ENVS 125 - Introduction to Environmental Studies

3 Credits
This course focuses on issues pertaining to environmental awareness and sustainability. Students will gain an understanding of the various components of the Earth System and the complex relationship between humanity and the global environment. Students will analyze and discuss current environmental issues, as well as currently proposed solutions, and debate their likely impact upon present and future generations. Relevant concepts from natural and social sciences will be utilized to critically and creatively evaluate specific issues of environmental awareness and sustainability as they relate to business, health, and technology.

Fees: Additional course fees apply.
Course Learning Outcomes:
1. Write and orally present results of independent and group projects.
2. Define major environmental problems occurring today and identify potential solutions to those problems.
3. Predict changes in the geosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and exosphere resulting from specific alterations in one or more of these subsystems.
4. Summarize the challenges to society resulting from population pressure, and propose solutions to address these challenges.
5. Apply basic scientific concepts and principles to relevant situations.
6. Apply basic observational methods and logical reasoning to propose hypotheses and devise methods to test those hypotheses.
7. Analyze data to determine potential regions of pollution in air, soil, and/or water.
8. Examine common energy sources with respect to factors such as safety, potential for pollution, and cost yield ratio.
9. Weigh and critique the evidence for and against global and localized climate change.
10. Compare the costs and benefits to society of limitations in biodiversity.