Our Environmental Studies curriculum draws on environment-related courses across the university, offering students a thorough interdisciplinary education. In addition to many hands-on learning opportunities, we also emphasize community-engaged learning through guest speakers, field trips, and class projects that let students work with nonprofits and businesses to create and apply solutions.
Course Highlights
ENVS 435 Environmental Justice
Instructor: Kari Norgaard
How and why are environmental problems experienced differently according to race, gender, and class? How do different communities experience and respond to environmental problems? What do we learn about the meaning of gender, race, and class by studying the patterns of exposure and creative resistance of different communities to environmental hazards? In other words, what does the study of environmental risks tell us about racism, classism, and sexism in our nations and world today? These are some of the questions we will take up in this course.
ENVS 447 Soil Science
Instructor: Lucas Silva
This course will introduce undergraduate and graduate students to the wonderful world of soils. Soils exert fundamental control on patterns and processes of plant distributions, nutrient and water cycling, and the productivity of both natural and managed ecosystems. Soils are also an important component of many current and historical environmental problems. It is also widely applicable to graduate and undergraduate students in Anthropology, Biology, Earth Sciences, Environmental Studies, Environmental Science, Geography, and Landscape Architecture, along with other majors on campus.
ENVS 467 Sustainable Agriculture
Instructor: Galen Martin
The purpose of the class is for students to develop an informed critique of agricultural production. We will review traditional non-industrialized, modern industrialized, modern organic, and genetically modified crops-based systems through the lens of sustainability. While holding a holistic perspective, the course examines the various material components of production systems, and food policy and food security. By course end, students will have a fundamental understanding of how food is produced, the options and constraints of producers, and the obstacles and potential for more sustainable food production systems.
Projected Courses 2022-2023
Please note that course offerings may change as term schedules finalize. Additionally, the following lists only include descriptions of courses with the ENVS prefix. Please consult the UO Class Schedule, UO Catalog, and Tip Sheets for other course options. Click course name to see syllabus when available.
Fall 2022
| Course Number | Course Name | Term Offered | Area major Requirement |
|---|---|---|---|
| 200-level | |||
| 202 | Intro to Environmental Studies: Natural Sciences | Fall 2022 | Area 1 |
| 203 | Intro to Environmental Studies: Humanities | Fall 2022 | Area 1 |
| 300-level | |||
| 345 | Environmental Ethics | Fall 2022 | Area 3B: Humanities Foundation |
| 400-level | |||
| 410 | Avian Conservation | Fall 2022 | Area 3A: Life Science |
| 410 | Understanding Place | Fall 2022 | Area 3B: Social Science Foundation |
| 411 | Bodies of Water: Arts and Ecologies of H20 | Fall 2022 | Area 4 |
| 435 | Environmental Justice | Fall 2022 | Area 3B: Social Science Foundation |
Winter 2023
| Course Number | Course Name | Term Offered | Area major Requirement |
|---|---|---|---|
| 200-level | |||
| 201 | Intro to Environmental Studies: Social Science | Winter 2023 | Area 1 |
| 203 | Intro to Environmental Studies: Humanities | Winter 2023 | Area 1 |
| 400-level | |||
| 410 | Conservation Biology as Ideology | Winter 2023 | Area 3A: Life Science |
| 410 | Data Science | Winter 2023 | Area 3A (ENVS)/ Area 2 Analytic Approaches (ESCI) |
| 410 | Nature in Popular Culture | Winter 2023 | Area 3B: Humanities Foundation |
| 411 | Queer Ecological Reimaginings | Winter 2023 | Area 4 |
| 425 | Environmental Education: Theory & Practice | Winter 2023 | Area 4 |
| 427 | Environmental & Ecological Monitoring | Winter 2023 | Area 2 Analytical Approaches |
| 450 | Political Ecology | Winter 2023 | Area 3B: Social Sciences Foundation |
Spring 2023
| Course Number | Course Name | Term Offered | Area major Requirement |
|---|---|---|---|
| 200-level | |||
| 201 | Intro to Environmental Studies: Social Science | Spring 2023 | Area 1 |
| 202 | Intro to Environmental Studies: Natural Science | Spring 2023 | Area 1 |
| 400-level | |||
| 400M | Ice and Society | Spring 2023 | Area 4 |
| 410 | Ecosystems & Society | Spring 2023 | Area 3B: Social Sciences Foundation |
| 410 | Unnatural Disasters | Spring 2023 | Area 3B: Humanities Foundation |
| 411 | Fire and the Settler State | Spring 2023 | Area 4 |
| 411 | Invasive Species | Spring 2023 | Area 4 |
| 429 | Environmental Leadership Program | Spring 2023 | Area 5 |
| 467 | Sustainable Agriculture | Spring 2023 | Area 3B: Sustainable Design & Practice Foundation |
|
494M |
Passive Cooling | Spring 2023 | Area 3B: Sustainable Design & Practice Foundation |