ESPM 1011 - Issues in the
Environment
(3.0 cr; fall, spring, every year)
This course is an introductory, interdisciplinary
survey of environmental issues that explores the connections
between environmental sciences, policy, and management and
personal, professional, and civic responsibility. On Mondays
and Wednesdays, the instructors and a variety of guest speakers
will introduce students to topics of current environmental
concern, and on Fridays students will discuss these issues
in small groups. The course emphasizes the social, political,
and economic factors involved in environmental decision-making,
and lectures are supplemented with videos and a course web
site. The overarching question the course asks is: What should
a sustainable society look like, and how should we attempt
to achieve it? The specific topics it explores include: population
and consumption; energy, climate change, and waste; land use
(soils, forests, agriculture, water, and wetlands); and biodiversity
(fisheries, wildlife, and endangered and invasive species).
The course is intended for first-year students majoring in
Environmental Sciences, Policy, and Management and for all
students who are interested in the subject and wish to satisfy
the University's liberal education requirements for Environment
Theme and Citizenship and Public Ethics Theme. The course
has no prerequisites and is suitable for students with little
or no scientific background.
Syllabus: (pdf) (Word)
Rhetoric site:
http://www.agricola.umn.edu/espm1011/fall06/
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