Introduction to interdisciplinary Sustainability Studies minor. Scientific, cultural, ethical, and economic concepts that affect environmental sustainability and global economic justice. Key texts. Participatory classroom environment. prereq: Soph or jr or sr

Students synthesize multiple disciplinary perspectives and integrate insights gained from various approaches/methods. Concepts/scholarship related to sustainability. Applying knowledge/experience to real sustainability problems. prereq: [3003 or GLOS 3304, [jr or sr] in sustainability studies minor] or instr consent

Sustainability in business. Relationship of sustainable environments to organizations. Economic/strategic enterprise value. Relationship of sustainable business practices to marketplace trends/realities. prereq: 45 cr completed

Concepts of resource use. Financial/economic feasibility. External effects, market failures. Resource use, environmental problems. Measuring impacts of resource development. Economics of alternative resource programs, environmental strategies. prereq: 1101 or ECON 1101 or 1101H or ECON 1101H

Consequences of global food system. Diversity in food systems. Current topics in food sustainability.

Techniques of analysis and planning for transportation services. Demand-supply interactions. Evaluating transportation alternatives. Travel demand forecasting. Integrated model systems. Citizen participation in decision-making. prereq: 3201 or equiv, upper division CSE, or grad student

Political processes in management of the environment. How disagreements are addressed by different stakeholders, private-sector interests, government agencies, institutions, communities, and nonprofit organizations.

International perspectives on resource use and sustainable development. Integration of natural resource issues with social, economic, and policy considerations. Agriculture, forestry, agroforestry, non-timber forest products, water resources, certification, development issues. Global case studies. Impact of consumption in developed countries on sustainable development in lesser developed countries.

Microeconomic principles and their application to natural resource management problems. Economic and policy tools to address market failures. Discussion of regulatory and market-based instruments. Discounting and compounding concepts. Methods for conducting financial and economic analyses of natural resource management projects. Decision criteria when conducting benefit/cost analysis of natural resource projects. Methods for valuing non-market natural resource goods and services. Economics of managing renewable natural resources such as forests and fisheries. Land economics. Payments for environmental services. Planning and management problems. Case studies. prereq: MATH 1031 or equivalent.

Concepts/issues relating to industrial ecology and industry as they are influenced by current standards/regulations at local, state, and national levels. prereq: APEC 1101 or ECON 1101 or 3261W

Concepts/issues relating to inventory, subsequent analysis of production systems. Production system from holistic point of view, using term commonly used in industrial ecology: "metabolic system."

Environmental problems such as climate change, ozone depletion, and loss of biodiversity.

Methods, formal/informal, for analyzing environmental/natural resource policies. How to critically evaluate policies, using economic/non-economic decision-making criteria. Application of policy analysis to environmental/natural resource problems. Recognizing politically-charged environment in which decisions over use, management, and protection of resources often occur. Prereqs: ESPM 3241W or ESPM 3271 and ESPM 3261, undergrads with jr or sr standing.

Concepts, major issues relating to industrial ecology and industry as they are influenced by current standards/regulations at local, state, and national levels. prereq: APEC 1101 or ECON 1101

This interdisciplinary course will examine obstacles to energy transitions at different scales. It will explore the role of energy in society, the physics of energy, how energy systems were created and how they function, and how the markets, policies, and regulatory frameworks for energy systems in the US developed. The course will closely examine the Realpolitik of energy and the technical, legal, regulatory, and policy underpinnings of renewable energy in the US and Minnesota. Students will learn the drivers that can lead global systems to change despite powerful constraints and how local and institutional action enables broader reform. Students will put their learning into action by developing a proposal and then working on a project to accelerate the energy transition and to ensure that the energy transition benefits people in a just and equitable way. This is a Grand Challenge Curriculum course. prereq: sophomore, junior, senior

This course provides a multi-disciplinary look at problems (and some of the possible solutions) affecting food production, distribution, and requirements for the seven plus billion inhabitants of this planet. It is co-taught by a plant geneticist (Morrell) and an economist (Runge) who together have worked on international food production and policy issues for the past 40 years. Historical context, the present situation and future scenarios related to the human population and food production are examined. Presentations and discussions cover sometimes conflicting views from multiple perspectives on population growth, use of technology, as well as the ethical and cultural values of people in various parts of the world. The global challenge perspective is reflected in attention to issues of poverty, inequality, gender, the legacy of colonialism, and racial and ethnic prejudice. Emphasis is placed on the need for governments, international assistance agencies, international research and extension centers, as well as the private sector to assist in solving the complex problems associated with malnutrition, undernutrition, obesity, and sustainable food production. Through a better understanding of world food problems, this course enables students to reflect on the shared sense of responsibility by nations, the international community and ourselves to build and maintain a stronger sense of our roles as historical agents. Throughout the semester students are exposed to issues related to world food problems through the lenses of two instructors from different disciplinary backgrounds. The core issues of malnutrition and food production are approached simultaneously from a production perspective as well as an economic and policy perspective throughout the semester. This is a Grand Challenge Curriculum course. GCC courses are open to all students and fulfill an honors experience for University Honors Program students.

Through readings, lectures, discussions, written assignments, and presentations this course introduces the critical issues underpinning global change and its environmental and social implications. The course examines current literature in exploring evidence for human-induced global change and its potential effects on a wide range of biological processes and examines the social and economic drivers, social and economic consequences, and political processes at local, national, and international scales related to global change. This is a Grand Challenge Curriculum course.

This course provides a multi-disciplinary look at problems (and some of the possible solutions) affecting food production, distribution, and requirements for the seven plus billion inhabitants of this planet. It is co-taught by a plant geneticist (Morrell) and an economist (Runge) who together have worked on international food production and policy issues for the past 40 years. Historical context, the present situation and future scenarios related to the human population and food production are examined. Presentations and discussions cover sometimes conflicting views from multiple perspectives on population growth, use of technology, as well as the ethical and cultural values of people in various parts of the world. The global challenge perspective is reflected in attention to issues of poverty, inequality, gender, the legacy of colonialism, and racial and ethnic prejudice. Emphasis is placed on the need for governments, international assistance agencies, international research and extension centers, as well as the private sector to assist in solving the complex problems associated with malnutrition, undernutrition, obesity, and sustainable food production. Through a better understanding of world food problems, this course enables students to reflect on the shared sense of responsibility by nations, the international community and ourselves to build and maintain a stronger sense of our roles as historical agents. Throughout the semester students are exposed to issues related to world food problems through the lenses of two instructors from different disciplinary backgrounds. The core issues of malnutrition and food production are approached simultaneously from a production perspective as well as an economic and policy perspective throughout the semester. This is a Grand Challenge Curriculum course. GCC courses are open to all students and fulfill an honors experience for University Honors Program students.

Development of transportation policy, making of transportation plans, deployment of transportation technologies. Lectures, interactive case studies, role playing.

What is the value of clean water? Explore the many facets of water, earth's most abundant resource. Ponder the value water for you, society, a region or nation; the complexities of ownership and protection; the influence of culture and traditions; and potential impacts of climate change. Consider realistic and holistic solutions to water issues.

In this course students will learn about ways in which companies are embracing sustainability in their strategy and operations to increase growth and global competitiveness, including manufacturing processes for major sustainable products and biobased products. This includes processes and approaches for environmental mitigation and "green" manufacturing, reduce industrial waste and emissions, environmental footprint, and associated costs through more efficient manufacturing practices and incorporate bio-based product formulation. Students will acquire a working knowledge of management policies, tools and techniques to improve operational and environmental performance. prereq: Junior/Senior Status, Introductory Chemistry or instr consent

Systems of production/distribution, especially in nonindustrial societies. Comparison, history, critique of major theories. Cross-cultural anthropological approach to material life that subsumes market/nonmarket processes.

Historical, cultural, material contexts within which environmental communication takes place. Understand environmental communication as well as develop communication strategies that lead to more sustainable social practices, institutions, and systems.

This course explores significant environmental issues (such as environmental justice, toxic chemicals, climate change) through the analysis of texts from diverse literary genres. It focuses as much on issues of language and meaning as it does on the subjects these texts concern. Students examine the formal dimensions of these texts, as well as their social and historical contexts. In addition, students are introduced to the underlying scientific principles, the limitations of technologies, and the public policy aspects of each of these issues, in order to judge what constitutes an appropriate response to them. Students also learn how to identify and evaluate credible information concerning the environment.

Normative/professional ethics, and leadership considerations, applicable to managing natural resources and the environment. Readings, discussion.

The overarching theme of the course is the role of artistic/humanistic ways of knowing as tools for making sense and meaning in the face of "grand challenges." Our culture tends to privilege science, and to isolate it from the "purposive" disciplines--arts and humanities--that help humanity ask and answer difficult questions about what should be done about our grand challenges. In this course, we will examine climate change science, with a particular focus on how climate change is expected to affect key ecological systems such as forests and farms and resources for vital biodiversity such as pollinators. We will study the work of artists who have responded to climate change science through their artistic practice to make sense and meaning of climate change. Finally, students create collaborative public art projects that will become part of local community festivals/events late in the semester.

What does it mean to live "the good life" in a time of rapid climate changes, mass extinction of plant and animal species, and the increasing pollution of our oceans, atmosphere, and soils? Is it possible to live sustainably, as individuals and societies, in what scientists are calling the Anthropocene, or this new epoch of human influence over the planet? Will sustainability require that we sacrifice the gains humanity has made in our quality of life? Or can we find a way to create a good Anthropocene? This course will attempt to answer these questions in four ways: 1. By providing an overview of sustainability science, both what it says about about human and natural systems and how it comes to make these claims 2. By examining various conceptions of the good life, both individual and social, and how they intersect with the findings of sustainability science 3. By exploring the conflicts that exist within and between differing visions of sustainability and the good life through case studies in energy, water, and food 4. By pursuing collaborative research projects that will help students apply their knowledge and skills to current problems in sustainability studies We will read widely in the sciences, social sciences, and humanities to understand a range of historical and contemporary perspectives on these questions, and in doing so we will put abstract ethical principles into conversation with a diversity of specific cultures and environments. By the end of the course, students will have examined their own assumptions about personal and professional happiness, considered how these align with and diverge from societal visions and values, and explored innovative solutions to help sustain our productive economy and our planet. This is a Grand Challenge Curriculum course.

Students will explore ecological and human health consequences of climate change, the psychology of climate inaction, and will be invited to join us in the radical work of discovering not only their own leadership potential but that of others. We will unpack the old story of domination and hierarchy and invite the class to become part of a vibrant new story of human partnership that will not only help humanity deal with the physical threat of climate change but will help us create a world where we have the necessary skills and attitudes to engage the many other grand challenges facing us. Using a strategy of grassroots empowerment, the course will be organized to help us connect to the heart of what we really value; to understand the threat of climate change; to examine how we feel in the light of that threat; and to take powerful action together. Students will work in groups throughout the course to assess the global ecological threat posed by climate change, and they will be part of designing and executing an activity where they empower a community to take action. This is a Grand Challenge Curriculum course. prereq: soph, jr, sr

Despite understanding the consequences of not acting to curb unsustainability, why do people fail to act? Human?s behavioral apathy toward sustainability may be due to an inaccurate characterization of sustainability and/or a lack of understanding of cultural diversity and behavior. Therefore, an understanding of the human behavior will contribute greatly to (i) decipher human actions that negatively impact global ecosystems, (ii) slowdown or stop human ecologically destructive trajectory, and (iii) promote sustainable alternatives. The problem is that environmental issues are not generally included in psychology programs, and psychology is not often represented in environmental programs. In the United Nation?s (UN) Sustainable Development goals 2030 (UN SDG 2030), psychological indices have been conspicuously absent (except for mental health in general terms) even though environmental degradation, social or economic inequity, all are implicated by human behavior. The UN SDG 2030 is based on the unproven concept that sustainability is an intersection of social, economic and environmental factors, the key pillars of sustainability. Since economic activity and society are subsets of human behavior, psychology should be considered central to unsustainability and/or sustainability. Therefore, we hypothesize that behavioral psychology has a critical role to play in creating a sustainable society. The aim of the proposed GCC is to discuss (un)sustainability using this new paradigm that will allow new approaches to achieve transition from unsustainability to sustainability worldwide. The specific aims of the proposed GCC are following: (i) Describe interaction between sustainability and behavioral psychology as the 4th pillar of sustainability. (ii) Explain the behavioral correlates of cultural differences in terms of transition to sustainability. (iii) Explain the consumption (related to unsustainability) and conservation (related to sustainability) behavior. (iv) Determine the place of Psychology in the UN?s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that are mostly based on Sociology, Economy and Environment. (v) Describe humanity?s transition from unsustainable to sustainable development. This is a Grand Challenge Curriculum Course. GCC courses are open to all students and fulfill an honors experience for University Honors Program students.

The overarching theme of the course is the role of artistic/humanistic ways of knowing as tools for making sense and meaning in the face of "grand challenges." Our culture tends to privilege science, and to isolate it from the "purposive" disciplines--arts and humanities--that help humanity ask and answer difficult questions about what should be done about our grand challenges. In this course, we will examine climate change science, with a particular focus on how climate change is expected to affect key ecological systems such as forests and farms and resources for vital biodiversity such as pollinators. We will study the work of artists who have responded to climate change science through their artistic practice to make sense and meaning of climate change. Finally, students create collaborative public art projects that will become part of local community festivals/events late in the semester. This is a Grand Challenge Curriculum course.

Environmental problems and political economic processes are intimately connected. The latter shape where and how people encounter nature, who has access to resources, and which communities are exposed to or protected from environmental harms. In this course, you will join others in examining how environmental problems are produced and how people organize to address them. Through readings, video, film, and lectures you will learn to identify the racial and class dimensions of environmental change. You will also understand the goals and principles of the environmental justice movement and explore inspiring struggles to build socially just ecological relations. Over the course of the semester you will acquire robust analytical and theoretical tools for understanding the political and ecological dimensions of racial capitalism and settler colonialism and learn how alternative social and ecological worlds might be generated and sustained.

Inequality in the form of extreme wealth and poverty in our world are major causes of environmental degradation. In addition, development failure as well as certain forms of economic growth always led to environment disasters. This course examines how our world?s economic and political systems and the livelihoods they engender have produced catastrophic local and global environmental conditions. Beyond this, the course explores alternative approaches of achieving sustainable environment and equitable development. prereq: Soph or jr or sr

How environmental thinking became social-political force through German literature/culture, with comparisons to global or U.S. developments. Authors include Goethe, Christa Wolf, Enzensberger.

This course takes a cross-cultural, historical, and transnational perspective to the study of the global food system. Themes explored include: different cultural and social meanings attached to food; social class and consumption; the global food economy; global food chains; work in the food sector; the alternative food movement; food justice; environmental consequences of food production.

This course introduces students to the theoretical and historical foundations of environmental racism and environmental inequality more broadly. We will examine and interrogate both the social scientific evidence concerning these phenomena and the efforts by community residents, activists, workers, and governments to combat it. We will consider the social forces that create environmental inequalities so that we may understand their causes, consequences, and the possibilities for achieving environmental justice prereq: SOC 1001 recommended

We examine environmental ideas, sustainability, conservation history; critique of the human impact on nature; empire and power in the Anthropocene; how the science of ecology has developed; and modern environmental movements around the globe. Case studies include repatriation of endangered species; ecology and evolutionary theory; ecology of disease; and climate change.

Philosophical basis for membership in moral community. Theories applied to specific problems (e.g., vegetarianism, wilderness preservation). Students defend their own reasoned views about moral relations between humans, animals, and nature.

This course takes a cross-cultural, historical, and transnational perspective to the study of the global food system. Themes explored include: different cultural and social meanings attached to food; social class and consumption; the global food economy; global food chains; work in the food sector; the alternative food movement; food justice; environmental consequences of food production. prereq: Soc majors/minors must register A-F

Examines the interaction between human society and the natural environment, focusing on the contemporary and global situation. Takes the perspective of environmental sociology concerning the short-range profit-driven and ideological causes of ecological destruction. Investigates how society is reacting to that increasing destruction prereq: 1001 recommended or a course on the environment, soc majors/minors must register A-F

This course introduces students to the theoretical and historical foundations of environmental racism and environmental inequality more broadly. We will examine and interrogate both the social scientific evidence concerning these phenomena and the efforts by community residents, activists, workers, and governments to combat it. We will consider the social forces that create environmental inequalities so that we may understand their causes, consequences, and the possibilities for achieving environmental justice prereq: SOC 1001 recommended

With a focus on understanding environmental justice, including interconnections between health, economic and environmental disparities, this course shows students how they can take action for sustainability. Students synthesize multiple disciplinary perspectives and participate in small group collaborative activities, service learning, and digital mapping, all related to contemporary challenges.

Ecological/ethical concerns of food production systems in global agriculture: past, present, and future. Underlying ethical positions about how agroecosystems should be configured. Decision cases, discussions, videos, other media.

Ecological approach to problems in agricultural systems. Formal methodologies of systems inquiry are developed/applied. prereq: [3xxx or above] course in [Agro or AnSc or Ent or Hort or PlPa or Soil] or instr consent

Ecological/ethical concerns of food production systems in global agriculture: past, present, and future. Underlying ethical positions about how agroecosystems should be configured. Interactive learning using decision cases, discussions, videos, other media.

This course explores the science behind environmental topics. It delves into the interface of science and policy, environmental decision-making and ethics. Topics include biodiversity, environmental toxicology, food production, and global climate change. Students looking to fulfill the liberal education requirement-Biological Sciences with Lab in this topic should take Biology 1055.

Explores science behind environmental topics. Delves into the interface of science and policy, environmental decision-making and ethics. Topics include biodiversity, env. toxicology, food production, and climate change. In lab students conduct the work of biologists, proposing hypotheses, conducting experiments, and analyzing/interpreting data. This course is intended to engage non-biology majors in the work of biology, studying current biological knowledge through evidence-based discussions of what is currently known, and by addressing science that is unknown to the students (and, at times to the biological community) through the generation and testing of hypotheses, collection and analysis of data, and practice of making data-informed conclusions.

Survey key aspects of green chemistry in modern research and development both in academia and industry, as well as relevant implications for the environment, technology, and public policy. prereq: [2302 or 2081 or equiv]

Basic concepts in ecology. Organization, development, function of ecosystem. Population growth/regulation. Human effect on ecosystems. prereq: [Jr or sr] recommended; biological sciences students may not apply cr toward major

Principles of ecology from populations to ecosystems. Applications to human populations, disease, exotic organisms, habitat fragmentation, biodiversity and global dynamics of the earth.

Principles of population growth/interactions, communities and ecosystem function applied to ecological issues. Regulation of populations, dynamics/impacts of disease, invasions by exotic organisms, biodiversity, global change. Lab. Scientific writing. Quantitative skill development (mathematical models, data analysis, statistics and some coding in R). prereq: [One semester college biology or instr consent], [MATH 1142 or MATH 1271 or Math 1272 or Math 1241 or Math 1242 or MATH 1281 or Math 1282 or equiv]

Regulation of energy and elements cycling through ecosystems. Dependence of cycles on kinds/numbers of species within ecosystems. Effects of human-induced global changes on functioning of ecosystems.

Biodiversity science is a rapidly expanding field of enquiry with increasing digital resources and global monitoring capabilities precisely at the moment in history that scientists recognize as the Sixth Extinction. In other words, we are currently facing a biodiversity crisis with threats to the Earth's biota not seen since the dinosaurs perished 65 million years ago. "Biodiversity" was coined by W.G. Rosen and E.O Wilson in the 1980s to describe the variation in all of life on Earth. The term is now widely used in both the scientific and popular literature and is at the center of scientific enquiry, conservation efforts, large-scale collaborative pursuits of technological advances to allow monitoring from space, and global assessments that interface with international policy. Biodiversity requires integration across multiple disciplines from evolution, to ecology, remote sensing, conservation biology, economics and the social sciences, including the environmental policy. Biodiversity science is thus inherently interdisciplinary. As a consequence, rarely does a single course provide students the opportunity to focus on this critical topic from multiple perspectives and dimensions. This new course seeks to provide students intensive study of biodiversity from six perspectives: 1) the origins of biodiversity, including the processes of speciation and extinction over macroevolutionary timescales and those involved in generating biological variation at microevolutionary scales; 2) the ecological problem of species coexistence, given the nature of competitive interactions and biological filters with a focus on the interactions of individual species and major threats to biodiversity; 3) the consequences of biodiversity and biodiversity loss for ecosystem functions, focusing on ecosystem scale processes; 4) the services or benefits to humans attributed to biodiversity, including cultural benefits of biodiversity; here we discuss both practical and ethical arguments for sustaining biodiversity; 5) methods of detecting biodiversity including classic field biodiversity observations and taxonomic collections and emerging remote sensing methods that harness hyperspectral data and satellite imagery; and 6) scientific assessments of biodiversity that communicate the science of biodiversity to policymakers, particularly the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). The IPBES involves scientists from around the world and integrates indigenous and local knowledge (ILK). The United Nations and governments around the globe are sponsoring the IPBES, building on earlier assessments such as a prominent one in the UK. Several guest lecturers from across the University will participate in discussions and aid in development of computer labs (including Sharon Jansa (CBS), Keith Barker (CBS), Joe Knight (CFANS), and others).

Geologic aspects of energy/material resources. Resource size/life-times. Environmental consequences of resource use. Issues of international/public ethics associated with resource production, distribution, and use.

Detection/attribution of global warming using concepts of radiation, climate system, and carbon cycle. Effects on society/biodiversity. National/global efforts/controversy over responses/consequences.

Detection/attribution of global warming using radiation, climate system, and carbon cycle. Effects on society/biodiversity. National/global efforts. Controversy over responses/consequences.

Ecology of ecosystems that are primarily composed of managed plant communities, such as managed forests, field-crop agroecosystems, rangelands and nature reserves, parks, and urban open-spaces. Concepts of ecology and ecosystem management. prereq: BIOL 1001 or BIOL 1009 or HORT 1001 or instr consent

Tourism is a significant industry locally, nationally, and internationally. Park and protected area attractions are among the most visited but also the most vulnerable attractions. This course is designed to familiarize you with the basic concept of park and protected area tourism, including cultural and ecotourism, and then develop your expertise to plan and evaluate sustainable tourism development and operations. Accordingly, you will complete assignments that apply the knowledge gained to planning and evaluation activities. This course is offered partially on-line. COURSE OBJECTIVES By the end of the class you will be able to: 1.Differentiate and appreciate the complexities involved with defining and developing nature, eco, heritage, geo-, park and protected, cultural and "sustainable tourism." 2.Identify specific social, economic, and environmental impacts associated with park and protected area tourism, how to measure them, and methods to minimize the negative and maximize the positive impacts. 3.Analyze domestic and international case studies of park and protected area tourism. 4.Critically evaluate park and protected area tourism services and effective management and planning. 5. Create elements of a business plan for park and protected area tourism operations that emphasize sustainability.

Introduction to themes/concepts of diverse, dynamic, and interdisciplinary field. Biological/social underpinnings of conservation problems/solutions. prereq: introductory biology course

What are the effects of climate change, disease emergence, food and water security, gender, conflict and poverty, and sustainability of ecosystem services on health, and how do we lead across boundaries for positive change? Unfortunately, these large-scale problems often become overwhelming, making single solution-based progress seem daunting and difficult to implement in policy. Fortunately, the emerging discipline of ecosystem health provides an approach to these problems grounded in trans-disciplinary science. Ecosystem health recognizes the interdependence of human, animal and environmental health, and merges theories and methods of ecological, health and political sciences. It poses that health threats can be prevented, monitored and controlled via a variety of approaches and technologies that guide management action as well as policy. Thus, balancing human and animal health with the management of our ecosystems. In this class, we will focus on the emerging discipline of ecosystem health, and how these theories, methods, and shared leadership approaches set the stage for solutions to grand challenges of health at the interface of humans, animals, and the environment. We will focus not only on the creation and evaluation of solutions but on their feasibility and implementation in the real world through policy and real-time decision making. This will be taught in the active learning style classroom, requiring pre-class readings to support didactic theory and case-based learning in class. Participation and both individual and group projects (written and oral presentation) will comprise most of the student evaluation. These projects may reflect innovative solutions, discoveries about unknowns, or development of methods useful for ecosystem health challenges. We envision that some of them will lead to peer-review publications, technical reports, or other forms of publication. This is a Grand Challenge Curriculum course.

Human Threats to Ocean Health This grand challenge course addresses the scope of the anthropogenic alterations in natural biogeochemical cycling (BGCC) of oceans that will help the students to develop strategies to intervene, advocate, and sustain planetary health for all of humanity. The following grand challenge questions will be addressed: (1) How does Ocean Biogeochemical Cycling (BGCC) of nutrients support global ecosystems and biodiversity? (2) What human (anthropogenic) activities disrupt ocean BGCC of nutrients, resulting in depletion of biodiversity, ecosystem health, ecosystem services, and environmental justice for humans? (3) What do humans have to do to protect the future of ocean health and all of humanity? Global recycling of nutrients and metals within the environment (geosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere) and the biosphere are essential for maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem services on which all of humanity depends. Living organisms extract and transform nutrients for their metabolism, growth, and reproduction, ultimately releasing these nutrients (often in a transformed state) back to the inanimate sphere via biogeochemical cycling (BGCC) driven by energy transformations. In natural environments, BGCC maintains a dynamic equilibrium/homeostasis between abiotic and biotic spheres, a process essential for survival of life on Earth. However, the current human practices have caused massive changes in the BGCC of nutrients, thus disrupting the natural cycling and (i) threatening the biosphere?s nutrient availability and (ii) precipitating many of the current environmental problems such as climate change, nitrogen pollution, ocean acidification, acid rain, mercury deposition, etc. At the current scale of human development, these alterations to the BGCC in the oceans may seriously damage the environment and biodiversity, thus threatening the entire Planet?s future. Further, the adverse effects of the loss of ecosystem services may not be shared equally amongst society, whereby access to a healthy environment is increasingly distributed by power, class, and race. An understanding of these inequities and incorporation of environmental justice in eco-centric environmental advocacy will be essential for sustaining the health of our planet. Therefore, the students registering for this course will develop an understanding and the scope of the anthropogenic alterations in natural biogeochemical cycling of oceans that will help them develop strategies to intervene, advocate, and sustain planetary health for all of humanity. The specific aims are following: (1) Describe global and local mechanisms of natural BGCC on Earth and connection to the oceans; (2) Explain human impacts on BGCC, and relationships between abnormal BGCC and nutrient distribution in water, sediment, and air; (3) Determine impact of human-altered ocean nutrient cycling on society, including members disproportionately impacted by environmental issues and underrepresented in environmental movements; (4) Strategize sustainable strategies to mitigate the health and environmental problems associated with abnormal biogeochemical nutrient cycling, bringing environmental justice perspectives to the forefront; and (5) Convince students that positive actions made now can and will impact the future. This course will focus on multiple vectors of inquiry (i.e., chemistry, toxicology, environment science and justice, sustainability and biodiversity), and students' progress through the course will give them powerful tools to confront the Grand Challenges of our age, global change in biogeochemical cycles. This is a Grand Challenge Curriculum course.

What are the effects of climate change, disease emergence, food and water security, gender, conflict and poverty, and sustainability of ecosystem services on health? Unfortunately, these large-scale problems often become overwhelming, making single solution-based progress seem daunting and difficult to implement in policy. Fortunately, the emerging discipline of ecosystem health provides an approach to these problems grounded in trans-disciplinary science. Ecosystem health recognizes the interdependence of human, animal and environmental health, and merges theories and methods of ecological, health and political sciences. It poses that health threats can be prevented, monitored and controlled via a variety of approaches and technologies that guide management action as well as policy. Thus, balancing human and animal health with management of our ecosystems. In this class, we will focus on the emerging discipline of ecosystem health, and how these theories, methods and computational technologies set the stage for solutions to grand challenges of health at the interface of humans, animals and the environment. We will focus not only on the creation and evaluation of solutions, but on their feasibility and implementation in the real world through policy and real time decision making. This will be taught in the active learning style classroom, requiring pre class readings to support didactic theory and case-based learning in class. Participation and both individual and group projects (written and oral presentation) will comprise most of the student evaluation. These projects may reflect innovative solutions, discoveries about unknowns, or development of methods useful for ecosystem health challenges. We envision that some of them will lead to peer-review publications, technical reports or other forms of publication. This is a Grand Challenge Curriculum course.

The geography of biodiversity and productivity, from conspicuous species to those that cause human disease and economic hardship. The roles played by evolution and extinction, fluxes of energy, water, biochemicals, and dispersal. Experiments demonstrating interactions of managed and unmanaged biotic with the hydrologic cycle, energy budgets, nutrient cycles, the carbon budget, and soil processes.

Geographic patterns, dynamics, and interactions of atmospheric, hydrospheric, geomorphic, pedologic, and biologic systems as context for human population, development, and resource use patterns.

Organic fruit and vegetable production has been one of the fastest growing segments of the US economy for almost two decades, stimulating an overwhelming number of biological and ecological innovations to produce food using organic approaches. This course aims to increase student's knowledge of ecological concepts as applied to managing organic systems, with an emphasis on soil nutrient cycles and plant-soil-microbe interactions that serve as the cornerstone of organic systems. Students in this course will learn tools needed to manage an organic diversified vegetable operation. The course consists of two components. The lecture session is designed to help students think about concepts and principles that are useful in planning and managing production strategies on organic farms. We spend a significant amount of our time reviewing soil nutrient cycling and its critical importance for organic farms, including how to effectively use soil and organic nutrient inputs such as cover crops, manure and fertilizers, to provide vegetable crops with the nutrients they need to grow. We also learn about successful marketing strategies for organic produce. Finally, near the end of the semester we will discuss pest management, including both weeds and disease/insect pests, and compare different tillage options available to organic producers. What we learn is then applied to planning next year's season of the UMN student organic farm. Throughout, we will use case studies, guest speakers, games, and active learning discussion approaches to move these classroom sessions "beyond the lecture" and allow students to engage with the material in a meaningful way. The lab is designed to allow a space to put into action some of the concepts students learn in lecture, including soil organic matter analysis, microgreen propagation, calculation of organic fertilizer rates, and operation of driven and walk-behind tractors.

Introduction to theories/practices of ecological approaches to architectural design. Ecological context, implications/opportunities of architecture. Historical/theoretical framework for ecological design thinking. Issues studied at various scales: site/community, building, component.

There is a growing sense of national and global urgency regarding carbon and climate change with particular emphasis on our energy system. Unfortunately, the answers are not simple. In this course, students explore our wide range of traditional and renewable energy sources and how these options impact our environment and society. Students are also exposed to the complex and compelling ethical issues raised by global, national, and local changes in how we produce and use energy. This course informs and engages students to be thoughtful, rather than passive consumers of energy. Students gain the knowledge necessary to be articulate in career, community, and personal arenas regarding renewable energy resources. In addition, students develop the ability to evaluate and respond to present and future technological changes that impact their energy use in the workplace, at home, and in the community. This course was designed and offered as an online course since 2011. For more details on the course please look at the syllabus and some comments from previous students by going to bbe2201.cfans.umn.edu

Energy security. Environmental, economic, societal impacts. Current/emerging technologies for production/use, characteristics of renewable energy, key methods for efficient production. Current/probable future. Impact on sustainable development. prereq: Junior or senior

A quantitative approach to environmental problems, including the development of mass and energy balances and the application of fundamental principles of environmental chemistry and microbiology. Meets the University of Minnesota's liberal education environment theme through the incorporation of environmental function, problems, and solutions throughout the course. prereq: Chem 1062, Phys 1302, Math 1372 or equivalent

Topics/credits vary. prereq: Upper div CSE

This course will serve as an introduction to the topics of solid and hazardous waste management. Classes will incorporate information about prevention, treatment options, and the regulations surrounding solid and hazardous waste. They will also provide an opportunity to observe different methods of waste treatment in action.

Energy from renewables such as solar and wind to combat potentially catastrophic climate change resulting from our use of fossil fuels; electrifying our transportation; ways to increase energy efficiency and energy conservation; need for energy storage to increase the penetration of renewables; role of technology, societal benefits and the ethics. Note: EE 1701 and EE 1703 (the lab) need to both be taken to fulfill the Physical Science Core requirement. EE 1701 alone fulfills the Technology and Society theme requirement.

How sustainable housing practices build community. How community growth has impacted the environment and how natural events impact our communities. Science and technology required to build high performance houses.

Do you want to make a difference? We live at the intersection of COVID-19, racism, economic recession, and environmental collapse. Now is the time to make an impact. In this project-based course, you will work in interdisciplinary teams. You'll develop entrepreneurial responses to current social and environmental problems. You'll develop tools, mindsets, and skills to address any complex grand challenge. Your project may address food insecurity, unemployment, housing, environmental impacts, equity, or other issues. Proposed designs for how you might have a social impact can take many forms (student group, program intervention with an existing organization, public policy strategy, or for-profit or non-profit venture) but must have ideas for how to be financially sustainable. Community members, locally and globally, will serve as mentors and research consultants to teams. Weekly speakers will share their innovative efforts to serve the common good. A primary focus of the course is up-front work to identify the ?right? problem to solve. You will use a discovery process, design thinking, and input from field research to addressing the challenge you choose. You will build a model around the community?s culture, needs, and wants. By the end of the class, you will have a well-designed plan to turn your project into an actionable solution if that is of interest. This is a Grand Challenge Curriculum course. GCC courses are open to all students and fulfill an honors experience for University Honors Program students.

An energy revolution is underway, and needs to accelerate to support climate and economic goals. But the general citizenry does not understand our current energy systems, particularly the seemingly invisible phenomena of electricity, and its generation, distribution, and use. Technical knowledge is only half the solution, however. It is through human decisions and behaviors that technical solutions get applied and adopted, and the importance of communication and storytelling is being recognized for its relevance to making change. How can science literacy and behavior-motivating engagement and storytelling be combined to help make systemic change? This course explores the integration of science-based environmental education, with art-led, place-based exploration of landscapes and creative map-making to address this challenge. How do we make electricity visible, understandable, and interesting -- so we can engage citizens in energy conservation with basic literacy about the electric power system so that they can be informed voters, policy advocates, and consumers. In this class, you will take on this challenge, first learning about the electric power systems you use, their cultural and technical history, systems thinking, design thinking, and prior examples of communication and education efforts. With this foundation, you will then apply your learning to create a public education project delivered via online GIS Story maps that use a combination of data, art, and story to help others understand, and act on the power journey we are all on. All will share the common exploration of power systems through field trips, and contribute to a multi-faceted story of power, presented in a group map and individual GIS Story maps. No prior knowledge of GIS story maps or electricity issues is needed. The study of power systems can be a model for learning and communicating about other topics that explore the interaction of technology and society toward sustainability. This is a Grand Challenge Curriculum course. GCC courses are open to all students and fulfill an honors experience for University Honors Program students.

Do you want to make a difference? We live in a world full of complex challenges, such as COVID-19, racism, economic recession, and environmental collapse, to name a few. Now is the time to use your own skills and passion to make a positive impact in the world. In this project-based course, you will learn how to develop effective and sustainable responses to current social and environmental problems. You'll study a variety of tools, mindsets, and skills that will help you to address any complex grand challenge, as well as engage with case studies of successful grand challenge projects in the past. Your project may address food insecurity, unemployment, housing, environmental impacts, equity, or other issues. Proposed designs for how you might have an impact may take many forms (student group, program intervention with an existing organization, public policy strategy, or for-profit or non-profit venture) but this class will focus on how to make ideas financially sustainable. The primary focus of this (GCC 5005) course is how to develop a pilot project plan that addresses a grand challenge. You will learn business modeling, financial projections, and pitching to potential investors and funders. You will build a model for your idea around input from primary and secondary research, as well as the affected community?s culture, needs, and wants. Community members, locally and globally, may serve as mentors and research consultants to teams. External speakers will be brought in to share their stories of how to build and scale innovative efforts to serve the common good. Students enrolled will work either independently, or in small teams, on a project of their own choosing. Ideally, students will apply to take this class with a project in mind. By the end of the class, students will have a well-designed plan to turn their project into an actionable solution if that is of interest. This is a Grand Challenge Curriculum course. GCC courses are open to all students and fulfill an honors experience for University Honors Program students.

An energy revolution is underway, and needs to accelerate to support climate and economic goals. But the general citizenry does not understand our current energy systems, particularly the seemingly invisible phenomena of electricity, and its generation, distribution, and use. Technical knowledge is only half the solution, however. It is through human decisions and behaviors that technical solutions get applied and adopted, and the importance of communication and storytelling is being recognized for its relevance to making change. How can science literacy and behavior-motivating engagement and storytelling be combined to help make systemic change? This course explores the integration of science-based environmental education, with art-led, place-based exploration of landscapes and creative map-making to address this challenge. How do we make electricity visible, understandable, and interesting--so we can engage citizens in energy conservation with basic literacy about the electric power system so that they can be informed voters, policy advocates, and consumers. In this class, you will take on this challenge, first learning about the electric power systems you use, their cultural and technical history, systems thinking, design thinking, and prior examples of communication and education efforts. With this foundation, you will then apply your learning to create a public education project delivered via online GIS Story maps that use a combination of data, art, and story to help others understand, and act on the power journey we are all on. All will share the common exploration of power systems through field trips, and contribute to a multi-faceted story of power, presented in a group map and individual GIS Story maps. No prior knowledge of GIS story maps or electricity issues is needed. The study of power systems can be a model for learning and communicating about other topics that explore the interaction of technology and society toward sustainability. This is a Grand Challenge Curriculum course. GCC courses are open to all students and fulfill an honors experience for University Honors Program students.

This course provides an intensive, hands-on experience designing and developing a sustainable intervention to an aspect of a Grand Challenge. In other words, converting knowledge to impact. The target audience is students and student teams who have identified and/or worked on a specific problem in a previous GCC course and wish to dig deeper in developing a project plan. Students should enter the class with a problem statement identifying the challenge they aim to address, a target location or community, and a proposed solution or intervention that they wish to develop. Student solutions should address a problem that is about a broadly defined Grand Challenge; examples of applicable areas include water, immigration and refugees, energy, housing, educational opportunity gap, public health, food and sustainable agriculture. Ideas outside this range are also acceptable. By the end of class, students will create a plausible design and implementation plan for a solution that addresses their self-created Grand Challenge problem statement. This solution or intervention could take many forms, depending on student interest and problem statement. Business or nonprofit plans, policy and advocacy plans, media and awareness campaigns and activism plans are all possible. Determining the correct path(s) is part of the learning objectives for the course. Students will leave the course with a completed preliminary pitch deck for their plan in order to make the case for initial, or seed stage, support. Throughout this document (and course), the terms solution and intervention will be used somewhat interchangeably. This reflects the fact that different disciplines use different words to describe similar aspects of the overall process covered in this class. Understanding some of those differences is part of the learning objectives for the class. This is a Grand Challenge Curriculum course. GCC courses are open to second year undergraduate students and above and graduate students and fulfill an honors experience for University Honors Program students.

Examination of relationships between place and space, and realms of the ideal and real, public and private. Survey of how the fields of architecture, landscape architecture, and urban design have explored those issues.

This course will study nations, regions, cities, and communities that have adapted or are undergoing adaptation to climate change. The course will examine different approaches in planning, policy, economics, infrastructure, and building design that increase the adaptive capacity of human settlements. These approaches will vary in scale from the construction of new neighborhoods to the implementation of storm water gardens. The course will emphasize multi-functional strategies which couple climate change adaptation with other urban improvements. Learning Objectives: To understand role of climate adaptation in the reconfiguration of human settlements. To apply design thinking to the issue of climate adaptation in the context of an urban society.To apply knowledge to challenge-based coursework on managing climate risk, decreasing climate vulnerability, and building resilience to climate change.

Dynamic relationships between environmentally designed places and biological/physical contexts. Integration of created place and biological/physical contexts. Case studies, student design.

Examine links between cities and the environment with emphasis on air, soil, water, pollution, parks and green space, undesirable land uses, environmental justice, and the basic question of how to sustain urban development in an increasingly fragile global surrounding.