EST-Environmental Studies
Course Descriptions

EST 132. Orientation Seminar: Environmental Studies (1)
A one-day retreat, and one hour of lecture and discussion. Occasional field trip. Introduction to effective study strategies, campus resources, the lower-division program, and upper-division study options. Fall.

EST 200. Cultural Ecology. (3)
Three hours of lecture/discussion/oral presentations per week. Students develop skills and fluency in preparing, delivering and evaluating multi-cultural and traditional environmental management and decision-making. Emphasis is on situations encountered in the environmental professions. Case studies pose ethical questions, which challenge students to apply theory and analysis to each case. Topics also include interactions of culture and environment, relationship between traditional and scientific knowledge and co-management as multicultural decision-making. Self-evaluation and peer evaluations are emphasized. Fall or Spring.

EST 201. US History Reconstruction to the Present (3)
Three hours of lecture/discussion per week. History of changes occurring in America post 1865 including land use, government, economic and international relations. Spring.

EST 220. Urban Ecology (3)
Two hours lecture/discussion, three hours of outdoor laboratory per week. Explores the city from an ecosystems perspective. Addresses the role and importance of science, engineering, the design professions, and community participation in creating livable communities. Environmental equity and justice are addressed. Fall.

EST 221. Introduction to American Government (3)
Three contact hours per week. Description of the American political system, its role and functions in society, and the nature of political processes. Examples are drawn from a variety of settings and circumstances, with limited attention to problems involving the natural environment. Fall.

EST 245. Nature and Popular Culture (3)
Three hours of lecture and discussion per week. An interdisciplinary exploration of the meanings of nature expressed in North American popular culture and of the implications of those meanings for environmental affairs. The expression of dominant 20th century Western ideologies of humanism and consumerism through such phenomena as advertising, nature shows, tourism, theme parks, zoos, rodeos, feature films, weather reports, lawns and the World Wide Web are identified using a mix of cultural studies and philosophy. Fall.

EST 296. Special Topics in Environmental Studies (1-3)
Experimental, interdisciplinary or special coursework at the freshman or sophomore levels. Subject matter and course format vary from semester to semester or offering on the basis of needs and objectives of the course. Fall or Spring.

EST 301. Leadership through Mentoring (1)
Biweekly meetings with instructors and with first-year student groups. Advanced leadership training for students in the ESF Peer Mentoring Program. Use of on-line resources to augment person-to-person interactions and group meetings. Fall. Prerequisites: Upper division class standing, participation in the Peer Review Mentoring Program, and successful completion of Orientation Leader training.

EST 321. Government and the Environment (3)
Three hours of lecture and discussion per week. An investigation of institutional influences on the American environment. Federal government and its role in environmental management and protection is emphasized. The pressures contributing to the formation of environmental policy are introduced. The practical consequences of this system are demonstrated through case studies. Fall or Spring. Prerequisite: EST 221.

EST 353. Environmental Psychology (3)
Three hours of lecture/discussion per week; selected field trips. Course develops the concepts and principles of psychology as applied to environmental studies and forestry. Concepts and applications of principles of psychology as applied to environmental studies and forestry. Concepts and applications of psychological data gathering techniques, perception, cognition and environmental education. Spring. Prerequisites: Introductory psychology; junior status or permission of instructor.

EST 361. History of the American Environmental Movement (3)
Three hours of lecture and discussion per week. The historic and cultural origins and evolution of this complex, multifaceted social phenomenon called the environmental movement and its influence on public policies, values and life-styles. The events, personages, philosophies and historical/cultural processes that marked and continue to drive various, competing attitudes toward nature, even within the United States environmental movement. Fall.

EST 366. Attitudes, Values and the Environment (3)
Three hours of lecture per week. Covers the historical roots of environmental attitudes and values, with special emphasis on how individual attitudes impact environmental issues. Examples of current environ-mental issues are examined in this context. Required of environmental studies undergraduates; open as an elective to others. Spring. Prerequisite: At least sophomore status.

EST 388. Psychological Principles of Risk Communication (3)
Three hours of lecture and discussion per week. Presents socio-psychological principles and theoretical underpinnings guiding the applied social science approach to environmental risk communication issues. Three overlapping themes will be considered and linked: how communities cope with environmental hazards, how risk information is cognitively processed and evaluated and how risk communication influences perception, evaluation and behavior. Spring, even years.
Prerequisite: Upper-division status.

EST 390. Social Processes and the Environment (3)
Three hours of lecture and discussion per week. A multidisciplinary social science perspective on the nature of the physical environment, particularly as it relates to the creation of human habitat. Human-environment interactions are viewed at three scales: 1) macro-interactions concerning social and economic issues; 2) meso-interactions concerning behavior of groups; 3) micro-interactions concerning perceptions and attitudes of individuals. Disciplines from which material may be drawn include: anthropology, ethology, geography, political science, psychology and sociology. Spring.

EST 400. Senior Paper (3)
Individual study of an environmental topic resulting in a formal report that meets the requirements for an environmental studies synthesis experience. These requirements are identified in course meetings. Enrollment is restricted to environmental studies seniors. Fall and Spring.

EST 401. Tools for Urban Problem Solving (1)
Two hours lecture/discussion for eight weeks. Develops skills in the following areas: (1) problem solving, (2) leadership and management, (3) communications, (4) conflict management, (5) team building, (6) partnerships, (7) ethics, (8) diversity. Fall.

EST 426. Concepts of Sustainable Development (3)
Three hours of lecture/discussion per week. Presents the ecological and development principles and theoretical underpinnings guiding local and global initiatives for sustainable development. Four overlapping themes will be considered and linked: the relationship between patterns of wealth, poverty and environmental quality; the role of efficiency in reducing environmental impacts; the theme of frugality and sufficiency in advancing development; and questions of environmental equity and the quality of development. Fall. Prerequisite: Upper division status.
Note: Credit will not be granted for both ENS 626 and EST 426.

EST 495. Selected Readings in Environmental Studies (1-3)
An in-depth and independent exploration of selected readings from the environmentally related literature. Emphasis is placed on gaining insights and understanding from the readings, rather than producing an extensive bibliography. Fall, Spring and Summer. Prerequisite: Approval of study plan by instructor.

EST 496. Special Topics in Environmental Studies (1-3)
Special topics of current interest to undergraduate students in environmental studies and related fields. A detailed course subject description will be presented as the topic area is identified and developed. Fall, Spring and Summer. Prerequisite: Permission of instructor.

EST 498. Introductory Research Problems (1-3)
Guided individual study of an environmental topic. Emphasis is on the study procedure and the methods employed. Enrollment is possible at various times during the semester. Fall, Spring and Summer. Prerequisite: Approval of study plan by instructor.

EST 499. Environmental Studies Internship (1-12)
Internships provide students with a supervised field experience to apply and extend their academic abilities in a professional working environment. Enrollment is possible at various times during the semester. Fall, Spring and Summer. Prerequisites: Environmental studies senior status and written approval of an internship contract by major professor, curriculum director and field supervisor.

EST 550. Environmental Impact Analysis (3)
Three hours of lecture per week. The law, administration and natural/social science basis of the environmental impact assessment process in the federal government and New York state. Spring.
Prerequisite: Graduate matriculation or permission of instructor.

EST 600. Foundations of Environmental Studies (3)
Three hours lecture/discussion per week. Examines frameworks for understanding and solving environmental problems. Familiarizes students with the epistemological foundations of environment-society relations. Considers multiple methodological and analytical strategies. Uses a case study method to exemplify key principles. Fall. Prerequisites: Undergraduate courses in general ecology, environmental science and policy or communication theory.

EST 604. Social Survey Research Methods for Environmental Issues (3)
Three hours of lecture and discussion per week. Provides a critical overview of survey methods used to study human dimension of environmental problems. Explores fundamental theories, techniques, and applications of environmentally related social survey research processes. Design of original survey research and critical assessment of existing research. Spring, odd years.
Prerequisite: Undergraduate basic statistics course.

EST 605. Qualitative Methods (3)
Three hours of lecture and discussion per week. Survey of the generally recognized paradigms and methods that qualitative researchers use to better understand, evaluate, and perhaps influence complex social phenomenon. Research proposal, pilot study, final report and oral presentation required. Spring, even years.

EST 608. Environmental Advocacy Campaigns and Conflict Resolution (3)
Three hours of lecture and discussion per week. Addresses complex dynamics, strategies, and tactics of 1) organized campaigns by grassroots to international organizations to advocate for particular environmental policy and 2) processes that seek to resolve, manage, or prevent environmental conflicts when appropriate. Readings, simulations, projects, and case study analysis. Fall.

EST 609. Collaborative Governance Processes for Environmental and Natural Resource Management (3)
Three hours of lecture and discussion per week. Introduces the evolution of innovative multi-stakeholder processes that characterize collaborative governance (CG). Distinguishes CG from traditional public involvement and dispute resolution approaches, and explores its challenges and opportunities. Provides knowledge and introductory tools to design and be more productive participants in collaborative processes. Spring, odd years.

EST 612. Environmental Policy and Governance (3)
Three hours of lecture and discussion per week. Examination of the dynamic relationships present in the creation and implementation of environmental policies. Considers the roles of the state, the private sector, and nongovernmental organizations. Explores background and implications of recent trends in environmental management. Spring.

EST 625. Wetland Management Policy (3)
Three hours of lecture and discussion per week. International, national, and local wetland management and conservation issues. Application of methods of policy research, critical evaluation and design of wetland management issues including delineation, functional evaluation, wetland banking, and property rights issues. Research paper required. Fall, odd years.
Prerequisite: EFB 542 or equivalent.

EST 626. Concepts and Principles of Sustainable Development (3)
Three hours of lecture and discussion per week. Presents ecological and development concepts and theory guiding local and global initiatives for sustainable development. Four overlapping themes are considered and linked: the relationship between patterns of wealth, poverty and environmental quality; the role of efficiency in reducing environmental impacts; frugality and sufficiency in advancing development; and questions of environmental equity and the quality of development. Fall. Note: Credit will not be granted for both EST 426 and EST 626.

EST 628. Great lakes Policy and Management (3)
Three hours of lecture and discussion per week. Provides a comprehensive understanding of environmental policy and management in the Great Lakes. Emphasizes how scientific knowledge of conditions in the Great Lakes is used by policy-makers in the Canadian and US federal governments and the states and provinces. Intended both for policy and science oriented students. Spring, even years.

EST 635. Public Participation and Decision Making: Theory and Application (3)
Three hours of discussion, presentation and exercises per week. Provides a student with fundamental theories and techniques for developing and applying citizen participation strategies and conflict resolution as they relate to environmental science and planning decision making. Spring.

EST 640. Environmental Thought and Ethics (3)
Three hours of discussion per week. Critical interdisciplinary introduction to philosophical, religious, cultural and historical dimensions of environmental affairs. How ecologically significant cultural assumptions, ideologies, representations, and institutionalized practices contribute to human meanings and relationships to other-than-human-nature. Special attention to the role of language and questions of environmental ethics and ontology. Spring.

EST 645. Mass Media and Environmental Affairs (3)
Three hours of discussion per week. Introduces the mass media’s role in environmental affairs. Relationships between media organizations, technology, content, and audiences frame examination of how nature and environmental issues and problems are engaged by the media and with what consequences. News and current affairs, advertising and entertainment genres are considered. Fall.

EST 650. Environmental Perception and Human Behavior (3)
Three hours of lecture and discussion per week. Application of environmental perception and human behavior paradigms and theories in understanding the causes and potential solution strategies to environmental issues. Interdisciplinary approach utilizes concepts, theories and research from disciplines including environmental psychology, sociology, anthropology, and risk perception to understand the myriad of influences on human behavior as it relates to environmental impacts. Spring.

EST 696. Special Topics in Environmental Studies (1-3)
One to three hours of lecture and discussion per week. Experimental and developmental courses in new areas of interest to environmental studies faculty and graduate students not covered in regularly scheduled courses. Fall and Spring.

EST 702. Environmental and Natural Resource Program Evaluation (3)
Three hours of lecture and discussion per week. The systematic analysis of public environmental programs with an emphasis on the evaluation of resultant environmental outcomes. Topics include: evaluation contexts, objective setting, environmental monitoring, and analysis of agency organization and procedures. Spring.

EST 796. Advanced Topics in Environmental Studies (1-3)
One to three hours of classroom instruction per week. Lectures and discussions, seminars, conferences and group research on advanced topics of special or current interest to environmental studies faculty and graduate students. Fall and Spring.

EST 797. Environmental Studies Seminar (1-3)
One to three hours classroom instruction/discussion per week. Discussion of current topics and research related to environmental studies. Fall and Spring.

EST 798. Problems in Environmental Studies (1-3)
One to three hours of supervised individual activity per week. Individualized, special study of environmental studies subjects and issues. Comprehensive oral or written report required for some problems. Fall, Spring and Summer.

EST 898. Professional Experience (1-12)
Variable number of hours of professional experience per week. Professional experience which applies, enriches and/or complements formal coursework. Graded on an “S/U” basis. Fall, Spring, and Summer.

EST 899. Master’s Thesis Research (1-12)
One to twelve hours of supervised individual activity per week. Research and independent study for the master’s degree and thesis. Fall, Spring, and Summer.