98 courses with the subject ENVR, each shown exactly as we captured it from the college's catalog, with every element we hold. Where the wording looks broken, that is our reading of the catalog, not the college's text.
ENVR 150Introduction to Environmental Studies4
Interdisciplinary introduction to environmental studies. Case-based investigation of environmental issues combining perspectives from the social sciences, natural sciences, and humanities. Topics will vary but may include such subjects as endangered species, air/water pollution, environmental justice/racism, animal rights, global warming, ecotourism, agriculture, nature writing, campus ecology, and others. Both semesters. Attributes: Benedictine Raven (BN)
Total Hours 47 Cannot count BIOL 371, 373A, 373B, 373J, 373O, 373P, 373R, or 374. At least 4 credits must come from each of the following distributions (see below for courses that fulfill each distribution): cellular biology, organismal biology, field biology.
This course will examine campus and local community sustainability issues from an interdisciplinary perspective. Through experiential education and hands-on learning students will explore and analyze campus and community projects related to energy, transportation, landscaping, water, waste management and more. Utilizing the “triple bottom line” approach of sustainability, students will apply their learning to “workshop” ideas and actions to develop solutions and recommendations for best practices in campus and community sustainability. Course is intended for students of any major who are interested in exploring the intersection of sustainability with their life a career goals. Approved elective for Environmental Studies majors/minors and Climate Studies minors. ENVR 270OA Introduction to Human-Environmental Systems (4
Supervised reading or research at the lower-division level. Permission of program director required. Consult department for applicability towards major requirements. Not available to first-year students.
This course serves as an introduction to the analytical tools and metrics of environmental studies, providing students with quantitative and qualitative methodological skills germane to environmental problem solving that can be applied in upper division courses and in their own research projects. Emphases will include basic quantitative literacy, units of measurement commonly used in environmental fields, estimation, basic applied statistical analysis, cost-benefit and other economic metrics, textual analysis of survey and interview data, and data visualization through construction of graphics and maps. Students nd will also be guided through the process of collecting both primary and secondary data. Students will learn to apply these methods and to critique the use of similar methods by the media, in marketing campaigns and by other researchers. Identity (CI). CI course may be taken prior to or concurrently with Focus Course. Equivalent courses: ENVR 250 Attributes: Social World (SW), Thematic Focus - Truth ENVR 280MA Sustainable Scandinavia (2 Credits) This course will introduce students to the Nordic Model of social democracy as a framework for addressing sustainability. While we will address all three components of the sustainability (social, economic, and environmental), approximately 2/3 of the course materials will focus on environmental sustainability. The course takes place largely I southern Sweden, and topics include energy (renewable energy, small-scale energy networks, and waste-to-energy plants), sustainable transpiration networks, shared/cooperatives, planned neighborhoods, compulsory recycling, gender equity initiatives, work-life balance regulation, and outdoor preschools. In addition to reading about these topics, students will experience them first hand on site visits. Students will also attend thesis presentations by students graduation with a Master’s in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science and Lund University. ENVR 300AA Introduction to Environmental Law (4 Credits) Environmental Law emerged as a distinct legal subfield in response to the popular environmental movement of the 1960s/70s and the wide range of new environmental laws pass by Congress in response. This course will introduce the four broad pillars of US environmental law, including natural resource conservation and wildlife protection, air & water quality management, the regulation of toxic materials, and environmental impact assessment. Topics covered will include laws related to pollution, land use, toxins, energy, wildlife, natural resources, and air/water quality. Focused case studies on the National Environmental Policy Act, Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Toxic Substances Control Act, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, and the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Recovery Act ("Superfund") will serve as foundations for exploring related case law and developing skill in legal analysis/argumentation. No prior knowledge of the law is assumed, so the course will also address critical background material on topics such as federalism, the courts, property and torts, administrative law, and relevant constitutional law. Attributes: Thematic Encounter3 - Justice, Writing Requirement (WR)
This course explores literary writing from around the globe about climate change, with particular attention to questions of post-coloniality and environmental justice. Texts will include readings from every continent, including Antarctica, as well as genres ranging from poetry to literary theory to "cli-fi" (climate science-fiction). Through reading, thinking, discussing, and writing critically about a wide range of genres and cultural expressions, students will gain an appreciation for the depth of the world's literary approaches to the climate crisis. Students will learn to actively engage such writing from a variety of approaches including historical analysis, ecocriticism, and ethical reasoning. Attributes: Human Experience (HE), Thematic Encounter3 - Justice,
This course will offer the experience of exploring the interplay between the world of woods (nature) and the world of words (literature). Students will read, analyze and discuss a wide range of nature writing, but the main focus of the class will be on the creation of their own body of nature- based, written work, primarily in the form of creative nonfiction. Emphasis will be placed on the development of individual voices and styles. Restrictions: Students with the 2026-2027 Registration Cohort attribute may not enroll. Equivalent courses: ENGL 315C Attributes: Artistic Expression (AE)
This course will explore the health of the environment and how it relates to public policy by examining the issues and problems associated with environmental pollution and how pollutants impact our ecosystem. Students will develop an understanding of the physical processes involved in polluted environments as well as the socioeconomic consequences. Topics may include energy and resources; water treatment; geoengineering; climate change; remediation strategies; environmental public policy; in addition to pollution in the air, water, and soil including heavy metals, toxic organic compounds, ozone, greenhouse gases and pesticides.
This course explores the foundational theory, pedagogies, and history of Outdoor Adventure Education (OAE) for children and adults. Utilizing a variety of adventure-based activities (e.g. rock climbing, backpacking, canoeing), students will apply OAE concepts to curriculum design, instruction, and leadership development. Classroom instruction in theory will be complimented by practica that will develop applied skills in adventure activities along with the associated facilitation techniques, risk assessments, and group management skills necessary to conduct effective OAE lessons. This course will be a combination of classroom lecture and discussion along with adventure-based experiential learning occurring mostly outdoors. All students interested in outdoor recreation, environmental education, work with youth and/or adult programs and camps, natural resource management, team building, and education pedagogies are encouraged to enroll regardless of major or minor. Notes: An optional weekend workshop leading to Wilderness First Aid and CPR certification, which is often needed for employment in the field, will be offered in spring.
This course involves exploration of climate policy and climate justice action at the national, regional, and local level. Students will learn about climate change and its effects, policies, and technologies to address climate change, and debates over taking action, focused on the national and local level. Students will gain hands-on organizing skills through planning an event around climate justice, interview climate justice stake holders in the MN region, and engage in solidarity work with MN-based climate justice organizations, including attendance at local events. Offered annually. INTG 100 or 205 prior to taking a Thematic Focus Course. You must take a Cultural and Social Difference: Identity (CI) course prior to or at the same time as Thematic Focus Courses. Restrictions: Students with a class of First Year may not enroll. Attributes: Experiential Engagement (EX), Thematic Focus - Justice
This course involves preparation for, research in support of, and attendance at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) annual Conference of Parties (COP). Students will learn about climate change and its effects, policies and technologies to address climate change, and debates over taking action, all at the global level. Each student will focus on one aspect of climate change, writing a research paper that includes both preliminary research before the conference and original research at the conference itself, attending sessions devoted to that issue and interviewing stakeholders from around the world. Participants are required to attend the COP during the semester they take this course. Enrollment is by permission of instructor only. Applications for this course are accepted each spring semester. Students accepted into the course will be enrolled in the course by the instructor. Offered each fall. Restrictions: Students with the 2026-2027 Registration Cohort attribute may not enroll. Equivalent courses: ENVR 300V Attributes: Experiential Engagement (EX), Social World (SW), Thematic Encounter3 - Justice
This course explores the long history of American writing about nature and the environment, with particular attention to questions of the human place in nature. Some of this literate is about exploration—what is out there? Some of this is about the utility of nature—what can we do with vast forests, grasslands, or rivers? But the most interesting examples are often about what we can learn from nature and what obligations we may have to non-human life—what is our place in nature? The styles and traditions of American nature/ environmental writing have changed dramatically over time and today are quite diverse, incorporating at times elements of philosophy, theology, ethics, science, economics, politics, and art. Through reading, thinking, and discussing, and writing critically about a wide range of examples from genre students will gain an appreciation for the depth of the American literary approach to nature, become familiar with many of the writers and texts that could be said to form a “canon” in the field. And will learn to actively engage such writing form a variety of approaches including historical analysis, ecocriticism, and ethical reasoning. Attributes: Human Experience (HE), Thematic Encounter3 - Justice,
In depth, interdisciplinary study of a single topic in environmental studies. By design the course will provide both depth of exposure in a topic and methodological instruction and application of research skills in the field, as preparation for the research requirements of other upper division ENVR courses and for the application in post-collegiate career settings. Topics will vary each semester, but skills covered will include group discussion, formal oral presentation, poster design and presentation, secondary literature analysis, research design, collaborative project design and implementation, and written presentation of research results. This course is intended for junior/senior Environmental Studies majors and must be taken before enrolling in the ENVR 395: Research Seminar capstone. Both semesters. Restrictions: Students with the 2026-2027 Registration Cohort attribute may not enroll. Attributes: Writing Requirement (WR)
ENVR 323Conservation and Natural Resource Management4
The course focuses on the management and conservation of natural resources in the United States, including the national parks, national forests, oil/gas/mineral resources, surface and ground water, fisheries, wildlife, grazing/rangeland, and other publicly-managed resources. It explores the scientific, economic, cultural, legal, administrative, and political dimensions of natural resource management challenges faced by resource managers at a variety of levels from local lake associations to state departments of natural resources to federal agencies like the US Forest Service, National Park Service, and Bureau of Land Management. Through an interdisciplinary approach we will examine specific issues faced by agencies tasked with managing parks, wildlife, fisheries, hunting, mining, grazing, logging, recreation, and other resource uses. Specific attention will be paid to the various roles of public-sector employees and careers related to natural resource management within public agencies, as well as to the legal and political contexts for decision-making and conflict resolution. The course is open to all majors and anyone with an interest in natural resource management, ecology, environmental conflicts, environmental law and policy, public-sector management, government, politics, outdoor recreation, and related topics. Equivalent courses: ENVR 300N Attributes: Thematic Encounter3 - Movement
This course explores the links between gender, women, and environments, with an emphasis on the interconnections between environments and the workings of power that shape gender-based inequality, resistance, and strategies for social change. Through reading, discussion, documentary films, and research projects, we will explore how gender inequalities and norms of femininity and masculinity shape and are shaped by environments. The course will focus on local (U.S.) and global climate change; women’s leadership in the environmental movement and community resilience; development; gendered perceptions of environmental risk; queer perspectives on environmental issues; how gendered divisions of labor (particularly care of children and elderly) affect environmental experiences; sustainable agriculture and redistribution of global resources; the effects of globalization and militarism on women and the environment; social constructions of gender and science; and the relationship between gender and environmental policy-making, inequalities, and health. and Cultural and Social Difference: identity (CI). Equivalent courses: ENVR 300U, GEND 360M Attributes: CSD: Systems (CS)
Managing agricultural landscapes to provide the world with sustainable food, fiber, and fuel while conserving the environment and addressing climate change is a grand challenge of 21st century agriculture. This course examines agroecosystems as complex adaptive systems characterized by interactions and feedbacks among organisms, the atmosphere, climate, and the cycling of elements at local to global scales. Key elemental cycles of carbon and nitrogen and how human activities are affecting these cycles, and creating environmental challenges will be emphasized. Soil and crop management practices and resulting interactions between soil, water, organisms, and organic and chemical inputs form the basis for discussions on diverse cropping systems, soil health, water quality and quantity, bioenergy, greenhouse gases, and sustainability. Equivalent courses: ENVR 300T Attributes: Natural World (NW), Thematic Encounter3 - Movement
Environmental history is the study of the relationship between humans and nature over time. This course examines the changing American understanding of nature in the 19th and 20th centuries with particular attention to the development of public policies toward natural resources and wildlife, the emergence of a new set of values recognizing non- utilitarian values in nature, and to the evolution of the conservation and environmental movements. Intellectual, political, economic, scientific, and social evidence will all be examined in the process of placing nature back into the human history of North America. This course is suitable for students of any major, including those who have not taken a previous history course. Equivalent courses: HIST 360 Attributes: Human Experience (HE) ENVR 370AA Geographic Information Systems-Australia (4 Credits) This course examines the structure, function and use of geographic information systems (GIS) as a tool for managing, presenting, and analysing geographical data. With a significant practical component this course allows students the opportunity to generate and manipulate digital spatial information, as well as undertake digital terrain modelling. The ability to use GIS software is a widely sought after skill in planning, management and research. Geographic Information Systems specifically uses the context of environmental planning and management to introduce students to this technology. Attributes: Abstract Structures (AS) ENVR 370AB Understanding Sustain Development Practices - Australia (4 Credits) This unit deals broadly with issues surrounding sustainable development in general. Special emphasis will be on sustainable development in Australia and strategies for the implementation of the WA State sustainability strategy. It aims particularly to demonstrate the synergies between environmental ethics, multiculturism, appropriate technology (including renewable energy technology systems), and pro-restorative natural resource management. ENVR 370FA Sustainable Development & Food Production in the Mediterranean Landscape - France (3 Credits) The course is designed to provide students with an understanding of the ecological and cultural components of the Mediterranean landscape and the sustainable development policies that shape and aim to preserve this unique environment. By focusing on key food production activities closely tied to the environmental dynamics of the region, students will be able to immerse themselves in the environmental, technical, and economic pressures the local population face. The course aims to address the main issues surrounding the intensive human use of the environment to be able to provide a growing population with healthy food in a sustainable way. We’ll be paying special attention to water use, soil management, loss of biological diversity, and the challenges posed by global climate change. Attributes: Experiential Engagement (EX)
ENVR 370OA Geographical Information Systems (4 Credits) e Introductory overview and comprehension of GIS in the context of geo- information science; The nature of geographical data, data models, coordinate systems and map projections; GIS processes: data capturing, ordering and storage, manipulation and analysis; Map design and cartographic visualisation with a GIS; GIS applications ENVR 370OB Natural Forest Ecosystem (2 Credits) The importance of natural forests and their functions, including products for livelihoods and industry and the management of woodlands and savannas for sustainability; classification of forests based on structure and function; characterisation of natural forests based on structure and layering; species composition and diversity; succession concepts and theory; silvicultural systems and sustainable management of natural forests; the ecological and socio-economic sustainability methods of natural tropical forests, including criteria and indicators for sustainable forest management; certification and management for non-timber forest products
Supervised reading or research at the upper-division level. Permission of program director required. Consult department for applicability towards major requirements. Not available to first-year students.
This course explores the relationship between energy and society. Through diverse materials and field trips, we will learn about the energy infrastructures that power our society, the social, political, and cultural factors that shape energy production and consumption, and the relationship between energy, environment, and climate. Throughout, we will examine how all of these factors inform inequalities in who has access to energy and who is impacted by energy extraction, processing, transportation, and consumption. Students will leave the course prepared to assess the social and environmental impacts and benefits of different types of energy, and to contribute to discussions about building sustainable and just energy futures. Identity (CI). CI course may be taken prior to or concurrently with Focus Course. Equivalent courses: ENVR 300X, ENVR 317 Attributes: Social World (SW), Thematic Focus - Justice
Total Hours 129 ding Integrations Curriculum Requirements The standard requirements for the Environmental Studies major will fulfill the following integrations requirements: NW, QR, SW, WR, BN. Depending on elective course selection, it may fulfill other requirements as well as well. Please see below for a list of integrations requirements you will Hours need to satisfy via elective courses.
