CNSCI 2102 Issues in Environmental Sustainability
Few issues will have a greater impact on this and future generations than those currently affecting our global environment. This multidisciplinary course will use a complex systems approach to study the global environment and human impact upon it, including the roles of science and society in providing solutions. Topics include human population growth, natural resource use, energy, ecosystem decline, biodiversity loss, pollution, global climate change, and environmental sustainability theory from an international perspective. Current scientific research will be used to critically evaluate the validity of controversial issues. Independent research will allow students to more deeply explore an issue of particular interest to them. Forum discussions will cover topics presented in the text, as well as leaving room for student-directed exploration of tangential issues. The goal of this course is to help students apply scientific reasoning to make informed decisions about the effects of human activity on the planet, and to stimulate their own feelings of global citizenship.