This course focuses on the interactions between urban areas and the environment. It is a discussion of the physical setting of cities; the water, energy, air and waste disposal needs of urban areas; and the effects of urban areas on the air, water and land environment.

This course is designed to provide students with the scientific tools necessary to understand and critically evaluate both personal and policy decisions regarding the variety of options (e.g. fossil fuel, solar, wind, etc.) for energy generation and use. The course also focuses on the environmental impacts of all forms of energy, from the extraction of fossil fuels and mineral resources from the earth, to the generation, distribution and consumption of energy, and ultimately emission of fossil fuel combustion products, notably carbon dioxide and other heat trapping gasses, to the atmosphere. Course fee applies.

This course introduces the student to the general principles of climate change and how it affects weather, agriculture, ocean levels, etc. In recent years, the problem of global climate change became one of the most important issues in science and politics. This course will cover topics like natural and human made climate changes, the handling of proxy data and data methods, and social behavior.

An in-depth overview of plant families and species in the Chicagoland area. Lectures will focus on morphology of plants, evolutionary relationships among plant families, and terminology of plant structures. Students will use botanical keys and manuals for the area to identify plants and will learn collection techniques. Plant species will be collected in their natural habitats during field trips. Lab fee applies.

An examination of the physical, chemical, biological and engineering properties of soils, their genesis and classification, how they function as sites of waste disposal, and their role in global agricultural production. The course includes a three-hour lab and a mandatory Saturday field trip. Lab fee applies.

Conservation biology is an interdisciplinary endeavor concerned with the protection and management of biodiversity. It employs insights from the biological sciences, from the theory and practice of natural resource management, as well as from the social sciences and humanities. The reach of the discipline is vast ? ranging across all organismal groups and the landscapes and processes that sustain them ? we will therefore restrict ourselves to a general overview and draw upon a series of case studies in Chicago area. Lab fee applies.

This course will introduce students to the conceptual and methodological tools of ecosystem ecology. The course will focus on understanding the fundamental structure and function of ecosystems but will also address very recent debates on the economic value of ecosystem services, the role of biological diversity in maintaining ecosystem processes, and the consequences of stressed and degraded ecosystems for human welfare. Finally, we assess the role of ecosystem ecology in designing sustainable restoration projects. The course includes a weekly lab.

In this course we examine the way ecological ideas can increase our understanding of cities in ways that assist us in making cities more habitable ? cleaner, healthier and more biodiverse. We will pay considerable attention to the ways in which ecology can be broadened by its encounter with disciplines that have historically paid more attention to the city ? urban sociology, anthropology, economics, demography, architecture and planning.This course has a required lab; some Saturday field trips.

This course will acquaint students with the challenges, opportunities, practices, and transformative potential of urban agriculture. Taking an interdisciplinary, integrative, case-study approach, this course will explore issues such as food access, food security, food deserts, community gardening, farmers markets, locavore food movement, entrepreneurial aspects of urban agriculture, method of food production, community nutrition, and food consumption patterns. The course will meet both in the classroom and on-site at an urban farm, where students will work in all aspects of the farm as well as learn to organize communities in an effort to help them create food security and access to healthy food systems.

Study of the environment factors that influence health. Topics include air and water pollution, global population and local community dynamics, toxicology, infectious and chemical agents, radiation, and management.

The purpose of this course is to introduce students to environmental studies. It presents students with an overview of the intersections between ecology, the social sciences, and the humanities that inform our vision of the rigor and power of interdisciplinary environmental studies. It draws upon the natural sciences, communication, geography, religion, history, literature, art and design, and public policy to stress the interrelationships between human society and the natural world. Students will study the effects of the human use of the natural world and the interactions of culture, society, resources, and the environment. We will examine the social, political, and economic institutions that impact the environment. Particular attention will be paid to how the role of power and inequality contribute to environmental problems and how those problems in turn, impact certain groups more than others (e.g. citizens of undeveloped nations, people of color in urban areas) .

Provides a foundation in the communication skills necessary for achieving conservation goals. Introduces communication approaches such as social marketing, citizen participation, public campaigns, and environmental interpretation that have proven effective in the work of conservation professionals. (Formerly CMNS 325 - ENVIRONMENTAL COMMUNICATION WORKSHOP)

Rhetorical perspective on environmental public discourse. Course also explores the relationship between rhetorically constituted ideas about nature and the development of political and social ideas, institutions, and practices that inform our understanding of the human place in the environment. (Formerly CMNS 326)

This course provides an interdisciplinary introduction to sustainability and examines the essential interdependence between environmental, human, and economic systems. The class focuses on the theories and practices that respect the Earth's ecological limits so that these systems remain viable now and into the future. Students will explore the interrelated environmental, social, and economic problems that we currently face at the local, national, and global scale and the solutions that individuals, governments, and institutions are implementing in an effort to ensure a sustainable future.

This unique JEYL course is for junior level students with diverse majors interested in experiential learning within the field of environmental education. In partnership with the Chicago Academy of Sciences? Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, students will not only gain valuable content knowledge on the region?s natural history, but also apply that knowledge via service learning in a museum setting. Enrolling in this course is an opportunity to witness and interact with the professionals, pedagogy, science, and practice of promoting environmental literacy.

Introduces students to the critique of our consumer culture. Teaches students how to be critical consumers and understand how to be critical consumers and understand how we consume lifestyles, images, aesthetics, and desire through our shopping patterns. Provides theoretical, observational, and critical tools that allow students to critique patterns of consumption, the production of culture through consumption, and how consumption is a means of communication. (Formerly CMNS 324)

A theoretical and applied investigation of the social, political, and economic processes influencing the spatial distribution of environmental amenities and harms across the U.S. urban landscape, with particular focus on urban structure and the role of environmental justice struggles in shaping urban policy and the urban landscape. Formerly GEO 120.

Sustainable development has become a crucial concept in international initiatives worldwide. It attempts to foster policies that balance the need for economic development with practices that promote healthy communities and ecosystems. This course is based on the instructor's theoretical and practical experience gathered in developed and developing countries under market and command economies conditions. Special emphasis is placed on the role of institutions, both governmental and non-government, in shaping economic policies that are compatible with environmental health. The course pursues the objective of preparing students to understand main environmental problems and to generate solutions for these problems from a multidisciplinary perspective.

This course looks at public policies pertaining to urban sustainability. Low-carbon transportation, green building policies, locally produced renewable energy, and storm water management policies are among the topics discussed.

National and international comparisons of urbanization and urbanism as a way of life in world cities, regional/satellite cities, and cities of production and distribution. Focus on the impact of power and resources on city life throughout the world.

Alternative views of urban structures and social life in the post-industrial age. Considerations of the implications of energy, different technologies, future shock and social trends.

This course is an introductory history of the ideas of nature that emerged over the last two and a half centuries in Europe and the United States. We examine how the conceptions, meanings, and values of nature today have been influenced by the Scientific and Industrial Revolutions, Romanticism, and evolutionary theory; notions of the sublime, the frontier, and wilderness; and the practices of conservation, preservation, and restoration. Also discussed are the ideological commitments of current environmentalisms, in particular sustainability.

The environmental issues that confront us are both global and local; they involve political, economic and ethical decision-making by governments, corporations and citizens. Students will explore and evaluate diverse approaches to a range of such issues, as well as the ways different thinkers and different cultures have envisioned the relationship between human beings and the natural world-all with a view to understanding their own relationships to the natural world, their own environmental ethics.

A philosophical study of our environment, the nature of nature, the ecosystem, and the planet.

Issues in Environmental Design is an introductory course that will examine concepts, theories and practices across multiple scales of design, including architecture, landscape architecture and urban design. Students will discuss and evaluate the design decisions that compose our built environment with a focus on contemporary ideas of ecological sustainability. Examples of excellence will be explored through the examination of case studies. The underlying theme is the connection between culture and nature, and how we may reduce our negative impact on systems that support all life while building positive systems that support all life.

In this course students will engage issues central to the design of landscapes, examining the complex exchange between social perception, ecological function and physical form in landscape architecture. Students will evaluate the formal character of particular landscapes and how this expression contributes to the overall experience of a place. The literary perspective of the course will focus on the rich tradition of associations between landscape design and social ideologies. Students will be asked to apply concepts from the literature to landscapes from their own personal experience to understand how meaning is both deeply personal and culturally derived. Students will extend this interpretation to creating their own landscape design for transforming an existing site in Chicago.

Selected authors, genres, and topics in American literature and culture.

A history of the founding and development of Chicago from a frontier village to a major industrial, commercial and cultural center. This course will focus on the changing lives of ordinary Chicagoans.

The course considers how the American landscape has been shaped by native occupants, and later, by agricultural settlement and industrial development. A key theme is how culture has shaped the physical world we inhabit, from 1500 to circa 1950.

An examination of the moral, religious, and social dimensions of the phenomenon of globalization. Through a critical assessment of both the positive and the negative dimensions of globalization, students will seek to understand more fully the ethical implications of globalization for economics, culture, and society.

Advanced topics in international relations.

This course will acquaint students with the challenges, opportunities, practices, and transformative potential of urban agriculture. Taking an interdisciplinary, case-study approach, this course will explore issues such as food security, community gardening, farmers markets, the locavore food movement, entrepreneurial aspects of urban agriculture, methods of urban food production, and food consumption patterns. The course will meet in the classroom and on-site at the DePaul urban farm and greenhouses. In addition, students are expected to spend several hours each week outside of class time engaged in hands-on experience in urban farming at DePaul or at local sites arranged with the instructor.

This course introduces the principles and core practices involved in the culture of plants. Topics include the uses of plants and horticultural practices throughout history; the botanical and horticultural classification of plants; plant structure and function, growth and regulation; environmental requirements for plant growth; genetic modification of plants; plant reproduction and propagation; and plant pests and diseases. The course also considers environmental issues in horticulture including xeriscaping, biodiversity and the use of native plants, water management and rain gardens and hydroponics and container gardens.

This course focuses on how plants are affected by abiotic factors in the environment and interactions with other organisms. Goals are to improve students' abilities to understand research papers, present overviews of current research, design experiments, and analyze data. The course includes weekly labs with greenhouse experiments or field trips followed by data analysis. Topics include germination ecology, pollination biology, competition between plants, and effects of herbivory. Lab fee applies.

This course explores the roles of individuals and organizations in advocacy through the lens of environmental justice, particularly as power arrangements facilitate or impede consensus building. The course examines how legislation is written and how this process has impacted communities of color. Special attention is paid to advocacy techniques such as lobbying, movement-building, public education and litigation.