All ES courses

| 100-Level ES Courses | 200-Level ES Courses | 300-Level ES Courses |

| Independent Study | Additional Courses that Count for Credit for the ES Major/Minor |

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ES 100 Introduction to Environmental Science & Systems

Davis | Spring | 1.0 unit

This course introduces environmental science through the lens of systems thinking. Given the staggering level of complexity found around us, a powerful approach in science is to simplify complex systems into key components that influence processes and provide predictive power. But how do we choose which factors to focus on? How disconnected are causes and effects? Although not a laboratory course, students will actively engage in data collection, analysis, and interpretation of systems ranging from energy in ecosystems to environmental toxins and human health. (Note that students may enroll in either ES 100 or 101, but not both.)

Prereq: None
Dist: Natural and Physical Science

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ES 101 Fundamentals of Environmental Science with Laboratory

Griffith | Fall | 1.25 unit

Environmental problems are some of the most complex issues that we face today, and addressing them requires skills and knowledge from a variety of scientific and non-scientific disciplines. This course seeks to provide the scientific foundation for approaching environmental problems. Using a systems-approach to problem formulation and solving, we will investigate environmental issues including soil degradation, human and natural energy flows, stratospheric ozone depletion, mercury pollution, and the conservation of biodiversity. The combined studio and laboratory format offers diverse approaches for understanding, applying, and constructing models to investigate the behavior of environmental systems as well as testing hypotheses and drawing conclusions.

Prereq: Fulfillment of the basic skills component of the Quantitative Reasoning requirement. Summer version is open to all students; Fall version is a first-year seminar; Spring version is open to first-years and sophomores; juniors and seniors may only enroll with permission of the instructor.
Dist: Natural and Physical Science. Fulfills the QR overlay requirement

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ES 102 Environment and Society: Addressing Climate Change

Davis (FA), Turner (SP)  | Fall, Spring | 1.0 unit

This course offers an interdisciplinary introduction to environmental studies, with a focus on a climate change. Major concepts that will be examined include: the state of scientific research, the role of science, politics, and economics in environmental decision-making, and the importance of history, ethics and justice in approaching climate change. The central aim of the course is to help students develop the interdisciplinary research skills necessary to pose questions, investigate problems, and develop strategies that will help us address our relationship to the environment. ES 101, ES 102, and ES 103 may be taken in any order.

Prereq: QR basic skills component
Dist: Social and Behavioral Analysis

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ES 104 FYS: How to Save the Planet: Making Change Happen

DeSombre | Not Offered | 1.0 unit

Fixing environmental problems will require change at all levels – from the habits and beliefs of individuals to the norms in communities, and political decisions locally, nationally and globally. How do individuals, communities, and political structures change?  This seminar combines a reading of the social science literature on change with our own efforts to put that information into action. We’ll figure out how to change our own habits, change someone else’s mind, and how to invoke or transform community norms.  We’ll experiment with what approaches to political change succeed or fail. We’ll also examine what types of change are most important: does it matter whether people undertake their behavior for the right reasons, or simply that they act in ways that are better for environmental protection?  When should we focus on changing behavior by individuals, and when should we focus on changing the structures within which that behavior happens?

Prereq: None
Dist: Social and Behavioral Analysis

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ES 105 FYS: The Philosophy of Food

Matthes (Philosophy) | Fall | 1.0 unit

In this course we will examine the ethics of eating, from farm to table. Students will use philosophical methods to explore ethical issues surrounding topics such as world hunger, industrial agriculture, vegetarianism, cultural identity, paternalism, and individual responsibility. We will focus both on honing our argumentative skills and engaging critically with popular writing about food ethics.

Prereq: None
Dist
Religion, Ethics, and Moral Philosophy

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ES 125H/PEAC 125H The Climate Crisis

Burke, Turner, Chiasson, Selden, Confortini | Spring | 0.5 unit

The humanities, the social sciences and the natural sciences are indispensable to understanding the climate crisis. Drawing on perspectives from across the liberal arts, the course instructors will plumb the depths of the climate crisis and imagine the many ways in which we can respond. What can the role of climate in human history reveal about our uncertain future? How do social constructions, including race and gender, shape our understanding of this problem? Can the arts help us to reconceive the crisis? How can the sciences help us assess the crisis and adapt to our future climate? By examining such questions, we aim for deeper knowledge, both of the climate crisis and of the power of liberal arts education.

Prereq: None
Dist
None

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ES 150H/BISC 150H Climate Change and Global Agriculture

Matthes (Biological Sciences) | Not Offered | 0.5 unit

Agricultural systems both contribute to and are impacted by the growing threat of global climate change. Promoting the resilience of agricultural systems is essential for feeding rapidly growing populations, eradicating global malnourishment, and minimizing the impact of agriculture on Earth’s other ecosystems. This course will use scientific evidence to evaluate the ways in which agricultural systems contribute to climate change and to assess climate change risks to agricultural sectors in regions around the globe. Students will collaborate on sustained research projects that develop their skills in systems analysis and decision-making under conditions of scientific uncertainty regarding the type and severity of climate change risks. A central focus of the course will be on the presentation of quantitative data in visually intuitive formats for decision-making support. 

Prereq: None
Dist
Natural and Physical Sciences

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ES 151H The Future of Energy

Turner | Not Offered | 0.5 unit

Addressing climate change means transitioning to a clean energy future by 2050. This course adopts an interdisciplinary approach to study the prospects for such a transition. What technologies can pave the way to a clean energy future? What policies can hasten this transition and ensure it is advanced equitably? Can such a transition help pull people around the world out of poverty? What policies are necessary to ensure that a clean energy future also promotes energy democracy? Is there enough copper, lithium, and rare earth metals to support such a transition? Could growing dependency on these resources precipitate future conflicts over limited resources?

Prereq: None
Dist
None

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ES 199/ECON 199 Fossil Fuel Divestment: Student Action at Wellesley

Rothschild (Economics) | Not Offered | 0.5 units |

The Wellesley College Trustees are considering a commitment to divest from fossil fuels, with the understanding that students and faculty will play an integral role in helping the College to determine how to absorb the financial costs associated with such a commitment. This course will provide an avenue for directly including students in helping to determine the actions the student body will take to defray divestment costs. Students will learn cost/benefit analysis tools, analyze a range of potential on-campus actions, develop a specific proposal for student actions, and pitch their proposal to students, administrators, and other constituencies

Prereq: None
Dist: Social and Behavioral Analysis

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ES 201/GEOS 201  Environmental, Health, and Sustainability Sciences with Laboratory

Brabander | Spring | 1.0 unit

Problems in environmental, health, and sustainability sciences are inherently transdisciplinary and require a diverse skill set to frame, analyze and solve. This course will focus on developing a toolbox of skills including; systems level thinking, field and analytical methods, biogeochemical analysis (natural waters, soils, and other environmental materials), and modeling with a goal of building a science-based foundation for the analysis of complex issues at the interface between humans and the environment. Students will conduct semester-long research projects and will present their results in a final poster session.

Prereq: Enrollment limited to students majoring in ES and GEOS, other students by permission of instructor.
Dist: Natural and Physical Science

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ES 204 Environmental Movements in U.S. History

Shih | Fall | 1.0 units |

This course surveys the diverse origins, philosophies, and evolutions of environmental activism in the United States. We will cover the history of the so-called "mainstream" American environmental movement, including early American ideas about wilderness, the rise of preservation and conservation, and the second wave of environmentalism in the 1960s-1970s. However, rejecting the notion that there is a single, cohesive environmental movement, we will also explore histories of ecofeminism, grassroots movements, environmental justice, and Indigenous activism to learn how women, people of color, Native peoples, and the poor have fought to better their environments according to their own priorities and ideas about nature. Using what we learn about the American past, the end of the course will touch on global connections and the future of environmental activism.

Prereq: None
Dist: Historical Studies

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ES 212/GEOS 212/RAST 212 Lake Baikal: The Soul of Siberia

Monecke (Geosciences), Weiner (Russian) | Not Offered | 1.25 units |

The ecological and cultural values of Lake Baikal – the oldest, deepest, and most biotically rich lake on the planet – are examined. Lectures and discussion in spring prepare students for the three-week field laboratory taught at Lake Baikal in eastern Siberia in August. Lectures address the fundamentals of aquatic ecology and the role of Lake Baikal in Russian literature, history, art, music, and the country's environmental movement. Laboratory work is conducted primarily out-of-doors and includes introductions to the flora and fauna, field tests of student-generated hypotheses, meetings with the lake's stakeholders, and tours of ecological and cultural sites surrounding the lake. 

Prereqor corequisites – RUSS 101 and one of the following - ES 100, ES 101, GEOS 101, GEOS 102; and permission of the instructors. Application required.

Dist: Natural and Physical Science; Language and Literature

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ES 214/POL2 214 Social Causes and Consequences of Environmental Problems

DeSombre | Fall, Spring | 1.0 unit

This course focuses on the social science explanations for why environmental problems are created, the impacts they have, the difficulties of addressing them, and the regulatory and other actions that succeed in mitigating them. Topics include: externalities and the politics of unpriced costs and benefits, collective action problems and interest group theory, time horizons in decision making, the politics of science, risk and uncertainty, comparative political structures, and cooperation theory. Also addressed are different strategies for changing environmental behavior, including command and control measures, taxes, fees, and other market instruments, and voluntary approaches. These will all be examined across multiple countries and levels of governance.

Prereq: ES 102 or permission of instructor
Dist: Social and Behavioral Analysis

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ES 220 Human Ecology: Environmental Limits and Conservation with Laboratory
 
Griffith | Spring | 1.25 unit
 
Humans and their environment make up a complex and dynamic system.  As with all ecological systems, key components are the availability and use of resources and the interactions with other species - both of which have important impacts on the nature and stability of the system itself. This course investigates these far-reaching concepts by examining topics such as the broad implications of thermodynamics, energy and material flows through human and natural systems, natural resource management, and the conservation of resources and biodiversity. We will also explore the role of science and technology in surmounting previous limits (e.g. energy use and agricultural yields), as well as the implications of inherent limits that may never be broken. Laboratory work will focus on quantitative skills and modeling tools used to examine a range of systems.
 
Prereq: ES 100, ES 101, GEOS 101, GEOS 102, BISC 108 or permission of instructor
Dist: Natural and Physical Sciences; Mathematical Modeling

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ES 228/ECON 228 Environmental and Resource Economics

Keskin (Economics) | Spring | 1.0 unit

This course considers the economic aspects of resource and environmental issues. After examining the concepts of externalities, public goods, and common property resources, we will discuss how to measure the cost and benefits of environmental policy, in order to estimate the socially optimal level of the environmental good. Applications of these tools will be made to air and water pollution, renewable and nonrenewable resources, and global climate. In addressing each of these problems we will compare various public policy responses such as regulation, marketable permits and tax incentives.

Prereq: ECON 101 or permission
Dist: Social and Behavioral Analysis

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ES 229 Latin America: Topics in Food Systems and the Environment

Goodall (Visiting Lecturer) | Not Offered | 1.0 unit

From an ecological perspective, Latin America is a vast region composed of numerous biomes: tropical forests, savannas, deserts, mountains, and temperate forests and grasslands. Culturally, this region is home to diverse human communities including 600 indigenous groups. Economically, many countries in Latin America depend upon the export of natural resources and agricultural products. Growing populations, increased global trade, and a complicated history of colonization put pressure on all of these areas, creating a fascinating and important backdrop for exploring issues in food systems and the environment. Topics will be guided by student interest, but may include food justice, agroecology, water rights, biodiversity conservation, biopiracy, transnational agreements, farmer networks and social movements.

Prereq: ES 100, ES 101, ES 102, or ES 103
Dist: None

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ES 233/PHIL 233 Environmental Ethics
 
Matthes (Philosophy) | Fall | 1.0 unit
 
This course will train students to use philosophical methods to engage in rigorous debate about ethical issues concerning the environment. Topics may include animal rights, the ethics of eating, climate justice, the rights of ecological refugees, obligations to future generations, and environmental activism.
 
Prereq: Open to first-year students who have taken one course in philosophy and to sophomores, juniors, and seniors without prerequisite. 
Dist: Religion, Ethics, and Moral Philosophy
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ES 234/PHIL 234 From Wilderness to Ruins

Matthes (Philosophy) | Not Offered | 1.0 unit

This course concerns a range of ethical and aesthetic questions about places, whether of natural or cultural significance. How should we understand the value of nature? Is it relative to human interests, or independent of them? What is nature in the first place, and how is it distinguished from culture? Is scientific or cultural knowledge relevant to the aesthetic experience of nature? Does “natural beauty” have a role to play in guiding environmental preservation? When we seek to preserve an ecosystem or a building, what exactly should we be aiming to preserve? Should the history of a place guide our interactions with it? How should we navigate conflicts between environmental and cultural preservation, especially as they intersect with issues of race and class? How should a changing climate affect our environmental values? We will investigate these questions, among others, in contexts from wilderness to parks, cities to ruins.

Prereq: Open to first-years who have taken one course in philosophy. Open to sophomores, juniors and seniors without prerequisite.
Dist: Religion, Ethics, and Moral Philosophy

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ES 238/CPLT 238/GER 338 The Color of Green Literature: Writing in the Face of Environmental Collapse

Nolden (German) | Fall | 1.0 unit

This course discusses the narrative challenges posed by the Anthropocene, the current era in history in which the impact of humans on the environment imperils the very future of our planet. Reading fictional and critical texts that have emerged in different parts of the world over the course of the last three decades, we will identify the fictional tools and aesthetic strategies that writers are exploring to address the climate catastrophe.  We will discuss what the traditions of writing about biocide are to which contemporary authors can turn when creating new narratives adequate to capture the environmental crisis. We will analyze the most prominent genres involved in “green writing” and will pay close attention to the ways authors deal with the tensions between the local and the global in their narratives.

Prereq: None
Dist: Language and Literature

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ES 242/ENG 242 From 'Nature Poetry' to Ecopoetics

Hickey | Spring | 1.0 unit

From ancient pastoral poets to Amanda Gorman, how have writers made nature their subject? What can literature tell us about the diverse and changing ways in which humans perceive, construct, interact with, inhabit, and alter our environments? How do historical and cultural differences inflect writing about nature? Does the prospect of climate catastrophe impel writers to reimagine traditional genres? We’ll explore such questions through a broad selection of poetry and lyrical prose, countering circumscribed notions of environmental writing as a predominantly White or cis straight male realm and seeking to illuminate the vital connections between environmentalism and social and racial justice. Shakespeare; the Romantics; American writers such as Phillis Wheatley, Emily Dickinson, Henry David Thoreau, Walt Whitman, Robert Frost, W.S. Merwin, Gary Snyder, Audre Lorde, Mary Oliver, Lucille Clifton, Leslie Marmon Silko, Jorie Graham, Joy Harjo, Claudia Rankine, and Camille T. Dungy.

Prereq: None

Dist: Language and Literature

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ES 244 Botany, Ecology, Empire

Shih | Spring | 1.0 unit

What do plants and the environmental sciences have to do with colonialism? How have different peoples and societies cultivated, used, and made knowledge about various flora, or the natural world more generally? Taking up these questions, this course explores the global history of plants, the natural sciences, and empire from roughly the 17th century to present. We will focus on a single plant or locale each week, opening up larger discussions about major themes such as: Indigenous knowledge, collecting, bioprospecting, economy, race, gender, technology, labor, and postcolonial science. In addition to analyzing textual sources, we will take field trips to the botanic collections on campus to examine living plants and herbarium specimens. The course will end in a collaborative final project, in which students curate an interpretive “exploration pathway” about botany and empire through the Global Flora Conservatory and write essays for an accompanying website.

Prereq: None

Dist: Historical Studies

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ES 247/BISC 247 Plant Diversity and Ecology with Laboratory

Griffith | Not Offered | 1.25 unit

This course is a combination of "What's that wildflower?" and "Why does it grow over there and not here?" We begin by examining large-scale patterns of plant diversity from an evolutionary and phylogenetic perspective  and then shift to an ecological perspective. Along the way, we zoom in to specific concepts and processes that help us understand overall patterns. Laboratories will primarily be taught in the field and greenhouses and will include plant identification, observational and experimental studies, and long-term study of forest communities on the Wellesley campus. Laboratories will also include aspects of experimental design and data analysis. The goal of the course is not only to train students in botany and plant ecology, but to engage them in the world of plants every time they step outside. 

Prereq: ES 100, ES 101, BISC 108, BISC 111/T, BISC 113 or permission of instructor
Dist: Natural and Physical Sciences

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ES 251 The Future of Energy

Turner | Spring | 1.0 unit

Addressing climate change means transitioning to a clean energy future by 2050. This course adopts an interdisciplinary approach to study the prospects for such a transition. What technologies can pave the way to a clean energy future? What policies can hasten this transition and ensure it is advanced equitably? Can such a transition help pull people around the world out of poverty? What policies are necessary to ensure that a clean energy future also promotes energy democracy? Is there enough copper, lithium, and rare earth metals to support such a transition? Could growing dependency on these resources precipitate future conflicts over limited resources?

Prereq: None. Students who have completed ES 151H are not allowed to take this course. 
Dist: None

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ES 265/ANTH 265 The Politics of Nature
 
Ellison (Anthropology) | Not Offered | 1.0 unit
 
In this course we will consider the historical, social, and political life of nature in its many guises and from an anthropological perspective. What is the relationship between resource control and the consolidation of power? How have indigenous movements and development agencies mobilized ideas of participatory conservation to achieve their goals, and how have these same concepts been used to exclude or to reproduce inequality? We will explore themes such as the relationship between race, nature, and security; intellectual property and bioprospecting; and the lived effects of the many “green,” “sustainable,” and “eco-tourism” projects now attracting foreign travelers around the world. Additionally, the course will introduce students unfamiliar with socio-cultural anthropology to ethnographic research methods, ethical dilemmas, and the craft of ethnographic writing.
 
Prereq: None
Dist: Social and Behavioral Analysis
 
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ES 267/ARTH 267 Art and the Environmental Imagination

Bedell (Art) | Not Offered | 1.0 unit

Nature, according to the environmental historian William Cronon, "serves as the mirror onto which societies project the ideal reflections they wish to see." Focusing on the land of the United States as it has been shaped into forms ranging from landscape paintings to suburban lawns, national parks, and our own Wellesley College campus, we will investigate the social, political, economic, religious, scientific, and aesthetic imperatives that have underlain these creations and molded our responses to them. Among the questions we will consider are: What is "nature"? What do we value in a landscape and why? How have artists and architects responded to environmentalist concerns? 

Prereq: None
Dist: Arts, Music, Film and Video

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ES 299 Environmental History

Turner | Not Offered | 1.0 unit

This course examines the relationship between nature and society in American history. The course will consider topics such as the decimation of the bison, the rise of Chicago, the history of natural disasters, and the environmental consequences of war. There are three goals for this course: First, we will examine how humans have interacted with nature over time and how nature, in turn, has shaped human society. Second, we will examine how attitudes toward nature have differed among peoples, places, and times and we will consider how the meanings people give to nature inform their cultural and political activities. Third, we will study how these historical forces have combined to shape the American landscape and the human and natural communities to which it is home. While this course focuses on the past, an important goal is to understand the ways in which history shapes how we understand and value the environment as we do today.

Prereq: None
Dist: Historical Studies

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ES 300 Environmental Decisionmaking

Griffith | Spring | 1.0 units

An interdisciplinary seminar in which students work together in small groups to understand and develop solutions for current environmental problems. Each year, we focus on a given environmental issue of concern to our community, e.g. environmental implications of building design, energy use, or water quality. In particular, we work to understand its scientific background, the political processes that lead to potential solutions, and the ethical and environmental justice implications. Student-led research provides the bulk of the information about the issue and its role in our local environment; lectures and readings provide supplementary information about the local situation and the global context.

Prereq: A declared major or minor in environmental studies, ES 101 or ES 102 or ES 103, and completion of the three core distribution requirements, or permission of the instructor. This course is only open to juniors and seniors.
Dist: None

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ES 303 New England in the Anthropocene: Applied Conservation Management

Zipf | Not Offered | 1.0 units

The anthropocene is the current geological time period in which humans dominate earth system processes, like nutrient cycling, hydrology, and biodiversity. In this course, we will build a foundational knowledge of New England natural history, interrogate the history of conservation in the region, design and implement field studies to assess the value of conservation practices, and analyze and present our findings. Through all of this work, we will consider the effects of anthropogenic influences on New England's biological communities. Students will work together through experimental design, data collection, analysis using statistical software, synthesis writing, and poster presentations to understand the conservation of plants and animals in the region. 

Prereq: BISC 201 or ES 220 or BISC 207 or permission of the instructor. 
Dist: Natural and Physical Sciences

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ES 307/BISC 307 Ecosystem Ecology with Laboratory

Matthes (Biological Sciences) | Spring | 1.25 units

Ecosystems are essential to sustaining life on Earth. The emergent structure and function of ecosystems are regulated by feedbacks between biological and physical systems from the microscopic to the global scale. We will study how ecosystems cycle carbon and nutrients and how the energy balance of ecosystems creates critical feedbacks with climate. We will also examine the role that humans play in managing, creating, and using services from ecosystems in our current era of rapid global change. Students will develop statistical skills working with real datasets from the Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) network and will gain experience collecting new field data to understand temporal and spatial patterns of ecosystem processes.

Prereq: Two units in Biological Sciences at the 200-level or above, or permission of instructor.
Dist: Natural and Physical Sciences

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ES 312S/POL2 312S Seminar: Environmental Policy

DeSombre | Fall | 1.0 unit

Focuses both on how to make and how to study environmental policy. Examines issues essential in understanding how environmental policy works and explores these topics in depth through case studies of current environmental policy issues. Students will also undertake an original research project and work in groups on influencing or creating local environmental policy.

Prereq: ES 214 or one 200-level unit in political science and permission of instructor. Enrollment limited to juniors and seniors. 
Dist: Social and Behavioral Analysis

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BISC 310 Seminar: Climate Change and Marine Ecology 

Selden (Biological Sciences) | Spring | 1.0 unit

This course will focus on the impacts of climate change on marine ecosystems. As greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have increased, the oceans have absorbed more than 93% of the excess heat and roughly ¼ of the carbon dioxide. The triple threat of warming temperatures, depletions in oxygen, and drops in ocean pH have led to dramatic effects on ocean ecosystems. Students will analyze the primary literature to examine 1) how these stressors are affecting physiology, demography, phenology, and distributions of marine species separately and when acting together, 2) the potential for adaptation/evolution, 3) what lessons can be learned from the paleorecord, and 4) the impacts on coastal communities and nations. The course incorporates student-led seminar-style discussions, and a final synthetic project where teams will present evidence for the impacts of climate change on a particular marine ecosystem.

PrereqOne of the following courses - BISC 201, BISC 202, BISC 209, BISC 210, BISC 214, BIOC 219/BISC 219, ES 201, ES 220, EXTD 225, EXTD 226 or permission of instructor.

Dist: Natural and Physical Science

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ES 313 Environmental Impact Assessment

Higgins | Not Offered | 1.0 unit

Our environment is constantly changing as a result of anthropogenic events; we can apply scientific principles and assessment tools to reduce the adverse impacts that our actions have on the environment. Environmental impact assessment is the systematic identification and evaluation of the potential impacts or effects of proposed projects, products, and decisions relative to the current state of the total environment. This course teaches the scientific fundamentals of environmental impact assessment, along with the related approaches of environmental risk assessment, life cycle assessment and industrial ecology, that can help us make informed choices about how to minimize environmental harm and make informed choices about alternatives. These tools will be applied to case studies in class, and a semester-long team project.

Prereq: One introductor ES course, and one 200-level science course, or permission of the instructor.
Dist: Natural and Physical Sciences

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ES 325/POL3 325 International Environmental Law

DeSombre | Spring | 1.0 unit

For international environmental problems, widespread international cooperation is both important and quite difficult. Under what conditions have states been able to cooperate to solve international environmental problems? Most international efforts to address environmental problems involve international law—how does such law function? What types of issues can international environmental law address and what types can it not? This course addresses aspects of international environmental politics as a whole, with particular attention to the international legal structures used to deal with these environmental problems. Each student will additionally become an expert on one international environmental treaty to be researched throughout the course.

Prereq: ES 214 or POL3 221 or permission of instructor.
Dist: Social and Behavioral Analysis

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ES 327/BISC 327 Seminar. Topics in Biodiversity

Jones | Fall | 1.0 unit

Topic of 2020-21: Biodiversity in the Built Environment. How do other species interact with landscapes and habitats that people have modified or even completely restructured? Which species live in human-dominated environments, and how does the diversity of species in these habitats affect the function and health of these ecosystems? In this course we will build our scientific understanding of biodiversity and its consequences, and explore how this understanding can inform the design and management of spaces we occupy. We will consider habitats from agricultural landscapes to suburban parks, to buildings, with special attention to the opportunities afforded by Wellesley's remarkable campus, including the Global Flora greenhouse.

Prereq: Two units in Biological Sciences at the 200-level or above, or permission of instructor.
Dist: Natural and Physical Sciences

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ES 328/WGST 328 Naturecultures: Feminist Futures & Environmental Justice

Chacko (WGST) | Spring | 1.0 unit

The stories we tell about the world make certain futures possible, while foreclosing other imaginable ones. This course reveals how Western historical, theoretical, and scientific ways of knowing understood both women and nature as inferior and thus needing to be controlled. Pushing back against the ideas of any inherent binary separations between men/women and nature/culture, we will examine ecofeminism as a theoretical location within both feminist and environmental philosophies and as a social movement. We will survey representations of culture and environment in several areas such as climate change, food and water justice, Indigenous sovereignty, and toxic chemicals. Learning from the intertwined history of environment and gender, that have led to both personal and global inequity and disaster, we will also engage solutions that imagine different futures. Recognizing that solutions to environmental problems require a feminist attunement, we can start to understand the implications that our ethical commitments have to the future of life on the planet.

Prereq: Any WGST 200-level course or ES 200-level course or permission of the instructor. Open to Juniors and Seniors only.
Dist: None

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ES 329 Latin America: Topics in Food Systems and the Environment

Goodall (Visiting Lecturer) | Not Offered | 1.0 unit

This course meets with ES 229. From an ecological perspective, Latin America is a vast region composed of numerous biomes: tropical forests, savannas, deserts, mountains, and temperate forests and grasslands. Culturally, this region is home to diverse human communities including 600 indigenous groups. Economically, many countries in Latin America depend upon the export of natural resources and agricultural products. Growing populations, increased global trade, and a complicated history of colonization put pressure on all of these areas, creating a fascinating and important backdrop for exploring issues in food systems and the environment. Topics will be guided by student interest, but may include food justice, agroecology, water rights, biodiversity conservation, biopiracy, transnational agreements, farmer networks and social movements.

PrereqPermission of instructor and one of the above
Dist: None

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ES 331/FREN 331 Seminar: Francophone Literature and the Environment

Régine Michelle Jean-Charles (French) | Not Offered | 1.0 unit

The lushness of the mangroves, the flora and fauna of tropical landscapes, the intricacy of the rhizome, the flow of great rivers, the crashing waves of the Atlantic, the heights of mountainous lands, and expanse of the plateau—the natural world is an important site of Caribbean art in general and, more specifically, the francophone Caribbean novel of the 20th and 21st centuries. Applying eco-criticism to the field of francophone Caribbean literature, the goal of this class is to examine the ways that fiction explores the relationship between human activity and the environment. How does the novel inhabit Caribbean ecologies and topographies? How does it represent nature? In what ways do Caribbean texts meditate on nature and culture together or against one another? As the earthquake in Haiti demonstrated in 2010 with calamitous force, and the cycles of Caribbean hurricanes have shown over the years, natural disaster is also a political crisis. In view of this, we will also consider the legacies of slavery and colonialism in terms of class, gender and race politics. This investigation of the dynamics of natural and cultural phenomena will also have a theoretical frame rooted in critical texts of Caribbean literary and political movements such as Indigénisme, Négritude, Antillanité, and Créolité.

PrereqFREN 210 or FREN 212; and one additional unit, FREN 213 or above.
Dist: Language and Literature

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ES 347/BISC 347 Advanced Plant Diversity and Ecology with Laboratory

Griffith | Not Offered | 1.25 units

This course meets along with ES 247/BISC 247 and offers an opportunity for students to engage more deeply with the material and perform independent research. Students will be expected to more thoroughly review and reference peer-reviewed literature and assist in leading in-class discussions. Additionally, each student will develop and conduct an experiment (or observational study) over the course of the semester that examines mechanisms of plant diversity and coexistence.

Prereq: BISC 201, ES 220, BISC 207 or permission of instructor.
Dist: Natural and Physical Science

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ES 381/POL1 381 United States Environmental Politics 

Turner | Not Offered | 1.0 unit

This course examines the politics of environmental issues in the United States. The course has two primary goals: First, to introduce students to the institutions, stakeholders, and political processes important to debates over environmental policy at the federal level. Second, to develop and practice skills of analyzing and making decisions relevant to environmental politics and policy. Drawing on the literature of environmental politics and policy, this course will consider how environmental issues are framed in political discourse, various approaches to environmental advocacy and reform, and the contested role of science in environmental politics. The course will be organized around environmental case studies, including endangered species conservation, public lands management, air and water pollution, and toxics regulation.

Prereq: A 200-level ES course of POL1 200 or permission of the instructor.
Dist: Social and Behavioral Analysis

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ES 383 The Science of Compliance: The Evolution of Technology to Meet the Goals of U.S. Environmental Policy

Higgins | Not Offered | 1.0 unit

For more than 40 years U.S. environmental policies have been passed, amended and enforced with the purpose of protecting human health and preserving the environment. This course will examine the evolution of technologies to meet the goals of major U.S. environmental policies including the Clean Air Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation, and Liability Act and the role that available technologies play in setting the enforceable standards within policies. We will learn fundamental scientific principles of water treatment, wastewater treatment, and air pollution control technologies and examine how scientists and engineers employ these technologies to meet policy goals. Students will further examine the relationship between a recent or future environmental policy and technological evolution.

Prereq: ES 100, ES 101, ES 220 or permission of the instructor.
Dist: Natural and Physical Science

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ES 398 Capstone Scientific Research in Environmental Studies: Knowledge Creation through Collaboration

Higgins | Not Offered | 1.0 unit

This course is a science-based capstone experience for Environmental Studies majors. Students will apply interdisciplinary tools learned throughout the ES major to advance an individual project within environmental science (which may connect to research done in lab groups or independent study projects). Class sessions will be conducted as an interdisciplinary science research group devoted to helping students develop their skills framing, conducting, and communicating scientific research. Students will produce deliverables such as literature reviews, research proposals, data analysis workflows and visualizations, demonstrations of research methods/techniques, and approaches to communicate the research project and its importance to different types of audiences. Enrollment in the course is by application.

Prereq: A declared major in Environmental Studies and completion of six courses that count toward the ES major, one of which will be a 200-level science course, or permission of instructor. This course is only open to juniors and seniors.

Dist: None.

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ES 399 Calderwood Seminar in Public Writing: Environmental Synthesis and Communication

Turner | Fall | 1.0 unit

Tax carbon? Label genetically modified crops? Ban endocrine disruptors? In this course, we will engage with such questions and related environmental sustainability issues as public writers. Students will choose one environmental issue, which will be the focus of their environmental “beat” during the semester. They will draw on an interdisciplinary toolset from environmental studies to analyze and communicate the scientific, economic, political, and ethical dimensions of pressing policy issues. Students will conduct independent research to produce weekly articles, such as op-eds, blog posts, press releases, book reviews, policy memos, and interviews with environmental professionals. Class sessions will be organized as writing workshops focused on the interdisciplinary analysis and content of student work.

Prereq: A declared major in Environmental Studies and completion of six courses that count toward the ES major, or permission of instructor. This course is only open to juniors and seniors.
Dist: None.

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Individual Study

ES 250 or 350 (Research or Individual Study) can be advised by any member of the advisory faculty in environmental studies. They may count towards the area of concentration. A half-unit course may only count as credit towards the major when combined with another half-unit course. Only two units of independent study may be counted towards the major. ES350 courses may not be used to fulfill the minimum requirement that two electives be at the 300-level.

ES 250GH Environmental Studies Reading Group

Staff | Not Offered | 0.5 unit

The ES program runs a weekly reading group on changing topics. Readings will be chosen based on the interests of the participating students and faculty members. Students who enroll commit to coming to each week's discussion, preparing a set of responses to the week's reading, and, in collaboration with other group members, selecting some of the weekly topics and readings. Grading is mandatory Credit/No Credit..

Prereq: Permission of instructor, normally limited to students who have taken two courses in Environmental Studies
Dist: None

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ES 250 Research or Individual Study

Fall and Spring | 1.0 unit

PrereqPermission of instructor, ordinarily limited to students who have completed at least three units toward their major
Dist: None

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ES 250H Research or Individual Study

Fall and Spring | 0.5 unit

PrereqPermission of instructor, ordinarily limited to students who have completed at least three units toward their major
Dist: None

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ES 350 Research or Individual Study

Fall and Spring | 1.0 unit

PrereqPermission of instructor, ordinarily limited to students who have completed at least five units toward their major
Dist: None

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ES 350H Research or Individual Study

Fall and Spring | 0.5 unit

PrereqPermission of instructor, ordinarily limited to students who have completed at least five units toward their major
Dist: None

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ES 360 Senior Thesis Research

Fall and Spring | 1.0 unit

PrereqBy permission of the advisory faculty. See Honors in Environmental Studies.
Dist: None

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ES 370 Senior Thesis

Fall and Spring | 1.0 units

PrereqES 360 and permission of the department.
Dist: None

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Additional Courses that Count for Credit Towards the ES Major or Minor

AFR 226 Environmental Justice, "Race," and Sustainable Development 

Staff | Not Offered | 1.0 unit

An investigation of the extent to which the causes and consequences of environmental degradation are influenced by social inequality and the devaluation of indigenous peoples. The course will examine how the poor, indigenous peoples and people of color are subjected to environmental hazards. Topics include the link between negative environmental trends and social inequality; the social ecology of slums, ghettos and shanty towns; the disproportionate exposure of some groups to pollutants, toxic chemicals, and carcinogens; dumping of hazardous waste in Africa and other Third World countries; and industrial threats to the ecology of small island states in the Caribbean. The course will evaluate Agenda 21, the international program of action from the Earth Summit designed to halt environmental degradation and promote sustainable development.

Prereq: None
Dist: Social and Behavioral Analysis

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AFR 304/POL 302 Seminar: The Politics of Chocolates and Other Foods

Dendere (Africana Studies) | Fall | 1.0 unit

Why is it that although the majority of cocoa is grown in Africa the most expensive chocolate is made in Europe? Why is it that the average cocoa farmer lives in poverty or earns just $2,000/year when the wealthiest chocolate and candy families are worth more than $10 billion? During the course of this semester, we will study the supply chain from natural resource extraction to final project and investigate the politics that allow for inequalities as well as the progress that has been made. Therefore, this course will examine the sociohistorical legacy of chocolate, with a delicious emphasis on the eating and appreciation of the so-called “food of the gods.” Interdisciplinary course readings will introduce the history of cacao cultivation, the present-day state of the global chocolate industry, the diverse cultural constructions surrounding chocolate, and the implications for chocolate’s future in terms of scientific study, international politics, alternative trade models, and the food movement. Assignments will address pressing real-world questions related to chocolate consumption, social justice, responsible development, honesty and the politics of representation in production and marketing, hierarchies of quality, and myths of purity.

Prereq: At least one Africana Studies or Political Science course.
Dist: Social and Behavioral Analysis

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AFR 312 Seminar: The political economy of natural resources in Africa

Staff (Africana Studies) | Not Offered | 1.0 unit

This course examines key themes on the political economy of natural resources and development in sub-Saharan Africa. It considers the following questions: Why are resource-rich African countries often poor? Is the ‘paradox of plenty” real, or there are other alternative explanations that account for this phenomenon? What is the agency of African communities and governments in shaping outcomes with resource endowment? What are the antidotes to the resource curse? The course uses historical and theoretical analyses in African political economy to answer these questions in a holistic, multipronged manner, focusing on themes such as colonialism, post-colonial state-building, the ‘decade of development’, and Africa in the global system. It combines this with analyses of the governance of oil and diamonds, and case studies on how resource endowment has affected producer countries in different ways.

Prereq: AFR 263 or POL2 204, or permission of instructor
Dist: Social and Behavioral Analysis

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ANTH 222 Anthropology of Science 

Karakasidou (Anthropology) | Spring | 1.0 unit

This course will introduce students to the anthropology of science and the use of anthropological methodology to study the making of science and technology. Through the analysis of case studies of biotechnology, energy, computing, lay and activist science, medicine, genetics, bioethics, the environment and conservation around the world, this class will investigate the global dynamics of science and technology. We will compare and contrast the production and use of scientific knowledge around the globe. What happens when science and technology travel and how do new places emerge as centers of knowledge production? How are culture, identity, technology, and science linked?

Prereq: None.
Dist: Social and Behavioral Analysis

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ARTH 266 New Perspectives on the Global City

Friedman, McNamara (Architecture) | Not Offered | 1.0 unit

This team-taught course introduces students to the study of the global city through an examination of key topics in urban history, planning, architecture, culture, economics and environment. Focusing on major sites from New York to Mumbai, we will look at the ways in which cities have been designed and represented, analyze the use of public and private space by men and women, and explore the construction of urban narratives, both in the past and in the age of cyberculture. The course will include guest lecturers and site visits.

Prereq: None. ARTH 100 and ARTH 101 recommended.
Dist: Arts, Music, Film, Video

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ARTH 217/317 Historic Preservation: Theory and Practice

McNamara (Architecture) | Spring | 1.0 unit

Using the campus of Wellesley College as a case study, this course will explore the theory and practice of historic preservation. Beginning with a focus on the history of preservation in the United States, we will trace the development of legal, economic, public policy, and cultural frameworks that have shaped attitudes and approaches toward the preservation of our built environment. To ground these theoretical discussions, we will use the Wellesley College campus as a laboratory for understanding the benefits and challenges of historic preservation. Students will engage in both individual and group projects that will emphasize field study of buildings and landscapes, archival research, planning, and advocacy. The course is designed for Architecture and Art History majors, but could also be of interest to students in History, American Studies, Environmental Studies and Political Science.

Prereq: ARTH 200 or permission of instructor
Dist: Arts, Music, Film, Video

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ASTR 223/GEOS 223 Planetary Climates

Watters (Astronomy) | Fall | 1.0 unit

Have you wondered what Earth's climate was like 3 billion years ago? What about weather patterns on Titan and climate change on Mars? In this course, we'll explore the structure and evolution of atmospheres and the climate on four worlds: the Earth, Mars, Venus, and Saturn's moon Titan. We'll examine the techniques and tools that geologists use to learn about the history of the Earth's climate and that planetary scientists use to learn about the atmospheres and surface environments on other worlds. Students will also gain experience simulating the climate system and computing atmospheric properties. Other topics include: the super-rotation of Venus's atmosphere and its Runaway Greenhouse climate, the destruction of atmospheres on low-gravity worlds, and the future of Earth's climate as the Sun grows steadily brighter.

Prereq: MATH 116, PHYS 107 and one of ES 101, ASTR 107, GEOS 101, or GEOS 102, or by permission of instructor.
Dist: Natural and Physical Science; Mathematical Modeling

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BISC 108 Environmental Horticulture with Laboratory

Jones | Spring | 1.25 unit

This course will examine how plants function, both as individual organisms and as critical members of ecological communities, with special emphasis on human uses of plants. Topics will include plant adaptations, reproduction, environmentally sound landscape practices, urban horticulture, and the use of medicinal plants. The laboratory involves extensive use of the greenhouses, experimental design, data collection and analysis, and field trips.

Prereq: QR basic skills component
Dist: Natural and Physical Sciences

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BISC 111/113 Introductory Organismal Biology with Laboratory

Staff (Biological Sciences) | Fall | 1.25 unit

A study of life, ranging from the physiology of organisms to the structure of ecosystems. The main themes of the course are evolution and biodiversity, form and function in plants and animals, and ecological interactions among organisms. The course provides the fundamental tools for exploration of organismal biology with the aim of enhancing conceptual understanding. Laboratories focus on experimental approaches to these topics and are shared with BISC 113. Either BISC 110/BISC 112/BISC 116 or BISC 111/BISC 111T/BISC 113 may be taken first. Students must attend lab during the first week in order to continue in the course.

Prereq: QR basic skills component. Not open to students who have taken BISC 11T/BISC 113T
Dist: Natural and Physical Sciences

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BISC 116/CHEM 116 Fundamentals of Chemistry and Molecular/Cellular Biology with Laboratory 

Oakes, Matthews | Fall | 1.25 unit

This gateway course provides an integrated introduction to the application of chemical principles to understand biological systems and covers the content of both BISC 110/112 and CHEM 105. It is designed for students whose interests lie at the interface of chemistry and biology and must be taken concurrently with CHEM 116. Students will learn how structure and function of biological systems are shaped by principles of atomic properties and chemical bonding. Cellular metabolism and molecular genetics are integrated with quantitative introductions to thermodynamics, equilibrium, and kinetics. Other topics motivated by the application of chemistry to biology include nuclear chemistry and cellular growth and differentiation. The laboratory is a hands-on introduction to spectroscopy, microscopy, and other experimental techniques, as well as quantitative analysis, experimental design, and scientific writing. Successful completion of this course enables a student to take any course for which either CHEM105 or BISC 110/112 is a prerequisite.

PrereqOne year of high school chemistry, math equivalent to two years of high school algebra, and fulfillment of the basic skills component of Quantitative Reasoning Requirement. Not open to students who have taken BISC 110 , BISC 112, CHEM 105, CHEM 105P, or CHEM 120. Students must attend lab during the first week to continue in the course.
Dist: Natural and Physical Sciences; Mathematical Modeling and Problem Solving

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BISC 198 Statistics in the Biosciences 

Selden (Biological Sciences) | Spring | 1.0 unit

This course combines statistical theory and practical application, the latter using examples from ecology and experimental biology to illustrate some of the more common techniques of experimental design and data analysis. Students will learn how to plan an experiment and consider the observations, measurements, and potential statistical tests before data are collected and analyzed. Other topics include graphical representation of data, probability distributions and their applications, one- and two-way ANOVA and t-tests, regression and correlation, goodness-of-fit tests, and nonparametric alternatives. Students also learn to use statistical computer software.

Prereq: QR basic skills component and one course in biology, chemistry, or environmental science.
Dist: Natural and Physical Sciences, Quantitative Reasoning Overlay.

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BISC 201 Ecology with Laboratory

Matthes | Fall | 1.25 unit

An introduction to the scientific study of the interrelationships among organisms and their interactions with the environment. Topics include evolutionary adaptation in dynamic environments, behavioral ecology and life-history strategies, population growth and regulation, interactions among organisms, and the structure and function of biological communities and ecosystems. Emphasis is placed on the development of quantitative skills to address issues such as the stability and resilience of ecosystems with climate change, conservation of endangered species, and the dynamics of infectious disease. Laboratory sessions occur primarily in the field, where students explore and study local habitats, and will learn GIS, statistical analysis, and scientific writing.

PrereqBISC 108 or BISC 111/113 or ES 101, or by permission of the instructor
DistNatural and Physical Science. Fulfills QR overlay requirement

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BISC 202 Evolution with Laboratory

Sequeira, Dolce (Biological Sciences) | Not Offered | 1.25 unit

Examination of evolution, the central paradigm of biology, at the level of populations, species, and lineages. Topics include the genetics of populations, the definition of species, the roles of natural selection and chance in evolution, the reconstruction of phylogeny using molecular and morphological evidence, and patterns in the origination, diversity, and extinction of species over time.

PrereqBISC 110/112 and BISC 111/113
Dist: Natural and Physical Science

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BISC 204 Biological Modeling with Laboratory

Matthes (Biological Sciences) | Not Offered | 1.25 unit

Can we anticipate the effects that genetic variation will have on the future of a species? How can we predict the spread of an impending epidemic? How many fish will be in the ocean next year? Mathematical models liberate biologists from only being able to draw inferences from what we can directly observe, and these models allow us to develop a deeper understanding of complex systems. In this course students will develop skills in conceptualizing, writing, programming, and interpreting results from biological models through theoretical examples and laboratory exercises.

PrereqBISC 110/112/116 or BISC 111/111T/113, and MATH 116 (or equivalent), or permission of instructor
Dist: Natural and Physical Science, Mathematical Modeling

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BISC 209 Microbiology with Laboratory

Klepec-Ceraj, Roden | Spring | 1.25 unit

Introduction to bacteria, archaea, viruses, and eukaryotic microorganisms. Overview of the microbial world including a survey of the morphology, structure, function, and diversity of microorganisms and microbial effects on the environment. Introduction to the fundamental concepts of microbial evolution, genomics, metabolism, ecology, genetics, pathogenesis, and immunity. Investigation-based laboratories focused on microbial ecology, microbial interactions and molecular genetics will provide students with experience in classical and modern techniques. Students must attend lab during the first week in order to continue in the course.

PrereqBISC 110/BISC 112 and one unit of college chemistry or BISC 116/CHEM 116.
Dist: Natural and Physical Science

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BISC 210 Marine Biology with Laboratory

Selden, Beers (Biological Sciences) | Fall | 1.25 unit

Oceans cover more than 70% of the earth's surface and are our planet's primary life support system. This course examines adaptations and interactions of plants and animals in a variety of marine habitats. Focal habitats include the photic zone of the open ocean, the deep-sea, subtidal and intertidal zones, estuaries, and coral reefs. Emphasis is placed on the dominant organisms, food webs, and experimental studies conducted within each habitat. Laboratories will emphasize primarily field work in marine habitats as well as hands-on study of marine organism and adaptation anatomy.

PrereqBISC 111/113 or ES 101, or by permission of the instructor
Dist: Natural and Physical Science

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BISC 314 Environmental Microbiology and Laboratory 

Klepac-Ceraj (Biological Sciences) | Spring | 1.25 unit

A field-based exploration of the microbial world centered on distinct microbial habitats visited locally. Short lectures and readings from primary literature will be combined with trips to visit a diverse set of microbial environments where students will collect samples for microbial isolation as well as culture-independent community assessment. In the laboratory, students will learn how to identify and design media for selective isolation of microbes involved in processes such as: methanotrophy, sulfur oxidation, nitrogen fixation, syntrophism and symbiosis, fermentation of ethanol and aging of cheese. Student participation and discussion of original scientific literature will be emphasized.

PrereqCHEM 211 plus any of the following: BISC 201, 202, 209, 210, 219 or 220 or permission of instructor
DistNatural and Physical Science

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BISC 319 Evolution and Conservation Genetics with Laboratory

Sequeira | Not Offered | 1.25 unit

Oceanic archipelagos such as Galápagos stand at a crossroads: while many still retain most of its original species, ecological degradation is proceeding rapidly. We will focus on the study of the components of accumulation of species diversity in island systems and of the forces or agents that can threaten that endemic diversity. By looking at relationships between organisms, populations and species, we can interpret how historical processes can leave evolutionary footprints on the geographic distribution of traits. Additionally, analyzing genetic patterns within island populations we can detect signals of demographic growth or decline and evaluate the role of genetic factors in population persistence. After a series of introductory lectures, the course will involve student presentations and discussion of primary literature examining cases in archipelagos (Hawaii, Canaries and Galápagos). In the laboratory, we will explore computational biology tools for analysis of DNA sequences, and apply methods of phylogeny, phylogeography reconstruction and population demographics. We will also explore the growing field of molecular dating of evolutionary events.

PrereqBISC 201 or 202 or 210 or 219 or by permission of the instructor
DistNatural and Physical Science

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CHEM 103 Elements and the Environment 

Stanley | Not Offered | 1.0 unit

Elements and molecules interact with the environment producing global challenges such as climate change, ozone depletion, and heavy metal pollution. This course is a general introduction to the chemistry of such environmental problems, focusing on the chemical principles that regulate the effect, fate, and transport of chemicals in the environment. It explores how the structure of a chemical relates to its environmental impact and how interactions can be predicted through chemistry. Assignments will include working with real data-sets of elements in the environment, such as records of phosphorus in Alaska, carbon in forests, oxygen in the ocean, and heavy metals in soils.

PrereqQR Basic Skills
DistNatural and Physical Science

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CHEM 105 Fundamentals of Chemistry with Laboratory

Staff | Spring | 1.25 unit

This course is designed for students majoring in the physical and biological sciences as well as those wishing an introduction to modern molecular science. Core principles and applications of chemistry are combined to provide students with a conceptual understanding of chemistry that will help them in both their professional and everyday lives. Topics include principles of nuclear chemistry, atomic and molecular structure, molecular energetics, chemical equilibrium, and chemical kinetics. The laboratory work introduces students to synthesis and structural determination by infrared and other spectroscopic techniques, periodic properties, computational chemistry, statistical analysis, and various quantitative methods of analysis. This course is intended for students who have taken one year of high school chemistry and have a math background equivalent to two years of high school algebra. Students who have AP or IB credit in chemistry, and who elect CHEM 105, forfeit the AP or IB credit.

PrereqOne year of high school chemistry. Fulfillment of the basic skills component of the Quantitative Reasoning requirement. Not open to students who have taken CHEM 105P, CHEM 116, or CHEM 120.
DistNatural and Physical Science, Mathematical Modeling

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CHEM 120 Intensive Introductory Chemistry with Laboratory

Staff | Fall | 1.25 unit

A one-semester course for students who have completed more than one year of high school chemistry, replacing CHEM 105 and CHEM 205 as a prerequisite for more advanced chemistry courses. It presents the topics of nuclear chemistry, atomic structure and bonding, periodicity, kinetics, thermodynamics, electrochemistry, equilibrium, acid/base chemistry, solubility, and transition metal chemistry. All of these topics are presented in the context of both historical and contemporary applications. The laboratory includes experiments directly related to topics covered in lecture, an introduction of statistical analysis of data, molecular modeling and computational chemistry, instrumental and classical methods of analysis, thermochemistry, and solution equilibria. The course meets for four periods of lecture/discussion and one 3.5-hour laboratory.

PrereqOpen to students who have a score of 4 or 5 on the Chemistry AP exam or an IB Chemistry higher level score of 5 or above. Fulfillment of the Quantitative Reasoning (QR) component of the Quantitative Reasoning & Data Literacy requirement. Not open to students who have completed CHEM 105/CHEM 105P/CHEM 116 and/or CHEM 205.
Dist: Mathematical Problem Solving and Natural and Physical Sciences

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CHEM 303 Aquatic Chemistry

Stanley | Fall | 1.25 unit

Chemical reactions govern the interactions of molecules in oceans, lakes and rivers and regulate the biogeochemical cycles of many elements including carbon, oxygen, nitrogen and trace metals. This course will enable students to predict and understand chemical reactions occurring in aquatic systems and the fate of environmental pollutants and natural compounds. Topics include the environmental applications of thermodynamics and kinetics, acid-base reactions in natural waters, precipitation-dissolution reactions, and photochemical reactions of organic and inorganic compounds. The course has a heavy emphasis on reading and interpreting primary literature, including both classic and recent papers, and students will write a research proposal on an aquatic chemical topic of their choosing. Additionally, we will interact with current researchers in aquatic chemistry and participate in a field trip to Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

PrereqTBD
Dist: Natural and Physical Sciences

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ECON 328 Environmental Issues in Developing Countries

Keskin | Spring | 1.0 unit

Poor sanitation, inadequate waste management, contaminated water supplies and exposure to indoor air pollution affect millions of people in developing countries and pose continuing risks to their health. The objective of this course is to provide students with a set of theoretical, econometric and practical skills to estimate the causal impact of environmental policies and programs with a particular focus on less-developed countries. Examples from the readings will explore the effect of laws, NGO programs or natural experiments on environmental quality and sustainability. Students will learn to critically analyze existing studies and to gauge how convincingly the research identifies a causal impact. Students will use these skills to develop an evaluation plan for a topic of their choice at the end of the term.

PrereqECON 201 and ECON 203
DistSocial and Behavioral Analysis

 

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EXTD 123 Water Resources Planning and Management 

Staff | Fall | 1.0 unit

A comprehensive introduction to the economics and ecology of water supply and water pollution control. Topics include watershed management, groundwater and wetlands protection, and wastewater treatment. The inherent difficulty in applying static laws and regulations to a dynamic natural resource such as water is a recurring theme. Offered by the Marine Studies Consortium.

PrereqOpen to students by permission of the consortium representative, Jocelyne Dolce, Department of Biological Sciences.
DistNone.

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EXTD 128 Coastal Zone Management

Staff | Spring | 1.0 unit

This course presents a survey of the coastal environment and its physical characteristics, natural systems, economic uses, and development pressures. Lectures examine strategies formulated in the United States for land and water-resource management in the coastal zone. The roles of federal, state, and local governments, environmental groups, and resource users are also explored. Finally, by comparing coastal-zone management problems in the United States to those elsewhere in the world, students gain a global perspective. Offered by the Marine Studies Consortium.

PrereqOpen to students by permission of the consortium representative, Jocelyne Dolce, Department of Biological Sciences.
DistNone.

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FREN 300 Post-Apocalyptic Cinema: French Visions of Ecological Trauma 

Morari | Not Offered | 1.0 unit

How has French cinema responded to the reality of environmental crisis and the specter of ecological catastrophe? Issues linked to political ecologies and environmental ethics, anthropocentrism, climate change, pollution and technological challenges have influenced the shape and substance of these cinematic responses. Work in the film medium has assumed a critical place in a forum otherwise dominated by specialists in sciences, economics and engineering. Indeed, French cinema has articulated a French voice in response to this global problem. As we probe environmental discourses and their cinematic figuration, we will read, among others, texts by Marc Augé, Luce Irigaray or Bruno Latour, and discuss representative films by directors such as Georges Méliès, René Clair, Agnès Varda, Chris Marker, Jean-Luc Godard, Claire Denis or Jacques Tati.

Prereq: FREN 211 or for students entering in 2014 or later, FREN 210 or FREN 212; and one additional unit, FREN 213 or above. 
DistLanguage and Literature; Arts, Music, Film, Video.

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GEOS 101 Earth Processes and the Environment with Laboratory

Brabander | Not Offered | 1.25 units

Geologic processes both rapid (earthquakes and landslides) and slow (mountain building and sea level rise) are intimately linked with sustaining the diversity of life on the planet. This course will examine these and other processes in which the atmosphere, geosphere, and biosphere are linked via the flow of energy and mass. Laboratory exercises and field trips will introduce skills needed to observe and document processes shaping our environment. Problem solving in small groups during class time will foster critical thinking, and classroom debates between larger teams will focus research and communications skills on current issues in geosciences such as building and removing dams, and the science surrounding global climate change.

PrereqFulfillment of the basic skills component of the Quantitative Reasoning requirement; Not open to students who have taken GEOS 102
DistNatural and Physical Science. Fulfills the QR overlay requirement

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GEOS 102 The Dynamic Earth with Laboratory

Monecke, Brabander, Davis | Spring | 1.25 units

The Earth is a dynamic planet - driven by processes that operate on its surface and within. In this course we study these processes as well as interactions between the solid earth, the hydrosphere, the atmosphere, and the biosphere that together produce the environment we live in. Topics covered include the origin and history of the earth, plate tectonics, the distribution of earthquakes and volcanoes, hydrology, landscape evolution, and global climate; these processes influence our lives daily. Laboratory exercises, project work, and local field trips provide hands-on opportunities to develop key concepts and hone observational and analytical skills.

PrereqQR basics skills. Not open to students who have taken ASTR 120 or a 100-level GEOS course
DistNatural and Physical Science. Fulfills QR overlay requirement.

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GEOS 208 Oceanography

Palevsky | Not Offered | 1.0 unit

The Earth is an ocean planet. Covering 71 percent of the Earth's surface and holding 97 percent of the Earth's water, the oceans are perhaps our planet's most distinctive feature. This course will address fundamental questions about the oceans such as, why do we have oceans and ocean basins? Why do we have ocean currents? How have the interactions among physical, chemical, and biological processes produced the ocean we have today? Why should we strive to learn more about the oceans, and what are the links between the oceans and Earth's climate? In-class exercises, case studies, and data analysis will emphasize fundamental oceanographic processes and problem solving skills. A mandatory field trip to the coast will allow students to explore coastal processes in action. 

Prereq: Any 100-level GEOS, ES or BISC course, or permission of the instructor 
Dist: Natural and Physical Science

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GEOS 215 Earth System Data Science

Palevsky | Not Offered | 1.0 unit

In this course, students will learn to visualize and map earth system data across broad spatial and temporal scales, and apply statistical tools to analyze trends and variability in regional and global datasets. These skills are increasingly an important part of earth system science, which depends on analysis of large data sets from observations, satellite remote sensing, and numerical model output to address problems such as global climate change. Students will practice these skills in a series of MATLAB data analysis assignments focused on regional and global climate data such as temperature, precipitation, and atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations, and will apply them in a collaborative final research project addressing earth system science questions of their own choosing.

Prereq: Any 100-level GEOS, ES, CS or BISC course, or permission of the instructor 
Dist: Natural and Physical Science, Mathematical Modeling

 

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GEOS 230 Earth from Above: Maps, Remote Sensing, and GIS 

Staff | Not Offered | 1.0 unit

Paper maps and photographs rapidly migrated into digital form. Governments, consulting firms, journalists and scientists use geographic information systems (GIS) and image analysis to manage natural resources, administer city infrastructure, search for water supplies, analyze land use and planning, investigate relationships between environmental factors, and prepare maps of all types. Assignments examine a variety of problems in natural science using ArcGIS software. Normally offered in alternate years.

Prereq: GEOS 101/102/106 or ES 101 or permission of instructor
Dist: Natural and Physical Science

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GEOS 304 Sedimentology and Stratigraphy with Laboratory 

Monecke | Not Offered | 1.25 unit

Sediments and sedimentary rocks cover most of the Earth's present surface. Sedimentology encompasses the study of the origin, transport, deposition and lithification of sedimentary rocks, and is critical to accurate interpretation of the geologic rock record. Observations of modern sedimentary processes illuminate past environments; sedimentary strata record evidence of mountain building and seismic activity, glacial advances and paleoclimate cycles, and preserve the fossil record. Natural resources including groundwater, coal and petroleum are found in sedimentary rocks. Society is impacted by sedimentary processes in popular human habitats including coastlines and flood plains. Readings and discussions build students' familiarity with topics such as sediment transport, stratigraphy, and modern and ancient depositional environments. A semester-long project, laboratory exercises and weekend field trips emphasize field methods, rock identification, and data collection, analysis and interpretation. Normally offered in alternate years.

PrereqGEOS 200, GEOS 203, or permission of the instructor 
Dist: Natural and Physical Science

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GEOS 315 Environmental Geochemistry with Laboratory

Brabander (Geosciences) | Not Offered | 1.25 unit

This course introduces geochemical approaches, including mass balance, residence time, isotope fractionation, and thermodynamic and kinetic modeling necessary to track the flow of materials in key earth surface reservoirs including water, soil, and plants. This geochemical toolbox will then be used to analyze complex earth systems including the linkages between tectonics and climate change and the fingerprinting of anthropogenic pollutants in the built environment. In lab a semester-long analytical geochemical research project is designed and executed in small groups.

PrereqOne course above the 100-level in two of the following disciplines: Geosciences, Chemistry, Biological Sciences or Environmental Studies, or permission of the instructor
DistNatural and Physical Science; Mathematical Modeling

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GEOS 320 Isotope Geochemistry

Brabander (Geosciences) | Not Offered  | 1.0 unit

This seminar-style course will use the primary literature to study state-of-the-art techniques in isotope geochemistry. Radiogenic, cosmogenic, and stable isotope systematics will be explored with applications ranging from geochronology, tectonics, fate and transport of pollutants, and the use of isotopes to trace biogeochemical processes. Each student will have the opportunity to lead a seminar on a topic related to their NSF styled research proposal which is the main course deliverable.

PrereqAny 200-level GEOS course or permission of the instructor
DistNatural and Physical Science

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HIST 320 Seminar: The Hand that Feeds: A History of American Food

Grandjean (History) | Not Offered | 1.0 unit

This seminar investigates the place of food in American history and culture, from reputed cannibalism in the American colonies to the rise of fast food in the twentieth century. Through selected episodes and commodities, we will explore the role of taste, competition for food, and capitalism in recasting American lives and identities. Topics include: colonial hunger and violence; the development of taste and "refined" eating; the role of food in defining race, class, and regional culture; the rise of mass production and its environmental effects and the reshaping of American bodies. In following the evolution of American food ways, we will visit eighteenth-century coffeehouses, antebellum slave quarters, campfires of the American West, the slaughterhouses of the Chicago meat market—and, of course—McDonald's.

PrereqNormally open to juniors and seniors who have taken a 200-level unit in history and/or a 200-level unit in a relevant area/subject.
DistHistorical Studies

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PHIL 338 Seminar: Who Owns the Past?* 

Matthes (Philosophy) | Not Offered | 1.0 unit

In this course, we will examine a range of moral and political questions surrounding cultural heritage. We will employ an interdisciplinary array of sources in order to investigate key concepts including cultural and natural heritage, value, identity, colonialism, cultural property and landscapes, stewardship, and preservation. We will use these conceptual foundations to address practical questions, such as whether cultural artifacts in Western museums should be repatriated to their countries of origin; how we should resolve value conflicts between archaeologists and indigenous communities; and whether institutions (such as governments or colleges) should continue to honor historical figures who perpetrated historical injustices. The course will involve a substantial independent research project on a topic of each student’s own choosing.

PrereqOne previous course in philosophy or permission of instructor.
DistReligion, Ethics, and Moral Philosophy

*ES Paper Required

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POL4 311 Seminar: Grassroots Organizing* 

Grattan (Political Science) | Not Offered  | 1.0 unit

An introduction to the theory and practice of grassroots organizing for social change. Learning will take two concurrent paths. In class, we will examine what organizing is and how it has historically played a role in social change. We will ask how organizers: use storytelling to motivate action; analyze power, devise theories of change, and craft creative strategies; develop capacities, resources, relationships, and institutions to build collective power; and facilitate diverse groups in contexts marked by entrenched histories of oppression. Outside class, students will engage in a hands-on organizing project of their own choosing in which they must organize a group of people on or off campus to achieve a common goal.

PrereqOne course in political theory or significant coursework related to grassroots politics, social movements, or social change, and by permission of instructor. Enrollment is limited; interested students must fill out an application available on the political department website homepage.
DistSocial and Behavioral Analysis

*ES Paper Required

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QR 260/STAT 260 Applied Data Analysis and Statistical Analysis 

Pattanayak | Fall  | 1.0 unit

This is an intermediate statistics course focused on fundamentals of statistical inference and applied data analysis tools. Emphasis on thinking statistically, evaluating assumptions, and developing practical skills for real-life applications to fields such as medicine, politics, education, and beyond. Topics include t-tests and non-parametric alternatives, multiple comparisons, analysis of variance, linear regression, model refinement, missing data, and causal inference. Students can expect to gain a working knowledge of the statistical software R, which will be used for data analysis and for simulations designed to strengthen conceptual understanding. This course, offered through Wellesley’s Quantitative Analysis Institute, can be counted as a 200-level course toward the major or minor in Economics or Psychology. Students who earned a Quantitative Analysis Institute Certificate are not eligible for this course.

PrereqAny Quantitative Reasoning Overlay course
DistMathematical Modeling

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SUST 201 Introduction to Sustainability* 

Staff (Olin), Staff (Babson), Staff (Wellesley) | Not Offered | 1.0 unit

This case-based course introduces students to the basic concepts and tools that business, engineering, and the liberal arts (science, social science, and the humanities) bring to a consideration of sustainability. It is team-taught by three faculty members, one from each institution, with course work fully integrated across the three approaches. The course will draw empirical material from, and apply concepts and tools to, a semester-long case (such as the sustainability of a city block, the transition to clean energy worldwide, or the life-cycle of a common consumer product). Course meetings will take place at Wellesley, Olin, and Babson colleges.

PrereqNone.
DistNone.

* SUST courses can count as electives if students are not planning to complete the Sustainability Certificate Program

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SUST 301 Sustainability Synthesis* 

Staff (Olin), Staff (Babson), Staff (Wellesley) | Not Offered | 1.0 unit

This project-based course provides an opportunity for students to synthesize the work from the introductory course and elective courses to apply their knowledge of sustainability to a specific problem or issue of interest to an identified community. Groups of three to five students representing more than one school will work on a semester-long project of their choosing that focuses on understanding and providing solutions for a specific environmental problem, using the tools and concepts developed in the program.

PrereqDeclared participation in the certificate program, completion of SUST 201, and two out of three elective courses for the program..
DistNone.

* SUST courses can count as electives if students are not planning to complete the Sustainability Certificate Program

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WGST 302 Global Health and the Environmental Crisis 

Harrison | Fall | 1.0 unit

Social understandings of the relationship between human health and the environment are visible and malleable in moments of crisis, from industrial disasters, weather-related catastrophes, and political conflict, as everyday events like childbirth and routine sickness. But these understandings vary dramatically across time and community. This course addresses the complex dynamics at work in the representations of and responses to health and the environment that emerge during moments of crisis. By studying the way these constructions are shaped by social, political, technological, and moral contexts, we will analyze the role of nature, knowledge, ethics and power in such contemporary problems as human migration, hunger, debility, and disease. The class will together consider the meaning of crisis and how it is shaped by social systems such as gender, sexuality, ability, class, and race.

PrereqOpen to Juniors or Seniors who have taken WGST 108 or WGST 120 or WGST 150 or by permission of instructor.
DistSocial and Behavioral Analysis.

* SUST courses can count as electives if students are not planning to complete the Sustainability Certificate Program

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WRIT 128 Are We What We Eat? Writing About Food and Culture 

Brubaker (Writing Program) | Fall | 1.0 unit

This course will start with the premise that food is an essential ingredient in the making of selves, families, communities, regions, and nations. We will explore the ways that we celebrate food traditions, create new habits and tastes, and also respond to food problems (e.g. food scarcity and safety, climate change and land use, and the complex networks of food producers, servers, and consumers). Our readings will draw on literature, sociology, environmental studies, and others, as well as various genres of food writing, including the personal essay, the recipe, food blogs, the restaurant review, and scholarly essays on the intersections between food and culture.

PrereqNone. Open only to first-year students.
DistWriting

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WRIT 171 The Influence of Place 

Thomas (Biological Sciences) | Not Offered | 1.0 unit

How does where you are affect who you are? Throughout the semester we will draw from important writings on nature and the environment that depict and rely on a strong sense of place. From the scientific perspective of Alan Lightman’s Our Place in the Universe to Annie Dillard’s laser-focused compositions on place, we will learn about different ways to understand and write about spatial identity. We will cross disciplinary boundaries in our examination of the interactions of both humans and non-humans with their environment. Students will actively engage with different locations around and nearby campus, exploring the environment and using current geospatial data and maps to more deeply investigate the powerful influence of place.

PrereqNone. Open only to first-year students.
DistWriting

 

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