Check out the ES courses that will be taught this spring!
ENVS 0410 – Environmental Stewardship and Sustainable Design (K hour)
Challenges students to address the economics and logistics of implementing strategies to conserve resources and reduce the negative impacts of the built environment. The goal is to learn the rationale, process and technical aspects of sustainable design, institutional change, and corporate environmental responsibility. Students collaborate in interdisciplinary teams. Written permission required. Students must successfully complete an application process prior to enrollment in the class - either during the pre-registration period in the fall, or at the first class meeting in the spring. See course website for application details. Instructor: Kurt Teichert
ENVS 0490 – Environmental Science in a Changing World (J hour)
Introduces students to environmental science and the challenges we face in studying an ever-changing earth system. We will explore what is known, and not known, about how ecosystems respond to perturbations. This understanding is crucial, because natural systems provide vital services (water and air filtration, climate stabilization, food supply, erosion and flood control) that can not be easily or inexpensively replicated. Special emphasis will be placed on climate and land use change, the mechanization of agriculture, and invasive species. We will use these topics as springboards to explore the utility of the scientific method, the role science can play in policy decisions, and the environmental challenges that face industrial society over the coming century. Instructor: Stephen Porder
ENVS 0510 – Problems in International Environmental Policy (N hour)
Introduces global environmental problems, such as climate change, biodiversity loss, depletion of freshwater resources, the hole in the ozone layer, and the international transport of hazardous waste as pressing political concerns in the international arena. Provides a practical introduction to the major actors in international environmental politics (nation states, international organizations, scientists, non-governmental organizations, and business actors) and presents an overview of the key theoretical traditions used to analyze the drivers and politics of international environmental issues. Open enrollment. A background in environmental issues, as evidenced by taking ES 11 (ENVS 0110) or an equivalent course, is strongly recommended. Instructor: Charles Chester
ENVS 1350 – Environmental Economics and Policy (C hour)
Economic analysis of environmental problems. Introduction and application of key concepts including market failure, externalities, economic incentives, and alternative forms of environmental regulation; problems of valuation-the value of life, biodiversity, equity and efficiency; risk assessment; application to topics including fishery depletion, deforestation, population growth and food supply, energy systems and global climate change, world trade and the environment; institutions for sustainable development. Prerequisite: EC 111. Instructor: Sheetal Sekhri
ENVS 1410 – Environmental Law and Policy (H hour)
Examines the formation and implementation of environmental policy in the United States, including the contributions of law, economics, science, and politics. Detailed understanding of the policy-making process-including market-enlisting and other regulatory strategies, the role of agencies, environmental justice, risk analysis, and new decision-making paradigms-is developed through lectures, class discussion, and small group exercises that focus on contemporary environmental problems and provide hands-on policy making experience. Instructor: Terrence Tierney
ENVS 1500 – Human Impacts on Ecosystem Function (Mon, Wed, 1:30-2:50)
Explores our current understanding of how humans are impacting the functioning of ecosystems. Students will learn about the primary drivers of ecosystem change and how they affect the Earth’s cycles of carbon, nitrogen, and water, as well as changes in biodiversity and climate. This course will be divided into two broad thematic sections: 1. global issues followed by 2. regional issues. Students will be responsible for weekly reading and writing assignments. Enrollment limited to second, third and fourth year undergraduates and graduate students. Instructor: Osvaldo Sala, Mark Bertness, Guest Lecturers
ENVS 1720 – Environmental Justice: The Science and Political Economy of Environmental Health and Social Justice (M hour)
Encourages students to develop quantitative, qualitative, and theoretical approaches for understanding the origins and persistence of environmental discrimination. Examines the regulatory, institutional, structural, political, and economic forces that underlie patterns of race and class-based discrimination and their implications for environmental health among diverse communities. Prerequisite: ES11 or permission from the instructor. Instructor: Dianne Quigley
ENVS 1800 (New!) – Land-use Change in the Developing World (J hour)
This seminar links Brown students with the Watson International Scholars of the Environmental Program that brings mid-career environmental professionals to the Brown campus for a semester. The course focuses on land-use change and understanding the forces that drive change using multi-disciplinary perspectives. It takes the hands on knowledge of the Watson Scholars and combines it with a detailed examination of western perspectives of the drivers of land-use change. The seminar will explore the degree to which the scientific literature and the experience of practitioners are in harmony or in conflict, and how these two perspectives form each other. Rapid changes in land use, particularly in developing countries, have profound impacts on environmental, economic and social sustainability. There is an opportunity and funding for students to spend the following summer working with Watson Scholars in their home country on land-use projects of mutual interest. Instructor: Steven Hamburg
ENVS1920 Analysis and Resolution of Environmental Problems (I hour)
Spring 2008 Urban Renewal and Environmentally Sustainable Neighborhood-Based Development in Providence TTh 10:30-11:50 in UEL 106
ENVS1920 is a community-influenced fieldwork course that uses environmental science, policy and values to examine a significant environmental issue. This spring, students in ENVS1920 will use the U.S. Green Building Council’s draft LEED-ND* rating system to evaluate the potential environmental impact of several neighborhood-oriented mixed use development projects in the City of Providence. Students will also consider alternative smart growth measures and non-/market based incentives intended to promote environmentally sustainable development.
This course will provide students with hands-on experience in environmental planning through direct observation of Providence neighborhoods; spatial analysis of various indicators of environmental sustainability; and meetings with environmental planners, regulators, developers and community leaders who will highlight practical approaches to neighborhood-based planning. Students will work individually and in small groups and will have numerous opportunities to present ideas and results to community partners. Instructor: Caroline A. Karp