Provisional University Bulletin (2025-2026)

• Minor in Environmental Studies
• Minor in Climate Justice, Science, and Policy
• Major in Environmental Studies (BA)

The Environmental Studies program prepares students to tackle the critical environmental issues that face our world today—from the climate crisis and environmental justice to conflicts over shrinking natural resources—through a broad interdisciplinary approach that integrates coursework across the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities. Environmental studies majors also learn research, writing, oral communication, advocacy, GIS mapping, and problem-solving skills that equip them for their later work and studies.

Humankind faces numerous significant problems, many of which are environmental in nature: global climate change, habitat and biodiversity loss, air and water pollution, dwindling fossil fuel and mineral resources, and overpopulation. While these problems may appear very different at first glance, they are similar in that each one is extraordinarily complex and each requires a combination of natural science and social science responses. Our students will need a wide range of skills and knowledge to address these problems.

The other key fact is that new and different environmental problems are always arising. Since the mid-twentieth century, every generation has faced a new set of environmental problems, many of which were created by our responses to other problems. There was no problem of DDT poisoning our ecosystems and killing raptors until we invented pesticides to kill insect pests; and there was no hole in the ozone layer until we created chlorofluorocarbons for our refrigerators and aerosol cans. We know that tomorrow will bring new issues with which to wrestle, as well as new responses to today’s problems. As a result, it is essential that environmental studies students learn to be flexible and have the confidence and skills to master new environmental issues as they arise.

We want our students to be able to approach environmental issues from multiple perspectives. They need to recognize that environmental problems will not be solved with narrowly defined technical or societal responses, but will require interlocking responses from multiple disciplines. In addition, we want our students to understand that environmental solutions require inputs from a wide range of stakeholders. Our graduates should appreciate the diverse values, needs, and goals of all actors in environmentally difficult situations, recognizing that each party brings strengths and needs to the table that must be considered in proposed resolutions.

In the Environmental Studies Program we want to help our students gain confidence in their ability to analyze and address environmental problems, and we want to help them develop the personal strength to tackle these difficult and sometimes overwhelming issues. Our students will live in a world with at least eight or nine billion people – three times the population of the planet their parents were born into – and they will need to be flexible, smart, tough, and compassionate in their responses to the issues that continually arise.

Core Skills

Because environmental studies is interdisciplinary and draws from so many different fields, it requires a wide gamut of intellectual skills. With two notable additions, the Core Skills listed under the University Learning Goals give a good sense of the foundation needed by our students. Our students should acquire and hone these skills:

Communication skills: Express facts, ideas, opinions and beliefs in a variety of written and oral formats.

Quantitative skills: Collect, interpret and utilize numerical data and quantitative information; Use mathematical and other abstract models to express and understand causal relationships.

Critical thinking skills: Analyze, interpret and synthesize information and ideas from diverse sources; Evaluate the relevance and validity of information, empirical evidence and theoretical arguments; Solve challenging problems and arrive at reasoned conclusions.

An essential skill that students must acquire is a grounding in Geographic Information Systems (computerized mapping and analysis). Environmental studies requires a strong understanding of the interactions between humans and the places they live, and GIS is the best tool for bringing together disparate types of information for analysis and communication of patterns. Finally, students must develop the capacity to frame insightful questions; when we ask the right questions about environmental problems, it is much easier to reach effective resolutions.

Knowledge

Given the vast amounts of change that will occur in the environmental field in the future, our graduates will need to be conversant in a number of disciplines in the social sciences, natural sciences, and humanities. Ideally, they would have solid foundations in ecology, environmental chemistry, environmental economics, environmental ethics, environmental health, environmental history, environmental law and policy, geography, natural resource management, physics, political theory, and statistics – for starters. In practice, they will need to have a good grounding in several social science and natural science fields, and the ability to gain competence with key concepts from new fields as the need arises. Individual students may find themselves drawn toward either natural science or social science approaches to addressing environmental problems; while we want all of our graduates to gain skill in both social and natural sciences, the program is structured so that students can focus more heavily in one area or the other.

Environmental issues cover the complete range of geographical scales from the local to the regional to the global. Our graduates must learn how to address different problems at different scales, recognizing that the frameworks needed to solve problems will vary from place to place and that regional and global problems require additional skills.

Our students need to gain familiarity with numerous social science and natural science disciplines, along with the humility to know that they will need to collaborate with colleagues from many different fields in any attempt to address environmental problems.

Social Justice

Our students see themselves as being responsible for the well-being of human beings and natural environments around the globe, and this is a responsibility that they take to heart. They want to make a difference and to take an active part in Tikkun Olam, the “repairing of the world.” Our students recognize that their actions have implications both locally and across the globe, and most attempt to create sustainable lifestyles that lessen their impacts. Many of our students get involved in work with local and international environmental groups during their time at Brandeis and afterwards.

Action

Above all, we recognize that environmental learning is best done in practice, not merely in theory. Over the years we have found that students can become discouraged by the magnitude and complexity of environmental problems facing us, so our program emphasizes the ability of students to find challenges that they can reasonably begin addressing without despairing. One of the ways we give students confidence to tackle real-world problems is through our strong applied learning and professional development programs. Our majors either undertake an intensive internship in environmentally-focused organizations including governmental agencies and non-governmental organizations, environmental education programs, and environmentally responsible, forward-thinking businesses, or participate in study abroad field experiences.

Finally, we want our students to find joy in the natural world, and not just see the Earth as a place full of environmental problems. Many of our courses emphasize the wonders of our planet and celebrate the people who are good stewards of the Earth’s lands and waters.

Upon Graduation

Environmental Studies graduates from Brandeis go on to a wide range of environmental careers and academic programs.

• Governments such as the US Government, foreign governments, state and local governments; sample positions include environmental aide for a US senator; climate Change Coordinator, British Virgin Islands; Foreign Service Officer for the US Government; and Peace Corps Volunteers in Senegal and Madagascar to name just a few.
• Non-Governmental Environmental Organizations for many US and international organizations; in fields such as climate change, deforestation, energy efficiency, and environmental law.
• Ecology and Conservation Biology Field Work in the US and abroad, studying forest ecology, as well as the behavior and conservation of bird, whales, and sea turtles.
• Educators including Environmental Educators in high school science courses and museums, environmental education positions at field stations and farms, and English as a Second Language programs.
• Graduate Studies in Ph.D. programs in environmental policy, biology, geography, chemistry, communications, and environmental history; master’s programs in environmental science, water policy, sustainability, forestry, environmental education, public policy, and landscape architecture. In addition, many of our graduates have gone on to study environmental law, while others have studied medicine or veterinary science.

It is very typical for our graduates to work for a few years after they finish at Brandeis before going on to further studies. During this time they explore different environmental fields, which helps them decide on the work they hope to do and the skills they need to learn. After this period, a high proportion go on to graduate school; in fact, many environmental graduate schools strongly recommend that applicants have work experience before they undertake their graduate studies.

Students can begin study in the environmental studies major or minor with virtually any course in the program (except ENVS 99d). We encourage students to take the interdisciplinary foundation course, ENVS 2a (Fundamentals of Environmental Challenges), early in their first or second year. Students are required to declare the major or minor no later than the beginning of their senior year. In order to do so, students should contact the environmental studies Undergraduate Advising Head. Any member of the environmental studies faculty can provide guidance on course selection and programs, and recommend an adviser.

We recommend students begin the Climate Justice, Science, and Policy minor with the foundational course ENVS 39B Climate Change: Causes, Impacts, Responses and Solutions. Students are required to declare the minor no later than the beginning of their senior year. In order to do so, students should contact the environmental studies Undergraduate Advising Head. Any member of the environmental studies faculty can provide guidance on course selection and programs, and recommend an adviser.

Colleen Hitchcock, Chair
Associate Professor of Biology and Environmental Studies

Charles Chester
Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies

Caren Irr
Kevy and Hortense Kaiserman Professor in the Humanities, Head of the Humanities Division

Prakash Kashwan
Associate Professor of Environmental Studies

Dan L. Perlman
Professor of Biology and Environmental Studies

Jerome Tharaud
Associate Professor of English

Sabine von Mering
Director of the Center for German, and European Studies and Professor of German, and Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies

Sally Warner, Undergraduate Advising Head, Applied Learning Experience Director, and Study Abroad Liaison
Assistant Professor of Climate Science

John W. Ballantine
Senior Lecturer in the Brandeis International Business School

Elizabeth Bradfield
Associate Professor of the Practice of English and Co-Director of the Creative Writing Program

Ford Fishman 
Lecturer in Environmental Studies

Charles Golden
Professor of Anthropology

Charlie Goudge
Assistant Professor of Anthropology

Claudia Horn
Madeleine Haas Russell Postdoctoral Fellow in Climate Crisis, Risks, and Responses

Pete Kalb
Associate Professor of Contemporary Art on the Cynthia L. and Theodore S. Berenson Chair

Thomas King
Associate Professor of English

Melissa Kosinski-Collins
Professor of Biology

Ravi Lakshmikanthan
Lecturer

Matthew Liebman
Lecturer in Environmental Studies

Rachel McKane
Assistant Professor of Sociology

Nidhiya Menon
Professor of Economics

Kate Moran
Associate Professor of Philosophy

James Morris
Professor of Biology

Sara Shostak
Professor of Sociology and Health: Science, Society, and Policy

Laurence Simon
Professor of International Development and Director of the Center for Global Development and Sustainability

Melissa Stimell
Professor of the Practice in Legal Studies

Flavio Sutti
Lecturer in Biology

Rachel Theodorou
Senior Lecturer in Education and Assistant Director of Elementary Education

Students pursuing the Environmental Studies minor must successfully complete six required courses and meet the applied learning experience requirement:

1. ENVS 2a (Fundamentals of Environmental Challenges).
2. Two elective courses from the environmental social sciences/humanities group electives.
3. Two elective courses from the environmental natural sciences group electives.
4. One additional elective course from either the social sciences/humanities group or the natural sciences group. 
5. One applied learning experience: an approved environmental internship, ENVS 97a (Senior Essay), or an approved study abroad program (see Special Notes Relating to Minors and Majors).

Students pursuing the Climate Justice, Science, and Policy minor must successfully complete five required courses and meet the professional development activity requirement:

1. One foundational course: ENVS 39B Climate Change: Causes, Impacts, Responses and Solutions.
2. One climate policy course: ENVS 107B, ENVS 112b, ENVS 118b, or LGLS 122b.
3. One climate justice course: ANTH 151b, COML/ENG 70b, ENG 113b, ENVS 111a, GECS 188B, or SOC 40A. 
4. One climate science course: BIOL 39B, ENVS 19B, ENVS 21B, or ENVS 42B.
5. One additional climate policy course, climate justice course, or climate science course from those listed above, or one elective from the following list: BIOL 17b, ECON 36b, ENG 28a, ENG 169a, ENVS 20a, ENVS 49a, FIN 235a, LGLS 161B, SOC 40a, SOC 147a, or SOC 175b.
6. One pre-approved professional development activity. 

Students pursuing the major in Environmental Studies must successfully complete twelve courses that allow for breadth, depth, and integration of their learning along with practical skills and meet the applied learning experience requirement:

1. Core course: ENVS 2a.
2. A semester (4 credits) of instruction in geographic information systems (GIS). This requirement may be satisfied with either: 1) HS 297f (Introduction to GIS) and HS 263f (Applied GIS), or 2) with ANTH 121b Archaeology and Environment, or 3) with ANTH 137a GIS: Mapping Culture from Land, Air and Space. Note that HS 297f and HS 263f are both modules, each meets for one-half semester and yields half-course credit.
3. One applied learning experience AppLE: an approved environmental internship, ENVS 97a (Senior Essay), ENVS 99a (Senior Research), ENVS 99b (Senior Thesis), or an approved study abroad program.
   
   Recognizing the disruptive impact of the pandemic on fulfilling the Applied Learning Experience (AppLE), ENVS majors who plan to graduate by December 2021 may satisfy the requirement with one of the two options below (see Special Notes Relating to Minors and Majors).
4. Four courses from the environmental social sciences/humanities group electives.
5. Four courses from the environmental natural science group electives.
6. Two additional courses from either group of electives.
7. Foundational Literacies: As part of completing the Environmental Studies major, students must:
   • Fulfill the writing intensive requirement by successfully completing one of the following: Any WI-designated course approved for the ENVS major, or ENVS 99a.
   • Fulfill the oral communication requirement by successfully completing one of the following: Any OC-designated course approved for the ENVS major.
   • Fulfill the digital literacy requirement by successfully completing HS 263f and HS 297f or any DL-designated course approved for the ENVS major.

No single course may satisfy all three foundational literacies.

The core foundational courses (ENVS 2a for the ENVS major/minor and ENVS 39b for the CJSP minor) must be taken at Brandeis and cannot be fulfilled with study abroad, AP, or other outside courses.

Students who wish to minor in Climate Justice, Science, and Policy (CJSP) and major in ENVS may count no more than two courses toward both programs. Students may count their ENVS major AppLE experience as the professional development requirement for the CJSP minor if approved by the ENVS UAH.

Students who wish to minor in CJSP and minor in ENVS may count no more than one course toward both programs. Students may count their ENVS minor AppLE experience as the professional development requirement for the CJSP minor if approved by the ENVS UAH.

No course, whether required or elective, for which a student receives a grade below C- may be counted toward the major or minor. 

No course taken to satisfy the major or minor may be taken on a pass/fail basis.

Internships: In order for an environmental internship to count as a applied learning experience it must take place after the student’s sophomore year and it must be pre-approved by the ENVS Applied Learning Experience Director. The internship may take place during the summer or either the Fall or Spring semesters. We expect that the student will devote at least 100 hours to the internship, and that the internship will be substantive in nature (i.e., not merely menial office tasks). The ENVS faculty have long experience in placing students in a variety of internships and will help students find appropriate placements. Please contact the ENVS Applied Learning Experience Director before you hope to begin your internship.

Study Abroad: In order for a study abroad experience to qualify as a applied learning experience, it should be field-based, well-integrated, and should include a major project that the student undertakes. Programs offered by School for Field Studies, the School for International Training, and DIS (in Denmark) will typically be pre-approved, as will similar programs. In general, programs that consist of several unrelated classroom-based courses will not be approved as an applied learning experience.

 

Micro-internships for minors: Students completing the ENVS minor — not the ENVS major — may fulfill their applied learning experience with an approved micro-internship plus 4 professional development workshops. Micro-internships are short-term, project-based positions with partner organizations that would consist of 25-40 hours of work. Students would pair micro-internships with professional development workshops offered by the Brandeis Library.  Securing a micro-internship: Students may identify projects with partners on their own or work with the ENVS Applied Learning Experience Director in identifying a micro-internship. Micro-internships need to be approved in advance, using a procedure similar to the regular internship approval process.  Completing professional development workshops: Brandeis Library regularly offers professional development workshops on topics like Excel, Python, R, website building, etc. Students are required to complete a minimum of four workshops. Once students get approval for their micro-internship, they will receive a list of eligible workshops. Workshops generally require 1 hour advance preparation and 1 hour synchronous participation.  Write a reflection: Students completing a micro-internship will complete a reflection paper similar to the current internship requirement.

Courses from approved semester programs such as the School for Field Studies, SIT, DIS, and the Wood's Hole Semester in Environmental Science can be applied to electives for the major or minor with approval from the undergraduate advising head.

CJSP minors may earn credit for one elective course taken while abroad. 

ENVS 2a Fundamentals of Environmental Challenges
[ sn ]

Provides a broad interdisciplinary introduction to environmental studies. Examines several key environmental challenges including climate change, biodiversity loss, water issues, and pollutants through an array of lenses from the natural and social sciences. Usually offered every year.

ENVS 3b Environmental Social Science
[ ss ]

A broad-based introduction to the social science of the environment. We unpack how individuals and groups relate to the different parts of the environment; how historical legacies, social relations, and markets shape the environment, and diverse approaches to environmental protection. Usually offered every year.

ENVS 19b Evolution of the Earth
[ qr sn ]

Examines the natural history of the Earth starting from its formation 4.5 billion years ago through to the present day. Emphasis will be on how land, water, air, climate, and living organisms have interacted and evolved together over time. Usually offered every year.

ENVS 20a Introduction to Climate Change and Health
[ sn ss ]

Introduces students to various public health dimensions of climate change. Students will engage with tools for monitoring and evaluating climate and human health relationships while investigating more resilient measures for existing mitigation and adaptation strategies. Usually offered every year.

ENVS 21b Oceanography
[ qr sn ]

This course will provide an overview of the geology, physics, chemistry, and biology of the world's oceans, with an emphasis on current ocean issues like sea level rise, hurricanes, ocean acidification, coral bleaching, dead zones, changing habitats, and plastic pollution. Usually offered every year.
Sally Warner

ENVS 25a Environmental Dimensions of Sustainable Development in Puerto Rico
[ deis-us djw sn ss ]

Delves into the analysis of the environmental aspects most linked to the objectives of sustainable development. Topics related to energy, resource depletion, environmental pollution, among others, are studied. The course incorporates research exercises and immersion activities, and invites the student to actively reflect on the environmental dimensions of their environment in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. In addition, it stimulates knowledge of successful international environmental protection experiences and the management of solutions that incorporate elements of design, entrepreneurship, data analysis, and technology. Usually offered every second year.

ENVS 39b Climate Change: Causes, Impacts, Responses and Solutions
[ ss ]

Provides a broad overview of climate change science and policy through a spectrum of differing disciplinary perspectives from across the Brandeis campus, including causes, impacts, and responses. Guest lectures will be complemented by integrative classes to assess the full range of causes, impacts, responses, and solutions to the highly complex threat of climate change. The course will also cover solutions to the "climate threat," looking at the problem from multiple disciplinary perspectives to better help students understand the complex issues. Usually offered every year.

ENVS 42b Climate Science
[ oc qr sn ]

Recommended prerequisite: A high school course in chemistry or physics.

Provides an overview of the physical and chemical processes governing climate change. There will be an emphasis on quantitative problem solving using real-world climate data. Students will become adept at orally defending climate science to skeptics. Usually offered every year.

ENVS 49a Conservation Politics
[ djw nw ss ]

Examines theories and practices of nature conservation from interdisciplinary social science and humanistic perspectives. Surveys a range of moral, political, cultural and economic dilemmas facing conservationists. Explores ways to balance competing ethical imperatives to protect biodiversity and respect human rights. Usually offered every year.

ENVS 50b Environmental Monitoring
[ sn ss ]

Provides an introduction to environmental monitoring through an overview of the history of monitoring in the use, federal regulatory management, and hands-on curriculum to become familiar with monitoring techniques most commonly employed in participatory science programs. Together we examine the methods and strategies for monitoring and sampling the world around us. The course presents selected concepts of statistics, including methods to support decision-making, and to evaluate/interpret trends. Students will learn to identify monitoring goals as well as develop a sampling plan. Usually offered every year.

ENVS 60a Advanced Practicum in Environmental Studies

Corequisite: BIOL 39b, ENVS 21b, ENVS 107b, ENVS 111a, or ENVS 118b. Corequisite course may be taken as a prerequisite within the past year with permission of the instructor. The specific corequisite will be determined by the instructor offering the course in any given semester. Instructor permission required. Yields half-course credit. Offered exclusively on a credit/no credit basis.

Students participate in a 90-hour program designed to bridge coursework to practical experience in environmental studies. Hands-on experiences complement concepts and questions explored through the base classes regarding science research, policy implementation and negotiation, or other practical application. Practicum courses typically involve travel for the practical experiences. Students interested in the practicum courses should connect with faculty to learn more about the logistics during any particular semester. Usually offered every year.

ENVS 91g Introduction to Research Practice

Prerequisite: Student must complete online safety training relevant to the research group. Offered exclusively on a credit/no-credit basis. Yields quarter-course credit. May be repeated for credit.

Students engage in Environmental Studies research by working in the laboratory of a faculty member for a minimum of 3 hours per week for one semester. Students who have declared a Biology major must receive permission from the Biology Undergraduate Advising Head as well as the faculty sponsor to enroll in BIOL 91g. Students who have not yet declared a major must receive permission from their academic advisor as well as the faculty sponsor. Usually offered every year.

ENVS 97a Senior Essay

Usually offered every year.

ENVS 98a Independent Study

Usually offered every year.

ENVS 98b Independent Study

Yields half-course credit. Usually offered every year.

ENVS 99a Senior Research

Usually offered every fall semester.

ENVS 99b Senior Thesis

Prerequisite: ENVS 99a.

Usually offered every spring semester.

ENVS 107b Foundations of Global Environmental Diplomacy
[ oc ss ]

Examines international environmental diplomacy through a historical lens up to 1992. Specific topics range from wildlife conservation and transboundary air pollution to the trade in hazardous materials and climate change—along with many others. The course primarily aims to answer the overarching question: What can international actors do to protect the environment and environmental amenities? Usually offered every year.

ENVS 110a Data Analysis for Environmental Studies
[ dl ss ]

People in environmental fields increasingly need career-ready technical skills for managing, analyzing, and representing diverse types of data. The goal of this course is to engage students in authentic work with environmental data through a combination of collaborative, hands-on Python programming and project-based learning. Usually offered every year.

ENVS 111a Environmental and Climate Justice
[ deis-us djw ss ]

The consequences of climate change are distributed unequally across different world regions, countries, and different social groups within countries. This course will introduce you to the major concepts and debates related to the unequal effects of climate change, including those of the ongoing efforts to combat climate change. We also explore several proposed programs and reforms meant to contribute to the goals of environmental and climate justice, including the social activists and movements working toward addressing social, economic, and political inequalities within ongoing efforts to address climate change. Usually offered every year.

ENVS 112b Governing the Environmental Commons
[ deis-us djw ss wi ]

Introduction to the diverse meanings, forms, and claims about commons; theories and debates about sustainable governance of the commons. Learn about the histories of dispossessions, and ongoing collective actions and mobilizations to reclaim the commons for environmental & climate justice and ecological stewardship. Usually offered every year.

ENVS 118b International Environmental Conflict and Cooperation
[ ss ]

Investigates environmental issues through the lens of international diplomacy from 1992 to the present day. Examines how diplomatic initiatives have—and importantly, have not—shaped the contemporary structure of international environmental relations as well as the severity of environmental threats. Usually offered every year.

ENVS 122a Our Local Waterways
[ sn ]

Prerequisite: ENVS 21b and permission of the instructor.

In this experiential learning course, students will go on weekly field trips to learn about the history, environmental issues, and management of waterways in eastern Massachusetts. Connections will be made with organizations and individuals working to improve the health and sustainability of our local waterways. There will be a strong focus on the Charles River which flows adjacent to the Brandeis campus. Usually offered every second year.

ENVS 130a Environmental Politics in Latin America
[ djw ss ]

Provides an overview of socioenvironmental issues in Latin America. Explores the relationship between nature and development, and specifically, what difference climate change makes and to whom in the region. Topics include conservation, colonialism, indigenous rights, gender, socio-environmental movements, and North-South and regional inequalities. Usually offered every year.

ENVS 131b The Political Economy of Global Climate Governance
[ djw ss ]

Climate finance and investment are usually treated primarily in the field of finance and led by international financial institutions. However, despite the promotion of large-scale investments in climate mitigation, adaptation and loss and damages, the larger political economy of climate governance and social justice implications are largely overlooked, as are perspectives and proposals from the global South. This course will map, compare, and systematize different proposals based on the green economy to public ownership and control over common goods proposals like just transition and buen vivir. Students are encouraged to discuss and apply concepts to their own creative proposals for social interventions, developing their practice and skills for climate activism, engagement, and leadership. Usually offered every year.

ANTH 121b Archaeology and Environment
[ dl nw ss ]

Provides an introduction to archaeological approaches to the environment. Explores how human history and prehistory have been defined by moments when political, cultural, economics, and ecological systems collide. Topics include climate change, food systems, plant and animal relations, and natural resources. Usually offered every second year.

ANTH 137a GIS: Mapping Culture from Land, Air and Space
[ dl ss ]

An introduction to the Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and Remote Sense (RS) technologies that are fundamental for mapping and analyzing spatial data. This course is grounded in  archaeological applications, but provides training and research pathways for exploring urban landscapes, environmental dynamics, and more in modern settings. No previous knowledge of GIS or RS is required. Usually offered every third year.

BIOL 39b Biology of Global Climate Change
[ dl oc sn ]

Prerequisites: ENVS 2a, BIOL 16a or BIOL 17b.

Examines the biology of global climate change from how biology informs understanding climate change to the evolutionary and ecological responses to climate change. This course includes an exploration of the primary literature. Usually offered every spring.

ENG 113b Performing Climate Justice
[ deis-us dl hum oc ]

Considers justice in relation to our ordinary and collective actions as these recreate or transform our social and material realities as human drivers of the Anthropocene. How can the embodied creation and transmission of knowledge and skills, by creative workers and change agents, help us imagine and create new, translocal ways of being and acting together no longer driven by fossil fuels? What happens to notions of the human, human civilization, and human history if we adopt a non-anthropocentric and biocentric approach to climate justice and climate ethics? Usually offered every fourth year.

ENVS 110a Data Analysis for Environmental Studies
[ dl ss ]

People in environmental fields increasingly need career-ready technical skills for managing, analyzing, and representing diverse types of data. The goal of this course is to engage students in authentic work with environmental data through a combination of collaborative, hands-on Python programming and project-based learning. Usually offered every year.

HS 263f Applied Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
[ dl ]

Meets for one-half semester and yields half-course credit. Prerequisite: HS 297f or permission of the instructor.

Designed for students wishing to receive advanced training in GIS. Instruction includes geospatial data management and archiving, raster and vector analysis techniques, and basic GPS instruction. Emphasis is on 'hands-on' training using ARCView GIS software; qualitative skills in data gathering, analysis, and presentation; and understanding the potential of GIS as a tool for planning and evaluating development projects. Includes a computer lab. Usually offered every year.

HS 297f Introduction to Geographic Information Systems
[ dl ]

Meets for one-half semester and yields half-course credit.

A primer for non-specialists on Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and its capabilities as a tool for planning and monitoring. Students learn how to determine an organization's GIS requirements, focus on those requirements during planning, and apply the requirements to assess the size and scope of the system needed. Includes a computer lab. Usually offered every semester.

AMST/ENG 47a Frontier Visions: The West in American Literature and Culture
[ hum oc ]

May not be taken for credit by students who took ENG 47a in prior years.

Explores more than two centuries of literary and visual culture about the American West, including the frontier myth, Indian captivity narratives, frontier humor, dime novel and Hollywood westerns, the Native American Renaissance, and western regionalism. Authors include Black Hawk, Cather, Doig, Silko, Turner, and Twain. Usually offered every third year.

ANTH 135b Culture and Horticulture: Gardens and Worldmaking
[ oc ss wi ]

Explores anthropological and historical perspectives on gardening and horticulture, with an emphasis on how gardening occasions forms of self-fashioning and world-making in diverse contexts. Topics include gardening and cosmologies in small-scale societies, divinity in microcosm; gardens, capitalism, and modernity; and gardens from the margins, including gardening in utopian communities, displaced persons’ gardens in military topographies, and homeless persons’ gardens in their places of abode. Usually offered every third year.

BIOL 39b Biology of Global Climate Change
[ dl oc sn ]

Prerequisites: ENVS 2a, BIOL 16a or BIOL 17b.

Examines the biology of global climate change from how biology informs understanding climate change to the evolutionary and ecological responses to climate change. This course includes an exploration of the primary literature. Usually offered every spring.

BIOL 134b Topics in Ecology
[ oc sn ]

Prerequisites: BIOL 23a, or permission of the instructor. Topics may vary from year to year. Please consult the Course Schedule for topic and description. Course may be repeated once for credit with permission of the instructor.

Annually, a different aspect of the global biosphere is selected for analysis. In any year the focus may be on specific ecosystems (e.g., terrestrial, aquatic, tropical, arctic), populations, system modeling, restoration ecology, or other aspects of ecology. Usually offered every year.

COML/ENG 21a The Literature of Walking
[ hum oc ]

Explores genres of pedestrianism—rambles, strolls, promenades, treks, pilgrimages, marches. Students will take and design walks as well as read major works on the subject. Usually offered every fourth year.

COML/ENG 191a Environmental Aesthetics
[ djw hum oc ]

Explores major schools of thought about nature, ecology, and art. Usually offered every third year.

ECON 57a Environmental Economics
[ oc ss ]

Prerequisite: ECON 2a or ECON 10a.

Investigates the theoretical and policy problems posed by the use of renewable and nonrenewable resources. Theoretical topics include the optimal pricing of resources, the optimal use of standards and taxes to correct pollution problems under uncertainty, and the measurement of costs and benefits. Usually offered every year.

ENG 17b Climate Fictions
[ hum oc wi ]

Examines fictional narratives addressing climate change. Asks how authors from around the world imagine a future in which sea levels, animal populations, temperatures, access to food, and/or weather patterns are significantly different from those of the present. Usually offered every third year.

ENG 113b Performing Climate Justice
[ deis-us dl hum oc ]

Considers justice in relation to our ordinary and collective actions as these recreate or transform our social and material realities as human drivers of the Anthropocene. How can the embodied creation and transmission of knowledge and skills, by creative workers and change agents, help us imagine and create new, translocal ways of being and acting together no longer driven by fossil fuels? What happens to notions of the human, human civilization, and human history if we adopt a non-anthropocentric and biocentric approach to climate justice and climate ethics? Usually offered every fourth year.

ENVS 42b Climate Science
[ oc qr sn ]

Recommended prerequisite: A high school course in chemistry or physics.

Provides an overview of the physical and chemical processes governing climate change. There will be an emphasis on quantitative problem solving using real-world climate data. Students will become adept at orally defending climate science to skeptics. Usually offered every year.

ENVS 107b Foundations of Global Environmental Diplomacy
[ oc ss ]

Examines international environmental diplomacy through a historical lens up to 1992. Specific topics range from wildlife conservation and transboundary air pollution to the trade in hazardous materials and climate change—along with many others. The course primarily aims to answer the overarching question: What can international actors do to protect the environment and environmental amenities? Usually offered every year.

GECS 188b Human/Nature: European Perspectives on the Climate Crisis and What to Do About It
[ djw hum oc wi ]

Open to all students.

Introduces European attitudes towards climate change as reflected in policy, literature, film, and art, with a focus on workable future-oriented alternatives to fossil-fueled capitalism. Usually offered every second year.

LGLS 132b Environmental Law and Policy
[ oc ss wi ]

Provides a basic survey of environmental law. You will learn essential tools of legal reasoning and argument. Through in-class discussion, cases, and reading on environmental history and ethics, we will cover a range of environmental issues, including: climate change, water rights, the Keystone XL pipeline, our national parks and monuments, and much more. You will reflect on the tradeoffs, contradictions, and inequities baked into our core environmental laws, and think about ways to apply those laws in more equitable ways. Usually offered every year.

AMST 30b American Environmental History
[ ss wi ]

Provides an overview of the relationship between nature and culture in North America. Covers Native Americans, the European invasion, the development of a market system of resource extraction and consumption, the impact of industrialization, and environmentalist responses. Current environmental issues are placed in historical context. Usually offered every year.

AMST 106b Food and Farming in America
[ ss wi ]

Yields four semester-hour credits towards rate of work and graduation.

American food is abundant and cheap. Yet many eat poorly, and some argue that our agriculture may be unhealthy and unsustainable. Explores the history of American farming and diet and the prospects for a healthy food system. Includes extensive fieldwork. Usually offered every second year.

ANTH 135b Culture and Horticulture: Gardens and Worldmaking
[ oc ss wi ]

Explores anthropological and historical perspectives on gardening and horticulture, with an emphasis on how gardening occasions forms of self-fashioning and world-making in diverse contexts. Topics include gardening and cosmologies in small-scale societies, divinity in microcosm; gardens, capitalism, and modernity; and gardens from the margins, including gardening in utopian communities, displaced persons’ gardens in military topographies, and homeless persons’ gardens in their places of abode. Usually offered every third year.

BIOL 23a Ecology
[ sn wi ]

Prerequisites: BIOL 16a, or a score of 5 on the AP Biology Exam, or permission of the instructor.

Illustrates the science of ecology, from individual, population, and community-level perspectives. Includes participatory science ecological research to contextualize theory. Usually offered every year.

BIOL 26a Plant Biology
[ sn wi ]

Prerequisites: BIOL 14a and BIOL 15b.

Adopts a molecular and chemical approach as we explore various concepts in plant biology including plant metabolism, structure-function, development, genetics and taxonomy. Intended for students who are familiar with central dogma, structure-function relationship and genetic inheritance, but have not yet applied those concepts in plant systems. Usually offered every second year.

ENG 17b Climate Fictions
[ hum oc wi ]

Examines fictional narratives addressing climate change. Asks how authors from around the world imagine a future in which sea levels, animal populations, temperatures, access to food, and/or weather patterns are significantly different from those of the present. Usually offered every third year.

ENG 169a Eco-Writing Workshop
[ hum wi ]

Offered exclusively on a credit/no credit basis. Enrollment is by instructor permission after the submission of a manuscript sample. Please refer to the schedule of classes for submission information.

A creative writing workshop focused on writing essays and poems that engage with environmental and eco-justice concerns. Readings, writing assignments, and class discussions will be augmented by field trips. Usually offered every second year.

ENVS 99a Senior Research

Usually offered every fall semester.

ENVS 112b Governing the Environmental Commons
[ deis-us djw ss wi ]

Introduction to the diverse meanings, forms, and claims about commons; theories and debates about sustainable governance of the commons. Learn about the histories of dispossessions, and ongoing collective actions and mobilizations to reclaim the commons for environmental & climate justice and ecological stewardship. Usually offered every year.

GECS 188b Human/Nature: European Perspectives on the Climate Crisis and What to Do About It
[ djw hum oc wi ]

Open to all students.

Introduces European attitudes towards climate change as reflected in policy, literature, film, and art, with a focus on workable future-oriented alternatives to fossil-fueled capitalism. Usually offered every second year.

LGLS 122b Indigenous Rights, Environmental Justice, and Federal Indian Law
[ ss wi ]

Provides a look at the intersection of indigenous rights, environmental justice, and federal Indian law. You will learn essential tools of legal reasoning and argument. Through in-class discussion, cases, and reading you will learn about conflicts over land use, climate change, and sovereignty. The course will be organized into weekly case studies where we will study contemporary and historical conflicts including: the Dakota Access pipeline, relocation due to sea level rise, fishing rights and dam removal, water rights in the face of drought, uranium mining, and Native Nation regulation of oil and gas extraction on reservation lands. Usually offered every second year.

LGLS 132b Environmental Law and Policy
[ oc ss wi ]

Provides a basic survey of environmental law. You will learn essential tools of legal reasoning and argument. Through in-class discussion, cases, and reading on environmental history and ethics, we will cover a range of environmental issues, including: climate change, water rights, the Keystone XL pipeline, our national parks and monuments, and much more. You will reflect on the tradeoffs, contradictions, and inequities baked into our core environmental laws, and think about ways to apply those laws in more equitable ways. Usually offered every year.

WGS 108a Ecofeminism and Climate Justice Activism
[ ss wi ]

From local activism to regional and national fights against militarization and deforestation to broader movement organizing, education, and international politics, this class aims to showcase how ecofeminists and ecowomanists nurture and grow resilience in times of multiple crises through employing “a radical political orientation grounded in solidarity, rather than sameness, as an organizing principle.” Usually offered every second year.

ENVS 2a Fundamentals of Environmental Challenges
[ sn ]

Provides a broad interdisciplinary introduction to environmental studies. Examines several key environmental challenges including climate change, biodiversity loss, water issues, and pollutants through an array of lenses from the natural and social sciences. Usually offered every year.

ANTH 121b Archaeology and Environment
[ dl nw ss ]

Provides an introduction to archaeological approaches to the environment. Explores how human history and prehistory have been defined by moments when political, cultural, economics, and ecological systems collide. Topics include climate change, food systems, plant and animal relations, and natural resources. Usually offered every second year.

ANTH 137a GIS: Mapping Culture from Land, Air and Space
[ dl ss ]

An introduction to the Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and Remote Sense (RS) technologies that are fundamental for mapping and analyzing spatial data. This course is grounded in  archaeological applications, but provides training and research pathways for exploring urban landscapes, environmental dynamics, and more in modern settings. No previous knowledge of GIS or RS is required. Usually offered every third year.

HS 263f Applied Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
[ dl ]

Meets for one-half semester and yields half-course credit. Prerequisite: HS 297f or permission of the instructor.

Designed for students wishing to receive advanced training in GIS. Instruction includes geospatial data management and archiving, raster and vector analysis techniques, and basic GPS instruction. Emphasis is on 'hands-on' training using ARCView GIS software; qualitative skills in data gathering, analysis, and presentation; and understanding the potential of GIS as a tool for planning and evaluating development projects. Includes a computer lab. Usually offered every year.

HS 297f Introduction to Geographic Information Systems
[ dl ]

Meets for one-half semester and yields half-course credit.

A primer for non-specialists on Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and its capabilities as a tool for planning and monitoring. Students learn how to determine an organization's GIS requirements, focus on those requirements during planning, and apply the requirements to assess the size and scope of the system needed. Includes a computer lab. Usually offered every semester.

BIOL 16a Evolution and Biodiversity
[ qr sn ]

"Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution," the geneticist Theodosius Dobzhansky said famously. Evolution is the unifying theory of biology because it explains both the unity and diversity of life. This course examines processes and patterns of evolution. Specific topics include the history of Earth and life, evolution and its mechanisms, phylogenetic trees, and the diversity of life. We will take time to read Darwin’s On the Origin of Species and end with a discussion of human evolution and the impact we are having on the planet. Usually offered every fall.

BIOL 17b Conservation Biology
[ sn ]

Prerequisite: BIOL 16a or ENVS 2a.

Considers the current worldwide loss of biological diversity, causes of this loss, and methods for protecting and conserving biodiversity. Explores the science of conservation focused on the biological aspects of the problems and their solutions. Usually offered every spring.

BIOL 23a Ecology
[ sn wi ]

Prerequisites: BIOL 16a, or a score of 5 on the AP Biology Exam, or permission of the instructor.

Illustrates the science of ecology, from individual, population, and community-level perspectives. Includes participatory science ecological research to contextualize theory. Usually offered every year.

BIOL 26a Plant Biology
[ sn wi ]

Prerequisites: BIOL 14a and BIOL 15b.

Adopts a molecular and chemical approach as we explore various concepts in plant biology including plant metabolism, structure-function, development, genetics and taxonomy. Intended for students who are familiar with central dogma, structure-function relationship and genetic inheritance, but have not yet applied those concepts in plant systems. Usually offered every second year.

BIOL 32a Field Biology
[ sn ]

Introduces students to basic field research methods, the skills of species identification, and the use of dichotomous keys and field guides to identify the biodiversity of southern New England. Field explorations use campus as an outdoor classroom and are complemented with nearby local field trips. The course introduces the basic principles of natural history to understand how these principles are shaped by natural selection and evolution, and in turn, how they inform other biological fields, particularly ecology, behavioral and community ecology. Some flexibility with campus departure/return required for field trips. Usually offered every fall.

BIOL 39b Biology of Global Climate Change
[ dl oc sn ]

Prerequisites: ENVS 2a, BIOL 16a or BIOL 17b.

Examines the biology of global climate change from how biology informs understanding climate change to the evolutionary and ecological responses to climate change. This course includes an exploration of the primary literature. Usually offered every spring.

BIOL 50b Animal Behavior
[ sn ]

Prerequisites: BIOL 23a or BIOL 16a.

Examines a wide range of animal behavior, including mating and reproductive tactics, territoriality, and social behaviors. Why does an animal perform a given behavior? We will explore the approaches to answering this question and learn a logical framework to examine the various aspects of animal behavior. Class meetings will focus on understanding behavior from both an ecological and evolutionary perspective. We will start the term by understanding how to study behavior and end the term examining key topics in behavior. Usually offered every second year.

BIOL 134b Topics in Ecology
[ oc sn ]

Prerequisites: BIOL 23a, or permission of the instructor. Topics may vary from year to year. Please consult the Course Schedule for topic and description. Course may be repeated once for credit with permission of the instructor.

Annually, a different aspect of the global biosphere is selected for analysis. In any year the focus may be on specific ecosystems (e.g., terrestrial, aquatic, tropical, arctic), populations, system modeling, restoration ecology, or other aspects of ecology. Usually offered every year.

BIOL 159a Project Laboratory in Microbiology
[ sn ]

Prerequisites: BIOL 12a and 12b or BIOL 18a and 18b.

A discovery-based laboratory to study the diversity of microorganisms in particular environments. Students will isolate microbes with ability to metabolize complex compounds from special environments, characterize their properties and identify them by DNA sequence analysis. After students learn foundational microbiology concepts and techniques, they will choose, design, and carry out a short research project. This project lab is primarily for seniors and master's students. Usually offered every year.

BISC 5a Pathogens and Human Disease
[ sn ]

Prerequisite: High school chemistry and biology. Does not meet the requirements for the major in Biology.

Recent advances in public health have led to declines in the mortality from infectious diseases. But surprisingly outbreaks, epidemics, pandemics, and other diseases continue to evade public health defenses and ravage populations around the globe. This course explores how external factors like environmental alteration, climate change, and human activity interact to shape disease transmission and emergence. Students will learn fundamental concepts of infectious disease spread, including basic concepts of disease ecology, transmission, virulence, immunity, vector, and host susceptibility in the population. Then focus shifts to how natural and human-driven activities (e.g., climate change, deforestation, travel, and development) affect disease transmission and emergence. Examples of diseases to be covered include COVID, influenza, Ebola, malaria, SARS, avian flu, etc. Students will draw on relevant case studies to explore how threats from previous outbreaks may shift under a changing climate, rising globalization, and environmental degradation. Usually offered every year.

CHEM 33a Environmental Chemistry
[ sn ]

Prerequisite: A satisfactory grade (C- or higher) in CHEM 11b or 15b or the equivalent.

The course surveys the important chemical principles and reactions that determine the balance of the molecular species in the environment and how human activity affects this balance. The class evaluates current issues of environmental concern such as ozone depletion, global warming, sustainable energy, toxic chemicals, water pollution, and green chemistry. Usually offered every year.

EBIO 33b Participatory Science: Bridging Science, Education, and Advocacy
[ sn ss ]

Citizen science (the public generation of science knowledge) from both a practical (through direct participation in research) and theoretical application will be explored as the basis for examining how research, scientific literacy, education, and advocacy projects are complementary. Usually offered every second year.

ENGR 13a Modeling and Simulation
[ sn ]

Prerequisites: MATH 10a and PHYS 10a or higher, or permission of the instructor. PHYS 11a or 15a is strongly recommended.

Building models of physical systems is a critical aspect of science and engineering. While models are expressed through the languages of math and physics, developing a good mental picture of the system at hand requires drawing on experience. Towards providing students with this experience, this course will build connections between the theoretical, the experimental, and the designed. They will be guided through a structured series of labs on a variety of system classes including nonlinear mechanical systems, infectious disease dynamics, mass transport, and coupled oscillators. In three of the labs, students will not only analyze and model a physical system but also use digital fabrication (3D printing, laser cutting, or CNC milling) to build and test physical versions of their models. This course is intended as a first exposure to modeling. Prior experience in programming is not required. Students will receive Python notebooks for each lab to be used for data analysis, numerically solving dynamical models, fitting models to data, and visualizing results. Practical coding skills, such as debugging, elaborating notebooks and learning to leverage open-source software, will be taught in a lab environment where students and the instructor can readily collaborate and solve challenges. Usually offered every year.

ENGR 22b Engineering a Circular Economy
[ sn ]

The way we produce, use, and dispose of materials and products today is unsustainable. Resource extraction destroys ecosystems and biodiversity worldwide; manufacturing is responsible for an enormous fraction of global greenhouse gas emissions; and waste plastics are now found in every corner of the earth, including our bodies, with as-yet unknown consequences to human and ecological health. The circular economy is a model of production and consumption that offers a potential solution to these problems -- where all materials and products are designed to be used, reused, and recycled again and again, minimizing environmental impact from resource extraction, manufacturing, use, and final disposal.

In this class, students will learn what is required to realize this vision of a circular economy from an engineering and design perspective. Based on a methodological foundation from industrial ecology, students will use life-cycle assessment and material flow analysis to characterize the profound issues with contemporary manufacturing and waste systems, and justify the principles of materials and product stewardship that underpin the circular economy model. Students will also learn to critique materials management and circular economy proposals at various scales, including materials and product design, so-called "circular business models," and municipal, national, and global materials systems. Finally, students will use what they have learned to propose new engineering design solutions to real-world challenges. Usually offered every second year.

ENVS 19b Evolution of the Earth
[ qr sn ]

Examines the natural history of the Earth starting from its formation 4.5 billion years ago through to the present day. Emphasis will be on how land, water, air, climate, and living organisms have interacted and evolved together over time. Usually offered every year.

ENVS 20a Introduction to Climate Change and Health
[ sn ss ]

Introduces students to various public health dimensions of climate change. Students will engage with tools for monitoring and evaluating climate and human health relationships while investigating more resilient measures for existing mitigation and adaptation strategies. Usually offered every year.

ENVS 21b Oceanography
[ qr sn ]

This course will provide an overview of the geology, physics, chemistry, and biology of the world's oceans, with an emphasis on current ocean issues like sea level rise, hurricanes, ocean acidification, coral bleaching, dead zones, changing habitats, and plastic pollution. Usually offered every year.
Sally Warner

ENVS 25a Environmental Dimensions of Sustainable Development in Puerto Rico
[ deis-us djw sn ss ]

Delves into the analysis of the environmental aspects most linked to the objectives of sustainable development. Topics related to energy, resource depletion, environmental pollution, among others, are studied. The course incorporates research exercises and immersion activities, and invites the student to actively reflect on the environmental dimensions of their environment in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. In addition, it stimulates knowledge of successful international environmental protection experiences and the management of solutions that incorporate elements of design, entrepreneurship, data analysis, and technology. Usually offered every second year.

ENVS 42b Climate Science
[ oc qr sn ]

Recommended prerequisite: A high school course in chemistry or physics.

Provides an overview of the physical and chemical processes governing climate change. There will be an emphasis on quantitative problem solving using real-world climate data. Students will become adept at orally defending climate science to skeptics. Usually offered every year.

ENVS 50b Environmental Monitoring
[ sn ss ]

Provides an introduction to environmental monitoring through an overview of the history of monitoring in the use, federal regulatory management, and hands-on curriculum to become familiar with monitoring techniques most commonly employed in participatory science programs. Together we examine the methods and strategies for monitoring and sampling the world around us. The course presents selected concepts of statistics, including methods to support decision-making, and to evaluate/interpret trends. Students will learn to identify monitoring goals as well as develop a sampling plan. Usually offered every year.

ENVS 110a Data Analysis for Environmental Studies
[ dl ss ]

People in environmental fields increasingly need career-ready technical skills for managing, analyzing, and representing diverse types of data. The goal of this course is to engage students in authentic work with environmental data through a combination of collaborative, hands-on Python programming and project-based learning. Usually offered every year.

ENVS 122a Our Local Waterways
[ sn ]

Prerequisite: ENVS 21b and permission of the instructor.

In this experiential learning course, students will go on weekly field trips to learn about the history, environmental issues, and management of waterways in eastern Massachusetts. Connections will be made with organizations and individuals working to improve the health and sustainability of our local waterways. There will be a strong focus on the Charles River which flows adjacent to the Brandeis campus. Usually offered every second year.

AMST 30b American Environmental History
[ ss wi ]

Provides an overview of the relationship between nature and culture in North America. Covers Native Americans, the European invasion, the development of a market system of resource extraction and consumption, the impact of industrialization, and environmentalist responses. Current environmental issues are placed in historical context. Usually offered every year.

AMST 106b Food and Farming in America
[ ss wi ]

Yields four semester-hour credits towards rate of work and graduation.

American food is abundant and cheap. Yet many eat poorly, and some argue that our agriculture may be unhealthy and unsustainable. Explores the history of American farming and diet and the prospects for a healthy food system. Includes extensive fieldwork. Usually offered every second year.

AMST/ENG 47a Frontier Visions: The West in American Literature and Culture
[ hum oc ]

May not be taken for credit by students who took ENG 47a in prior years.

Explores more than two centuries of literary and visual culture about the American West, including the frontier myth, Indian captivity narratives, frontier humor, dime novel and Hollywood westerns, the Native American Renaissance, and western regionalism. Authors include Black Hawk, Cather, Doig, Silko, Turner, and Twain. Usually offered every third year.

ANTH 55a Anthropology of Development
[ nw ss ]

Examines efforts to address global poverty that are typically labeled as "development." Privileging the perspectives of ordinary people, and looking carefully at the institutions involved in development, the course relies on ethnographic case studies that will draw students into the complexity of global inequality. Broad development themes such as public health, agriculture, the environment, democracy, poverty, and entrepreneurship will be explored. Usually offered every second year.

ANTH 120b Ecology and Society in the Middle East and the Arabian Peninsula
[ ss ]

Examines how humans interact with the world around them. The course covers the main theories of the relationship between ecology and society, and explores issues related to the environment and agriculture in the Middle East, with a focus on the Arabian Peninsula. Usually offered every third year.

ANTH 121b Archaeology and Environment
[ dl nw ss ]

Provides an introduction to archaeological approaches to the environment. Explores how human history and prehistory have been defined by moments when political, cultural, economics, and ecological systems collide. Topics include climate change, food systems, plant and animal relations, and natural resources. Usually offered every second year.

ANTH 135b Culture and Horticulture: Gardens and Worldmaking
[ oc ss wi ]

Explores anthropological and historical perspectives on gardening and horticulture, with an emphasis on how gardening occasions forms of self-fashioning and world-making in diverse contexts. Topics include gardening and cosmologies in small-scale societies, divinity in microcosm; gardens, capitalism, and modernity; and gardens from the margins, including gardening in utopian communities, displaced persons’ gardens in military topographies, and homeless persons’ gardens in their places of abode. Usually offered every third year.

ANTH 150a Environmental Justice in Global Perspective
[ djw ss ]

Explores anthropological and humanistic approaches to understanding human-environment interactions, the global climate crisis, and environmental justice and climate justice movements highlighting how ecological crises have disproportionately impacted the poor, women and children, and Black, Indigenous, and other people of color. Key themes include: cultural understandings of “nature” and the “environment;” the cultural politics of race, indigeneity, and nature; militarism, empire, and the environment; feminist, queer and decolonial ecologies; Asian American and Pacific Islander environmental justice movements; and perspectives on the global climate crisis and the Anthropocene from the Global South. Usually offered every second year.

ANTH 151b Nature, Culture, Power: Anthropology of the Environment
[ ss ]

Examines the relationships among human and natural worlds. Topics include: the politics of food insecurity and famine, forest, hurricanes and disaster capitalism, forest fires and theories of degradation, climate injustice, and environmental justice/racism. Ethnographies based on research in the United States, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia will enable students to explore how anthropology offers insight into the pressing environmental issues of today. Usually offered every second year.

CLAS 161a The Corrupting Sea: Cities and Communities of the Ancient Mediterranean
[ hum ]

Examines the relationship between people and the natural and built environment in the ancient Mediterranean. A primary aim is to study the ecological and environmental diversity and history of the Mediterranean region over the long durée, from prehistory to the early Medieval period. The course will be broken into thematic sections; firstly, it will consider the geographical and historical conceptualizations of the Mediterranean, particularly questioning an outdated paradigm that it can be understood as a unified region. The second part of the course will study the ancient environment and microecologies through a regional survey. We look at the effects these had on settlement patterns and the development of different types of urban communities. We will also consider connectivity on land, riverways, and on the sea itself. The role of the Mediterranean Sea, its archipelagos and islands will be considered. The third part of the course will focus on the subsistence strategies of Mediterranean communities and cities; this will comprise an analysis of change in agrarian practices and seafaring overtime and the impact of technological innovation, along with studying the history of food systems more generally. An essential part of this will examine the effect of environmental disasters on agrarian societies and the subsequent socio-political effects, including the rise and fall of some of the ancient Mediterranean’s cultures and civilizations. Usually offered every third year.

COML/ENG 21a The Literature of Walking
[ hum oc ]

Explores genres of pedestrianism—rambles, strolls, promenades, treks, pilgrimages, marches. Students will take and design walks as well as read major works on the subject. Usually offered every fourth year.

COML/ENG 70b Environmental Film, Environmental Justice
[ djw hum ]

Examines films that address nature, environmental crisis, and green activism. Asks how world cinema can best advance the goals of social and environmental justice. Includes films by major directors and festival award winners. Usually offered every third year.

COML/ENG 191a Environmental Aesthetics
[ djw hum oc ]

Explores major schools of thought about nature, ecology, and art. Usually offered every third year.

ECON 36b Climate Change Economics and Policy
[ ss ]

Prerequisite: ECON 2a or ECON 10a.

Examines essential concepts economists and other social scientists use to consider the link between climate change and human society. We will explore specific topics of climate impacts and justice, as well as how to mitigate and adapt to climate change. Special one-time offering, spring 2021.

ECON 57a Environmental Economics
[ oc ss ]

Prerequisite: ECON 2a or ECON 10a.

Investigates the theoretical and policy problems posed by the use of renewable and nonrenewable resources. Theoretical topics include the optimal pricing of resources, the optimal use of standards and taxes to correct pollution problems under uncertainty, and the measurement of costs and benefits. Usually offered every year.

ECON 175a Introduction to the Economics of Development
[ djw ss wi ]

Prerequisite: ECON 2a or ECON 10a or permission of the instructor. Does not count toward the upper-level elective requirement for the major in economics.

An introduction to various models of economic growth and development and evaluation of these perspectives from the experience of developing and industrial countries. Usually offered every second year.

ENG 17b Climate Fictions
[ hum oc wi ]

Examines fictional narratives addressing climate change. Asks how authors from around the world imagine a future in which sea levels, animal populations, temperatures, access to food, and/or weather patterns are significantly different from those of the present. Usually offered every third year.

ENG 28a Environmental Literature in an Age of Extinction
[ deis-us dl hum ]

Explores literature's role in shaping modern understandings of environmental change and damage, as well as the possibility of ecological restoration. Works include environmental classics by Thoreau, Aldo Leopold and Rachel Carson as well as contemporary genres including dystopia, the thriller, and climate fiction. Usually offered every third year.

ENG 113b Performing Climate Justice
[ deis-us dl hum oc ]

Considers justice in relation to our ordinary and collective actions as these recreate or transform our social and material realities as human drivers of the Anthropocene. How can the embodied creation and transmission of knowledge and skills, by creative workers and change agents, help us imagine and create new, translocal ways of being and acting together no longer driven by fossil fuels? What happens to notions of the human, human civilization, and human history if we adopt a non-anthropocentric and biocentric approach to climate justice and climate ethics? Usually offered every fourth year.

ENG 169a Eco-Writing Workshop
[ hum wi ]

Offered exclusively on a credit/no credit basis. Enrollment is by instructor permission after the submission of a manuscript sample. Please refer to the schedule of classes for submission information.

A creative writing workshop focused on writing essays and poems that engage with environmental and eco-justice concerns. Readings, writing assignments, and class discussions will be augmented by field trips. Usually offered every second year.

ENVS 3b Environmental Social Science
[ ss ]

A broad-based introduction to the social science of the environment. We unpack how individuals and groups relate to the different parts of the environment; how historical legacies, social relations, and markets shape the environment, and diverse approaches to environmental protection. Usually offered every year.

ENVS 39b Climate Change: Causes, Impacts, Responses and Solutions
[ ss ]

Provides a broad overview of climate change science and policy through a spectrum of differing disciplinary perspectives from across the Brandeis campus, including causes, impacts, and responses. Guest lectures will be complemented by integrative classes to assess the full range of causes, impacts, responses, and solutions to the highly complex threat of climate change. The course will also cover solutions to the "climate threat," looking at the problem from multiple disciplinary perspectives to better help students understand the complex issues. Usually offered every year.

ENVS 49a Conservation Politics
[ djw nw ss ]

Examines theories and practices of nature conservation from interdisciplinary social science and humanistic perspectives. Surveys a range of moral, political, cultural and economic dilemmas facing conservationists. Explores ways to balance competing ethical imperatives to protect biodiversity and respect human rights. Usually offered every year.

ENVS 107b Foundations of Global Environmental Diplomacy
[ oc ss ]

Examines international environmental diplomacy through a historical lens up to 1992. Specific topics range from wildlife conservation and transboundary air pollution to the trade in hazardous materials and climate change—along with many others. The course primarily aims to answer the overarching question: What can international actors do to protect the environment and environmental amenities? Usually offered every year.

ENVS 111a Environmental and Climate Justice
[ deis-us djw ss ]

The consequences of climate change are distributed unequally across different world regions, countries, and different social groups within countries. This course will introduce you to the major concepts and debates related to the unequal effects of climate change, including those of the ongoing efforts to combat climate change. We also explore several proposed programs and reforms meant to contribute to the goals of environmental and climate justice, including the social activists and movements working toward addressing social, economic, and political inequalities within ongoing efforts to address climate change. Usually offered every year.

ENVS 112b Governing the Environmental Commons
[ deis-us djw ss wi ]

Introduction to the diverse meanings, forms, and claims about commons; theories and debates about sustainable governance of the commons. Learn about the histories of dispossessions, and ongoing collective actions and mobilizations to reclaim the commons for environmental & climate justice and ecological stewardship. Usually offered every year.

ENVS 118b International Environmental Conflict and Cooperation
[ ss ]

Investigates environmental issues through the lens of international diplomacy from 1992 to the present day. Examines how diplomatic initiatives have—and importantly, have not—shaped the contemporary structure of international environmental relations as well as the severity of environmental threats. Usually offered every year.

ENVS 130a Environmental Politics in Latin America
[ djw ss ]

Provides an overview of socioenvironmental issues in Latin America. Explores the relationship between nature and development, and specifically, what difference climate change makes and to whom in the region. Topics include conservation, colonialism, indigenous rights, gender, socio-environmental movements, and North-South and regional inequalities. Usually offered every year.

ENVS 131b The Political Economy of Global Climate Governance
[ djw ss ]

Climate finance and investment are usually treated primarily in the field of finance and led by international financial institutions. However, despite the promotion of large-scale investments in climate mitigation, adaptation and loss and damages, the larger political economy of climate governance and social justice implications are largely overlooked, as are perspectives and proposals from the global South. This course will map, compare, and systematize different proposals based on the green economy to public ownership and control over common goods proposals like just transition and buen vivir. Students are encouraged to discuss and apply concepts to their own creative proposals for social interventions, developing their practice and skills for climate activism, engagement, and leadership. Usually offered every year.

FA 169a Ecology and Art
[ ca dl ]

Provides a theoretical foundation and art historical background for discussion of contemporary art that draws attention to the ecologies, primarily natural but also cultural, of which it and we are a part. Usually offered every third year.

GECS 188b Human/Nature: European Perspectives on the Climate Crisis and What to Do About It
[ djw hum oc wi ]

Open to all students.

Introduces European attitudes towards climate change as reflected in policy, literature, film, and art, with a focus on workable future-oriented alternatives to fossil-fueled capitalism. Usually offered every second year.

HSSP 152b Introduction to Demography: Social Determinants of Health and Wellbeing
[ ss ]

Explores the social and health consequences of population dynamics within the U.S. and globally that affect wellbeing of families and nations including poverty and inequality, maternal and child health, aging, fertility and epidemiological transitions, workforce, immigration among other policy concerns. Usually offered every second year.

HSSP 182a Food, Justice and Health
[ deis-us ss ]

Recommended prerequisite: SOC 83a or SOC 84a

Introduces food as a public health issue, including "food is medicine" perspectives. Explores movements for food justice and food sovereignty, especially as a way of understanding how histories of inequity have shaped today's food system. Considers policies, programs, and practices to improve health equity. Usually offered every second year.

LGLS 122b Indigenous Rights, Environmental Justice, and Federal Indian Law
[ ss wi ]

Provides a look at the intersection of indigenous rights, environmental justice, and federal Indian law. You will learn essential tools of legal reasoning and argument. Through in-class discussion, cases, and reading you will learn about conflicts over land use, climate change, and sovereignty. The course will be organized into weekly case studies where we will study contemporary and historical conflicts including: the Dakota Access pipeline, relocation due to sea level rise, fishing rights and dam removal, water rights in the face of drought, uranium mining, and Native Nation regulation of oil and gas extraction on reservation lands. Usually offered every second year.

LGLS 132b Environmental Law and Policy
[ oc ss wi ]

Provides a basic survey of environmental law. You will learn essential tools of legal reasoning and argument. Through in-class discussion, cases, and reading on environmental history and ethics, we will cover a range of environmental issues, including: climate change, water rights, the Keystone XL pipeline, our national parks and monuments, and much more. You will reflect on the tradeoffs, contradictions, and inequities baked into our core environmental laws, and think about ways to apply those laws in more equitable ways. Usually offered every year.

NEJS 26b Jewish Environmental Ethics
[ djw hum ]

Explores the ways in which Jewish ethics can inform contemporary discussion of environmental issues, teaches how to read texts from a regularly distant and unfamiliar past in light of burning questions today, and in so doing offers an overview of Jewish Ethics as a whole. The readings will be a mix of primary sources (e.g., Bible, philosophers), and secondary readings by contemporary scholars and thinkers. Among the contemporary issues we will deal with are the consumption, biodiversity, animals, environmental justice, and how we can hopefully add Jewish ideas and historical experience to our toolkit. Usually offered every second year.

PHIL 21a Environmental Ethics
[ hum ]

Explores the ethical dimensions of human relationships to the natural world. Looks at environmental ethical theories such as deep ecology and eco-feminism and discusses the ethics of specific environmental issues such as wilderness preservation and climate change. Usually offered every third year.

SOC 121a Inequality and Environmental Justice in the City
[ deis-us ss ]

Offers critical perspectives on the causes and consequences of structural and environmental inequality in U.S. cities. Examines the historic policies and practices that have created and maintained racially segregated neighborhoods and the ongoing impacts of these practices on communities and the environments they live in. Evaluates strategies for promoting environmental justice is disinvested neighborhoods. Usually offered every year.

SOC 175b Environmental Movements: Organizations, Networks, and Partnerships
[ ss ]

Studies environmental movement organizations and field strategies, national advocacy organizations, as well as community-based and civic approaches to environmental problem solving. Case studies draw from sustainable and climate resilient cities, watersheds, coastal adaptation, forests, ecosystem restoration, environmental justice, renewable energy, and the greening of business. May be combined with internships and action research. Usually offered every year.

WGS 108a Ecofeminism and Climate Justice Activism
[ ss wi ]

From local activism to regional and national fights against militarization and deforestation to broader movement organizing, education, and international politics, this class aims to showcase how ecofeminists and ecowomanists nurture and grow resilience in times of multiple crises through employing “a radical political orientation grounded in solidarity, rather than sameness, as an organizing principle.” Usually offered every second year.

ENVS 39b Climate Change: Causes, Impacts, Responses and Solutions
[ ss ]

Provides a broad overview of climate change science and policy through a spectrum of differing disciplinary perspectives from across the Brandeis campus, including causes, impacts, and responses. Guest lectures will be complemented by integrative classes to assess the full range of causes, impacts, responses, and solutions to the highly complex threat of climate change. The course will also cover solutions to the "climate threat," looking at the problem from multiple disciplinary perspectives to better help students understand the complex issues. Usually offered every year.

ENVS 107b Foundations of Global Environmental Diplomacy
[ oc ss ]

Examines international environmental diplomacy through a historical lens up to 1992. Specific topics range from wildlife conservation and transboundary air pollution to the trade in hazardous materials and climate change—along with many others. The course primarily aims to answer the overarching question: What can international actors do to protect the environment and environmental amenities? Usually offered every year.

ENVS 112b Governing the Environmental Commons
[ deis-us djw ss wi ]

Introduction to the diverse meanings, forms, and claims about commons; theories and debates about sustainable governance of the commons. Learn about the histories of dispossessions, and ongoing collective actions and mobilizations to reclaim the commons for environmental & climate justice and ecological stewardship. Usually offered every year.

ENVS 118b International Environmental Conflict and Cooperation
[ ss ]

Investigates environmental issues through the lens of international diplomacy from 1992 to the present day. Examines how diplomatic initiatives have—and importantly, have not—shaped the contemporary structure of international environmental relations as well as the severity of environmental threats. Usually offered every year.

LGLS 122b Indigenous Rights, Environmental Justice, and Federal Indian Law
[ ss wi ]

Provides a look at the intersection of indigenous rights, environmental justice, and federal Indian law. You will learn essential tools of legal reasoning and argument. Through in-class discussion, cases, and reading you will learn about conflicts over land use, climate change, and sovereignty. The course will be organized into weekly case studies where we will study contemporary and historical conflicts including: the Dakota Access pipeline, relocation due to sea level rise, fishing rights and dam removal, water rights in the face of drought, uranium mining, and Native Nation regulation of oil and gas extraction on reservation lands. Usually offered every second year.

ANTH 150a Environmental Justice in Global Perspective
[ djw ss ]

Explores anthropological and humanistic approaches to understanding human-environment interactions, the global climate crisis, and environmental justice and climate justice movements highlighting how ecological crises have disproportionately impacted the poor, women and children, and Black, Indigenous, and other people of color. Key themes include: cultural understandings of “nature” and the “environment;” the cultural politics of race, indigeneity, and nature; militarism, empire, and the environment; feminist, queer and decolonial ecologies; Asian American and Pacific Islander environmental justice movements; and perspectives on the global climate crisis and the Anthropocene from the Global South. Usually offered every second year.

ANTH 151b Nature, Culture, Power: Anthropology of the Environment
[ ss ]

Examines the relationships among human and natural worlds. Topics include: the politics of food insecurity and famine, forest, hurricanes and disaster capitalism, forest fires and theories of degradation, climate injustice, and environmental justice/racism. Ethnographies based on research in the United States, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia will enable students to explore how anthropology offers insight into the pressing environmental issues of today. Usually offered every second year.

COML/ENG 70b Environmental Film, Environmental Justice
[ djw hum ]

Examines films that address nature, environmental crisis, and green activism. Asks how world cinema can best advance the goals of social and environmental justice. Includes films by major directors and festival award winners. Usually offered every third year.

ENG 17b Climate Fictions
[ hum oc wi ]

Examines fictional narratives addressing climate change. Asks how authors from around the world imagine a future in which sea levels, animal populations, temperatures, access to food, and/or weather patterns are significantly different from those of the present. Usually offered every third year.

ENG 113b Performing Climate Justice
[ deis-us dl hum oc ]

Considers justice in relation to our ordinary and collective actions as these recreate or transform our social and material realities as human drivers of the Anthropocene. How can the embodied creation and transmission of knowledge and skills, by creative workers and change agents, help us imagine and create new, translocal ways of being and acting together no longer driven by fossil fuels? What happens to notions of the human, human civilization, and human history if we adopt a non-anthropocentric and biocentric approach to climate justice and climate ethics? Usually offered every fourth year.

ENVS 111a Environmental and Climate Justice
[ deis-us djw ss ]

The consequences of climate change are distributed unequally across different world regions, countries, and different social groups within countries. This course will introduce you to the major concepts and debates related to the unequal effects of climate change, including those of the ongoing efforts to combat climate change. We also explore several proposed programs and reforms meant to contribute to the goals of environmental and climate justice, including the social activists and movements working toward addressing social, economic, and political inequalities within ongoing efforts to address climate change. Usually offered every year.

ENVS 130a Environmental Politics in Latin America
[ djw ss ]

Provides an overview of socioenvironmental issues in Latin America. Explores the relationship between nature and development, and specifically, what difference climate change makes and to whom in the region. Topics include conservation, colonialism, indigenous rights, gender, socio-environmental movements, and North-South and regional inequalities. Usually offered every year.

ENVS 131b The Political Economy of Global Climate Governance
[ djw ss ]

Climate finance and investment are usually treated primarily in the field of finance and led by international financial institutions. However, despite the promotion of large-scale investments in climate mitigation, adaptation and loss and damages, the larger political economy of climate governance and social justice implications are largely overlooked, as are perspectives and proposals from the global South. This course will map, compare, and systematize different proposals based on the green economy to public ownership and control over common goods proposals like just transition and buen vivir. Students are encouraged to discuss and apply concepts to their own creative proposals for social interventions, developing their practice and skills for climate activism, engagement, and leadership. Usually offered every year.

GECS 188b Human/Nature: European Perspectives on the Climate Crisis and What to Do About It
[ djw hum oc wi ]

Open to all students.

Introduces European attitudes towards climate change as reflected in policy, literature, film, and art, with a focus on workable future-oriented alternatives to fossil-fueled capitalism. Usually offered every second year.

WGS 108a Ecofeminism and Climate Justice Activism
[ ss wi ]

From local activism to regional and national fights against militarization and deforestation to broader movement organizing, education, and international politics, this class aims to showcase how ecofeminists and ecowomanists nurture and grow resilience in times of multiple crises through employing “a radical political orientation grounded in solidarity, rather than sameness, as an organizing principle.” Usually offered every second year.

BIOL 39b Biology of Global Climate Change
[ dl oc sn ]

Prerequisites: ENVS 2a, BIOL 16a or BIOL 17b.

Examines the biology of global climate change from how biology informs understanding climate change to the evolutionary and ecological responses to climate change. This course includes an exploration of the primary literature. Usually offered every spring.

ENVS 19b Evolution of the Earth
[ qr sn ]

Examines the natural history of the Earth starting from its formation 4.5 billion years ago through to the present day. Emphasis will be on how land, water, air, climate, and living organisms have interacted and evolved together over time. Usually offered every year.

ENVS 21b Oceanography
[ qr sn ]

This course will provide an overview of the geology, physics, chemistry, and biology of the world's oceans, with an emphasis on current ocean issues like sea level rise, hurricanes, ocean acidification, coral bleaching, dead zones, changing habitats, and plastic pollution. Usually offered every year.
Sally Warner

ENVS 42b Climate Science
[ oc qr sn ]

Recommended prerequisite: A high school course in chemistry or physics.

Provides an overview of the physical and chemical processes governing climate change. There will be an emphasis on quantitative problem solving using real-world climate data. Students will become adept at orally defending climate science to skeptics. Usually offered every year.

BIOL 17b Conservation Biology
[ sn ]

Prerequisite: BIOL 16a or ENVS 2a.

Considers the current worldwide loss of biological diversity, causes of this loss, and methods for protecting and conserving biodiversity. Explores the science of conservation focused on the biological aspects of the problems and their solutions. Usually offered every spring.

ECON 36b Climate Change Economics and Policy
[ ss ]

Prerequisite: ECON 2a or ECON 10a.

Examines essential concepts economists and other social scientists use to consider the link between climate change and human society. We will explore specific topics of climate impacts and justice, as well as how to mitigate and adapt to climate change. Special one-time offering, spring 2021.

ENG 28a Environmental Literature in an Age of Extinction
[ deis-us dl hum ]

Explores literature's role in shaping modern understandings of environmental change and damage, as well as the possibility of ecological restoration. Works include environmental classics by Thoreau, Aldo Leopold and Rachel Carson as well as contemporary genres including dystopia, the thriller, and climate fiction. Usually offered every third year.

ENG 169a Eco-Writing Workshop
[ hum wi ]

Offered exclusively on a credit/no credit basis. Enrollment is by instructor permission after the submission of a manuscript sample. Please refer to the schedule of classes for submission information.

A creative writing workshop focused on writing essays and poems that engage with environmental and eco-justice concerns. Readings, writing assignments, and class discussions will be augmented by field trips. Usually offered every second year.

ENVS 20a Introduction to Climate Change and Health
[ sn ss ]

Introduces students to various public health dimensions of climate change. Students will engage with tools for monitoring and evaluating climate and human health relationships while investigating more resilient measures for existing mitigation and adaptation strategies. Usually offered every year.

ENVS 25a Environmental Dimensions of Sustainable Development in Puerto Rico
[ deis-us djw sn ss ]

Delves into the analysis of the environmental aspects most linked to the objectives of sustainable development. Topics related to energy, resource depletion, environmental pollution, among others, are studied. The course incorporates research exercises and immersion activities, and invites the student to actively reflect on the environmental dimensions of their environment in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. In addition, it stimulates knowledge of successful international environmental protection experiences and the management of solutions that incorporate elements of design, entrepreneurship, data analysis, and technology. Usually offered every second year.

ENVS 49a Conservation Politics
[ djw nw ss ]

Examines theories and practices of nature conservation from interdisciplinary social science and humanistic perspectives. Surveys a range of moral, political, cultural and economic dilemmas facing conservationists. Explores ways to balance competing ethical imperatives to protect biodiversity and respect human rights. Usually offered every year.

LGLS 161b Advocacy for Policy Change
[ oc ss wi ]

This hands-on course invites students to address concrete social problems through public policy reform. It provides background in theories, advocacy skills, networks, and key players that drive the legislative process. Focusing on policy change at the statehouse level, students engage with elected officials and community organizations to advance key legislation affecting social welfare, health, education, and economic justice. This course is supported by ENACT, the Educational Network for Active Civic Transformation. Usually offered every year.

SOC 175b Environmental Movements: Organizations, Networks, and Partnerships
[ ss ]

Studies environmental movement organizations and field strategies, national advocacy organizations, as well as community-based and civic approaches to environmental problem solving. Case studies draw from sustainable and climate resilient cities, watersheds, coastal adaptation, forests, ecosystem restoration, environmental justice, renewable energy, and the greening of business. May be combined with internships and action research. Usually offered every year.