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Check here for flyers for some of next semester’s courses

Summer 2024

Energy Use, Climate & the Environment - ENST 3503/995

How does our energy use impact global warming? • What types of fuel do we rely on for transportation, and to generate electricity? • Can alternative energy sources replace fossil fuels? To find out, take ENST 3503/995 Energy Use, Climate & the Environment Online, May 13 - July 5 Taught by Dr. Rebecca Sherry The way we live in the modern industrialized world is extremely energy intensive. Since most of our energy use is derived from fossil fuels, our energy use is a major contributor to the greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming. We examine our energy use across all sectors, from the fuels used to generate the electricity to run your computer (mostly coal and some natural gas), to the energy we are most familiar with, that with which we fill up our cars, and the increasing alternative energy sources. After an academic introduction to our energy system, climate change, and the drawbacks and benefits of various energy sources, we will break up into groups each reading a different book. Book group choices represent a variety of viewpoints and writing styles, both right and left, political and practical, literary and scientific, environmentalist and not. Summer 2024 CRN: 22522 SUMMER 2024

Biological Invasions and Society - ENST 3743/995

How bad is the problem of invasive species? • What makes certain species invasive? • What is their cost to society? • How do they spread? • How can we control them? To find out, take ENST 3743-995 Biological Invasions and Society Online, June 10 - August 2 Taught by Dr. Rebecca Sherry New species arrive on our shores daily; some of these species become so problematic that we label them "invasive." This course explores some of our views of invasive species, what makes a species invasive, how they spread, their impacts on human and natural systems, whether or not all invasive species are bad, and what can be done to control them. Summer 2024 CRN: 25813

Fall 2024

Consumption & the Environment - ENST 1013/001

How does the way you shop impact the environment? How does • what you eat • what you wear • how you get around • even your housing affect the water you drink, the air you breathe, and the rest of life on Earth? To find out, take ENST 1013/001 Consumption & the Environment TR, 3:00-4:15 Taught by Dr. Rebecca Sherry In this introduction to the interdisciplinary aspects of human consumption and the environment, we discuss aspects of the production and consumption of food, energy, transportation, manufactured goods, and housing for their contributions to global climate change, air and water pollution, and habitat alteration, as well as other relevant topics regarding the environ46006ment. Students will learn how complex interactions between natural processes and human activities shape aspects of the global, regional, and local environment. Fall 2024 CRN: 36269

Ecosystem Impacts of Climate Change - ENST 2203/001

FALL 2024 How will Earth’s living beings cope with a changing climate? What do you need to know to: • describe and explain climate change? • understand its impact on living systems? • learn about conserving species under threat? • grasp the science behind the headlines? To find out, take ENST 2203/001 Ecosystem Impacts of Climate Change Gen Ed Core Area II, Natural Science either Physical or Biological, Non-lab TR, 12:00-1:15 Taught by Dr. Rebecca Sherry Rising temperatures, changing rainfall patterns, rising sea levels and increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide have direct effects on living creatures and the Earth’s climate system, but those direct effects also spawn many indirect changes in ecological systems. This non-majors course will cover the basics of why climate is changing, its effects on plant and animal physiology, phenology, and behavior, and its impacts on the ecosystems they live in. Along the way, we’ll learn major principles of ecological theory. Fall 2024 CRN: 46006

Law & the Environment - ENST 3213/995

How does environmental law protect us? • What sparked the modern environmental law movement? • What historic legislation shaped environmental policy today? • What types of legislation do we still need? To find out, take ENST 3213/995 Law & the Environment Online Taught by Dr. Emily Remmel Complex interactions between humans and the environment have caused, in many cases, adverse impacts to both human and ecological health. Concerns over air pollution, water pollution, and land degradation ignited a spark of environmental jurisprudence in the mid-20th Century. This class will navigate through the intersection of law and the environment by exploring groundbreaking legislation, historic case law, and expert writings that helped preserve the health of our communities and protect our natural wonders. This class, crafted specifically for undergraduates, will help students gain an appreciation of the movement that breathed life into modern environmental law as well as the important legal challenges ahead. FALL 2024 CRN: 44561 FALL 2024

Food, Agriculture & Environment - ENST 3303/995

How does the way we produce our food impact the environment? • air, soil and water quality? • biodiversity? • energy production at local, regional, and global scales? How does modern agriculture affect... To find out, take ENST 3303/995 Food, Agriculture & Environment Online Taught by Dr. Rebecca Sherry Food production, at both large and small scales, has impacts on the environment. From soil erosion to water and air pollution, to intensive use of fossil fuels, to declines in biodiversity, these impacts affect many aspects of our environment. Since most of us buy our food pre-packaged at the supermarket, we do not see these impacts, nor typically are these impacts reflected in the prices we pay. This class will examine the impact of our food production systems on all aspects of the environment, including air, soil, water, and diversity, as well as its demands and impacts on energy production at local, regional, and global scales. Fall 2024 CRN: 36271

Biological Invasions and Society - ENST 3743/995

How bad is the problem of invasive species? • What makes certain species invasive? • What is their cost to society? • How do they spread? • How can we control them? To find out, take ENST 3743-995 Biological Invasions and Society Online Taught by Dr. Rebecca Sherry New species arrive on our shores daily; some of these species become so problematic that we label them "invasive." This course explores some of our views of invasive species, what makes a species invasive, how they spread, their impacts on human and natural systems, whether or not all invasive species are bad, and what can be done to control them. Fall 2024 CRN: 48868

Seminar: Conservation of Pollinators - ENST 4883/001

What's needed to solve the really hard environmental problems - like pollinator decline? • Why are pollinators declining? • How can we conserve them? • How do we address environmental problems with an interdisciplinary approach? To find out, take ENST 4883/001 Environmental Studies Seminar F, 2:00-4:40 Taught by Dr. Priscilla Crawford Photo by Priscilla Crawford One of the most complex environmental issues we face has to do with conserving pollinators—the birds, insects, and other creatures that are essential to food production as well as the health of plants across the globe. Finding solutions to pollinator decline requires a sound scientific understanding. But conservation isn't just science: in involves an interplay of policy, environmental attitudes, activism, economy, education, and history. In addition to the science, workable solutions must draw on an understanding of the economic, legal, and even cultural factors that contribute to the problem, and can affect the chances of solving it. In other words, thinking about pollinator conservation calls for an interdisciplinary approach. This seminar will use this issue to help you understand what’s involved in approaching an environmental question in an interdisciplinary way. We will bring together work from biology, social science, economics, law, and ethics, in order to explore the various forces that affect pollinators and impact how conservation happens. Along the way we will consider topics including: • ecological restoration • novel ecosystems • endangered species regulations • agricultural economics • cultural norms • and environmental justice. Our readings will represent a variety of perspectives and stakeholders, and will lead us toward work produced by interdisciplinary teams. Thus you will come away from this class not only with a better sense of why pollinators are in decline and how to conserve them, but also with an appreciation of how multiple types of knowledge are required to understand the issue, and of the challenge in synthesizing what you learn into a comprehensive view. Fall 2024 CRN: 48938 FALL 2024

Courses Offered by Other Departments

Landscape Ecology - GEOG 4183 & 5183 (Fall 2024)

How do environment and human activities drive the changes of landscape process and patterns in the ecosystems? • How to estimate landscape patterns? • What is habitat loss and habitat fragmentation? • Wildlife management and conservation GEOG4183/5183 Landscape Ecology anni.yang@ou.edu Lecture: learn basic concepts and framework in landscape ecology Discussion/Debates: evaluate important, current issues facing in landscape variations in ecosystem and conservations GIS Labs: Quantify spatial patterns of landscape using ArcGIS, FragStats, R, and other software Case studies: explore wildlife management and conservation practices Patch size? Patch shapes? Edge length? Clumped? Fragmented?

Sociology of Climate Change - SOC 4373 & 5373 (Fall 2024)

Sociology of Climate Change. SOC 4373/5373, Tuesday/Thursday 4:30-5:45 PM; Taught by: Dr. Ian Carrillo; Offered for Fall 2024. About the Course - The climate crisis is among the foremost challenges the world confronts in the 21st century. SOC 4373/5373 focuses on how social systems, power, and human behavior contribute to the causes, consequences, and solutions to the climate crisis. Enrollment is open to undergraduate and graduate students. The class will cover four main themes: a) the historical foundations of climate change, such as colonialism, slavery, and industrialization; b) the uneven effects of climate change across the Global South and Global North; c) the actors and institutions responsible for obstructing climate solutions; and d) social movements for climate justice. Drawing from cutting-edge research, the main texts for this course will be based in sociology, but we will also engage relevant scholarship across the humanities and social sciences. A learning objective of this course is for students to develop skills for incisive and critical analysis of the climate crisis.