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Goal 10. People and the Environment

Goal: To improve students, understanding of today's complex environmental challenges.  Students will examine the interrelatedness of human society and the natural environment.  Knowledge of both bio-physical principles and socio-cultural systems is the foundation for integrative and critical thinking about environmental issues.

LEP Objective: Examine the interrelationship of humans and the natural worlds from scientific and socio-cultural perspectives and the complex environmental challenges that result. Students can meet this requirement through 1 approved course or experience.

Students will be able to:

  • Explain the basic structure and function of various natural ecosystems and of human adaptive strategies within those systems.

  • Discern patterns and interrelationships of bio-physical and socio-cultural systems.

  • Describe the basic institutional arrangements (social, legal, political, economic, religious) that are evolving to deal with environmental and natural resource challenges.

  • Evaluate critically environmental and natural resource issues in light of understandings about interrelationships, ecosystems, and institutions.

  • Propose and assess alternative solutions to environmental problems.

  • Articulate and defend the actions they would take on various environmental issues.

Consistent with LEP Student Learning Outcomes, students will also demonstrate their ability to:

  • Explain the basic structure and function of various ecosystems and human adaptive strategies within those systems.

  • Discern patterns of interrelationships of bio-physical and socio-cultural systems.

  • Describe the human institutional arrangements (social, legal, political, economic, and religious) that deal with environmental and natural resource challenges.

  • Analyze environmental and natural resource issues in light of understandings about interrelationships, ecosystems, and institutions.

  • Propose and assess alternative solutions to environmental problems including issues involving sustainability.

The following courses are pre-approved to fulfill this goal requirement and further indicate what other goal area(s) or Diversity courses of the Liberal Education Program (LEP) or Racial Issues Graduation Requirements (RIGR) the course fulfills.

Requirements:  (Minimum 1 course)

Atmospheric & Hydrologic Sciences
course (3), Natural Hazards and Human Society, 3 Cr.
course, Earth's Changing Climate, 3 Cr.

Anthropology
course, Human Ecology, 3 Cr.

Biological Sciences
course* (3), Environment and Society, 3 Cr.
course* (3), The Living World, 3 Cr.
course* (3), Organismal Diversity, 4 Cr.

Chemistry
course (3), Chemistry and the Environment, 3 Cr.

Environmental Engineering
course (2), Introduction to Environmental Engineering, 3 Cr.

Environmental and Technological Sciences
course (8), Energy Resources and Issues, 3 Cr.
course, Introduction to Environmental Studies, 3 Cr.
course, Resource Management, 3 Cr.
course (5), Society and the Environment, 3 Cr.

Geography
course, People and the Planet, 3 Cr.
course, Conservation of World Resources, 3  Cr.

Health
course, Environmental Health, 3 Cr.

Human Relations and Multicultural Ed.
course (8), Global Social and Environmental Justice, 3 Cr.

Philosophy
course (9), Environmental Ethics, 3 Cr.

Physics
course (3), Energy and Environment, 3 Cr.

Political Science
course, Global Environmental Politics and Policies, 3 Cr.

Psychology
course (5), Conservation Psychology, 3 Cr.

Sociology
course (5), Environmental Sociology (Diversity), 3 Cr,.