal training site. : Amity Doolittle : Amity Doolittle
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Doolittle Tu - 1:00-3:50 |
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Doolittle TBA - TBA |
616
Business and Environment Solutions: 7 by 7 (Fall-2)
616 Business and Environment Solutions: 7 by 7 (Fall-2) : 7x7: Seven wicked challenges in business and the environment – seven weeks to come up with a solution.
You have studied business and the environment for years and you are left with the feeling that there is a lot of talk out there and very few solutions. Here is your chance to try to address some of the stickiest, and yet tangible, challenges at the intersection of business and the environment.
In this project-based course, we present student teams with 7 constrained, yet recalcitrant challenges at the intersection of business and the environment on day one. In each challenge, we have a potential game-changing idea to address a major environmental problem, but little idea how to make that idea into a reality through business.
Each team will select one challenge. Seven weeks later, your team will present your business solution.
In the meantime, we will provide resources (people, literature, frameworks, standards, tools and suggestions) to help you explore the ins and outs of your challenge. We call these resource packs a ‘live-case study’ as they require interaction with live experts in the field. We will also provide a weekly discussion with faculty, entrepreneurs, innovators and out-of-the-box business thinkers that are working on other challenges in the field so that you can glean ideas on how to think about your challenge in new and innovative ways.
We will not provide any solutions, because there are no solutions yet. At the end of the class, we will judge each other based on your process of thinking through the problems, the comprehensiveness of analysis, the implementability and expected effectiveness of the business solution and the skill with which you present your case.
This course is appropriate for those students with a background and curriculum experience in both business and the environment. Our expectation is that students will have sufficient familiarity with their team challenge to ‘hit the ground running’.
[1]Teams may select their own challenge, but resource packs will only provided for the seven challenges below : : Todd Cort
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Tentative (No Semester)
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619
Ethics and Ecology
619 Ethics and Ecology : This is a philosophical introduction to Environmental Ethics. The course will introduce students to the basic contours of the field of environmental ethics and to a small number of special topics and special philosophical problems within that field. No philosophical background is required or expected. : Stephen Latham : Stephen Latham
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Latham Tu,Th - 10:30-11:50 |
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Latham Tentative |
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624
Economics of Sustainability
624 Economics of Sustainability : Meeting the needs of future generations without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs means allocating resources across and through time. Resource allocation is a central theme in economics. For more than 100 years the economics literature has investigated allocating resources within a generation and between generations. The purpose of this course is to provide students with core ideas from economics relevant to the conversation around sustainability and sustainable development. The course addresses normative theory, ideas around sustainability (even before it was called that), and initiatives for measuring sustainability (with some historical context), and it touches on modern techniques for incorporating the environment in measures of social progress. : Eli Fenichel :
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Fenichel M,W - 2:30-3:50 |
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625
Writing Workshop
625 Writing Workshop : This is a half-semester course aimed at helping students improve their writing. The goal is not to try to shape students into professional writers, but rather to develop their writing skills and make them better able to communicate their work and ideas through writing – writing that is clear, accessible, and free of jargon. Students will be required to write short pieces weekly and one longer article. The class is organized as a workshop, with students reading and commenting on each other’s work. The instructor will be available for weekly meetings with students to discuss their writing. There will be regular readings of articles or short book selections, but the focus will be on developing the students’ own writing. Students will be evaluated on: completing all assignments on time; the quality of their work; the progress their writing shows over the course of the class; and participation in discussions : Roger Cohn : Roger Cohn
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Cohn Tu - 1:00-3:50 |
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Cohn Tentative |
628
Global Aspects of Food and Nutrition
628 Global Aspects of Food and Nutrition : The course presents a core topic in global health and development that is at the intersection of science, society, and policy. The course familiarizes students with leading approaches to analyzing the causes of malnutrition in countries around the world and to designing and evaluating nutrition interventions. It covers micronutrient and macronutrient deficiencies; approaches to reducing malnutrition; the cultural, economic, environmental, agricultural, and policy context within which malnutrition exists; and the relationships between common infections and nutritional status. : TBD Faculty : TBD Faculty
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Faculty M,W - 8:30-9:50 |
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Tentative (No Semester)
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630
The Physical Science of Climate Change
630 The Physical Science of Climate Change : This course covers the science behind Earth’s climate system. The first part of the course entails understanding the components of Earth’sclimate, including the chemical and physical atmosphere and the role of land, ice, and the oceans in regulating global climate. The second half takes a closer look at how Earth’s climate system impacts global sustainable boundaries, including its impact on ecosystems, waterresources, the built environment, human health, and the global food system. During the first half of the course students are expected to complete weekly homework assignments that reinforce class concepts and perform a guided analysis using a climate model. The second half of the course involves project work on the impact of climate on a system (e.g., ecosystem, water resource, community, health, etc). : Peter A. Raymond : TBD Faculty : Xuhui Lee
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Raymond Tu,Th - 10:30-11:50 |
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Faculty TBA - TBA |
631
Solving The Super Wicked Problems of Global Climate Change
631 Solving The Super Wicked Problems of Global Climate Change : To be offered in 2019–2020. : Ben Cashore :
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Cashore Tu - 2:30-5:20 |
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632
Intro to Social Entrepreneurship
632 Intro to Social Entrepreneurship : 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
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Chahine O - 2 sections: W, 4:10-7:10 or Th 2:40-5:50 |
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Chahine Tentative |
634
Ecology of Global Drylands
634 Ecology of Global Drylands : This course explores the controls on the geographic distribution and community and ecosystem structure and functioning of drylands globally. Lectures, writing, and student-led discussions. : William Lauenroth :
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Lauenroth M,W - 9:00-10:20 |
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635
Renewable Energy Project Finance
635 Renewable Energy Project Finance : The course is intended to be a practicum, exposing students to real-world tools of the trade as well as the theory underlying them. In place of a textbook, students are provided with approximately 400 pages of actual project documents used for a U.S. wind energy project constructed relatively recently. Through weekly homework assignments, students develop the skills necessary to construct a detailed financial model, largely comparable to what would be used by an investment firm, project developer, or independent power producer. Modeling skills include sizing debt capacity, sensitivity analysis, stochastic forecasting, taxes, and the creation of financial statements. Lectures also provide an introduction to risk management, energy market dynamics, alternative contractual structures, financial structuring, and the core engineering and risks inherent in the most common renewable energy technologies.
: Daniel Gross : Daniel Gross
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Gross M - 2:30-5:20 |
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Gross TBA - TBA |
636
Sustainability Finance
636 Sustainability Finance : For a variety of reasons, today’s businesses and investors are dealing with the risks and opportunities of environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues. Climate change, water scarcity, community conflicts, resource depletion, supply chain breakdowns, worker well-being and economic inequality pose material challenges that make sustainability and ESG an imperative for successful corporations and investors.
This course couples established and emerging theory on how finance can be used to address sustainability challenges with the practice of Sustainable Investing. We will examine current ESG investment and corporate strategies, trends, future scenarios, players, and frameworks and integrate that theory with practical investment performance analysis, metrics, and studies of data, screens, asset classes, and diversification. The course seeks to mix multiple formats of learning and interaction including lectures, class discussions, workshops, interactions with industry leaders and student-led research.
Students of all disciplines interested in the fields of investment and environmental/social policy are encouraged to attend the mandatory first day of class. This course is designed to be accessible to those with varying levels of knowledge of financial markets and economics backgrounds. Though there are high expectations for the quality of final stock pitches, mentoring and resources are readily available from the two instructors. : : Todd Cort
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Cort Tentative |
637
Commodity Production and Environmental History in Latin America and the Caribbean
637 Commodity Production and Environmental History in Latin America and the Caribbean : This course presents readings across the past five centuries that examine the human impact on the environment of the region from a historical, geographical, and ecological perspective. Topics include the transformation of landscapes by plantation agriculture; the introduction of exogenous plant and animal species; and the impact of extractive industries, natural disasters, climate change, conservation, and tourism. Open to undergraduates with permission of the instructor. : TBD Faculty :
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Faculty Tu - 3:30-5:20 |
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639
Urban Sanitation
639 Urban Sanitation : This new inter-disciplinary course will examine the challenges posed by the growing volumes of human excreta that are generated daily in cities around the world. Topics to be covered include: environmental, engineering, and public-health aspects of sanitation; the history of sanitation; innovation in sanitation; sewage reuse; cultural and social considerations; and case studies of different centralized and decentralized solutions. The course is organized around two alternative final projects: 1) a spring-break trip to Lima, Peru, where students will observe first-hand some of the components of this complex sanitation system, and will meet with stakeholders ranging from government officials to slum-dwellers to non-profits pursuing innovative sanitation solutions; and 2) a U.S.-based analysis of a comparable sanitation system. Enrollment in the class will be limited to 12 students each from the School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, the School of Public Health, and the Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, while participation in the Peru field trip / project will be limited to five students from each school. Applications for enrollment and participation in the Peru field trip will be due in December 2019. : Shimon C. Anisfeld :
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Anisfeld Tu,Th - 1:00-2:20 |
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645
Urbanization, Global Change and Sustainability
645 Urbanization, Global Change and Sustainability : Urbanization and associated changes in human activities on the land (land use) and in the physical attributes of Earth’s surface (land cover) have profound environmental consequences. Aggregated globally, these effects constitute some of the most significant human impacts on the functioning of Earth as a system. This class examines the interactions and relationships between urbanization and global change at local, regional, and global scales with an emphasis on the biophysical aspects of urbanization. Topics include urbanization in the context of global land use change, habitat and biodiversity loss, modification of surface energy balance and the urban heat island, climate change and impacts on urban areas, urban biogeochemistry, and urbanization as a component of sustainability. Emphasis is on management of urban areas worldwide or at national scales for planetary sustainability. : Karen C. Seto : Karen C. Seto
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Seto Th - 9:00-11:50 |
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Seto TBA - TBA |
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646
Foundations of Agriculture and Environment
646 Foundations of Agriculture and Environment : Agricultural systems have a profound impact on the environment, but also depend on environmental processes—such as climate and nutrient cycling—for continued productivity. Because of this two-way relationship, there has been a growing integration of environmental and agricultural sciences over the past several decades with growing recognition that designing and implementing agricultural systems that minimize environmental harm and benefit people is necessary to sustainable development. : Stephen Wood : Stephen Wood
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Wood Tu - 1:00-3:50 |
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Tentative (No Semester)
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652
Wood: Structure and Function
652 Wood: Structure and Function : This course focuses on the extraordinary diversity of wood anatomy at the cellular level, and on the practice of dendrochronology that allows students to take advantage of predictable, inter-annual variability in tree growth to reconstruct environmental history. The primary focus of the course is on common northeastern trees and other commercially important timber species. A primary goal is to participate in the development of a master tree-ring chronology for the School forests. Basic statistics and a background in tree physiology and anatomy are strongly recommended. : : Craig Brodersen
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Brodersen TBA - TBA |
653
Maple: From Tree to Table
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
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Orefice M - 5:30-6:50 |
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Orefice Tentative |
654
Structure, Function, and Development of Trees
654 Structure, Function, and Development of Trees :
This course focuses on two aspects of plant life: (1) basic processes that drive plant development, such as seed formation, germination, seedling establishment, maturation, and senescence; and (2) basic structure and function of plants (such as root systems, leaf formation and development, height, and diameter growth). Differences between different groups of seed plants are analyzed from structural, functional, ecological, and evolutionary standpoints. Special attention is given to woody plants and their importance in the biosphere and human life. Coverage includes tropical, temperate, and boreal trees. Plant biology is discussed in the context of physiological and structural adaptations in terms of strength, storage, and water and solute transport. : Graeme P. Berlyn : Graeme P. Berlyn
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Berlyn Tu,Th - 4:00-5:20 |
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Berlyn TBA - TBA |
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656
Tree Physiology and Ecophysiology
656 Tree Physiology and Ecophysiology :
Mineral nutrition and cycling, mycorrhizas, symbiosis, nitrogen fixation, light processing, photosynthesis, respiration, water relations including transpiration, and ecophysiology are covered. The interaction of photosynthesis with water relations, mineral nutrition, temperature, and environmental stress is discussed. Effects of climate changes on forests, past and present, and other current topics are also considered. Term paper required. : Graeme P. Berlyn : Graeme P. Berlyn
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Berlyn Tu,Th - 4:00-5:20 |
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Berlyn TBA - TBA |
658
Global Resources, International Resource Exchanges, and the Environment
658 Global Resources, International Resource Exchanges, and the Environment : Students first learn the global distribution of resources—the amounts, importance, and causes of distribution, and potential changes to soils, water, biodiversity, human societies, energy sources, climates, agriculture, forests and forest products, minerals, and disturbances. They also learn how to analyze and interpret data on global resource distributions. Second, they gain an understanding of the value of multiple-country trading of resources. Third, they gain an understanding of the many mechanisms that facilitate such exchanges, including policies and treaties; business, markets, trading partners, and economics; “good will”; social “taboos”; force; news media; philanthropy; skillful negotiations; cultural/social affiliation; technologies; shared infrastructures; and others. Four teaching methods are used: lectures on the different resources and policy mechanisms; analytical exercises for understanding how to use and interpret international data—and its limitations; a class negotiation exercise for learning the uses of international trade; and guest lectures by faculty and meetings with practitioners for learning the facilitation mechanisms : Chadwick Dearing Oliver :
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Oliver Tu,Th - 5:30-6:50 |
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659
The Practice of Silviculture: Principles in Applied Forest Ecology (Friday field trips)
659 The Practice of Silviculture: Principles in Applied Forest Ecology (Friday field trips) :
The scientific principles and techniques of controlling, protecting, and restoring the regeneration, composition, and growth of natural forest vegetation and its plantation and agroforestry analogs worldwide. Analysis of biological and socioeconomic problems affecting specific forest stands and design of silvicultural systems to solve these problems. Applications are discussed for management of wildlife habitat, bioenergy and carbon sequestration, water resources, urban environments, timber and nontimber products, and landscape design. Recommended: some knowledge of soils, ecology, plant physiology, human behavior, and resource economics. Four to six hours lecture. One hour tutorial. Seven days fieldwork. : Mark S. Ashton : Mark S. Ashton
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Ashton M,W - 8:30-10:20 |
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Ashton TBA - TBA |
660
Forest Stand Dynamics
660 Forest Stand Dynamics : This course introduces the study of forest stand dynamics—how forest structures and compositions change over time with growth and disturbances. Understanding the dynamic nature of forest stands is important for creating and maintaining a variety of critical ecosystem services sustainably and synergistically, including sustainable supplies of wood products, biodiversity and wildlife habitats, water, fire protection, and others. Through readings, lectures, discussions, and field trips we explore forest development processes and pathways, concentrating on the driving mechanisms and emergent properties including natural and human disturbances. We make use of New England forests as living laboratories while discussing how similar forest patterns and processes are played out throughout the temperate, tropical, and boreal worlds. The course also provides context on the history and politics of forest ecology and conservation. It uses a book written by the instructor (Forest Stand Dynamics, 1996) and made available electronically. This class is a core component of the M.F. degree but is explicitly designed to be accessible to anyone interested in an in-depth exploration of forest ecosystems. : : Marlyse Duguid
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Duguid TBA - TBA |
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668
Field Trips in Forest Resource Management and Silviculture
668 Field Trips in Forest Resource Management and Silviculture :
Seven- to twelve-day field trips to study the silviculture and forest management of particular forest regions. In previous years, classes have visited Slovenia, Germany, Austria, the United Kingdom, British Columbia, and, in the United States, the southern Coastal Plain and Piedmont, and the Allegheny, Appalachian, Adirondack, and Green mountains. Enrollment limited to sixteen. : Mark S. Ashton : Mark S. Ashton
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Ashton TBA - TBA |
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Ashton TBA - TBA |
669
Forest Ecosystem Management and Operations (Friday field trips)
669 Forest Ecosystem Management and Operations (Friday field trips) :
The operational aspects of managing forestland are taught, including topics essential to the professional practice of forest management. Operational aspects of regeneration, intermediate tending, and harvesting (planning, layout, implementation, and postoperation evaluation), best management practices, regulatory and wetlands considerations, and socioeconomic dimensions of field operations are the focus. The ethical and professional responsibilities of forest managers who are responsible for land-altering activities are also considered. The course includes considerable field time to help students utilize their existing knowledge about forests to rapidly assess stands and land parcels with respect to the planning and implementation of on-the-ground treatments. Classes feature local field trips to view forestry operations and to develop and refine field skills.
The course can be taken for 2 credits by any student at F&ES or combined with the 1-credit Southern Forest and Forestry Field Trip (F&ES 670b) for 3 credits. : Michael Ferrucci : TBD Faculty
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Ferrucci M - 10:30-12:50 |
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Faculty TBA - TBA |
670
Southern Forest and Forestry Field Trip
670 Southern Forest and Forestry Field Trip :
This course augments our forestry curriculum by providing a forum for viewing and discussing forestry and forest management with practitioners. The trip provides M.F. candidates and other interested students with an opportunity to experience the diversity of southeastern forested ecosystems and ownership objectives ranging from intensively managed pine plantations to restoration and protection of endangered habitats. Students discuss forest management issues—including forest health, fragmentation, policy, law, and business perspectives—with landowners and managers from large industries, nonindustrial private landowners, TIMOs, federal and state land managers, NGOs, and forestry consultants. We also tour sawmills, paper mills, and other kinds of forest products processing facilities, active logging operations, and, weather permitting, participate on prescribed fires. Not least, we experience the unique cultures, food, and hospitality of the southeastern United States. The course can be taken for 1 credit by any student at F&ES or combined with the 2-credit Forest Management Operations (F&ES 669b) for 3 credits. : Michael Ferrucci : TBD Faculty
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Ferrucci TBA - TBA |
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Faculty TBA - TBA |
671
Temperate Woody Plant Taxonomy and Dendrology
671 Temperate Woody Plant Taxonomy and Dendrology :
Dendrology literally translates as “the study of trees” and integrates morphology, phenology, ecology, biogeography, and the natural history of tree species. In this course students learn how to identify more than 120 individual species of woody plants using common morphological and ecological traits used for field identification. Dendrology is by nature context-specific, so this course has a focus on North American forest species, primarily of eastern North America. In addition, we use phylogenetic systematics as the structure for understanding taxonomy and the evolutionary history and relationships between species. Enrollment limited to thirteen. : Marlyse Duguid : Marlyse Duguid
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Duguid Tu - 1:00-5:00 |
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Duguid TBA - TBA |
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674
Seminar in Forest Ecosystem Health and Climate Change
674 Seminar in Forest Ecosystem Health and Climate Change : This course is an introduction to the biotic and abiotic agents affecting the health of forest ecosystems and forest sustainability, including insects, pathogens, parasites, climate change, and other large-scale disturbances, and includes the consideration of linkages between forest health and human health. Using a case-study approach, several different forest types are examined in detail, with students interacting with research and management professionals who visit the class in person or via remote conferencing. Students learn concepts and methods of assessing forest health, as well as some of the challenges in describing and defining forest health. The course emphasizes the ecological roles played by disturbance agents (both biotic and abiotic), discusses how they affect the health and sustainability of forest ecosystems, and identifies when and how management can be used to improve forest health and/or forest sustainability to manage or mitigate disturbance agents such as invasive pathogens and insects. The course provides students with the necessary background to determine how different stressors may negatively impact management objectives, to identify the probable stress agents, and to decide what, if any, actions should be initiated to protect forest health and sustainability. The course includes several field trips and workshops on the weekends. : : Mark S. Ashton : Robert Talbot Trotter III
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Ashton TBA - TBA |
679
Plant Ecophysiology
679 Plant Ecophysiology : This course focuses on the physiological ecology of plants and their interaction with the biotic and abiotic environment, understood through the lens of first principles. We use a quantitative approach to demonstrate the linkages between photosynthesis, growth, and carbon allocation at the tissue and whole plant level, which can then be scaled up to forests and ecosystems. We also focus on specific physiological and anatomical adaptations plants use to survive in the many varied habitats on Earth. The laboratory component of this course (F&ES 679L) involves the theory, programming, and deployment of micrometeorological equipment to monitor environmental conditions in the field; as well as methods for measuring photosynthesis and growth in the greenhouse and field. : : Craig Brodersen
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Brodersen TBA - TBA |
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680
Ecosystem Finance
680 Ecosystem Finance :
Understanding the tools used in financial analysis is an important component of successful investment in the emerging field of ecosystem services. This course will provide students with a basic suite of financial tools used in the acquisition and management of ecosystem investments. It will include an overview of traditional financial analysis metrics as well as an exposure to the established and emerging markets and financing schemes in the field of ecosystem investments. Concepts will be reinforced through spreadsheet-based exercises, case studies and guest speakers. Each week, one class session will be devoted to concepts and the second session will be devoted to applying these concepts by analyzing a real-world deal, case-study or investment strategy often presented by a guest speaker who is a
professional in the field. : Deborah Spalding : Deborah Spalding : Dominick Grant
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Spalding M,W - 4:30-5:50 |
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Spalding Tentative |
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681
Ethnobotany (First class begins Sept 10)
681 Ethnobotany (First class begins Sept 10) :
First class begins Sept 10
The objective of this course is to introduce students to the interdisciplinary nature of ethnobotany studies from the perspective of a field researcher, aiming to highlight the methods used in ethnobotanical research and to showcase the diversity of contemporary field studies in ethnobotany. Topics discussed during the course will encompass changing traditional knowledge systems, community-based resource-management, conservation of biocultural diversity, migration and urbanization, smallholder tropical agriculture & traditional food plants, and community health. Classes will combine Powerpoint lectures around key topics and group discussion of selected scientific readings. Guest lectures of invited scientists will allow students to learn first-hand about on-going research projects.
This will be an interactive course with students expected to actively participate in class and discuss the readings listed each week in group, in moderator-audience style. Each week, two rotating students will serve as moderators. Class discussion of readings will focus on the critical reflection of the research questions and/or methods used by the authors, experimental study design (when applicable), the main findings of the papers, as well as the conclusions inferred by the authors. To broaden and deepen class discussion, students are expected to actively peruse papers in ethnobotanical journals such as the Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, Economic Botany, Journal of Ethnobiology, Human Ecology, Ethnobiology and Conservation, Journal of Ethnopharmacology, and related journals to find other papers on the topics discussed. : Ina Vandebroek :
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Vandebroek Tu - 1:00-3:50 |
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683
Seminar in Tropical Forest Restoration in Human Dominated Landscapes
683 Seminar in Tropical Forest Restoration in Human Dominated Landscapes : This seminar is focused on the biological and social science, management, and policy governing reforestation in tropical regions. Topics covered include the ecology and management of native species plantations and second-growth forests; the social drivers and barriers of restoration; and the methodological protocols of gathering and assessing social, economic, and cultural values. A particular emphasis is placed on tropical Asia and Latin America. Part of this course is taught online, part in a series of weekly discussions. Optional 1-credit field trip on dry tropical forest restoration, Azuero, Panama. : Mark S. Ashton :
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Ashton M,W - 1:00-2:20 |
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684
Forest Finance
684 Forest Finance :
Understanding the tools used in financial analysis is an important component of successful forestland
investment and forest management decisionmaking. This course will provide students with a basic suite
of financial tools used in the acquisition and management of forestland/timber. It will include an overview
of traditional financial analysis metrics used in land acquisition, timber management, and risk
management and emerging trends in forestland investing. Concepts will be reinforced through
spreadsheet-based exercises, case studies and guest speakers. Each week, one class session will be
devoted to concepts and the second session will be devoted to applying these concepts by analyzing a
real-world deal, case-study or investment strategy often presented by a guest speaker who is a
professional in the field. : Dominick Grant : Dominick Grant : Deborah Spalding
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Grant M,W - 4:30-5:50 |
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Grant Tentative |
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688
Forested Management and Landscape Planning
688 Forested Management and Landscape Planning : The format of the first half of this course is a one-hour lecture each week reinforced by an experiential three-hour lab period. Course concepts will be introduced in lecture on Tuesdays and these topics will be explored further on Thursdays through applied lab projects. The second half of this course will be seminar style with guest speakers on Tuesdays and Thursdays with additional time on Thursdays for one on one assistance with semester projects. Students will be required to work in groups of 2-3 people to complete a final project related to landscape scale forest planning and management in the broadest sense. Options for the final project geographic location and management objectives will be variable to allow for students to dovetail their project with their own educational and professional aspirations. Examples will be taken from public land management issues from the West, industrial timberland planning from the East, conservation planning and sustainable community development from the tropics, and cityscape planning of parks, woodlands and street trees. : Joseph Orefice : Joseph Orefice
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Orefice M,W - M, 2:30-3:20; W, 2:30-5:20 |
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Orefice TBA - TBA |
692
Science and Practice of Temperate Agroforestry
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
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Orefice M,W - 2:30-3:50 |
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Orefice TBA - TBA |
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694
The Ecology, Economics, and Politics of Species Invasion
694 The Ecology, Economics, and Politics of Species Invasion : Humans are moving species outside of their native ranges at unprecedented rates, and the resulting biological invasions present challenges for ecologists, conservationists, and policy makers alike. Through course readings, in-class discussions, and debates, students learn to critically assess contemporary conservation and policy decisions regarding the regulation and management of nonnative species using information gained from the ecological study of biological invasions. We explore the major scientific questions in biological invasions—including “What makes a species invasive?” and “What makes a habitat invadable?”—as well as more nuanced questions of how invasive species interact with native and other invasive species and how these interactions alter ecological consequences of biological invasions. Throughout the term we discuss how invasion biology research informs policy decisions, assessing relevant policy questions such as “Should biocontrol agents be used against species invasions?” or “Should we eat invasive species to control their abundance?” This course is appropriate for graduate students (master’s and Ph.D.) interested in learning how species introductions and anthropogenic change interact on a global scale, and how to use the science of species invasions to inform policy and management decisions. By the end of the course, students have gained a solid background in the ecology and social dimensions of biological invasions. : Marlyse Duguid :
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Duguid Th - 9:30-11:20 |
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700
Alpine, Arctic, and Boreal Ecosystems Seminar
700 Alpine, Arctic, and Boreal Ecosystems Seminar :
Biogeoclimatic analysis of these systems worldwide with special attention to biogeography, biometeorology, physiology, histology, morphology, autecology, and silviculture of high-elevation and high-latitude forests through lectures, guest lectures and discussions, student seminars, and field experience. : Graeme P. Berlyn : Graeme P. Berlyn : Xuhui Lee
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Berlyn Tu,Th - 1:00-2:20 |
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Berlyn TBA - TBA |
701
Climate Change Economics Seminar
701 Climate Change Economics Seminar :
The seminar reviews the economic and scientific framework and the facts that underlie efficient mitigation and adaption decisions concerning climate change. The course then focuses on the key uncertainties and value judgements that make managing climate change complicated and controversial.
: Robert O. Mendelsohn : Robert O. Mendelsohn
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Mendelsohn M,W - 1:00-2:20 |
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Mendelsohn TBA - TBA |
707
Aquatic Chemistry
707 Aquatic Chemistry :
A detailed examination of the principles governing chemical reactions in water. Emphasis is on developing the ability to predict the aqueous chemistry of natural and perturbed systems based on a knowledge of their biogeochemical setting. Focus is on inorganic chemistry, and topics include elementary thermodynamics, acid-base equilibria, alkalinity, speciation, solubility, mineral stability, redox chemistry, and surface complexation reactions. Illustrative examples are taken from the aquatic chemistry of estuaries, lakes, rivers, wetlands, soils, aquifers, and the atmosphere. A standard software package used to predict chemical equilibria is also presented. : : Gaboury Benoit
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Benoit TBA - TBA |
708
Introduction to Environmental Chemistry
708 Introduction to Environmental Chemistry :
A descriptive overview of baseline biogeochemistry and the nature and behavior of pollutants in the environment. The course is designed to aid future environmental professionals who sometimes may find it necessary to make decisions based on knowledge of environmental chemistry. It is geared to the nonspecialist who needs to establish familiarity with various classes of pollutants and the chemical, biological, and physical processes that control their sources, behavior, toxicity, and fate. Topics include the fundamental kinds of chemical reactions in the environment, critical analysis of chemical data, sampling techniques, analytical methods, natural biogeochemical controls on environmental chemistry, water treatment, and green infrastructure, as well as detailed examination of such contaminants as acid precipitation, nutrients, urban runoff, and sewage. Three hours lecture. One class project, problem sets, midterm, final exam. A small number of field trips. : : Gaboury Benoit
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Benoit TBA - TBA |
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709
Lectures, Discussions and Applications of Soil Science
709 Lectures, Discussions and Applications of Soil Science :
Topics cover the structure and functioning of soils, and how this relates to soil fertility, carbon accounting, climate feedbacks and ecosystem health in a changing environment. : Mark Bradford : Mark Bradford
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Bradford M,W - 10:30-11:50 |
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Bradford TBA - TBA |
710
Coastal Governance
710 Coastal Governance :
Effective governance combines a basic understanding of natural systems with human values to create new coastal institutions. Single-use regulations of the past (energy, wastewater, ports, marsh conservation) are being replaced by more holistic thinking (spatial management and/or ecosystem-based management). To understand the state of this transition, policy analysis frameworks are applied to sector-based and ecosystem-based management initiatives. Term projects allow student teams to consider the merit of various alternatives that they create to address contemporary problems, which have included sea-level rise, hurricane damage, fisheries, and management in developing countries. F&ES 515a and 525a or equivalent knowledge recommended. Three hours seminar; term project. Enrollment limited to eighteen. : Richard Burroughs : Richard Burroughs
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Burroughs W - 2:30-5:20 |
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Burroughs Tentative |
712
Water Management
712 Water Management :
An exploration of water management at scales ranging from local to global. The course looks at multiple dimensions of the water crisis, including both human and ecosystem impacts; quantity and quality issues; and engineering, legal, economic, and behavioral solutions. Theory is illustrated through a variety of case studies. Topics covered include global water resources; flooding; water scarcity; residential, agricultural, and industrial water use; water and health; water justice; impacts of climate change and land use change; stormwater management; dams and other technologies for water management; human impacts on aquatic ecosystems; water and energy; water economics; water rights; water conflict and cooperation. : Shimon C. Anisfeld : Shimon C. Anisfeld
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Anisfeld Tu,Th - 4:00-5:20 |
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Anisfeld TBA - TBA |
713
Coastal Ecosystems
713 Coastal Ecosystems :
An examination of the natural processes controlling coastal ecosystems, the anthropogenic threats to the health of these systems, and the potential for restoration. Coverage of estuaries, rocky shores, seagrass meadows, coral reefs, and mangrove swamps, with a special emphasis on tidal marshes. The course covers a wide range of physical, chemical, and ecological processes. Anthropogenic impacts covered range from local to global and include nutrient enrichment, hypoxia, sea-level rise, invasive species, over-fishing, chemical pollution, marsh drowning, and wetland filling. : Shimon C. Anisfeld : Shimon C. Anisfeld
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Anisfeld W - 1:00-6:00 |
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Anisfeld TBA - TBA |
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714
Environmental Hydrology
714 Environmental Hydrology : Exploration of the roles of natural processes and anthropogenic activities in regulating the quantity, distribution, and chemical composition of the Earth’s freshwater. Students gain exposure to theoretical and applied elements of surface and subsurface hydrology. The theory covered in the course focuses on hydrologic phenomena of societal and environmental importance, including stream-flow generation, wetland-water cycling, groundwater-flow dynamics, contaminant migration in surface and groundwater, and water use and redistribution by plants. Application of theory is accomplished through student use of hydrologic simulation models, which are expressions of theory and essential tools of water-resource management and assessment. Intended as a first course in scientific hydrology; appropriate for M.E.M., M.E.Sc., and Ph.D. students, as well as for advanced undergraduates. Because hydrology is a quantitative science, treatment of the course subject matter involves mathematics. F&ES 714b is designed for students who typically do not have previous course work in mathematics beyond one semester of college-level calculus. Students who have not completed a college-level calculus course can succeed in F&ES 714b provided that they are comfortable with arithmetic operations and algebra and are willing to learn a few, very basic principles of introductory calculus. Although students use hydrologic simulation models, the course does not involve any computer programming and requires no special computer skills. : James E. Saiers : James E. Saiers
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Saiers Tu,Th - 9:00-10:20 |
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Saiers TBA - TBA |
716
Renewable Energy
716 Renewable Energy : Introduction to renewable energy, including physical principles, existing and emerging technologies, and interaction with the environment. Energy demand; transmission and storage; generation by hydroelectric, wind, solar, biofuel, and geothermal sources, as well as waves and tidal generation. Includes field trips to conventional, hydroelectric, and wind-power facilities in Connecticut. Prerequisites: high school physics, chemistry, and mathematics; college-level science, engineering, and mathematics recommended. : Ronald Smith : Ronald Smith
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Smith M,W - 9:00-10:15 |
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Smith TBA - TBA |
717
Tropical Field Ecology
717 Tropical Field Ecology : This course is designed to give students firsthand knowledge of tropical biology and the issues surrounding conservation of biodiversity in a developing nation, through a combination of seminar-style discussions and a mandatory twelve-day field trip over winter break. The emphasis is on active learning and developing independent research projects carried out during the field trip. Using a case-study approach, topics covered include patterns of biodiversity, tropical forest dynamics, reforestation, species interactions and coevolution, climate change impacts, ecosystem services, and human land use. Students also gain experience with study design, data collection methods, and statistical analysis. This year’s field trip is to Panama, a country famous for its high biological, cultural, and economic diversity. We visit a variety of forest ecosystems and hear from local and international scientists about current research in the field. Students undertake two short research projects and also learn basic identification and natural history of tropical plant, bird, and insect species. Students should expect to spend a major part of each day outside in the natural tropical environment under adverse conditions. Enrollment limited to fifteen, with a course application due early in the fall term. Priority is given to students planning to conduct field research in the tropics. : Liza Comita : : Simon Queenborough
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Comita TBA - TBA |
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718
Climate Change Seminar
718 Climate Change Seminar : Critically reading the scientific literature is a key skill set for a scientific career. So is interacting with scientists during seminars and meetings. The goal of this class is to provide opportunities to improve these skills, while gaining competence in climate change science through reading a core set of papers. This class will meet Wednesdays at 230pm to interact with experts and a second TBD time to discuss the papers. During the TBD class we will critically discuss a paper by an expert in the field. On Wednesday, we will skype that person in for a short presentation on the paper and then a discussion between the class and the scientist. The speakers have a broad range of experience and are at the different points in their career and the last bit of discussion will be reserved for questions on the scientific process and career advice. There will be a wide range of topics such as permafrost vulnerability, sea-level rise, ice sheet dynamics, and ocean acidification. : Peter A. Raymond :
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Raymond M,W - 2:30-3:50 |
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719
Making Climate Knowledge
719 Making Climate Knowledge : This is a course about how humans have come to know what we know about our impacts on the earth’s climate and our vulnerability to climate change. This historical question is pivotal to thinking about who bears moral responsibility for the climate crisis. At what point in history did humans become the first species to alter the conditions of life on earth in full consciousness of the consequences of their actions? When did people first know that their actions, in the aggregate, could transform the planet? At what point did their knowledge outweigh their uncertainty? Did scientists bear responsibility to warn of these consequences? What evidence did their knowledge rest on? In what ways has the modern science of climate both appropriated and undermined traditional and indigenous forms of climate knowledge? What makes modern climate science “modern”? : TBD Faculty : TBD Faculty
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Faculty M,W - 11:30-12:25 |
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Faculty Tentative |
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720
Introduction to R
720 Introduction to R : This seminar provides an overview and introduction to the statistical software R for the analysis and graphical presentation of natural and social science data. We follow a flipped style of teaching, with class time primarily used for worked examples and problems. Students also work together in small groups to analyze data from collaborators (or the student’s own data) with a view to publication. The course provides the practical training in R for theoretical courses such as F&ES 510 and 753; they can be taken concurrently or sequentially, although some statistics background is preferred. : Simon Queenborough : Simon Queenborough
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Queenborough M,W - 1:00-2:20 |
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Queenborough TBA - TBA |
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721
Climate Change Adaptation; Resilience and Resistance in Global Health
721 Climate Change Adaptation; Resilience and Resistance in Global Health :
Climate change has the observable potential to increase the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events such as hurricanes, heat waves, droughts, frosts and floods. In response, many concerned citizens, communities, scientific consortia, industries and governments around the world have sought to address climate change for the sake of global well-being even while others resist the realities of the threat. This course examines climate change effect management strategies; specifically, building resilience in places of acknowledged vulnerability against the grain of philosophical and practical challenges. Environment and health-centered activities resulting from thoughtful, interdisciplinary approaches and audits will be held as the ideal among various adaptive responses. Scope will include but not be limited to food, energy and water security as well as the readiness of health systems in the U.S., Latin America, Asia and the Caribbean. Throughout the semester, participants will engage in readings of journal articles, lectures, discussions, and interactive exercises per themes and critical questions outlined in syllabus. There are no prerequisites for this course. Enrollment (to be capped at 25) is open to junior and senior undergraduates of Yale University, graduate students and other scholars upon permission of the instructors. : TBD Faculty : TBD Faculty
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Faculty Tu - 3:30-5:20 |
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Faculty Tentative |
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723
Wetlands Ecology, Conservation & Management
723 Wetlands Ecology, Conservation & Management :
Wetlands are ubiquitous. Collectively they cover 370,000 square miles in the United States and globally encompass more than five million square miles. Most points on a map are less than one kilometer from the nearest wetland. Yet wetlands are nearly invisible to most people. In this course we explore wetlands in all of their dimensions, including the critical services they provide to other systems, the rich biodiversity they harbor, and the links by which they connect to other systems. Additionally, wetlands are lynchpin environments for scientific policy and regulation. The overarching aim of the course is to connect what we know about wetlands from a scientific perspective to the ways in which wetlands matter for people.
: Kealoha Freidenburg : Kealoha Freidenburg
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Freidenburg M - 1:00-3:50 |
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Freidenburg TBA - TBA |
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724
Watershed Cycles and Processes
724 Watershed Cycles and Processes :
This course explores abiotic and biotic controls on the cycling of water and chemicals within watershed systems. Students gain an understanding of the coupled roles of climate, hydrology, and biogeochemistry in regulating the fate of nutrients, carbon, and pollutants in watersheds. The class also features six guest lectures on issues at the forefront of watershed science. Upon successful completion of the course, students have acquired scientific knowledge that is relevant to interpreting watershed-based observations and to informing watershed-management decisions. : James E. Saiers : James E. Saiers : Peter A. Raymond
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Saiers Tu,Th - 9:00-10:20 |
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Saiers TBA - TBA |
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726
Observing Earth from Space
726 Observing Earth from Space :
A practical introduction to satellite image analysis of Earth’s surface. Topics include the spectrum of electromagnetic radiation, satellite-borne radiometers, data transmission and storage, computer image analysis, the merging of satellite imagery with GIS and applicationsto weather and climate, oceanography, surficial geology, ecology and epidemiology, forestry, agriculture, archaeology, and watershed management.
: Ronald Smith : Ronald Smith : Xuhui Lee
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Smith Tu,Th - 9:00-10:15 |
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Smith TBA - TBA |
727
Food: Science, Law & Policy
727 Food: Science, Law & Policy : To Come : : John P. Wargo
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Wargo Tentative |
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730
Economics of Sustainability
730 Economics of Sustainability : to be offered 2019-2020 : : Eli Fenichel
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Fenichel Tentative |
731
Tropical Field Botany
731 Tropical Field Botany :
This course teaches students how to identify the most important tropical plant families, with an emphasis on woody taxa. Students learn key characteristics for identification. We concentrate on families that have high economic, ecological, or ethnobotanical importance. We also discuss distribution, habitat, and ecology. The course has a strong practical component, and instructors emphasize vegetative characters to identify families and higher-level taxa. The course includes a two-week field trip to Costa Rica over spring break. : : Fabian Michelangeli : Lawrence Kelly
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Michelangeli TBA - TBA |
734
Biological Oceanography
734 Biological Oceanography :
This course explores a range of oceanic ecosystems and how these environments function as coupled physical/biological systems. Solar energy drives the structuring of the oceans in the vertical dimension, and the formation of both deep and surface currents. These currents are the means by which heat and material are redistributed and are the determinants of where nutrients are available for support of primary production. The currents and other physical processes also determine the distribution and abundance of organisms from phytoplankton to fish and whales. Anthropogenic impacts on oceans are also explored, such as the effects of fishing and climate change. This natural science course provides a foundation for those interested in the ecology of marine systems and in the management of coastal zones. Enrollment limited to fifteen.This course explores a range of oceanic ecosystems and how these environments function as coupled physical/biological systems. Solar energy drives the structuring of the oceans in the vertical dimension, and the formation of both deep and surface currents. These currents are the means by which heat and material are redistributed and are the determinants of where nutrients are available for support of primary production. The currents and other physical processes also determine the distribution and abundance of organisms from phytoplankton to fish and whales. Anthropogenic impacts on oceans are also explored, such as the effects of fishing and climate change. This natural science course provides a foundation for those interested in the ecology of marine systems and in the management of coastal zones. : Mary Beth Decker :
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Decker Tu,Th - 11:35-12:45 |
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741
Ecosystem Measurements for Conservation and Restoration
741 Ecosystem Measurements for Conservation and Restoration : This course is intended to expose students to a variety of field and laboratory methods used in conservation science. This course is split into 2 parts. During the first part of the semester students will gain experience in a broad range of field and lab methods and analysis with applied conservation relevance (e.g., carbon stocks, biodiversity). The second half of the semester is a practicum where students will design, conduct, analyze and present data as a rapid assessment of a local property of conservation interest to local conservation organization(s). : : Marlyse Duguid
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Duguid TBA - TBA |
742
Fundamentals of Working with People
742 Fundamentals of Working with People : Using environmental science to help inform and change human actions is a key challenge for environmental managers. Doing so requires that professionals be able to work across different scales, including: (1) understanding their own values and ways of working, as well as those of others; (2) forming, working in, and leading teams reflecting a diversity of experiences and skills; (3) influencing the actions of the organizations within which they are working; and (4) building and managing collaborative networks with others in other organizations affecting the resource systems about which they care. The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the scholarship being done (mostly within management fields) on how best to make these connections, as well as the ways individuals are putting those lessons learned into action. The course also introduces students to the professors, individual courses, workshops and other offerings across Yale that offer deeper dives into specific approaches to working more effectively with people. : Bradford S. Gentry : Bradford S. Gentry
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Gentry Tu,Th - 8:30-9:50 |
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Gentry TBA - TBA |
743
Strategic Environmental Communication
743 Strategic Environmental Communication :
Increasing economic prosperity and improving the lives of an estimated 10 billion people, while maintaining and restoring the life support systems of the planet is the ultimate challenge of the 21st century, often labeled “sustainability.” Governments, businesses, and civil society will each play critical roles in this historic transition and must operate and succeed in ever-more complex and often contested social, cultural, political and natural environments. Strategic communication is a powerful means of advancing an organization’s mission, especially when informed by insights into human behavior and social systems. By the end of the course, students will be able to develop communication strategies and apply insights from the social and behavioral sciences to improve the effectiveness of their communication campaigns : Anthony Leiserowitz : Anthony Leiserowitz
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Leiserowitz M,W - 1:00-2:20 |
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Leiserowitz TBA - TBA |
744
Conservation Science and Landscape Planning
744 Conservation Science and Landscape Planning :
This advanced course applies ecological principles to understand and manage biodiversity and attendant ecosystem functioning and services in the anthropocene. The course addresses the ethical and functional basis for conservation and fosters thinking about why and how humans ought to share the planet with nonhuman life. It covers scientific principles such as evolution, life-history and the viability of species, species endangerment and extinction risk, the kinds of biodiversity, the spatial distribution of biodiversity, the functional roles of species in ecosystems, vulnerability and risk assessments, and valuing biodiversity and ecosystem services. The course applies these principles to the exploration of such topics as biodiversity’s role in the functioning and sustainability of ecological systems, restoration of environmental damages, conserving biodiversity in dynamic landscapes, adapting landscapes to climate change, balancing conservation with urban development and agriculture, and renewable energy siting. It provides students with the quantitative skills to conduct population viability analyses, geospatial analyses of the distribution of biodiversity across landscapes, vulnerability analyses, and decision-analysis to balance trade-offs among multiple objectives of human land development and biodiversity conservation. Prerequisites: F&ES 530aor equivalent course in population or community ecology, F&ES 755b or equivalent course in GIS, and F&ES 510a or equivalent course in statistical analysis of biological data. A course in economics or applied math for environmental studies is strongly encouraged : Oswald J. Schmitz :
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Schmitz Tu,Th - 9:00-10:20 |
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747
Global Communication Skills
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
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Vance Th - 5:30-7:20 |
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Vance TBA - TBA |
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750
Writing the World
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
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Klinkenborg Tu - 2:30-5:20 |
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Klinkenborg TBA - TBA |
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751
Sampling Methodology and Practice
751 Sampling Methodology and Practice :
This course is intended to provide a fundamental understanding of the principles of statistical sampling, alternative estimators of population parameters, and the design basis for inference in survey sampling. Natural, ecological, and environmental resource applications of sampling are used to exemplify numerous sampling strategies. Sample designs to be studied include simple random; systematic; unequal probability, with and without replacement; stratified sampling; sampling with fixed-radius plots; horizontal point sampling; and line intercept. The Horvitz-Thompson, ratio, regression, and other estimators are introduced and used repeatedly throughout the course. Three hours lecture. Weekly and biweekly problem sets requiring the use of a computer spreadsheet. : Timothy G. Gregoire : Timothy G. Gregoire
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Gregoire M,W - 10:30-11:50 |
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Gregoire TBA - TBA |
752
Ecology and Conservation of Tropical Forests
752 Ecology and Conservation of Tropical Forests : Tropical forests contain extraordinarily high biological diversity and provide critical ecosystem services, yet are being rapidly destroyedand degraded by human activities. This course focuses on the structure, function, and diversity of intact and degraded tropical forests,with an emphasis on the ecological processes that shape these unique and diverse ecosystems. We also discuss the major threats to tropicalforests, as well as examples of tropical forest recovery following disturbance. The course involves a mix of lectures and student-leddiscussions. Students who successfully complete this course are given priority for F&ES 717. : Liza Comita :
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Comita M,W - 10:30-11:50 |
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753
Regression Modeling of Ecological and Environmental Data
753 Regression Modeling of Ecological and Environmental Data :
This course in applied statistics assists scientific researchers in the analysis and interpretation of observational and field data. After considering the notion of a random variable, the statistical properties of linear transformations and linear combinations of random data are established. This serves as a foundation for the major topics of the course, which explore the estimation and fitting of linear and nonlinear regression models to observed data. Three hours lecture. Statistical computing with R, weekly problem exercises.
: Timothy G. Gregoire : Timothy G. Gregoire
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Gregoire Tu,Th - 10:30-11:50 |
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Gregoire TBA - TBA |
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754
Geospatial Software Design
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
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Tomlin Th - 9:00-11:50 |
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Tomlin TBA - TBA |
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755
Modeling Geographic Space
755 Modeling Geographic Space :
An introduction to the conventions and capabilities of image-based (raster) geographic information systems (GIS) for the analysis and synthesis of spatial patterns and processes. In contrast to F&ES 756a, the course is oriented more toward the qualities of geographic space itself (e.g., proximity, density, or interspersion) than the discrete objects that may occupy such space (e.g., water bodies, land parcels, or structures). Three hours lecture, problem sets. No previous experience is required. : Charles Dana Tomlin : Charles Dana Tomlin
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Tomlin Tu - 1:00-3:50 |
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Tomlin TBA - TBA |
756
Modeling Geographic Objects
756 Modeling Geographic Objects :
This course offers a broad and practical introduction to the nature and use of drawing-based (vector) geographic information systems (GIS) for the preparation, interpretation, and presentation of digital cartographic data. In contrast to F&ES 755b, the course is oriented more toward discrete objects in geographical space (e.g., water bodies, land parcels, or structures) than the qualities of that space itself (e.g., proximity, density, or interspersion). Three hours lecture, problem sets. No previous experience is required. : Charles Dana Tomlin : Charles Dana Tomlin
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Tomlin Th - 1:00-3:50 |
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Tomlin TBA - TBA |
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757
Data Exploration and Analysis
757 Data Exploration and Analysis :
Prerequisite: a 100-level Statistics course or equivalent, or with permission of instructor. : TBD Faculty : TBD Faculty
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Faculty Tu,Th - 9:00-10:15 |
Faculty Tu,Th - 9:00-10:15 |
Faculty TBA - TBA |
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758
Multivariate Data Analysis in the Environmental Sciences
758 Multivariate Data Analysis in the Environmental Sciences :
An introduction to the analysis of multivariate data. Topics include multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), principal components analysis, cluster analysis (hierarchical clustering, k-means), canonical correlation, multidimensional scaling ordination methods, discriminate analysis, factor analysis, and structural equations modeling. Emphasis is placed on practical application of multivariate techniques to a variety of natural and social examples in the environmental sciences. Students are required to select a dataset early in the term for use throughout the term. There are regular assignments and a final project. Extensive use of computers is required—students may use any combination of R, SAS, SPSS, STATA, and MINITAB. Prerequisites: a prior course in introductory statistics and a good understanding of multiple linear regression. Three hours lecture/discussion. : Jonathan Reuning-Scherer : Jonathan Reuning-Scherer
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Reuning-Scherer Tu,Th - 1:00-2:15 |
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Reuning-Scherer TBA - TBA |
760
Conservation in Practice: An International Perspective
760 Conservation in Practice: An International Perspective :
This seminar focuses on the practice of wildlife and wildlands conservation, examining key topics from the dual perspectives of academic literature and actual field experiences; bringing together interdisciplinary thinking; and drawing on examples from Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the United States. The thematic outline of the seminar is organized around three fundamental questions in nature conservation: What are we trying to save—and why? How is this being done—and how has it changed over time? What lessons are we learning—and what overarching issues remain problematic? Specific topics include how different players define and value wildness; selection and prioritization of conservation targets; comparisons of various species and landscape conservation approaches; and governance and decision making in conservation, including ties between conservation and development and community-based conservation. Student participation and leadership are key, as the seminar is discussion-based and approximately half the sessions are student-led. Evaluation is based on participation and a final paper. : Amy Vedder : Amy Vedder : Bill Weber
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Vedder Tu,Th - 5:30-6:50 |
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Vedder TBA - TBA |
761
Negotiating International Agreements: The Case of Climate Change
761 Negotiating International Agreements: The Case of Climate Change : First-day attendance is required.
This seminar is a practical introduction to the negotiation of international agreements, with a focus on climate change. Students will learn about the cross-cutting features of international environmental agreements and, through the climate change lens, explore the process of negotiating agreements, the development of national positions, the advocacy of positions internationally, and the many ways in which differences among negotiating countries are resolved. The course will also examine the history and substance of the climate change regime, including, inter alia, the 1992 UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, the 2009 Copenhagen Accord, and the 2015 Paris Agreement. Climate change issues in other international fora will also be discuss, e.g., the International Civil Aviation Organization's market-based mechanism to address CO2 emissions from international aviation. Grades will be based on a series of short non-research papers, as well as class participation. Enrollment limited to eighteen to twenty. Permission of the instructor required. Susan Biniaz
Course Bidding: In addition to listing this course among permission-of-the-instructor selections, F&ES students should submit a short statement of interest by July 10 to Prof. Biniaz, ( biniazharris@msn.com) : Susan Biniaz : Susan Biniaz
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Biniaz M - 2:10-4:00 |
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Biniaz Tentative |
762
Applied Math for Environmental Studies (AMES):Foundations for Measuring and Modeling Environmental and Socio-environmental Systems
762 Applied Math for Environmental Studies (AMES):Foundations for Measuring and Modeling Environmental and Socio-environmental Systems :
The language of mathematics is an important leg in the stool of interdisciplinary research and analysis, and many graduate courses at F&ES involve mathematical content. However, many graduate students have not taken a math course in years, and their math skills are rusty. Furthermore, many graduate-level mathematical concepts may be entirely new. Experience suggests that many students either opt out of taking courses they are truly interested in or muddle through, struggle with the math, and miss important concepts. AMES is meant to help students refresh or acquire new math skills and succeed in content and “toolbox” graduate-level courses. AMES provides a structured opportunity to learn a range of mathematical concepts used in environmental studies. The course assumes that, at a minimum, students took college algebra and perhaps a semester of calculus (but might not really remember it). Concepts are presented heuristically in a “how to” and “why” approach with examples from environmental studies. The goal is for students to be conversant and have intuition about (i.e., to demystify) why logs, exponents, derivatives, integrals, linear algebra, probability, optimization, stability analysis, and differential equations show up throughout environmental studies. Students learn (review) how to use these techniques. Also covered is a bit of history of math and an introduction to computer programming. : Eli Fenichel : Eli Fenichel
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Fenichel M,W - 10:30-11:50 |
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Fenichel TBA - TBA |
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764
Nature, Rationality, and Moral Politics
764 Nature, Rationality, and Moral Politics :
The social and environmental context of the North American West provides fertile ground to examine important issues pertaining to culture, politics, environmental justice, social movements, and institutional structures. This course equips students to think critically and imaginatively about the social aspects of natural landscapes and the communities who inhabit them. This is not a history course, but it does examine stability and change across time. The course draws on empirical cases dealing with a range of interrelated issues, including economic change, environmental values, energy and water conflicts, native experiences, religion, American mythologies, gender, race, and the culture of individualism. Engaging with important theories, debates, and scholarly work around these exciting cultural and political issues is the primary goal of this course. Because of the importance of engaging these issues on the ground in real-life situations, the course includes a short (and optional) field trip during the October break.
: Justin Farrell : Justin Farrell
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Farrell Th - 9:00-11:50 |
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Farrell TBA - TBA |
766
Payment for Ecosystem Services Programs: Design and Evaluation of Policies to Improve Land-Use Outcomes
766 Payment for Ecosystem Services Programs: Design and Evaluation of Policies to Improve Land-Use Outcomes : This course will explore the challenge of achieving efficient patterns of land use. The provision of market goods associated with intensive management of the landscape comes at the cost of foregone ecosystem services and reduced levels of biodiversity, whose values are typically not considered in market transactions. So, the potential for market intervention in these systems to improve social welfare exists. The issues of information asymmetry and adverse selection play a strong role in determining the efficacy of various land-use policies. These challenges have led to adoption of payment-for-ecosystem services (PES) programs, a form of conditional cash transfer, in both developed and developing nations to better reflect the tradeoffs of habitat conservation and conversion. We will introduce the challenges of implementing land-use policy by exploring multiple forms of interventions (e.g., command-and-control and market-based mechanisms) before moving on to consider the unique challenges of successfully implementing PES programs in both developed- and developing-nation contexts, which differ with regard to institutions and governance, as well as in their focus on poverty alleviation. : TBD Faculty :
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Faculty M - 1:00-3:50 |
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767
Building a Conservation Toolkit: From Project Design to Evaluation
767 Building a Conservation Toolkit: From Project Design to Evaluation : As wildlife and wildland conservation programs have multiplied and grown in size, conservation organizations have sought methods to improve strategic project planning, assessment of progress, cross-project comparison, learning of lessons, and transparency for donors. To address these challenges, major nonprofit organizations have collaboratively designed a set of decision-support tools for planning field projects and programs and for monitoring their progress, summarized in the “Open Standards for the Practice of Conservation” (http://cmp-openstandards.org). Use of these tools has allowed organizations to more clearly articulate strategies, define priority actions, critically assess success, manage adaptively, and derive lessons—all of which help to improve effectiveness and respond to donor interests. Students in this course explore a mutually reinforcing suite of these project tools: their underlying principles are introduced, students practice the techniques, and current case studies from field conservation are examined to explore tool utility. Students synthesize use of these design tools in a final project or program proposal focused on a single case study of their choice. The suite of decision-support tools covered includes conceptual models for project design, situational and stakeholder assessments, threats and opportunities analysis, conservation target identification (particularly landscape species selection), and monitoring frameworks. Students gain experience in design of projects and their monitoring, as well as familiarity with budgeting. Enrollment limited to twelve. : Amy Vedder : Amy Vedder : Bill Weber
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Vedder W - 5:40-8:30 |
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Vedder TBA - TBA |
769
Seminar on Public Lands and Policy in the American West
769 Seminar on Public Lands and Policy in the American West : Nearly 30 percent of land in the United States is owned and managed by the federal government, almost all of which is in the western U.S. (i.e. 85% of Nevada is federally owned, compared to 0.03% of Iowa and Connecticut). Thus, the problems, policies, and management issues facing western lands are remarkably different than other in regions, especially in light of the west's unique ecological, social, and political landscapes. This seminar takes up these issues—focusing on the nuts and bolts of public land policy and management—using a variety of historical and contemporary case studies : Justin Farrell : Justin Farrell
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Farrell Th - 2:30-4:20 |
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Farrell TBA - TBA |
771
Fundamentals of Green Engineering and Green Chemistry
771 Fundamentals of Green Engineering and Green Chemistry :
There is a broad desire to ensure that consumer products, manufacturing processes, and material and energy systems are compatible with public health, environmental sustainability, and this course provides the fundamental knowledge on the frameworks, methods, tools, and techniques of how to design for sustainability. Through an understanding of the conceptual contracts and the application to real-world case studies, students will understand the impacts of design on health (including toxic and eco-toxic effects) and the ways to ensure that new products, processes, and systems can be constructed through the principles of green engineering and green chemistry. This is a course of fundamentals that set the foundation for more advanced investigations in sustainable design and therefore there are no pre-requisites. : Paul Anastas : Paul Anastas : Julie Zimmerman
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Anastas M,W - 10:30-11:50 |
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Anastas TBA - TBA |
772
Social Justice in the Global Food System
772 Social Justice in the Global Food System :
This course explores social justice dimensions of today’s globalized food system, considering sustainability in terms of sociopolitical-, in addition to environmental dynamics. We examine how governmental and non-governmental environmental strategies affect social equity in the food system at multiple scales. We discuss how issues such as 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.
With an emphasis on connecting theory and practice, we examine and debate concepts including food sovereignty, agroecology, and The Right to Food that are used by governmental and/or civil society actors to advance positive change. Throughout the term we explore our own positionalities as university-based stakeholders in the food system. The course includes guest speakers; students are encouraged to integrate aspects of their own academic and/or professional projects into one or more course assignments.
: : Kristin Reynolds
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Reynolds TBA - TBA |
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774
Agriculture: Origins, Evolution, Crises
774 Agriculture: Origins, Evolution, Crises :
Analysis of the societal and environmental drivers and effects of plant and animal domestication, the intensification of agroproduction, and the crises of agroproduction: land degradation, societal collapses, sociopolitical transformation, sustainability, and biodiversity. : : Harvey Weiss
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Weiss Tentative |
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777
Water Quality Control
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
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Kim Tu,Th - 2:30-3:45 |
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Kim Tentative |
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781
Applied Spatial Statistics
781 Applied Spatial Statistics :
An introduction to spatial statistical techniques with computer applications. Topics include modeling spatially correlated data, quantifying spatial association and autocorrelation, interpolation methods, variograms, kriging, and spatial point patterns. Examples are drawn from ecology, sociology, public health, and subjects proposed by students. Four to five lab/homework assignments and a final project. The class makes extensive use of the R programming language.
Prerequisite: introductory course in statistics is mandatory. An intermediate-level course in statistical modeling and handling spatial data is strongly preferred, but not required. : Timothy G. Gregoire : Timothy G. Gregoire
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Gregoire Tu,Th - 10:30-11:50 |
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Gregoire TBA - TBA |
782
Globalization Space: International Infrastructure and Extrastatecraft
782 Globalization Space: International Infrastructure and Extrastatecraft : The course researches global infrastructure space as a medium of polity. It considers 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 and mobile telephony in East Africa, spatial products of tourism in the DPRK, and the standards and management platforms of ISO.. : Keller Easterling : Keller Easterling
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Easterling M,W - 10:30-11:20 |
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Easterling Tentative |
783
Rural Field Course in Cultural Diversity and Environmental Politics
783 Rural Field Course in Cultural Diversity and Environmental Politics : This course provides students with the opportunity to engage environmental politics and social change through experiential field-based learning and immersive research. Using a case-study approach, the course emphasizes active learning and independent research about broad theoretical issues pertaining to culture, politics, values, social movements, and institutional structures. The central component of the course is a major field trip to Western Wyoming, which is an especially salient context for examining these theoretical issues through the lens of water scarcity, population growth, income inequality, energy development, local knowledge, and indigenous perspectives. The course meets throughout the term for instruction and discussion in preparation for the spring break trip, and it concludes with sessions where students present their research. Due to high demand, the course requires a short application. : : Justin Farrell
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Farrell TBA - TBA |
789
Energy and Development
789 Energy and Development : This 3 credit course delves into the relationship between energy use and economic development, at a household, national and global scale. The course will provide both a quantitative and qualitative understanding of poverty, energy demand, and the relationship between the two. Students will grapple with different income and multidimensional poverty and living standards indicators, GDP and its limitations as a human development measure. We will learn about energy poverty in various parts of the world, energy consumption patterns with rising income. Students will be exposed to cutting edge research on living standards measures and their embodied energy needs. Students will study actual household survey and national statistics data on consumption and energy use. We will cover basic models for household energy transitions, and appliance diffusion. This is a seminar course, wherein students will be expected to present readings in class. The course involves one term project and presentation which may be quantitative or qualitative. Basic math, excel and microeconomics are required. Those selecting technical projects should have basic R or other data manipulation skills. : Narasimha Rao : Narasimha Rao
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Rao Tu - 1:00-3:50 |
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Rao TBA - TBA |
789E
Journey of the Universe (Dates TBD)
789E Journey of the Universe (Dates TBD) : This six-week hybrid course draws on the resources created in the Journey of the Universeproject—a film, a book, and a series of twenty interviews with scientists and environmentalists. Journey of the Universeweaves together the discoveries of evolutionary science with cosmological understandings found in the religious traditions of the world. The authors explore cosmic evolution as a creative process based on connection, interdependence, and emergence. The Journeyproject also presents an opportunity to investigate the daunting ecological and social challenges of our times. This course examines a range of dynamic interactions and interdependencies in the emergence of galaxies, Earth, life, and human communities. It brings the sciences and humanities into dialogue to explore the ways in which we understand evolutionary processes and the implications for humans and our ecological future. This is an online hybrid course; no shopping period. : John Grim : John Grim : Mary Evelyn Tucker
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Grim Tu - 4:00-6:00 |
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Grim TBA - TBA |
793
Abrupt Climate Change and Societal Collapse
793 Abrupt Climate Change and Societal Collapse :
Collapse documented in the archaeological and early historical records of the Old and New Worlds, including Mesopotamia, Mesoamerica, the Andes, and Europe. Analysis of politicoeconomic vulnerabilities, resiliencies, and adaptations in the face of abrupt climate change, anthropogenic environmental degradation, resource depletion, “barbarian” incursions, or class conflict. : Harvey Weiss : Harvey Weiss
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Weiss Th - 4:00-5:50 |
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Weiss Tentative |
796
Human-Animal Relations: New Anthropological Approaches to the Nonhuman
796 Human-Animal Relations: New Anthropological Approaches to the Nonhuman : Advanced seminar on the “post-humanist” turn toward multispecies ethnography. Section I, introduction to the course; and “sacred cows.” Section II, theory and practice of multispecies ethnography; the question of human consciousness; and the tradition of natural history studies. Section III, current work on human-animal relations: wildlife conflict; biopower/biopolitics; hunting and mimesis; colonial/postcolonial politics. Section IV, presentations by the students and teaching fellow. One other class is devoted to student selections of influential current literature; and there are two guest lectures by prominent scholars in the field. : Michael R. Dove :
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Dove Th - 1:00-3:50 |
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799
Sustainable Development Goals and Implementation
799 Sustainable Development Goals and Implementation : This course has students (working alone or in a small group) design a specific implementation plan for a specific country for a specific item that is part of the Sustainable Development Goals to be adopted by the U.N. in September 2015. Students study the new post-2015 sustainable development goals and their implementation in the real world. The course focuses primarily on understanding and developing the ability to effectively apply a variety of tools and means of implementation, relying primarily on guest lecturers. The aim is for each student or group of students to combine a geographic area/region (for example, a country of key interest), a sustainable development goal, and a tool for implementation to design an effective implementation strategy to present to those at the ministerial and decision-making level. : Gordon T. Geballe : Gordon T. Geballe
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Geballe M,W - 10:30-11:50 |
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Geballe Tentative |
800
Energy Economics and Policy Analysis
800 Energy Economics and Policy Analysis :
This course examines energy policy issues that pertain to the environment, with a focus on providing tools for analyzing these issues. A primary objective is to apply economics to particular issues of energy markets, environmental impacts, investment in renewables, and other energy issues such as transportation and energy efficiency. We cover the economic and technical considerations behind a particular energy policy issue and then discuss a related article or case study.Prerequisites: F&ES 505b (or equivalent) and at least one course on energy. : Kenneth Gillingham : Kenneth Gillingham
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Gillingham Tu,Th - 9:00-10:20 |
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Gillingham TBA - TBA |
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804
Economics of Environmental & Natural Resource Management
804 Economics of Environmental & Natural Resource Management :
Linking of abstract economic concepts to concrete policy and management decisions. Application of theoretical tools of economics toglobal warming, pollution control, fisheries, water management, forestry, recreation, and mining. : Robert O. Mendelsohn : Robert O. Mendelsohn
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Mendelsohn M,W - 10:30-11:20 |
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Mendelsohn TBA - TBA |
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805
Seminar on Environmental and Natural Resource Economics
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
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Gillingham W - 4:00-5:20 |
Gillingham W - 4:00-5:30 |
Gillingham TBA - TBA |
Gillingham TBA - TBA |
807
Corporate Environmental Management and Strategy
807 Corporate Environmental Management and Strategy :
This survey course focuses on understanding how adroit environmental management and strategy can enhance business opportunities; reduce risk, including resource dependency; promote cooperation; and decrease environmental impact. The course combines lectures, case studies, and class discussions and debates on management theory and tools, legal and regulatory frameworks shaping the business-environment interface, and the evolving requirements for business success (including how to deal with diverse stakeholders, manage in a world of transparency, and address rising expectations related to corporate responsibility). : Marian Chertow : Marian Chertow
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Chertow Tu,Th - 2 sections: 10:30-11:50 & 1:00-2:20 |
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Chertow TBA - TBA |
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811
Metrics, Tools and Indicators in Corporate Responsibility
811 Metrics, Tools and Indicators in Corporate Responsibility : This is an applied course on the standards, guidelines and tools for designing, implementing, auditing and communicating a corporate environmental and social responsibility (CR) program. The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the knowledge and tools needed to enter a career in CR and sustainability. The course is designed for students who currently hold/will hold positions in organizations where they are/will be responsible for creating, implementing, measuring and/or managing internal CR and sustainability programs, or be responsible for assisting a corporations in this area. : Todd Cort : Todd Cort
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Cort Tu,Th - 10:10-11:30 |
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Cort Tentative |
814
Energy Systems Analysis
814 Energy Systems Analysis :
This lecture course offers a systems analysis approach to describe and explain the basics of energy systems, including all forms of energy (fossil and renewable), all sectors/activities of energy production/conversion, and all energy end uses, irrespective of the form of market transaction (commercial or noncommercial) or form of technology (traditional as well as novel advanced concepts) deployed. Students gain a comprehensive theoretical and empirical knowledge base from which to analyze energy-environmental issues as well as to participate effectively in policy debates. Special attention is given to introducing students to formal methods used to analyze energy systems or individual energy projects and also to discuss traditionally less-researched elements of energy systems (energy use in developing countries; energy densities and urban energy use; income, gender, and lifestyle differences in energy end-use patterns) in addition to currently dominant energy issues such as climate change. Active student participation is required, including completion of problem sets. Participation in extra-credit skill development exercises (presentations, fact-finding missions, etc.) is encouraged. Invited outside speakers complement topics covered in class. : Narasimha Rao : Narasimha Rao
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Rao M,W - 1:00-2:20 |
Rao TBA - TBA |
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816
Electric Utilities: an Industry in Transition
816 Electric Utilities: an Industry in Transition : The U.S. electric utility industry is a $370 billion business with capital expenditures on the order of $100 billion per year to replace aging infrastructure, implement new technologies, and meet new regulatory requirements. A reliable electricity infrastructure is essential for the U.S. economy and the health and safety of its citizens. The electric industry also has a significant impact on the environment. In the United States, electric power generation is responsible for about 40 percent of human-caused emissions of carbon dioxide, the primary greenhouse gas. Electric utilities in the United States are at a crossroads. Technological innovations, improving economics, and regulatory incentives provide a transformational opportunity to implement demand-side resources and distributed energy technologies that will both lower emissions and improve service to customers. Such significant changes could, however, disrupt existing utility business models and therefore may not be fully supported by incumbent utilities. This course focuses on the issues, challenges, risks, and trade-offs associated with moving the U.S. utility industry toward a cleaner, more sustainable energy future. We explore how utilities are regulated and how economic factors and regulatory policies influence outcomes and opportunities to align customer, environmental, and utility shareholder interests to craft win-win-win solutions. : Lawrence Reilly : Lawrence Reilly
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Reilly Tu - 4:00-6:50 |
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Reilly Tentative |
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817
Urban, Suburban, and Regional Planning Practice
817 Urban, Suburban, and Regional Planning Practice :
Our cities, towns, and regions represent the cumulative impact of planning policies implemented at multiple scales over the past century. This course explores the dynamic trends facing the United States and its communities and the evolution in planning practice that is occurring at the local and regional scale to address them. It looks at both suburban and urban approaches. The recent deep recession, climate change, and a lack of social cohesion call for a new triple bottom-line approach to decision-making for our future. Existing policies and governance structures are not always well suited for the new challenges and opportunities that we face. Local, state, and the national government are, to varying degrees, crafting new solutions to the challenges of urban and suburban America. : David Kooris : David Kooris
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Kooris W - 4:30-7:20 |
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Kooris TBA - TBA |
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819
Strategies for Land Conservation
819 Strategies for Land Conservation :
This is a professional seminar on private land conservation strategies and techniques, with particular emphasis on the legal, financial, and management tools used in the United States. The seminar is built around presentations by guest speakers from land conservation organizations. Speakers are assigned topics across the land conservation spectrum, from identification of target sites, through the acquisition process, to ongoing stewardship of the land after the deal is done. The tools used to protect land are discussed, including the basics of real estate law, conservation finance, and project/organization management. Students are required to undertake a clinical project with a local land conservation organization. Enrollment limited to twenty-five; preference to second-year students if limit reached. : Bradford S. Gentry : Bradford S. Gentry
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Gentry Tu - 2:30-5:20 |
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Gentry TBA - TBA |
820
Land Use Law and Environmental Planning
820 Land Use Law and Environmental Planning :
This course explores the regulation by local governments of land uses in urban, rural, and suburban areas and the effect of development on the natural environment. The course helps students understand how the environment can be protected through effective regulation at the local level. It provides an introduction to federal, state, regional, and local laws and programs that promote watershed protection and to the laws that delegate to local governments primary responsibility for decision-making in the land use field. Theories of federalism, regionalism, states’ rights, and localism are studied, as are the cases that provide a foundation in regulatory takings and the legitimate scope of land use regulation. The history of the delegation of planning and land use authority to local governments is traced, leading to an examination of local land use practices that relate to human settlement patterns, water resources, low impact development, watershed protection, alternatives to Euclidean zoning, brownfields redevelopment, resiliency and adaptation in response to sea-level rise and climate change. Students engage in empirical research to identify, catalogue, and evaluate innovative local laws that successfully protect environmental functions and natural resources, and the manner in which towns incorporate climate change into their planning and regulations. Nearby watersheds are used as a context for the students’ understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of local planning and regulation. Attention is paid, in detail, to how the development of the land adversely affects natural resources and how these impacts can be mitigated through local planning and subsequent adoption of environmental and other regulations designed to promote sustainable development in a climate-changing world. : Marjorie Shansky : Marjorie Shansky
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Shansky M,W - 4:00-5:20 |
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Shansky TBA - TBA |
822
Strategic Communication: Delivering Effective Presentations(see description for section times and dates)
822 Strategic Communication: Delivering Effective Presentations(see description for section times and dates) : Must get permission from Instructor to enroll in course - Cannot add this course to online worksheet
Enrollment cap of 6 F&ES students per section.
F&ES students are asked to submit a statement of interest to Professor Reich.
2 Sections available in Fall-2 (October 22- December 18 )
Section -01: T/Th 10:10-11:30 - Evans Hall
Section -02: T/Th 1:00-2:20 - Evans Hall
2 Sections available in Spring-2 (March 25 - May 14)
Section 01: T/Th T/Th 10:10-11:30 - Evans Hall
Section -02: T/Th 1:00-2:20 - Evans Hall
The focus of this course is to increase one's competencies in oral communication and presentation. Developing and executing effective communication strategies is essential in a variety of business settings. Business leaders are often expected to present their message with confidence and clarity to employees, clients, partners, investors and the public. This highly interactive, practical course will help students develop confidence in public speaking through weekly presentations and assignments, lectures and discussions, guest speakers, simulated activities, and filmed feedback. Students will be given the opportunity to present both individually and as part of a team. We will explore the essentials of communication strategy and persuasion: audience analysis, message construction, communicator credibility, and delivery. Students at all levels of mastery of public speaking will benefit from this course. Enrollment is limited to 36. Students are required to attend the first class session in order to remain enrolled or to bid for the course. : Taly Reich : Taly Reich
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Reich Tu,Th - 10:10-11:30 |
Reich TBA - TBA |
Reich TBA - TBA |
Reich TBA - TBA |
824
Environmental Law and Policy
824 Environmental Law and Policy :
This course provides an introduction to the major concepts of environmental law with a focus on U.S. statutes, regulations, and treaties for managing waste, air and water pollution, toxic substances, public lands, and global environmental resources. Alternative policy approaches to addressing environmental problems, such as market-based incentives, “nudges,” information disclosure requirements, and voluntary programs, are also considered. Overarching legal and policy concepts, such as federalism, administrative procedure, separation of powers, environmental justice, judicial review, and statutory interpretation are explored. : Daniel C. Esty : TBD Faculty
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Esty M,W - 10:30-11:50 |
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Faculty TBA - TBA |
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826
Foundations of Natural Resource Policy and Management
826 Foundations of Natural Resource Policy and Management :
This course offers an explicit interdisciplinary (integrative) framework that is genuinely effective in practical problem solving. This unique skill set overcomes the routine ways of thinking and solving conservation problems common to many NGOs and government organizations by explicitly developing more rigorous and effective critical-thinking, observation, and management skills. By simultaneously addressing rational, political, and practical aspects of real-world problem solving, the course helps students gain skills, understand, and offer solutions to the policy problems of managing natural resources. The approach we use requires several things of students (or any problem solvers): that they be contextual in terms of social and decision-making processes; that they use multiple methods and epistemologies from any field that helps in understanding problems; that they strive to be both procedurally and substantively rational in their work; and, finally, that they be clear about their own standpoint relative to the problems at hand. The approach used in this course draws on the oldest and most comprehensive part of the modern policy analytic movement—the policy sciences (interdisciplinary method)—which is growing in its applications worldwide today. The course includes a mix of critical thinking, philosophical issues, history, as well as issues that students bring in. Among the topics covered are human rights, scientific management, decision making, community-based approaches, governance, common interest, sustainability, professionalism, and allied thought and literature. In their course work students apply the basic concepts and tools to a problem of their choice, circulating drafts of their papers to other seminar participants and lecturing on and leading discussions of their topics in class sessions. Papers of sufficient quality may be collected in a volume for publication. Active participation, reading, discussion, lectures, guests, and projects make up the course. The seminar supports and complements other courses in the School and at the University : Susan G. Clark : Susan G. Clark
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Clark Th - 1:00-3:50 |
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Clark TBA - TBA |
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827
Animal Law (Follows Law School Calendar)
827 Animal Law (Follows Law School Calendar) :
This course examines the application of the law to nonhuman animals, the rules and regulations that govern their treatment, and the concepts of “animal welfare” and “animal rights.” The course explores the historical and philosophical treatment of animals; discusses how such treatment impacts the way judges, politicians, lawyers, legal scholars, and lay people see, speak about, and use animals; surveys current animal protection laws and regulations, including overlap with such policy issues as food and agriculture, climate change, and biodiversity protection; describes recent political and legal campaigns to reform animal protection laws; examines the concept of “standing” and the problems of litigating on behalf of animals; discusses the current classification of animals as “property” and the impacts of that classification; and debates the merits and limitations of alternative classifications, such as the recognition of “legal rights” for animals. Students write a series of short response papers. An option to produce a longer research paper for Substantial or Supervised Analytic Writing credit is available for Law School students. : Douglas Kysar : Douglas Kysar
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Kysar M - 6:10-8:00 |
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Kysar Tentative |
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829
Global Environmental Governance
829 Global Environmental Governance :
The development of international environmental policy and the functioning of global environmental governance. Critical evaluation of theoretical claims in the literature and the reasoning of policy makers. Introduction of analytical and theoretical tools used to assess environmental problems. Case studies emphasize climate, forestry, and fisheries.
All students are welcome to attend, content will be geared toward undergrad students. : : Ben Cashore
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Cashore Tentative |
831
Society and Natural Resources
831 Society and Natural Resources :
This research seminar explores the relationship between society and natural resources in a genuinely interdisciplinary manner (explicit, systematic, contextual, using a comprehensive meta-framework). This falls session is a “reflexive conversation” about the problematic situation we all now find ourselves in. We live in a time of growing uncertainty and mounting problems. This situation can be best understood as constituting a “reflexive moment.” The reflexive moment encourages a reconsideration of past developments and future possibilities (personal to global). We want to find the best way to understand ourselves (personally and professionally) in the current and foreseeable problematic situation (local to global, immediate to multi-decade). We should never forget that we share the planet with millions of other forms of life. We want to find ways to mobilize our knowledge and practice to help fellow humans live fulfilling lives (justice) and address real world challenges on varying scales (environmental health). The question before us is can we come to some clarity about this reflexive moment, our growing problems (environmental and social), and the myriad relationships involved? We will discuss these and many other matters seeking clarity, a foundation, and direction for ourselves, work, and lives. Active participation, reading, discussion, lectures, guests, and projects make up the seminar. The seminar supports and complements other courses in the School and at the University. The quality of the seminar depends on your participation.
Please see Canvas site for Application Process : Susan G. Clark :
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Clark M - 1:00-3:50 |
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834
Environmental Economics and Policy
834 Environmental Economics and Policy : This is a course in environmental and natural resource economics and policy. It covers both general methodological principles and specific applications. Rather than serving as a standard course in environmental and natural resource economics, the material is tailored specifically to master’s students pursuing professional degrees in environmental management. The course therefore has a focus on environmental problem solving in the real world. Topics covered include, but are not limited to: evaluation of environmental policies (e.g., standards, taxes, cap-and-trade); cost-benefit analysis and its critiques; nonmarket valuation (ecosystem services, revealed and stated preferences); discounting and macroeconomic perspectives on climate change; management of nonrenewable resources (oil, minerals, etc.); management of renewable resources (forests, fisheries, etc.); land and biodiversity conservation; the relationship between development, trade, and the environment; strategic incentives for international environmental agreements; and environmental behavioral economics. : TBD Faculty : Matthew J. Kotchen
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Faculty M,W - 10:30-11:50 |
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Kotchen TBA - TBA |
835
Seminar on Land Use Planning
835 Seminar on Land Use Planning :
Land use control exercised by state and local governments determines where development occurs on the American landscape, the preservation of natural resources, the emission of greenhouse gases, the conservation of energy, and the shape and livability of cities and towns. The exercise of legal authority to plan and regulate the development and conservation of privately owned land plays a key role in meeting the needs of the nation’s growing population for housing and nonresidential development and in ensuring that critical environmental functions are protected from the adverse impacts of land development. This course explores the multifaceted discipline of land use and urban planning and their associated ecological implications. Numerous land use strategies are discussed, such as consensus building, resiliency planning, and proper renewable energy siting, that provide practical tools for professionals to use to create sustainable buildings, neighborhoods, and communities. The focus of this seminar is to expose students to the basics of land use and urban planning in the United States and to serve as an introduction for the F&ES curricular concentration in land use. Guest speakers are professionals involved in sustainable development, land conservation, smart growth, renewable energy, and climate-change management. Classes include discussions on the trajectory for professional careers. : Jessica Bacher : Jessica Bacher
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Bacher W - 10:30-11:50 |
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Bacher TBA - TBA |
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835E
Seminar on Land Use Planning (Online)
835E Seminar on Land Use Planning (Online) : This is an online course. Land use control exercised by state and local governments determines where development occurs on the American landscape, the preservation of natural resources, the emission of greenhouse gases, the conservation of energy, and the shape and livability of cities and towns. The exercise of legal authority to plan and regulate the development and conservation of privately owned land plays a key role in meeting the needs of the nation’s growing population for housing and nonresidential development and in ensuring that critical environmental functions are protected from the adverse impacts of land development. This course explores the multifaceted discipline of land use planning and its associated ecological implications. Numerous land use strategies are discussed that provide practical tools for professionals to use to create sustainable buildings, neighborhoods, and communities. The focus of this seminar is to expose students to the basics of land use planning in the United States and to serve as an introduction for the F&ES curricular concentration in land use. Guest speakers are professionals involved in sustainable development, land conservation, smart growth, and climate-change management. Classes include discussions on the trajectory for professional careers. : Jessica Bacher : Jessica Bacher
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Bacher O - online |
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Bacher TBA - TBA |
836
Agrarian Societies: Culture, Society, History, and Development
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
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Faculty W - 1:30-3:20 |
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Faculty Tentative |
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838
Life Cycle Analysis
838 Life Cycle Analysis :
Description to come : Christoph Koffler : TBD Faculty
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Koffler W - 2:30-5:20 |
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Faculty TBA - TBA |
839
Social Science of Conservation and Development
839 Social Science of Conservation and Development : This course is designed to provide a fundamental understanding of the social aspects involved in implementing conservation and sustainable development projects. Social science makes two contributions to the practice of conservation and development. First, it provides ways of thinking about, researching, and working with social groupings—including rural households and communities, but also development and conservation institutions, states, and NGOs. This aspect includes relations between groups at all these levels, and especially the role of politics and power in these relations. Second, social science tackles the analysis of the knowledge systems that implicitly shape conservation and development policy and impinge on practice. The emphasis throughout is on how these things shape the practice of sustainable development and conservation. Case studies used in the course have been balanced as much as possible between Southeast Asia, South Asia, Africa, and Latin America; most are rural and Third World. The course includes readings from all noneconomic social sciences. The goal is to stimulate students to apply informed and critical thinking (which means not criticizing others, but questioning our own underlying assumptions) to whatever roles they may come to play in conservation and sustainable development, in order to move toward more environmentally and socially sustainable projects and policies. The course is also designed to help students shape future research by learning to ask questions that build on, but are unanswered by, the social science theory of conservation and development. : Carol Carpenter : Carol Carpenter
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Carpenter Tu - 9:00-11:50 |
Carpenter TBA - TBA |
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840
Climate Change Policy and Perspectives
840 Climate Change Policy and Perspectives : This course examines the scientific, economic, legal, political, institutional, and historic underpinnings of climate change and the related policy challenge of developing the energy system needed to support a prosperous and sustainable modern society. Particular attention is given to analyzing the existing framework of treaties, law, regulations, and policy—and the incentives they have created—which have done little over the past several decades to change the world’s trajectory with regard to the build-up of greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere. What would a twenty-first-century policy framework that is designed to deliver a sustainable energy future and a successful response to climate change look like? How would such a framework address issues of equity? How might incentives be structured to engage the business community and deliver the innovation needed in many domains? While designed as a lecture course, class sessions are highly interactive. Self-scheduled examination or paper option. : Daniel C. Esty : Daniel C. Esty
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Esty M,W - 2:30-3:50 |
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Esty TBA - TBA |
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846
Perspectives on Environmental Injustices
846 Perspectives on Environmental Injustices :
In this seminar we explore domestic and global environmental issues from a perspective that foregrounds questions of social justice. This course is based on three fundamental premises: (1) all individuals and communities, regardless of their social or economic conditions, have the right to a clean and healthy environment; (2) there is a connection between environmental exploitation, human exploitation, and social justice; and (3) many environmental and social injustices are rooted in larger structural issues in society that must be understood. With these premises as a starting point, we turn to more difficult questions such as, Why and through what political, social, and economic processes are some people denied this basic right to a clean and safe environment? What is the state of scientific evidence surrounding environmental injustice and what are the current scientific challenges in assessing environmental injustices in relationship to human health? What legal frameworks exist within the USA to address environmental injustice? : TBD Faculty : TBD Faculty
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Faculty TBA - |
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Faculty TBA - TBA |
850
International Organizations and Conferences
850 International Organizations and Conferences :
IOC will focus on UNFCCC COP 25 taking place in Chili in December 2019. This course and Sue Biniaz’s F&ES 590 The Climate Change Negotiations: a practical approach are coordinated and both are required if you want to apply for F&ES funding and Yale badges. Focus of both courses is to be prepared to get the most out of your trip. F&ES 840 Climate Change Policy and Perspectives is strongly recommended. : Gordon T. Geballe : Gordon T. Geballe
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Geballe M - 4:00-5:20 |
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Geballe TBA - TBA |
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855
Climate Change Mitigation in Urban Areas (Sept 16-20 & Oct 7-11)
855 Climate Change Mitigation in Urban Areas (Sept 16-20 & Oct 7-11) :
This class provides an in-depth assessment of the relationships between urbanization and climate change, and the central ways in whichurban areas, cities, and other human settlements can mitigate climate change. The course explores two major themes: (1) the waysin which cities and urban areas contribute to greenhouse gas emissions and climate change; and (2) the ways in which urban areascan mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. Class topics parallel the IPCC 5th Assessment Report, Chapter 12, HumanSettlements, Infrastructure, and Spatial Planning, and include spatial form and energy use, land use planning for climate mitigation,urban metabolism, and local climate action plans. The class format is reading-, writing-, and discussion-intensive. Students are taughthow to synthesize scientific literature, write policy memos, and develop effective oral presentations on the science of climate changemitigation in urban areas. Enrollment limited to fourteen. This is a two-week intensive short course offered the weeks of Sept. 16-20 and Oct. 7-11 : Karen C. Seto : Karen C. Seto
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Seto O - M/W - 4:00-6:00; F- 9:00-11:00 |
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Seto TBA - TBA |
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857
Environmental History and Values
857 Environmental History and Values :
This course provides an overview of major figures, ideas, and institutions in American environmentalism. The course explores the development of environmental awareness in America as distinct historical strands with diverse ethical concerns. It begins with an examination of Native American perspectives on land and biodiversity and then focuses on writings by Thoreau and Emerson to explore early American voices in the discourse on “nature.” Readings from Pinchot, Muir, and Leopold have been selected to investigate the emergence of conservation and forest management. The beginnings of urban and park planning are considered in relation to these positions on the management of nature. Students survey the environmental movements from the 1960s onward in readings from the social sciences and humanities. The course explores the major debates in environmental ethics and the broader reach for global ethics. Writings celebrating biodiversity are examined along with the emergence of conservation biology as an example of engaged environmental scholarship. New efforts to widen the interdisciplinary approaches toward environmental issues are introduced in investigating world religions and ecology as well as cosmology and ecology. : John Grim : John Grim : Mary Evelyn Tucker
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Grim W - 4:00-6:00 |
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Grim TBA - TBA |
860
Understanding Environmental Campaigns and Policymaking: Strategies and Tactics
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 F&ES 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. Case studies we examine this spring will include campaigns enacting anti-toxic legislation in Washington State; stopping the Keystone XL Pipeline; retiring coal fired power plants in the U.S., protecting the Great Bear Rainforest and the Boreal Forest in Canada; 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; pushing Starbucks to adopt a recyclable,
compostable coffee cup; and encouraging banks and insurers to commit to Paris aligned lending and financing. Campaigners who played leadership roles in these efforts will 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
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Northrop Tentative |
873
Global Environmental History
873 Global Environmental History :
The dynamic relationship between environmental and social forces from the Pleistocene glaciations to the Anthropocene present. Pleistocene extinctions; transition from hunting and gathering to agriculture; origins of cities, states, and civilization; adaptations and collapses of Old and New World civilizations in the face of climate disasters; the destruction and reconstruction of the New World by the Old. Focus on issues of adaptation, resilience, and sustainability, including forces that caused long-term societal change.
: : Harvey Weiss
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Weiss Tentative |
875E
Urban Resilience: Complexity, Collaborative Structures, and Leadership Challenges
875E Urban Resilience: Complexity, Collaborative Structures, and Leadership Challenges :
The world continues to urbanize. In the 100 years starting 1913, the proportion of the world’s population that live in cities grew 5-fold from 10% to 50%, and estimates suggest that 75% of the world’s population will live in cities in 2050.
Though history reveals that urbanization has always been an accelerator of growth and development, it also poses profound challenges for corporates, communities, cities, and countries. A recent McKinsey report succinctly notes: “Cities are essential to global economic growth and productivity. They are where most of the world’s population live, work, and play, and they are important to everyone else, too. They are the world’s economic engine, consuming the majority of global power and resources, while generating 80 percent of GDP and 70 percent of greenhouse-gas emissions. Making cities great is the critical infrastructure challenge of this century.”
View video in which Prof. Chandrashekaran talks about urban resilience. : : TBD Faculty
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Faculty Tentative |
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876
Indigenous Traditions and the Environment
876 Indigenous Traditions and the Environment :
Exploration of how particular indigenous peoples relate to local bioregions and biodiversity. Differences between and within indigenous societies, especially in cultural relationships to place. Ways in which values associated with physical places are articulated in symbols, myths, rituals, and other embodied practices. : : John Grim : Mary Evelyn Tucker
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Grim TBA - TBA |
877
Anthropology of the Global Economy for Conservation and Development
877 Anthropology of the Global Economy for Conservation and Development :
This seminar explores topics in the anthropology of the global economy that are relevant to development and conservation policy and practice. Anthropologists are often assumed to focus on micro- or local-level research, and thus to have limited usefulness in the contemporary, global world of conservation and development policy. In fact, however, they have been examining global topics since at least the 1980s, and little current anthropological research is limited to the village level. More importantly, the anthropological perspective on the global economy is unique and important. This course examines the topics that make up this perspective, including using a single commodity to study the global economy, world system, and other 1970s theories of the world economy; the moral relation between economy and society, models for thinking about power in the global economy, articulations between rural households and the global economy, rural-urban relations in the global economy; the process of becoming a commodity, the commons debate, credit and debt, contracting and flexible accumulation; and the metrics and mobiles of globalization. Readings for the course come from the subfields of environmental anthropology, economic anthropology, the anthropology of development, and the anthropology of conservation. This class is a prerequisite for F&ES 965b. Though designed for master’s and doctoral students, it is open to advanced undergraduates. Three hours lecture/seminar. : Carol Carpenter : Carol Carpenter
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Carpenter Th - 9:00-11:50 |
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Carpenter TBA - TBA |
878
Climate and Society: Past to Present
878 Climate and Society: Past to Present :
Seminar on the major traditions of thought—both historic and contemporary—regarding climate, climate change, and society, drawing on the social sciences and anthropology in particular. Section I, introduction. Section II, continuities from past to present: How have differences in climate been used since the classical era to explain differences among people? How does this vary between Western and non-Western intellectual traditions? What role has the ethnographic study of folk knowledge played in this? Section III, impact on society of environmental change: What shape did environmental determinism take in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries? Can historic cases of societal “collapse” be attributed to extreme climatic events? Can such events play a constructive as well as destructive role in the development of a society? Section IV, vulnerability and control: What are the means by which societies attempt to cope with extreme climatic events? How do such events reflect, reveal, and reproduce socioeconomic fault lines? Section V, knowledge and its circulation: How is knowledge of climate and its extremes constituted? How does such knowledge become an object of contestation between central and local authorities, as well as between the global North and South? The main texts, The Anthropology of Climate Change (Dove, ed., 2014, Wiley-Blackwell) and Climate Cultures (Barnes and Dove, eds., 2015, Yale) were written especially for this course. Films and popular media utilized as appropriate. No prerequisites. Graduate students may enroll with the instructor’s permission. Two hours lecture/seminar : Michael R. Dove : Michael R. Dove
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Dove Th - 1:30-3:20 |
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Dove TBA - TBA |
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884
Industrial Ecology
884 Industrial Ecology :
Industrial ecology studies (1) the flows of materials and energy in industrial and consumer activities, (2) the effects of these flows on the environment, and (3) the influences of economic, political, regulatory, and social factors on the flow, use, and transformation of resources. The goals of the course are to define and describe industrial ecology; to demonstrate the relationships among production, consumption, sustainability, and industrial ecology in diverse settings, from firms to cities to international trade flows; to show how industrial ecology serves as a framework for the consideration of environmental and sustainability-related aspects of science, technology, and policy; and to define and describe tools, applications, and implications of industrial ecology. : Marian Chertow : TBD Faculty
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Chertow Tu,Th - 1:00-2:20 |
Faculty TBA - TBA |
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885
Green Engineering and Sustainability
885 Green Engineering and Sustainability :
This course provides a hands-on foundation in green engineering and the design and assessment of green products. Approaching sustainability from a design perspective requires a fundamental conceptual shift from the current paradigms of product toward a more sustainable system, based on efficient and effective use of benign materials and energy. Through course assignments, class exercises, and a term-long team project, students are challenged with the same issues facing production and consumption systems today. The course is organized around the “engineering design process” from opportunity definition; criteria definition; ideation; alternatives assessment; and solution selection, implementation, and monitoring. To begin, the mega-trends driving sustainability discussions are presented and the case for new greener product systems is made. The course emphasizes quantitative and rigorous analysis of green design in addition to the tools needed to develop these designs. The foundational principles of the course can be summarized in the five I’s: (1) Innovation—we can’t solve problems at the same level of thinking used to create them, (2) Inherency—we can’t solve problems without looking at the nature of the system that created them, (3) Interdisciplinary—we can’t solve problems without looking at other aspects of the problem, (4) Integration—we can’t solve problems without connecting segments at a system level, and (5) International—we can’t solve problems without considering their context. The current approach to design, manufacturing, and end of life is discussed in the context of examples and case studies from various sectors, providing a basis for what and how to consider designing green products, processes, and systems. Fundamental engineering design topics include pollution prevention and source reduction, separations and disassembly, virtual and rapid prototyping, life cycle design, management, and assessment. Enrollment limited to thirty-two. Preference given to second-year M.E.M. students : Julie Zimmerman : Julie Zimmerman
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Zimmerman M,W - 1:00-2:15 |
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Zimmerman TBA - TBA |
891
Biology of Insect Disease Vectors
891 Biology of Insect Disease Vectors :
Insects transmit pathogens that cause many emerging and re-emerging human and agriculture-related diseases. Many of these diseases, which are referred to as neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), have a dramatically negative impact on human health in the developing world. Furthermore, they cause indirect devastation by significantly reducing agricultural productivity and nutrient availability, exacerbating poverty and deepening disparities. This course introduces students to the biological interactions that occur between major groups of important disease vectors and the pathogens they transmit. Lectures cover current research trends that relate to the ecology and physiology of insect vectors. Course content focuses on how these aspects of vector biology relate to the development and implementation of innovative and effective disease control strategies. Prerequisites: full year of college/university level biology, or permission of the instructor(s). : : Brian Weiss
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Weiss Tentative |
892
Introduction to Planning and Development
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
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Garvin Tu - 11:00-12:50 |
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Garvin Tentative |
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893
Principles of Risk Assessment
893 Principles of Risk Assessment :
This course introduces students to the nomenclature, concepts, and basic skills of quantitative risk assessment (QRA). The goal is to provide an understanding necessary to read and critically evaluate QRA. Emphasis is on the intellectual and conceptual basis of risk assessment, particularly its dependence on toxicology and epidemiology, rather than its mathematical constructs and statistical models. Specific cases consider the use of risk assessment for setting occupational exposure limits, establishing community exposure limits, and quantifying the hazards of environmental exposures to chemicals in air and drinking water. : TBD Faculty : Vasilis Vasiliou
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Faculty F - 3:00-4:50 |
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Vasiliou Tentative |
894
Green Building: Issues and Perspectives
894 Green Building: Issues and Perspectives :
Our built environment shapes the planet, our communities, and each of us. Green buildings seek to minimize environmental impacts, strengthen the fabric of our cities and towns, and make our work and our homes more productive and fulfilling. This course is an applied course, exploring both the technical and the social-business-political aspects of buildings. Topics range from building science (hygrothermal performance of building enclosures) to indoor environmental quality; from product certifications to resilience (robust buildings and communities in the face of disasters and extended service outages). The purpose of the course is to build a solid background in the processes and issues related to green buildings, equipping students with practical knowledge about the built environment. Extensive use is made of resources from BuildingGreen, Inc., one of the leading information companies supporting green building and green building professionals. The course takes a “joint-discovery” approach with substantial emphasis on research and group project work, some fieldwork, and online individual testing. There are too many topics within green building to cover in one term, so the course is broken down into two sections. The first six weeks focus on the following topics, led by the instructor and/or an expert guest lecturer: building science, materials, indoor environmental quality, rating programs and systems, resilience, systems integration. The second half of the course focuses on selected topics driven by students and their particular interest/academic focus. The class meets once a week, with the instructor available to students that same day. Enrollment limited to twenty-four. : Peter Yost : Peter Yost
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Yost M - 9:00-11:50 |
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Yost TBA - TBA |
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896
Public Health Toxicology
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
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Vasiliou O - Th, 1:00-2:50; F, 3:00-4:50 |
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Vasiliou Tentative |
897
Environmental and Occupational Exposure Science
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
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Faculty O - W, 3:00-4:50; F, 2:00-2:50 |
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Faculty Tentative |
900
Doctoral Student Seminar and Responsible Conduct of Research
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
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Schmitz W - 1:00-3:00 |
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Schmitz TBA - TBA |
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902
Environmental Anthropology Research Lab
902 Environmental Anthropology Research Lab :
1 credit/credit/fail. A bi-weekly seminar for Dove doctoral advisees and students in the combined F&ES/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
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Dove F - 1:00-4:00 |
Dove F - 1:00-4:00 |
Dove TBA - TBA |
Dove TBA - TBA |
905
Doctoral Seminar in Environmental and Energy Economics
905 Doctoral Seminar in Environmental and Energy Economics :
This course is designed to bring doctoral students up to speed on the latest developments in the literature on environmental and energy economics. Key papers are presented, and associated mathematical and empirical methods are covered. Topics to be covered include uncertainty and climate change policy, estimating energy demand, electricity markets, and behavioral economics and the environment. A focus is on identifying areas that deserve future research attention. Open to advanced master’s students with permission of the instructor. : Kenneth Gillingham : Kenneth Gillingham
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Gillingham Th - 1:00-3:50 |
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Gillingham TBA - TBA |
910
Survival Skills for Doctoral Students
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
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Lauenroth W - 2:30-4:30 |
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Lauenroth TBA - TBA |
951
Policy, Politics, and Public Lands
951 Policy, Politics, and Public Lands :
The federal government is responsible for the management of over 600 million acres of public lands in the Western United states or about 28 % of the land in the US and more than 100 million acres or 26 % of the lands in Alaska. Over the course of the nation’s history, these public lands and natural resources have been critical to the settlement and
growth of the western states and the health of their communities and the US economy. At the same time, decisions associated with the management and use of the public lands and natural resources have often been and continue to be contentious and controversial. Jim Lyons and Gregg Renkes, graduates of the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, have had significant opportunities over the past quarter century in positions in the Congress the Executive and state government in helping guide the management of these public lands. As such, they have had hands on experience resolving some of the more controversial and consequential issues affecting the stewardship of the public’s lands by various federal agencies.
In this course, students will learn how policy, politics, and other factors influence the decisions affecting the use, management, and protection of our public lands. Using a case study approach, students will discuss both past and present natural resource/public land policy issues to understand the conflicts and controversies at play as well as the means by which people with different values, policy objectives, and political affiliations can work together to resolve
contentious land and resource management issues. Students will gain a greater understanding of how natural resource and public land management decisions are made and the factors that are critical to resolving the complex public land management issues. Students will then use this knowledge to work in teams with clients in Washington DC on a current public land management issue of concern to their client. The take-away from the course should be an
appreciation and deeper understanding of the important skills needed and role played by resource management and policy professionals in finding consensus within polarized decision processes subject to special interest advocacy and partisan politics.
: James R. Lyons :
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Lyons Th - 2:30-5:20 |
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953
Business and the Environment Consulting Clinic
953 Business and the Environment Consulting Clinic :
In this class, students work as a team on a specific project for an external organization. It provides students with an opportunity to apply their knowledge of business and environmental issues to real-life situations. It also provides a unique opportunity for students to manage a real-life client consulting engagement. Examples of projects include (1) developing a sustainability reporting strategy for a company; (2) assessing water risk in a company’s supply chain; and (3) recommending operational improvements around energy usage, waste disposal, etc. The intent is to provide a “capstone” experience, calling for the application of skills and tools learned from previous classes. Class sessions consist of a mix of in-class lectures, team meetings with the instructor, and guest lecturers. Lectures address topics such as project management and business strategy. Guest speakers discuss various environmental and sustainability topics such as sustainability reporting, and environmental certifications and labeling. Prerequisites for F&ES students applying to the clinic are at least one of the following courses (or equivalent experience): F&ES 578a, 680a, 807a, 821b. : Maureen Burke : Maureen Burke
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Burke Tu,Th - 10:30-11:50 |
Burke Tu,Th - 10:30-11:50 |
Burke TBA - TBA |
Burke TBA - TBA |
954
Management Plans for Protected Areas (includes Friday and Saturday Field trips)
954 Management Plans for Protected Areas (includes Friday and Saturday Field trips) :
A seminar that comprises the documentation of land use history and zoning, mapping and interpretation, and the collection and analysis of socioeconomic, biological, and physical information for the construction of management plans. Plans are constructed for private small-holders within the Quiet Corner Initiative partnership managed by the Yale School Forests. In the past plans have been completed for the Nature Conservancy; Massachusetts Trustees of Reservations; town land trusts; city parks and woodlands of New Haven, New York, and Boston; and the Appalachian Mountain Club. Prerequisite: F&ES 659b or 660a, or permission of the instructor. Ten days fieldwork. : Mark S. Ashton : TBD Faculty
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Ashton M,W - 1:00-2:20 |
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Faculty TBA - TBA |
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955
Seminar in Research Analysis, Writing and Communication in Forest Ecology
955 Seminar in Research Analysis, Writing and Communication in Forest Ecology :
Students work through the peer-review publication process on data sets and projects in applied forest ecology. Discussions involve rationale and hypothesis testing for a project, data analysis techniques, reporting and interpretation of results. It is expected that manuscripts developed in the course are worthy of publication and that oral presentations are of a caliber for subject area conferences and meetings.
1 credit option available for incoming students only. Must be taken for 3 credits to count as a capstone course.
: Mark S. Ashton : Mark S. Ashton
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Ashton W - 4:30-6:00 |
Ashton W - 4:30-6:00 |
Ashton TBA - TBA |
Ashton TBA - TBA |
956
Health Care Environmental Sustainability Program
956 Health Care Environmental Sustainability Program :
If the U.S. health care sector were a nation itself, it would rank thirteenth in the world for greenhouse gas emissions. Health care is an enormous and complex system, in need of environmental health assessment and sustainability science to measure and mitigate pollution and public health damages. Policy and business innovation is also essential to implement pollution preventive efforts while maintaining patient safety and quality care. In this course, interdisciplinary student teams perform applied public health or practice projects related to health care, sustainability science, and public health. Each team works with a clinical (physician or nurse) and/or management mentor from Yale New Haven Hospital or its affiliates, or in collaboration with partners such as the National Health Service Sustainable Development Unit of the United Kingdom. Each group uses the opportunity to apply concepts and competencies learned in the classroom to the field of health care. This course should be of interest to students from the Schools of Public Health, Forestry & Environmental Studies, Management, Medicine, and Nursing. This course is one of the options available to students to fulfill the practice requirement for the M.P.H. degree and the F&ES capstone requirement. : TBD Faculty :
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Faculty Th - 5:00-6:50 |
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957
Field Skills in Land Stewardship
957 Field Skills in Land Stewardship : See F&ES 954 for description.
Must register for both F&ES 954 & 957 at the same time. : : Mark S. Ashton
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Ashton M,W - 1:00-2:20 |
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959
Clinic in Environmental/Climate Justice, Sustainability, and Public Health
959 Clinic in Environmental/Climate Justice, Sustainability, and Public Health : In this course, interdisciplinary student teams carry out applied public health research or practice projects in the areas of environmental/climate justice, climate change, sustainability, and public health. Each team works with a sponsoring organization (e.g., unit within Yale, local health department, state agency, community organization, other nongovernmental organization). The course affords the opportunity to apply concepts and competencies learned in the classroom to these important areas. It should be of interest to students across the University, from the Schools of Public Health and Forestry & Environmental Studies to Yale College juniors and seniors. In addition, it is one of the options available to Public Health students to fulfill the practice requirement for the M.P.H. degree. : TBD Faculty : : Marianne Engelman-Lado
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Faculty M - 5:00-6:50 |
Faculty M - 5:00-6:50 |
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964
Large-Scale Conservation: Integrating Science, Management, and Policy
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
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Clark W - 1:00-3:50 |
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Clark TBA - TBA |
965
Advanced Readings: Social Science of Development and Conservation
965 Advanced Readings: Social Science of Development and Conservation :
This course is an advanced seminar on the social science theory of conservation and development, designed as an M.E.M. capstone course and to give M.E.Sc. and doctoral students a wider theoretical context for analyzing and writing up their research. The course traces the conceptual history of the social science theory of conservation and development, focusing on theories of power, governmentality, subject creation, and the economy. It examines relations between these theories, alternative theories, and how this history influences the field. The course covers the works of Michel Foucault most relevant to the field, important social scientists who have used Foucault’s ideas (e.g., Timothy Mitchell, Tania Li, Donald Moore, David Mosse, Anand Pandian), alternative theories of power (e.g., James Scott, Bruno Latour, Timothy Mitchell), applications of Foucault’s ideas to development (James Ferguson and Arturo Escobar), applications of Foucault’s ideas to the environment (especially Arun Agrawal, Bruce Braun, Eric Darier), theories of the economic subject (Peter Miller & O’Leary, Anna Tsing, Katherine Rankin); Foucault on the economy and neoliberalism; the power of the economy in Tania Li;theories of resistance and counter-conduct (Michel Foucault, Carl Death, James Scott), and Foucault and Space. Students are expected to use the course to develop, and present in class, their own research and writing. Prerequisite: F&ES 839a, 877b, or 882a. Three hours lecture/seminar. : : Carol Carpenter
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Carpenter TBA - TBA |
970
Environmental Protection Clinic Policy and Advocacy (Follows Law School Calendar)
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 School of Forestry & Environmental Science and Yale Law School. 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 to twelve F&ES students.
Course Bidding: Students in the School of Forestry & Environmental Studies (and students from any other school besides Yale Law School) must complete the Clinic’s Bidding Form by 4:30 p.m. on June 27th. The Bidding Form is available here.
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. : TBD Faculty : TBD Faculty : Elizabeth Suatoni : David Hawkins : Conor Dwyer Reynolds
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Faculty Tu - 12:10-2:00 |
Faculty Tu - 12:10-2:00 |
Faculty TBA - TBA |
Faculty TBA - TBA |
971
Land Use Clinic
971 Land Use Clinic : This clinic explores a variety of specific community land use topics of current concern and relevance to the field, to the curriculum, and to society. Potential project topics include renewable energy, natural resources, rural-based land uses, agriculture, and sustainable urban planning. Students work with the instructor to develop papers, research memorandums, presentations, and publications on a selected topic. The instructor or guest speakers lecture on specific topics related to student projects. Additionally, students attend field trips relevant to the curriculum and may participate in project meetings with clients. Students select from a project list or meet with the instructor to design a relevant project. : Jessica Bacher : Jessica Bacher
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Bacher W - 10:30-11:50 |
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Bacher TBA - TBA |
972
Advanced Environmental Protection Clinic (Follows Law School Calendar)
972 Advanced Environmental Protection Clinic (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 School of Forestry & Environmental Science and Yale Law School. 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 to twelve F&ES students.
Course Bidding: Students in the School of Forestry & Environmental Studies (and students from any other school besides Yale Law School) must complete the Clinic’s Bidding Form by 4:30 p.m. on June 27th. The Bidding Form is available here.
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. : Douglas Kysar : Douglas Kysar : Elizabeth Suatoni : Conor Dwyer Reynolds
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Kysar Tu - 12:10-2:00 |
Kysar Tu - 12:10-2:00 |
Kysar TBA - TBA |
Kysar TBA - TBA |
973
Industrial Ecology Capstone
973 Industrial Ecology Capstone : The industrial ecology specialization examines the relationships among production, consumption, sustainability, design, and industrial ecology in diverse settings, from products to firms to cities to international trade flows. This capstone course assigns student teams to work with sponsor companies to apply quantitative methods to practical problems facing the organization. In addition, students working independently join the class to learn more about project preparation and to share insights with other students interested in industrial ecology insights and applications. : TBD Faculty : TBD Faculty
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Faculty Tu - 2:30-5:20 |
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Faculty Tentative |
975
Environmental Justice Capstone: Interdisciplinary Research and Practice at the Intersection of Civil Rights & the Environment (application process)
975 Environmental Justice Capstone: Interdisciplinary Research and Practice at the Intersection of Civil Rights & the Environment (application process) : Students in the spring 2019 Environmental Justice Capstone (subtitled Interdisciplinary Research and Practice at the Intersection of Civil Rights & the Environment) will have the opportunity to work in partnership with communities of color and low-income communities on projects to address racial disparities and improve environmental quality and public health in environmentally overburdened communities. Students will work in small teams taking on projects to address inequality and race discrimination in the distribution of health hazards as well as procedural inequities experienced by communities as they try to assert their own vision for the future of their neighborhoods, towns and cities.
Students this past semester worked on projects that included:
-Drafting federal legislation in consultation with community and advocacy groups across the country that would place a moratorium on concentrated animal feeding operations and enact other measures to limit their impacts;
-Research and drafting public comments to be filed on behalf of environmental justice organizations regarding recently proposed changes to NEPA;
-Research and analysis of the impacts of a landfill in a historically black community in Alabama analyzing landfill permit variances and assessing the relationship between race and landfill locations in Alabama.
These projects will continue and in the coming semester, students will also have the opportunity to analyze the impact of Connecticut’s ten-year old environmental justice law and work with community groups in Beaumont, Texas and Uniontown, Alabama on the documentation of the impacts of polluting facilities such as refineries and landfills.
The semester will begin with a “bootcamp” intended to provide an orientation on key substantive information and the work of the Capstone. Students will then participate in a weekly seminar intended to explore issues raised by the application of knowledge, skills, and approaches to the environmental justice context, including both substantive issues of environmental and civil rights law and policy, as well as questions related to practice, including ethical and social dimensions of providing technical assistance in this context. In addition to class meetings and preparation, Capstone participants must complete project work. Students will also be expected to participate in two weekly one-half-hour team meetings. While there is no prerequisite for the Capstone, participants should have a strong interest in working on behalf of environmentally overburdened communities — often communities of color and low-income communities.
To apply, please send Marianne Engelman Lado a c.v. and short statement of your interest (under a page please) at Marianne.engelman-lado@yale.edu by December 1. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis. Second year students will be given priority, but first year students are encouraged to apply. Enrollment limited to sixteen. : Marianne Engelman-Lado : Marianne Engelman-Lado
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Engelman-Lado Tu - 2:30-5:20 |
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Engelman-Lado Tentative |
979
Capstone: Sub-national playbook for significant greenhouse gas reductions by 2030
979 Capstone: Sub-national playbook for significant greenhouse gas reductions by 2030 : The recent IPCC special report on the impacts of global warming of 1.5° C above preindustrial levels provided a stark warning of the future our planet faces unless we make dramatic and meaningful greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions by 2030—approximately 45% reductions below 2010 levels. In the United States, in the absence of leadership at the federal level, states, cities, institutions and corporations must step into the breach if we have any hope of avoiding the most serious consequences of global warming. Students work in teams with clients from state government, city government, academic institutions, companies and/or the non-profit sector to analyze, model, and/or implement deep decarbonization policies and programs in key sectors, including electricity, buildings, transportation, materials management, and/or natural/working lands. : Robert Klee :
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Klee W - 2:30-5:20 |
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980
Social Justice in the Global Food System Capstone
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 :
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Reynolds Th - 1:00-3:50 |
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981
Climate, Animal, Food, and Environmental Law & Policy Lab (Pre-Registration Deadline: Oct 31st)
981 Climate, Animal, Food, and Environmental Law & Policy Lab (Pre-Registration Deadline: Oct 31st) : Pre-Registration Deadline October 31st - Spring 2020 Climate, Animal, Food & Environmental Law & Policy Lab
The new Climate, Animal, Food & Environmental (CAFE) Law & Policy Lab is now accepting registration and cross-registration applications from Yale university students interested in enrolling in this new 3 unit experiential learning course. Students in the CAFE Lab will gain firsthand experience working with faculty, outside experts, and non-governmental organizations to develop innovative law and policy initiatives to bring systemic change to the global food industry, which is one of the top contributors to climate change, animal suffering, human exploitation, and environmental degradation worldwide. The Lab’s mission is to devise and propagate novel legal and policy strategies to compel industrial food producers to pay the currently uncounted, externalized costs of industrial agriculture for animals, workers, communities, and the environment. The Lab will provide a creative space for students to develop and launch new ideas and prototypes that will be shared in an open-source format with the purpose of fostering adoption by a wide-ranging cross-section of non-profit, government, and corporate leaders.
A paper is required, enrollment is limited, and permission of instructors is required. In order the ensure consideration, students should submit a resume and a brief statement of interest to the instructors ( douglas.kysar@yale.edu, jonathan.lovvorn@yale.edu) by the close of business October 31st, regardless of any other official enrollment deadlines. (YLS students should follow the process and bidding deadlines provided on the Law School Course Catalog.). The Spring CAFE Lab course will meet on Mondays from 4:10-6pm and follow the YLS academic schedule. More information on the CAFE Lab is available on the Yale Law, Ethics, and Animals program page and the Yale Law School course catalog.
Climate, Animal, Food, and Environmental Law & Policy Lab (“CAFE Lab”). Students in the CAFE Lab will gain firsthand experience working with faculty, outside experts, and non-governmental organizations to develop innovative law and policy initiatives to bring systemic change to the global food industry, which is one of the top contributors to climate change, animal suffering, human exploitation, and environmental degradation worldwide. The Lab’s mission is to devise and propagate novel legal and policy strategies to compel industrial food producers to pay the currently uncounted, externalized costs of industrial agriculture for animals, workers, communities, and the environment.
Students enrolled in the Lab will work in small teams on initiatives to create a more equitable food system. Potential projects for the CAFE Lab include developing legislative, regulatory, and litigation prototypes to reduce suffering of factory farmed animals; stop physical abuse, labor violations, wage theft, and other methods of exploiting workers; require reporting and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from industrial agriculture; hold corporations accountable for self-declared deadlines for climate, labor, and animal welfare reforms; remove legal barriers to sustainable alternatives products; and challenge false “humane,” “sustainable,” “green,” “fair trade,” or “environmentally friendly” marketing claims.
The Lab will be supervised by faculty with expertise in food, animal, climate, and environmental law and policy. Guest lecturers will be drawn from the world of practitioners, scholars, journalists, legislators, farmers, corporate innovators, and other stakeholders. The CAFE Lab will provide a creative space for students to develop and launch new prototypes each year that will be shared in open source format with the express purpose of fostering imitation and adoption by a wide-ranging cross-section of non-profit, government, and corporate leaders. Enrollment limited. Permission of instructors is required. : Douglas Kysar :
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Kysar M - 4:10-6:00 |
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983
Water Resource Science & Management Capstone
983 Water Resource Science & Management Capstone : This course is designed as the preferred option to fulfill the requirement of a capstone course within the M.E.M. specialization in Water Resource Science and Management. Students work under the instructor’s direction, with advice from other water faculty, to develop management plans or other guidance documents supported by new or existing applied research. Students are trained in research methods so that they have useful background knowledge that will be essential in their future management careers. Topics emphasize real-world, interdisciplinary problems with possible immediate application. : Gaboury Benoit : Gaboury Benoit
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Benoit M,W - 1:00-2:20 |
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Benoit Tentative |
984
Energy and Climate Change Policy Practicum
984 Energy and Climate Change Policy Practicum :
This course provides an opportunity for students to apply knowledge and skills gained at FES to
energy policy projects conducted for client organizations. At the outset of the course, students will pair with client organizations (e.g., non-governmental advocacy organizations, companies, etc.) to work on current energy policy projects for the remainder of the semester. Students will be presented with a menu of potential projects; students
may also propose organizations and projects, subject to approval by the instructor. Students will work in groups or individually, depending on the nature of the project. Students are expected to work ten hours per week on their projects, including weekly discussions with clients and with the instructor. After choosing a project, students will work with clients to prepare and submit a work plan. Over the remainder of the semester, students will work directly with clients to produce project-specific products, such as draft legislation or regulations, policy briefs, analytic studies, or white papers. Students will submit a portfolio of these project products for evaluation during the reading period. In addition, student performance will be evaluated based on project work plans, as well as summary presentations made during the final weeks of class. Project-related work will comprise the bulk of the course, but will be supplemented by guest lectures and discussion with the instructor. The full menu of potential projects will be finalized closer to the beginning of the semester. : Dan Utech : Dan Utech
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Utech Th - 2:30-5:20 |
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Utech Tentative |
985
Capstone: Urban, Suburban, and Regional Planning Practice
985 Capstone: Urban, Suburban, and Regional Planning Practice : Building from the topics covered in FES 817a, this capstone course provides the opportunity for students to apply the theory of practice developed during that course to a real world, local project for a public or civic sector client as part of an inter-disciplinary student team. Up to two teams of between four and five students each will work together focusing on a critical neighborhood of New Haven or a nearby municipality. The emphasis in each location will be identifying and overcoming the tensions and conflicts between economic, social, and environmental objectives to develop a balanced strategy for the neighborhood that meets stakeholders goals within the context of overarching regional, national, and even global challenges and opportunities (e.g. climate change and demographic shifts). Towards that end, students will be exposed to the detailed process of local government and decision-making as well as techniques use by city planners to collect and assess data and utilize that information coupled with stakeholder engagement to develop tools to help the community achieve their vision. With a focus on inter-disciplinary problem solving and the collective project management resulting in a client-driven work product, students will learn valuable skills for their future careers. : David Kooris : David Kooris
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Kooris Tu - 5:30-8:20 |
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Kooris Tentative |