ENV 201a, 201b: Fundamentals of Environmental Studies: Population, Land Use, Biodiversity, and Energy
Fall (ST 201b)
An expanding human population and the desire of all people for a more prosperous life have placed tremendous demands on the environment. We will explore how human activities have affected land use, agriculture, fisheries, biodiversity, and the use of energy. Our focus is both global and local, highlighting not only fundamental changes in the biosphere, but also the ways in which individual decisions lead to major environmental changes. We explore the fundamental principles underlying contemporary environmental issues, and we use case studies to illustrate the scientific, political, economic, and social dimensions of environmental problems. 201a: two lectures, one preceptorial. 201b: two lectures, one preceptorial, one three-hour laboratory (http://web.princeton.edu/sites/pei/env3/). Required for concentrators in the Environmental Studies Program. L. Hedin, D. Wilcove

ENV 202a, 202b: Fundamentals of Environmental Studies: Climate, Toxics, Air Pollution, and Water
Spring (ST 202b)
This course will focus on the environmental consequences of human activities and their interactions with natural systems. Beginning with underlying principles, we will consider the social, political, economic, scientific and technical dimensions of four areas of environmental concern: the atmosphere (atmospheric pollution, its sources and prevention); climate (climate and climate variability; models and public policy); toxics in the environment (pollutants, remediation and solutions); and water resources (water-sheds use, climate effects, political issues). 202a: two lectures, one preceptorial. 202b: two lectures, one preceptorial, one three-hour laboratory. Completion of this course fulfills the core course-requirement for the ENV certificate. Staff

A link to the ENV 201b/202b lab site may be found here.

ENV 305, 306: Topics in Environmental Studies
Fall, Spring
Special topics courses related to the broad field of environmental studies. Seminar. Staff

ENV 305: American Regional Planning
Fall
This course explores how American regional planning deals with environmental and land-use issues including modern-day regional planning in light of its historical background, regulatory setting, cultural context and practical politics. The course focuses on specific cases such as the Tennessee Valley Authority, regional Smart Growth efforts, New Jersey land-use planning, the California coast and the Great Plains. F. and D. Popper

ENV 306: Environmental Writing
Spring
This course focuses on writing about environmental questions in a variety of nonfiction genres, including the personal essay, the policy essay, reviews and profiles. Readings are excerpts from classic and recent environmental prose, depicting many cultures, continents and bioregions. A. Matthews

ENV 310: Environmental Law and Moot Court
Spring
This course studies the relationship between law and the development of environmental policy. Focus is on key court cases concerning clean water and land use. The first half of the seminar will be conducted using lectures and the Socratic method. In the second, each student will have the opportunity to present either the plaintiff or defendant position in the case, to be decided by the class acting as a jury of peers. Three hours per week. Weekly one page case reviews, class participation and a final paper. Not open to Freshmen. Enrollment limited to 12. G. Hawkins

ENV 401: Environmental Policy Workshop
Fall
The workshop will focus on currently unresolved environmental policy questions, integrating three complementary perspectives. These are: (i) scientific evidence available to support alternative interventions; (ii) social, economic, and political tradeoffs and conflicts that require adjudication; (iii) ethics, human values and rights. In-depth analyses will be carried out in two problem areas: (1) mitigation of health and environmental impacts consequential to industrial projects in developing countries - e.g. oil production, dams for energy and agriculture; (2) biotechnology, corporate agriculture, and human rights. B. Singer

ENV 402: Environmental History: Darwin in Our Time (Not offered 2006-2007)
Spring
This seminar examines four works by Charles Darwin that revolutionized natural science and challenged Western concepts of humanity. Discussions explore Darwin’s ideas of nature, choice, and language. We also consider four waves of response to Darwin: fundamentalism, social Darwinism, creationism, and neo-Darwinism. W. Howarth

ENV ST01: Towards an Ethical CO2 Emissions Trajectory for Princeton

Research indicates that global climate change might be slowed if, as a first step, worldwide emissions of greenhouse gasses (GHG) are capped at current levels over the next 50 years. The goal of this seminar is to discover if and how Princeton could achieve an "ethical" emissions trajectory. Student teams will investigate methods such as increasing the energy efficiency of buildings and vehicles, harnessing solar or geothermal energy on campus, and purchasing electricity and fuel from low-CO2 -emitting sources. T. Kruetz

Cross-Listed Courses

ARC406/ENV406: Energy and Form
Fall
This course will familiarize participants with basic theories and practices of environmental design architecture. Lectures and readings will emphasize how the designer can advantageously manage flows of energy and mass through natural and built settings. Participants will gain greater ecological literacy, learning to employ ‘regenerative’ design principles to attain the best economic, social and environmental outcomes in their projects. H. Brown

CHM 333/ENV 333: Oil to Ozone: Chemistry of the Environment (Natural Science Cognate) Fall
The chemical background of environmental issues. Topics include energy and fuels, greenhouse effect, ozone, air pollution, food production, pesticides, metals pollution, carcinogens and antioxidants. T. Spiro

EEB 417A&B/ENV417A&B: Ecosystems and Global Change
Fall
An introduction to the concepts, approaches, and methods for studying complex ecological systems from local to global scales. Students will examine nutrient cycling, energy flow, and evolutionary processes, with emphasis on experimental approaches and comparisons between terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems. Particular attention will be on effects of human activities including climate change, biodiversity loss, eutrophication, and acid rain. Lectures cover theoretical elements and examples from the primary literature. Laboratories offer hands-on exposure to state-of-the-art field methods, and include an independent project. L. Hedin

ENG373/ENV373: Forms of Nonfiction
Fall
"The Literature of Place and Travel," a survey of Anglophone writings since 1960. Our readings include memoir, autobiography, journal, letters, diary, and reportage. Topics for discussion include places as social-cultural constructs, cross-country journeys, male and female travelers, ocean voyages and mountain treks, and survival and wilderness tales. The course also serves as an intensive workshop on the craft of writing literary nonfiction, with an emphasis on research, editing, and revision. W. Howarth

GEO322/ENV322: Biogeochemical Cycles and Global Change
Spring
An examination of natural biogeochemical cycles of carbon, nitrogen, and other elements, anthropogenic perturbations of these cycles, and climate implications of these perturbations. We discuss the biogeochemistry of ocean and land ecosystems, geochemical cycles of CO2 and other biogenic greenhouse gasses, and the role of greenhouse gases in climate. We conclude with an examination of man’s impact on the global environment. Prerequisites: CHM 102 and MAT 102 and PHY 102. Staff

GEO339/ENV339: Climate Change: Scientific Basis, Policy Implications
Spring
An exploration of the causes and potential consequences of human-induced climate change, and their implications for policy responses. By studying the climate system and how it is influenced by human perturbation, the class will develop themes that should constrain public policy, including time-scales of change, irreversibility, lags, limits, uncertainty and surprise. Staff

GEO399/ENV399: Environmental Decision-Making
Fall
Use of scientific arguments in concert with engineering, economic, political, and social considerations to develop environmental policies. Class format consists of exercises based on actual case studies related to natural hazards, environmental regulations, arms control negotiations, national security assessments, international agreements, waste disposal, and conservation practices. Prerequisite: Completion of science distribution requirement. G.F. van der Vink

GEO 524/ENV524 Environmental Issues Seminar
Current problems in environmental sciences. Element cycles; geochemistry-biotic interactions; human impacts on the environment. A new topic is chosen every semester. Recent topics have included: the global carbon cycle, alternative energies, biodiversity, genetically modified organisms, population and the environment, media and the environment, restoration ecology, the humanities and the environment and architecture, urban planning and the environment, and world oil and the Middle East. F. Morel

MAE328/ENV328: Energy for a Greenhouse-Constrained World
Spring
This course addresses, in technical detail, the challenge of changing the future global energy system to accommodate constraints on the atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration. Energy production strategies are emphasized, including renewable energy, nuclear fission and fusion, the capture and storage of fossil-fuel carbon, and hydrogen and low-carbon fuels.
Efficient energy use is also considered, as well as intersections of energy with economic development, international security, local environmental quality, and human behavior and values.

NES 266/ENV 266: Oil, Energy and the Middle East
Fall
An overview of the issues surrounding global energy supplies, oil’s unique economic properties, and its role in shaping the political economy of the Middle East and U.S. strategic interests in the region. We will begin by discussing the basic science and availability of energy sources, the state of technology, the functioning of energy markets, the challenges of coping with global climate change and the key role of the oil reserves in the Middle East. The second part of the course will focus on the history of oil in the Middle East and its impact on societies in the region. S. Sondhi, J. Taylor

WWS305/ENV335: Geography and Public Affairs
Spring
Geographical analysis of domestic and international policy issues including
spatial inequities, migration, regional development, territorial problems,
and environmental management. Emphasis on location theory, spatial
structure, concepts of territory and use and interpretation of mapped
information. Staff

WWS475 /ENV 475: Special Topics in Public Affairs : Global Environmental Issues (Not offered 2006-2007)
As the world population grows and becomes more industrialized the human impact on the global environment also increases. This class will examine a set of global environmental issues such as climate change, ozone layer depletion, population growth, depletion of global fisheries, and the build-up of persistent organic pollutants, as well as regional issues such as loss of biological diversity, deforestation and desertification, acid rain, and the pollution and overuse of fresh waters. The course will provide an overview of the scientific basis for these problems and will then examine current and possible future policy responses. D. Mauzerall

Summer Offerings

Princeton – Bermuda Institute for Oceanic Studies (BIOS) Summer Program in Marine Sciences
The Environmental Studies Program, in partnership with the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and the Department of Geosciences, offers summer courses in marine biology at the Bermuda Institute for Oceanic Studies (BIOS). These courses, at a tropical marine station that offers access to coral reef platforms and deepwater sites in the surrounding Sargasso Sea, provide students with an intensive, hands-on experience in marine science.

In summer 2007, a new course, “Observing the Marine Environment,” will be offered in conjunction with the Department of Geosciences.

EEB310/ENV310: Introduction to Marine Biology
Summer
Elements of the ecology, evolution, physiology, and behavior of marine organisms, as well as the historical development of relevant techniques and concepts. One goal is to understand selected aspects of coral reef and intertidal ecosystems—from the physiology and behavior of individuals to the flow of energy, predator/prey interactions, symbioses, and population dynamics at work. The other is to learn how to formulate scientific questions, answer them, and present the results. Four-week course.

Application: Students may apply for the summer any year after the freshman year. Enrollment limited to 15.

Prerequisite: Students are expected to have taken an introductory biology course (equivalent to EEB 210 or 211).

The course will include guest lectures on specific marine organisms, ecosystems, or marine problems. Possibilities include carbon cycling, nitrogen cycling, polychaete worms, hermit crabs, coral-algal symbioses, phytoplankton, shellfish, mangroves, seagrass beds, cephalopods, reef fish, and (of course) corals. Field trips will include snorkeling, helmet diving, coral reefs and the marine intertidal zone.

Evaluation: Three exams, two presentations, 500+ pages of reading and regular lab reports.

For further information, please click here:
http://www.eeb.princeton.edu/UNDERGRAD/bermuda_program.htm