Environmental Studies

Cities are complex ecosystems where people and nature interact in unique and surprising ways. In this course, we will explore the ecology of the "concrete jungle". We will study the ways that humans have modified the natural environment and how animals and plants have adapted to novel conditions like urban light, heat, and noise. We will also investigate urban wildlife conservation and the ways that wildlife impact our lives by providing ecosystem services like purifying our air, cleaning up litter, and mitigating urban heat. The course is designed to provide experience designing and implementing urban ecology field experiments. It will culminate in a final project exploring how urbanization impacts wild organisms across Westminster and Carroll County.

Sustainability in its simplest form is the continuation of a process. When proposed for human and natural systems, sustainability aims to meet the needs of the present while considering the needs of the future. To achieve this vision sustainability requires navigating many of the social and environmental challenges faced in our contemporary era. Within this course we will explore these challenges alongside the myriad of opportunities available to develop new solutions and scale-up those solutions already available. To achieve these course goals, this class combines interactive lectures, discussions, and individual and team-based assignments that examine sustainability globally, locally, and personally.

Understanding processes that have affected climate in the past will help us predict future global warming. In this course, we will explore how the climate of the Earth has changed in the past, what caused past climate changes, and how we know. We will investigate concepts such as Faint Young Sun, Milankovitch Cycles, and “snowball Earth” and the connections between Earth’s systems and its climate.

Humans have made countless changes to the landscapes and ecosystems on Earth. Restoration ecology is the science of putting the pieces back together. In this course we will combine thoughtful scrutiny of the philosophy behind the discipline of restoration ecology with active engagement in its practice. Field trips to sites around our region will showcase local restoration efforts and the course will culminate in student-driven projects in a local natural area.