Course descriptions for Environmental Studies

Develops college-level reading, writing, critical thinking, speaking, and listening skills in a science and environmental policy context. (Offered fall and spring semesters.)

Uses ethical theory to examine and analyze personal behavior and public policy in the context of social, environmental, and economic sustainability. Develops reading, writing, critical thinking, speaking, and listening skills.

Uses ethical theory and service-learning to examine and analyze personal behavior, local community action, and public policy in the context of social, environmental, and economic sustainability. Develops reading, writing, critical thinking, speaking, and listening skills.

Covers fundamentals of government, particularly how the US Constitution and the structure and processes of democracy affect current environmental and natural resource issues. Provides comparisons between US, California state and local government and how each of these affect their lives. Students track media coverage of governmental and environmental issues to understand how government works. Students learn how to engage in politics to make change.

Students explore concepts of well-being and apply theoretical models to personal engagement in behaviors that promote and detract from well-being. Current health issues are used to probe concepts of well-being. Students also explore how historical relationships between disease, technology, and agriculture influence the socio-economic status of people and nations, developing a deep understanding of how one's race, gender, etc., influence contraction of disease & access to social services. (Credit/No Credit Available)

Students develop critical thinking skills in conjunction with library research, reading, listening, and speaking skills needed to understand and analyze complex social and environmental controversies and promote societal awareness, engagement, and sound decision making. (Credit/No Credit Available)

Workshop focuses on materials and writing assignments that parallel the ENSTU 300 case study assignment. Develops strategies for accurate and effective reading and writing of scholarly, academic works that synthesize complex information from a variety of sources.

Focuses on techniques for communicating environmental messages to different age and cultural groups based primarily on the field of environmental interpretation. Students develop environmental messaging strategies and/or interpretive products for local organizations such as Monterey Regional Waste Management District, Return of the Natives, and Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District.

This course addresses the meta question: "How can community-based environmental restoration address issues of social and environmental justice?" The course examines: waves of culture affecting Monterey County's significant social issues, personal action and responsibility through watershed based community partnerships modeling of environmental and sustainability practices.

Explores common structural characteristics associated with natural and anthopogenic systems and how such characteristics can be applied to understanding and decision making. Applies concepts associated with thermodynamics, energy and energy flow, ecology, economics, place-based learning, scale, systems thinking, and resource limitation to address practical decisions and ways of thinking in a variety of circumstances. (Credit/No Credit Available)

Course provides a basic overview of the history and present state of each of our utilities and of our building, transportation and agricultural infrastructure. Practical and ideal future scenarios as well as the integrative relationships between and among different utility systems are examined. Students will learn how our current infrastructure came about and what it would take to make improvements to it in a tractable manner. (Credit/No Credit Available)

Engages in philosophical works on social justice theory, ecological justice theory, and responsibility theory; uses an integrated social and ecological justice framework for analyzing social and environmental problems and for developing, analyzing, and promoting sustainable and equitable practices and policies.

Uses an integrated social and ecological justice framework for developing an understanding of self and social awareness; service and social responsibility; community and social justice; multicultural community building; and civic engagement; deepens and critically applies learning through placements and activities with local community organizations.

Evaluates development of water use/management throughout history. Critiques how geography, economics, culture, and politics guide people's decision-making and use and management of water. Analyzes and compares U.S. and California constitutions based on historic, geographic, political, economic, and cultural context and influences relating to water regulation. Students participate in historically informed political project applying political participation in the local community. (Credit/No Credit Available)

Assists students in initiating and developing an Environmental Studies capstone portfolio and community-based project.

Assists students in completing an Environmental Studies capstone portfolio and community-based project. (Credit/No Credit Available)