Winter Session

SUS 325: Env. Writing and the Media

Undergraduate 3 credits

DEC: G SBC: HFA+; WRTD

An examination of multiple genres (including: photo journalism, literary nonfiction, fine art and advertising and documentary film) in order to understand ways in which these genres are utilized to inform and manipulate public opinion regarding the environment. The culmination of the course will be a final project using multiple genres. Formerly offered as SBC 325; not for credit in addition to SBC 325.

SUS 548: Urban Climate Change Mitigatio

Graduate 3 credits

Climate change, with its anthropogenic causes and devastating effects on human societies, is the grand challenge of our age. This course will consider how urbanized areas, especially coastal communities, can reduce their negative environmental impact while simultaneously working to adapt to the harmful effects of climate change that are already baked in to earth's systems. Along the way we will develop a better understanding of the feedback loops that connect human activity with natural systems and human well-being, analyze which varieties of urbanization actually have the worst environmental impacts, consider both incremental and extreme varieties of risk, and delve deeply into strategies and tactics for addressing the intertwined mitigation and adaptation challenges of climate change. Our focus will be on public sector actions and the public policy, urban planning and governance responses that will need to be made to regain equilibrium in our natural systems and adapting our social systems to new realities of life on Earth.