Graduate Certificate in Environmental Sustainability

This course is a qualitative and quantitative study of the public and private economic costs and effects of environmental programs, industrialization, regulation, and international and national environmental policies, among other issues.

This course is a study of the major legal, regulatory, and policy framework that encompasses environmental programs and projects in the United States and with international political, commercial, and non-governmental institutions. The primary learning approach used in this course will be case studies.

This course is an introduction to the philosophical and practical principles of green and sustainable design through the exploration of environmental issues, sustainable materials and methods, and public policy and decision making. Sustainability principles, policies, and programs that encourage and guide current initiatives are analyzed. Innovative strategies for implementing sustainable projects, programs, and practices are investigated through the review of case studies and completion of a final course project.

This course is an introduction to energy policy and decision making, primarily in the United States. Students will examine the nature and scope of environmental, energy, and resource problems, analyze the goals and strategies of the renewable energy movement, investigate ideological, political, and institutional forces that shape policymaking and implementation, and conduct in-depth analyses of the various approaches to U.S. energy needs. An exploration of renewable energy technology, feasibility, and implementation is incorporated through the analysis of case studies and current events.

Political ecology is an interdisciplinary field of research that integrates the methods and materials of anthropology, economics, geography, history, political theory, and sociology. This course will present political ecological perspectives in the context of the study of the history and politics of American and global environmentalism. Political ecology examines the historical role of economic systems, science, language and discourse, ideology, gender, property systems, and the everyday politics and culture of the community and the household in shaping human relationships with nature.

The study and consideration of global environmental and climate change are of increasing significance to society. In this course, students will examine the evidence for and causes of global environmental change and will analyze potential impacts on environmental policy and society. Emphasis will be on the implications of environmental change for environmental managers, including management decision-making, the adequacy of the current regulatory framework in addressing these problems, and the effect on future policy and legislation.