������Ƶ

Environmental Studies Course Offerings

Course offerings may be subject to change. Please be sure to check the grid schedule of classes on BU Brain for up-to-date course information.

Fall 2025

ENVI 101 - Humans & Ecological Environment

The first 40 percent of course covers major principles of ecology, including food-chain relationships, material cycling, community structure, population regulation and ecological succession. Following this are population, agriculture, nutrition, forestry and wildlife. Concludes with a consideration of policy, economic and ethical concerns. Required of all environmental studies majors. Format: Lecture with discussions and a few field trips in nature preserve to illustrate facets of course material; grade based on three examinations, a final and discussion grade. Offered regularly. 4 credits. No seniors.

Counts towards the 'Environment & Man/Woman: Ecological Perspective' requirement for all majors

ENVI 170 - Environmental Geology

Scientific examination of important environmental issues through investigation of Earth's atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and geosphere. Topics include environmentally relevant problems such as global warming predictions and their accuracy, acid rain--is the problem solved?, groundwater / soil / water pollution on local and global scales, sea level rise and impacts on coastlines, and global climate change in the past as a model for the future. Offered regularly. 4 credits.

Counts towards the 'lower-level course related to environmental science' requirement for all majors

ENVI 181A - Climate Justice

This course explores the fraught politics of the climate crisis with an emphasis on issues of justice. Course materials weave together the past, present, and future of life on earth, highlighting the connections between climate justice and the regeneration of democratic institutions, the repair of historical injustices, the rebuilding of international solidarity, and the reimagination of global governance.

Counts towards the 'lower-level environmental policy course' requirement for all majors

ENVI 201 - Humans & Physical Environment

Interdisciplinary approach to the study of how humans interact with their environment, emphasizing environmental geology and environmental chemistry. Topics include human use of energy: sources, environmental consequences (including air pollution), socio-economic aspects; use of water, including its contamination and disposal of wastes; natural hazards and their impact on human activities; introduction to land use; and environmental planning.

Counts towards the 'Environment & Man/Woman: Physical Aspects' requirement for all majors

ENVI 220 - Researching Sust & the Environ

To solve sustainability and environmental problems, you must first understand them. In this course, you will be explore and gain hands-on experience with a range of research methods used by natural and social scientists as well as professional to explore our planet and its challenges. You will learn to form research questions, gather real data around campus and the community, organize and analyze that data in a variety of ways, and present it. This course helps you build a research foundation for future natural and social science courses in the Environmental Studies major.

Counts towards the 'introductory methods course' requirement for all majors

ENVI 225 - International Environ Policy

Environmental problems do not respect national borders. Governments and other stakeholders must work together to address issues. This course explores how stakeholders govern natural resources and manage shared environmental challenges. Through lectures and case studies we will seek to understand the emergence of global policies, explore tradeoffs among local and global approaches, highlight environmental justice implications of past environmental regimes, and assess the effectiveness of policies seeking to address problems. Students will articulate how and why existing environmental governance systems develop, how effective they are, how equitably costs and benefits are distributed, and what future policies might address ongoing challenges. Offered fall only. 4 credits.

Counts towards the 'lower-level environmental policy course' requirement for all majors

ENVI 280B - The End! Apocalyptic Narrative

"Apocalypse" is often equated with destruction and catastrophe, calling to mind familiar images of chaos, fiery judgment, stars falling from the sky, and other ends of the world. From ancient Mesopotamian flood stories to contemporary novels, from religious visions of the end of the world to our contemporary moment of climate catastrophe and global pandemic, the apocalypse has long offered a potent way of thinking about the interconnections and fragility of social, cultural, theological, ecological, and political orders. As such, apocalyptic narratives have been able to provide us with "the sense of an ending." And yet the literal meaning of "apocalypse" is "unveiling": that is, it can also signify re-definition, renewal, and recognition. 

This class explores apocalyptic narratives across cultures and historical periods in both of those senses: as stories not only about endings, but new beginnings as well. Together we will engage with a variety of apocalyptic fictions and thought, including materials from multiple cultural traditions and media, such as visual art, philosophy, theatre, music, and film.

ENVI 303 - Environmental Health

This course introduces students to environmental and occupational health, one of the five core areas of global public health (biostatistics, environmental health, epidemiology, health systems & policy, and social & behavioral sciences). Students will learn how humans' relationship to their environment and the characteristics and hazards present in that environment, affect disease risk, and how the field of public health works to prevent injury and illness from exposures to hazards in our environments. Offered regularly. 4 credits.

Counts as an Upper-level credit towards the Ecosystems BA (363), Ecosystems BS (865), or Sustainable Systems BA (565) majors

ENVI 322 - Plants and People - 2 credit

Plants and plant products are essential parts of human societies. For example, on a daily basis we rely on plants for food, medicine, textiles, building materials, and other aspects of our lives. Using the campus greenhouse as our classroom, this course provides an introduction to the science and history plants. As part of activities in the greenhouse, we will investigate the cultural ways in which humans use and interact with these and other plants. No prior knowledge about plants or botany is expected. Offered in the spring. 2 credits.

Counts as an Upper-level credit towards the Ecosystems BA (363), Ecosystems BS (865), or Sustainable Systems BA (565) majors

ENVI 327 - N'Tl Hist Of Nature Preserve

Outdoor class taught mainly in the Nature Preserve, rain or shine excepting extreme storm conditions. Students will learn specific features, such as flora, fauna and land-use history of the ������Ƶ Nature Preserve and then participate in guiding Nature Preserve educational hikes for community and school groups. Some classroom discussion with guest speakers in education and/or life science fields. This is a front-loaded course with the course meeting more hours early in the semester, but less hours by mid-November. Each student will guide at least one visiting group through the preserve. Format: Grading based on participation in discussions and guiding as well as two written exams Prerequisite: ENVI 101 and BIOL 117. Offered Fall only. 4 credits.

Counts as an Upper-level credit towards the Ecosystems BA (363), Ecosystems BS (865), or Sustainable Systems BA (565) majors

ENVI 332 - Water, Rivers & Society

Water is essential for life and used for a variety of endeavors. All areas inhabited by humans must include adaptations for water use and consumption. This course will examine water issues with case studies from around the world with a focus on rivers and topics such as fisheries and their connection to society. A basic overview of the hydrologic cycle and the ecological functions of water will also be included. We will also discuss conflicts over water, drought, water pollution, and catastrophic floods. Students will learn about strategies for mitigating such conflicts for a more sustainable future.

Counts as an Upper-level credit towards the Earth Systems BA (465), Earth Systems BS (868) Ecosystems BA (363), Ecosystems BS (865), or Sustainable Systems BA (565) majors

ENVI 343 - Nonrenewable Natural Resources

Nonrenewable Natural Resources examines the geologic occurrence, extraction and processing methods, and environmental impacts of ore deposits such as those that provide industrial metals such as Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn; those that provide precious metals such as Au, Ag, Pt, and Pd; those that provide high-tech metals such as Nb, Ta, Zr, REEs, and U; and those that provide bulk materials such as Iron, Aluminum, Cement, Plaster, and Fossil Fuels. The uses, supply, demand, cost, and replacement alternatives of natural resources. as well as the geopolitical implications of natural resource distributions are considered. Prerequisite: one four-credit 100-level geology course, or ENVI 201, or one of ENVI 206, ENVI 234, or GEOL 234. Offered fall only. 4 credits.

Counts as an Upper-level credit towards the Earth Systems BA (465), Earth Systems BS (868), or Sustainable Systems BA (565) majors

ENVI 363 - Measuring the Natural World

This integrated lecture and field course provides hands-on experience in experimental design and measuring ecological data across organisms, populations, communities, and ecosystems. We focus on developing basic skills needed for many careers, including data management and visualization, wetland delineation, and field-surveying for plants or other organisms. Classwork will be done in groups to mimic the real world work environment. A final project will allow students to design a research proposal for potential future investigation as an undergraduate, a graduate student, or simply a curious citizen. Students will regularly travel between campus and Nuthatch Hollow.

Counts as an Upper-level credit towards the Ecosystems BA (363), Ecosystems BS (865), or Sustainable Systems BA (565) majors

ENVI 382B - Community & Urban Sociology

Community and urban sociology are foundational topics in sociology. In this course, we ask two key questions: 1) How do cities and urban spaces magnify social inequalities and shape how we experience them in our daily lives?, and 2) How is community possible in the context of multicultural, social, economic, global, and political forces that are characteristic of urban life? Students will examine and challenge the inequity and inequality facing neighborhoods, communities, cities, and metropolitan areas by applying a sociospatial perspective and an urban political economic approach to contemporary debates in urban sociology (gentrification, segregation, etc.). Students will be introduced to the root causes of urban problems and to the ideas of “justice and fairness” within urban spaces; data and analysis on metropolitan areas; and urban social policies, programs, and social movements and how they work to address social problems and social change in cities.

Counts as an Upper-level credit towards the Sustainable Systems BA (565) major

ENVI 397 - Independent Study - variable credits

Independent study under guidance of faculty member. Prior to registration, student must consult with the faculty supervisor and receive approval of problem to be studied and amount of credit to be received.

Counts towards the 'Upper-level research, teaching, and/or applied courses' requirement for all majors

ENVI 413 - Environmental Studies Capstone

Senior capstone course for Environmental Sciences and Environmental Studies majors. Students work in teams to design and implement local development projects that consider the practical and regulatory requirements of environmental impact assessment. Students will generate information and plans to guide local agents/agencies and assist in the development of sustainable communities. Students will work with organizations across the campus and throughout the greater Binghamton area to identify needs and communicate outcomes. Through these projects students gain real-world experience in the application of environmental analysis.

Counts towards the 'Upper-level Capstone Course' requirement for all majors

ENVI 415/515 - Environmental Planning

This course will provide students with an in-depth overview of the field of environmental planning from an interdisciplinary perspective. By the end of the course students should be able to grasp the role and limitations of government in the planning process, understand a variety of complex environmental issues that confront urban planners and learn how to apply components of sustainability to local planning. Course topics will be supplemented by case studies and readings. Students will also participate in a semester long group project on an environmental issue in the Greater Binghamton region.Prerequisites: ENVI 101, 201, one of 149 or 230 or 239, one of ECON 160 or 162. Restricted to senior Environmental Studies majors and minors. Offered regularly. 4 credits.

Counts as either an Upper-level credit or 'Upper-level research, teaching, and/or applied course' towards the Sustainable Systems BA (565) Major

ENVI 421/521 - Made of Maiz: Indigenous Worlds

Indigenous Ecological Worldviews of Latin America will provide a deep dive into non-western understandings of humans’ place in the natural world and the impact of that cosmology on everyday life, the construction of communities, and social and political ideologies of power. Students will draw on art, archaeology, ethnography, and Indigenous voices to understand Indigenous cosmologies prior to European colonization. The course will center the Maya, with reference to other New World regions. Students will also reflect on the significance of Indigenous worldmaking as an important critique to Western approaches to the environment.

Counts as either an Upper-level credit or 'Upper-level research, teaching, and/or applied course' towards the Sustainable Systems BA (565) Major

ENVI 438/538 - Agricultural Biotech: Science, Policy &Conflict

The development and commercialization of genetically engineered (GE) food or genetically modified organisms (GMOs) has been a contentious issue since its introduction into the food system in the mid-1990’s. This course explores the historical development, policy change and social conflicts surrounding agricultural biotechnology with particular focus science, policy and technology. Students examine environmental, social, political, and ethical implications of applied biotechnology using real-world examples including the non-browning apple in the U.S., Golden Rice in India, and the Bt eggplant in Bangladesh.

Counts as an Upper-level credit towards the Ecosystems BA (363), Ecosystems BS (865), or Sustainable Systems BA (565) majors

ENVI 442 - Climate Change and Society

In this course, we will focus on the various debates and discoveries that have developed around global climate change, and the contributions that social scientists can make to them. We will read about culturally variable ways of perceiving weather, the history of climate modeling, the political economy and culture of fossil fuels, and the possibilities for transitioning toward “clean energy societies.” We will also critically assess the impacts of various policies to handle emissions, debates over climate science, as well as the humanitarian eco‐crises for which changes in global climate are held responsible.

Counts as an Upper-level credit towards the Sustainable Systems BA (565) major

ENVI 453/553 - Cider & Wine: Vineyard to Glass

Viticulture and cider making are specialized forms of agricultural production that are popular and important to the economics of New York. Building upon the instructor's expertise in wine and social science, this course will examine wine and cider globally with a focus on local producers. We will take an interdisciplinary approach, studying the history of production, the biological and ecological components, the embedded social and cultural meanings, and climate change's local impacts on the present and future of wine in particular as New York adapts with new grape cultivars and migration of winemakers from other regions.

Counts as an Upper-level credit towards the Ecosystems BA (363), Ecosystems BS (865), or Sustainable Systems BA (565) majors

ENVI 465/581D - Earth Justice

The course explores the role of justice and social inequality in global environmental politics to explain how "first world" politics influences the "third world" politics. One prominent theme running through the course is that of environmental injustices associated with climate change.

Counts as an Upper-level credit, 'Upper-level Environ Public Policy,' or 'upper-level research, teaching, and/or applied course' towards the Sustainable Systems BA (565) major

ENVI 481C - Contemporary Ecologies

“Contemporary Ecologies” offers an introduction to, and a hands-on experience of, ecological aesthetics. Drawing from African and Asian diasporic literatures, theorizing, and art, and the feminist, queer, urban, and virtual ecological perspectives that they engender, the class will bring critical analysis and imagination to bear on recent events: earthquakes and floods, rising sea levels, tsunami; the coral reefs; green revolutions that seek alternate sources of energy and the production of ‘natural’ lingerie, yet render barren once verdant islands; rapidly expanding cityscapes such as Nairobi, Mumbai, Ujung Pandang, and Beijing. “There will be fish falling from the sky, just like rain,” Haruki Murakami’s tale of two thousand sardines and a few mackerel that plunged from the clouds to the road in front of the shopping mall, still with the smell of the sea about them, fuses art, science, and everyday observation with the unexpected . . .. The class will consider the ‘unexpected’ by working with proverbs, artworks, logics, and tales, song, marine science, and local wisdom, that inhabit openings between worlds. Simultaneously taught: AFST463*, PHIL480S, AAAS480K, COLI480S, WGSS481A,ENVI481C (*denotes primary course)

Counts as an Upper-level credit towards the Sustainable Systems BA (565) major

ENVI 481D - Paleobiogeography

The distribution of organisms on Earth today has been influenced by geologic processes over thousands to millions of years. This area of research, called paleobiogeography, interrogates the fossil and sedimentary record to infer the abiotic drivers of organisms' distribution, and how that has changed through time. This course will blend lectures with homework activities using real data to learn different methods in paleobiogeography, and how we can use the fossil record to explore trends and rhythms of evolution and climate change through Earth's history. Format: Two one-hour lectures per week. Prerequisites: GEOL 366 or approval of instructor.

Counts as either an Upper-level credit or 'Upper-level research, teaching, and/or applied courses' towards the Earth Systems BS (868) and Earth Systems BA (465) majors

ENVI 491 - Practicum in College Teaching

Independent study by assisting in the teaching of ENVI courses, particularly ENVI 101 or 201. Assignments include leading discussion sections, maintaining office hours, reading papers. Closely directed by instructor. Generally open only to seniors. Pass/Fail option only. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.

Counts towards the 'Upper-level research, teaching, and/or applied courses' requirement for all majors

ENVI 495 - Internship in Environmental Studies

Counts towards the 'Upper-level research, teaching, and/or applied courses' requirement for all majors

ENVI 498 - Honors Thesis I

Independent in-depth research under supervision of a faculty member. May be taken as a one-semester project, or as a precursor to the Honors Thesis (ENVI 499). Prerequisite: approval of the faculty supervisor.

Counts towards the 'Upper-level Capstone Course' requirement for all majors

ENVI 499 - Honors Thesis II

Preparation and defense of an honors thesis. Usually an extension of the work undertaken in ENVI 498. Prerequisites: ENVI 498 and approval of faculty supervisor.

Counts towards the 'Upper-level Capstone Course' requirement for all majors