Course |
Fall 2022 |
Spring 2023 |
Fall 2023 |
Spring 2024 |
511
Ecological Foundations for Environmental Managers (Fall-2, Oct 24-Dec 9)
511 Ecological Foundations for Environmental Managers (Fall-2, Oct 24-Dec 9) :
This course gives students a fundamental mechanistic understanding about the way abiotic (e.g., climate) and biotic (e.g., resources, competitors, predators) factors determine pattern in the distribution and abundance of species. Students learn how individuals within a species cope with changing environmental conditions by altering their behavior, making physiological adjustments, and changing the allocation of resources among survival, growth, and reproduction. Students learn how populations of species coexist within communities and how species interactions within communities can drive ecosystem functioning. Students also learn how ecologists use scientific insight to deal with emerging environmental problems such as protecting biodiversity, understanding the consequences of habitat loss on species diversity, and forecasting the effects of global climate change on species population viability and geographic distribution.
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: Oswald J. Schmitz : Oswald J. Schmitz
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Schmitz M,W - 10:30-11:50 |
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Schmitz TBA - TBA |
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512
Microeconomic Foundations for Environmental Managers (Fall-1, Aug 31- Oct 12)
512 Microeconomic Foundations for Environmental Managers (Fall-1, Aug 31- Oct 12) : This six-week course which meets Fall-1 provides an introduction to microeconomic analysis and its application to environmental policy. Students study how markets work to allocate scarce resources. This includes consideration of how individuals and firms make decisions, and how policy analysts seek to quantify the benefits and costs of consumption and production. We consider the conditions under which markets are beneficial to society and when they fail. We see that market failure arises frequently in the context of environmental and natural resource management. The last part of the course focuses on the design of environmental and natural resource policies to address such market failures. The course is designed to cover basic knowledge of economics analysis and prepare students for ENV 834 and other more advanced offerings. : Matthew J. Kotchen : Matthew J. Kotchen
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Kotchen M,W - 10:30-11:50 |
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Kotchen TBA - TBA |
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521
Physical Science Foundations for Environmental Managers
521 Physical Science Foundations for Environmental Managers : This required foundational course provides students with the physical science basics that they need to understand and manage environmental problems. The course draws on climatology, environmental chemistry, geology, hydrology, meteorology, oceanography, and soil science. Focus is on understanding both the underlying concepts and how they apply to real-world environmental challenges. Useful both as a freestanding course and as a gateway to a wide spectrum of intermediate and advanced courses. : Shimon C. Anisfeld : Shimon C. Anisfeld
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Anisfeld Th - 10:30-11:50 |
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Anisfeld TBA - TBA |
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522
Social Science Foundations for Environmental Managers
522 Social Science Foundations for Environmental Managers : The environmental social sciences shed light on how humans define, perceive, understand, manage and otherwise influence the environment. Insights into the cultural, institutional, political-economic, and historic drivers of human actions are needed to describe and understand human-environment interactions as well as to move towards long-lasting and flexible responses to socioenvironmental change. This basic knowledge course is designed to introduce students to a range of social science disciplines that are engaged in understanding the relationships between nature and society. Explicit focus will be in on how to mobilize the insights gained from environmental social sciences for natural resource management. : Amity Doolittle : Amity Doolittle
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Doolittle Tu - 4:00-5:20 |
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Doolittle TBA - TBA |
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550
Natural Science Research Methods
550 Natural Science Research Methods :
The course prepares students to design and execute an intensive research project. It covers elementary principles and philosophy of science; research planning, including preparation, criticism, and oral presentation of study plans; communicating research findings; limitations of research techniques; the structure of research organizations; and professional scientific ethics : William Lauenroth : William Lauenroth
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Lauenroth Tu,Th - 9:00-10:20 |
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Lauenroth TBA - TBA |
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551
Qualitative Social Science Research Methods
551 Qualitative Social Science Research Methods : This course is designed to provide a broad introduction to issues of qualitative research methods and design. The course is intended for both doctoral students who are in the beginning stage of their dissertation research, as well as master’s students developing research proposals for their thesis projects with a focus on understanding the nexus of human-environment issues. The course covers the basic techniques of designing qualitative research and for collecting, interpreting, and analyzing qualitative data. We explore three interrelated dimensions of research: theoretical foundations of science and research, specific methods available to researchers for data collection and analysis, and the application and practice of research methods—all with a strong emphasis on the relationship between people and natural resources. The final product for this course is a research proposal. : Amity Doolittle : Amity Doolittle
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Doolittle Tu,Th - 10:30-11:50 |
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Doolittle TBA - TBA |
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552
Master's Student Research Colloquium
552 Master's Student Research Colloquium :
One of the most important aspects of scientific research involves the communication of research findings to the wider scientific community. Therefore, second-year M.E.Sc. and M.F.S. students are required to present the results of their faculty-supervised research as participants in the Master’s Student Research Conference, a daylong event held near the end of the spring term. Student contributors participate by delivering a fifteen-minute oral presentation to the YSE faculty and student body or by presenting a research poster in a session open to the YSE community. Students receive a score of satisfactory completion for this effort. : TBD Faculty : TBD Faculty
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Faculty TBA - TBA |
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Faculty TBA - TBA |
553
Perspectives: Environmental Leadership
553 Perspectives: Environmental Leadership :
The course is intended to offer a common experience and exposure to the variety of perspectives represented by YSE faculty and guest experts on the challenges and opportunities of environmental management. This year’s theme is Environmental Leadership and over the semester we will create and foster a leadership toolkit and systems-thinking appreciation that enables 1st-year MEM students to map out and maximize an impactful path through Yale, their careers and their lives
Discussion Sections to be added after first class
: Julie Zimmerman : Julie Zimmerman : Peter Boyd
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Zimmerman Tu - 9:00-10:20 & Discussion sections |
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Zimmerman TBA - TBA |
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563
Yale Forest Forum Series: What Makes a High-Quality Forest Carbon Credit?
563 Yale Forest Forum Series: What Makes a High-Quality Forest Carbon Credit? : The Forest School at the Yale School of Environment is offering a new seminar for Fall 2022 titled, “What Makes a High Quality Forest Carbon Credit?” The seminar will draw on a wide range of perspectives and experiences from around the United States. The seminar is offered to YSE students for one credit and co-led by Drs. Mark Bradford, Sara Kuebbing, and Luke Sanford. The seminar is guest lecture/discussion based and will include a weekly public webinar hosted by the Yale Forest Forum (YFF). Forests store vast amounts of carbon in vegetation and soils, and humans may be able to protect, manage, and restore forested ecosystems to protect existing carbon and also stimulate faster and greater uptake of atmospheric CO2. Carbon markets are responding to this potential: to date, carbon credits from forests are by far the largest contributor to nature-based offsets. As carbon markets grow, market participants are grappling with fundamental and complex questions of the best methods for measuring, reporting, and verifying CO2 removal from forest carbon projects. Forest carbon accounting is complex because of scientific, political, economic, and social uncertainty. To create transparency and foster credibility in compliance and voluntary forest carbon markets, market players have created voluminous monitoring, verifying, and reporting protocols that cover important metrics in carbon crediting like measurement accuracy and precision, additionality, permanence, leakage, environmental justice, transparency, and traceability. Yet, growing markets have led to growing critiques about carbon accounting methods, market stability, and environmental justice concerns.
This seminar series will explore the current state of carbon markets in the United States and ask major market players—including policymakers, registry developers, credit producers, forestland owners, corporate buyers, journalists, and academics—to address the question of “what makes a high-quality forest carbon credit?” and provide suggestions on how we can build credibility and trust in forest carbon credits. : Mark Bradford : : Luke Sanford : Sara Kuebbing
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Bradford Th - 11:30-12:50 |
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564
Yale Forest Forum Series: Tropical Forest Carbon Credits
564 Yale Forest Forum Series: Tropical Forest Carbon Credits : Building from the fall YFF seminar on “What makes a high quality forest carbon credit?”, we are pleased to offer a follow-up series focusing on the special issues facing tropical forests. Entitled ‘How can the voluntary carbon markets make a meaningful contribution to protecting tropical forests?” the series will follow the same format as the fall series, but dig into a range of different topics, including: Why are tropical forest carbon credits different? Why is a distinction made between “project” and “jurisdictional” credits? How do the different parties – from tropical country governments, to indigenous peoples, buyer country governments, buyer companies, project developers and others – see these risks and opportunities? How does the experience in the voluntary carbon markets relate to international or domestic compliance markets? Again, students will be asked to prepare summaries of speaker sessions to help the Forest School publish some key takeaways from the series. : Bradford S. Gentry : : Liza Comita : Luke Sanford
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Gentry Th - 11:30-12:50 |
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573
Urban Ecology for Local and Regional Decision Making
573 Urban Ecology for Local and Regional Decision Making : Urban ecology is the interdisciplinary study of urban and urbanizing systems from local to global scales. While urban ecology shares many features with the biological science of ecology, it emphasizes linkages with social, economic, and physical sciences and the humanities. Geographically, the subject includes central and edge cities, suburbs of various ages and densities, and exurban settlements in which urban lifestyles and economic commitments are dominant. In application, urban ecology can be useful as a social-ecological science for making cities more sustainable, resilient, and equitable. Emerging “grand challenges” in urban ecology include the development of robust approaches and understanding of (1) integrated social-ecological systems in urban and urbanizing environments; (2) the assembly and function of novel ecological communities and ecosystems under novel environmental conditions; (3) drivers of human well-being in diverse urban areas; (4) pathways for developing healthy, sustainable, and disaster-resilient cities; and (5) co-production of actionable science for policy, planning, design, and management. : Morgan Grove : Morgan Grove
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Grove W - 1:00-3:50 |
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Grove TBA - TBA |
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577
PSC: Environmental Communicator (Mar 28-Apr 25)
577 PSC: Environmental Communicator (Mar 28-Apr 25) :
This course prepares students for the communication tasks they will face as environmental professionals, researchers, or employees. In their careers, most professionals spend more than half their work time communicating with others, both inside and outside their organization. To advance in their careers and contribute to the progress of an environmental cause, students need a refined ability to communicate their ideas with clarity and credibility. This course focuses on building a constellation of skills that students can apply to their work. They learn how to use communication to influence others, advocate their ideas, and collaborate with colleagues on project teams. Course topics include strategy in communication, diplomatic language, public speaking, writing styles, listening to people, and framing environmental issues for the public. The course meets for a weekly two-hour lecture and demonstration, and students attend a one-hour small group practice session that allows them to reinforce new communicative behaviors in simulated job tasks, such as project meetings, budget requests, and public hearings. : William Vance :
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Vance Tu - 6:00-8:00pm |
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586
Topics in Applied Aquatic Ecology
586 Topics in Applied Aquatic Ecology : Climate change, land use conversion, and aquifer depletion are among the many challenges affecting wetlands, ponds, lakes & rivers. Human water use, both past and present, has significantly impacted global water resources. Understanding how aquatic ecosystems are impacted by human activities as well as anthropogenic climate change is critical if we are to conserve & use our water resources sustainably. This course will focus on the ecological effects aquatic ecosystems experience due to human activities. Human alteration of aquatic ecosystems dates back thousands of years. We will analyze, through the lens of Western science as well as through global perspectives spanning local, regional, and indigenous knowledge, how human activity has impacted aquatic systems and their biota. Our particular focus will be the use of aquatic ecosystems for food resources (e.g., fisheries, agriculture). Within this topic we will explore (1) how rivers, lakes and wetlands have been modified to provide food and (2) how these modifications impact resident biota, aquatic resources, and adjacent terrestrial systems. Increased pressure on natural resources is anticipated as the global population increases. An understanding of the consequences of our modifications on the aquatic landscape will help in assessing and planning for how these aquatic resources can be managed sustainably. : Kealoha Freidenburg :
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Freidenburg Th - 1:00-2:20 |
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588
Community Engagement & Coalition Building - A Practice-based Approach (Fall-1 Sept 12-Oct 17)
588 Community Engagement & Coalition Building - A Practice-based Approach (Fall-1 Sept 12-Oct 17) : The Yale School of Environment will offer a new course on community engagement and coalition building. Formed in partnership with lecturer Jaime Stein, this lecture and discussion course delves into the practice of engaging diverse communities (which may or may not be your own) through the course of professional practice. Taught from the perspective of a professional Planner engaged in land use review and development, the students will explore the tenets of engagement, participatory design, organizing, visioning and facilitation. Case studies deeply rooted in Professor Stein’s practice of advocacy planning, will be used to review the fundamentals of community-based planning while exploring the power of coalitions, the push and pull between varying interests and the regulatory structures of engagement. Engagement and coalition building can take many forms, this course will focus on the professional practice of engagement and coalition building as shared by a professional planner. The practices covered in the course can be applicable for any professional practice that is seeking to engage communities in participatory planning and other activities. : Jaime Stein :
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Stein M - 5:30-8:20pm |
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592
Documentary Film Workshop
592 Documentary Film Workshop :
This workshop in audiovisual scholarship explores ways to present research through the moving image. Students work within a Public Humanities framework to make a documentary that draws on their disciplinary fields of study. Designed to fulfill requirements for the M.A. with a concentration in Public Humanities. : Charles Musser : Charles Musser
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Musser T/W - T-7:00-10:00pm, W 10:30-1:20pm |
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Musser Tentative |
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595
Yale Environment Review
595 Yale Environment Review :
The Yale Environment Review is a student-run publication that aims to increase access to the latest developments in environmental studies. We aim to shed light on cutting-edge environmental research through summaries, analysis, and interviews. During this one-credit course, students produce one or two articles on subjects of their choosing for publication on the YER website. Please refer to our Canvas page for an overview of the different types of content that YER produces. Students receive coaching to improve their writing skills, and their work goes through a rigorous editing process. Participation in Yale Environment Review helps students sharpen their writing skills and familiarize themselves with science communication, and it provides a platform to showcase their expertise. Enrollment is limited to sixteen, and the class is selected through an application process. Application instructions can be found on our Canvas page. Please e-mail environment.review@yale.edu with any questions. Class meets five to six times throughout the term, dates to be announced. An information session will be held on a date to be determined.
This is the application for the Yale Environment Review (ENV 595), a student-run publication and course. Enrollment is limited.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfH_DDZcOZUESuQ6BJovLB02Nwmim_t9cla1scL5Rq_rp160g/viewform
Please send questions to environment.review@yale.edu, where editor-in-chief Zack Steigerwald Schall or communications director Mara MacDonell, will answer your questions as soon as possible.
Application due Friday, December 16th at 5:00pm EST. : Matthew J. Kotchen : Matthew J. Kotchen
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Kotchen Th - 12:00-1:00 |
Kotchen Tu - 4:00-5:00 |
Kotchen TBA - TBA |
Kotchen TBA - TBA |
598
Documentary and the Environment
598 Documentary and the Environment : : : Charles Musser
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Musser Tentative |
602
Ecosystems and Landscapes
602 Ecosystems and Landscapes :
Concepts and their application in ecosystem and landscape ecology. Topics covered include biogeochemical cycling, food web interactions, biodiversity, and the abiotic and biotic controls that act on them. The course emphasizes how to integrate this knowledge to understand and manage ecosystem budgets. : Mark Bradford : Mark Bradford
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Bradford Tu,Th - 1:00-2:20 |
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Bradford TBA - TBA |
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603
Environmental Data Visualization for Communication
603 Environmental Data Visualization for Communication :
Application Instructions: Spring 2023, ENV 60, Environmental Data Visualization for Communication:
This is a combination lecture and hands-on course designed to explore principles of visual communication and apply them to the design and construction of effective graphics. Students will build skills in working with data, programming in R, and data visualization using a variety of tools and methods. Although no prior experience with R is required, if you have not encountered programming languages before, then you will need to invest at least an extra six hours of time before February 1, when we start using R in class assignments. We will provide at least one extra 2-hour session before February 1 to help get non-R users up to speed but additional independent study will be required.
There is a strong emphasis on active participation through learning new skills, helping others acquire skills and troubleshoot problems, and critiquing other’s work. Effective graphics are informed by design principles and more complex displays are improved through an iterative process that requires dialog, feedback, and testing.
Enrollment in the class is limited to 20 students. We will meet 25 times from January 18 through April 26, twice a week on Mondays and Wednesdays from 9:00 to 10:20am. There will be weekly assignments and a final project that will be developed throughout the course, and there will be ample support offered through regular office hours. If you are new to programming, we recommend that you reserve extra time in your schedule to regularly attend office hours for help on assignments.
Given the limited class time, it is critical that students complete TWO tasks BEFORE the first meeting. Please do not apply if you will be unable to do this:
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Install R and RStudio on your personal laptop. These are two different programs that work together. Both programs are free and can be downloaded online. Follow the instructions here:
https://posit.co/downloads/
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Complete this reading—the Preface from Kieran Healy’s book “Data Visualization: A Practical Introduction” for the first class before the start of that class:
https://socviz.co/index.html#install
Completing these two steps successfully will mean that you have properly installed R and RStudio as well as several code “libraries” or “packages” that we will use in class to explore datasets in R.
Note: You will also be asked to install Tableau Desktop for Students later in the term, so you must have a working laptop with at least 500MB of available disk space to install extra software and datasets.
To apply for this course, please provide short answers to the following questions. This will allow us to tailor the course more closely to your needs. Please email your responses to jennifer.marlon@yale.eduand simon.queenborough@yale.eduno later than 5:00 pm EST on Friday, December 16th. Thank you!
You will be notified by Close of Business (COB) on Friday, January 6th.
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Why are you interested in taking this class?
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What is your area of interest/research?
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Have you recently taken any classes that required you to explore or analyze data, such as statistics, GIS courses, etc.? If so, please list them.
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Would you like to attend the extra R session for beginners that will be held either on Friday January 13, 20, or 27? If yes, do you have a date preference?
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Do you have an existing project or dataset in mind that you would like to explore and visualize? If so, please describe it and state whether you already have access to the data, or not yet. (This is not required – you will have the opportunity to explore existing datasets.)
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What previous experience do you have, if any, with communication and/or design?
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When do you expect to graduate?
Welcome to the Information Age! It is now much easier to generate and access more data than ever before. Yet, our ability to manage, analyze, understand, and communicate all this data is extremely limited. Visualization is a powerful means of enhancing our abilities to learn from data and to communicate results to others, especially when informed by insights into human behavior and social systems. Developing the quantitative skills necessary for analyzing data is important, but for addressing complex and often urgent environmental problems that involve diverse audiences – understanding how to effectively communicate with data is equally essential for researchers, policymakers, and the public alike.This course is for students who wish to gain an understanding of the principles, tools, and techniques needed to communicate effectively with data. Classes will consist of short lectures about principles of design, data preparation, and visual communication, discussions about examples from the news and scientific literature, guest lectures, peer critiques, and hands-on individual and collaborative group activities. Throughout the semester, we will use Excel, PowerPoint, R, Tableau, and other tools to develop visualizations using diverse datasets. Students will also work with a dataset of their own choice or from a partner organization to develop a final project consisting of a poster, infographic, report, dashboard, story map, or related product. Enrollment is limited and application is required. : Jennifer Marlon : Simon Queenborough : Simon Queenborough
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Marlon M,W - 9:00-10:20 |
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Queenborough TBA - TBA |
604
Public Health Entrepreneurship & Intrapraneurship (Spring-2)
604 Public Health Entrepreneurship & Intrapraneurship (Spring-2) : Follows School of Management Calendar
This is a case based course about innovation and entrepreneurship for health equity and drivers of health. Health equity means that everyone has a fair and just opportunity to be as healthy as possible. This requires removing obstacles to health such as poverty, racism, gender and other biases and their consequences, including powerlessness and lack of access to good jobs with fair pay, quality education and housing, healthy foods, safe environments, and health care. We refer to these as drivers of health. COVID-19 has brought to light for many the complexities in drivers of health, and the role of entrepreneurship and cross-sectoral collaboration in eliminating health disparities. : Teresa Chahine :
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Chahine 2 sections M/W 10:10-11:30; M/W 1:00-2:20 |
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605
Environmental Risk Communication
605 Environmental Risk Communication : Risk communication is a critical but often overlooked part of how organizations identify and manage risks. Effective risk communication can help people understand risks and determine appropriate responses to them. It should help people to take seriously risks they might otherwise ignore (e.g., to get vaccinated or evacuate from a coming hurricane), or to understand that certain activities do not pose significant risks. Effective risk communication enables environmental professionals to communicate information in a way that is understood and accepted by different stakeholders (e.g., the public, industry, government leaders, etc.) and allows the participation of these stakeholders in risk management decisions. This course provides an overview of the theory and practice of effective communication about environmental and health risks to diverse stakeholders. Students are expected to actively participate in class discussions, drawing upon assigned readings, lectures, and videos. : Andrew Schwarz : Andrew Schwarz
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Schwarz Th - 2:30-5:20 |
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Schwarz TBA - TBA |
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606
Methods in Climate Change and Health Research
606 Methods in Climate Change and Health Research : Climate change is recognized as one of the greatest public health challenges of the 21st century. This course will take multidisciplinary approaches to identify, assess, quantify, and project public health impacts of climate change and of measures to address climate change. It will first introduce the fundamental principles of health impact assessment and give a brief overview of the public health approaches to address climate change. Then it will apply advanced data analysis methodologies in environmental epidemiology, including time-series analysis, spatial epidemiology, and vulnerability assessment, to characterize the present climate-health (exposure-response) relationships and to identify vulnerable populations. This course will discuss key concepts of scenario-based climate projections and their applications in projecting future health impacts, evaluating health co-benefits of climate mitigation polices, and assessing climate change adaptation measures. Emphasis will be placed on hands-on computer lab excises with real-data examples and R scripts. : TBD Faculty : TBD Faculty
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Faculty M/T M-4:30-6:20; T-1:00-1:50 |
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Faculty Tentative |
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608
Our Air, Our Health
608 Our Air, Our Health : Exposure to air pollution is a leading contributor to the global disease burden. This course discusses major emission sources, atmospheric transformation and transport, measurement and modelling techniques for human exposure assessment, and the health impacts of air pollutants. Emphasis is placed on students gaining hands-on experience with measurement (e.g., low-cost sensors, passive samplers) and spatial analysis tools (e.g., ArcGIS) for application to research, public health practice, and community engagement. Through a series of laboratory sessions, students quantitatively characterize indoor and outdoor exposure concentrations and learn methods to critically assess data quality. The public health implications of air pollutant exposure are examined through review of recent epidemiological and toxicological research. The course discusses inequitable distribution of air pollutant exposure across the United States in relation to environmental health disparities. The health benefits of air pollutant intervention strategies in developed and developing regions and implications for public action are also covered. : TBD Faculty : TBD Faculty
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Faculty W - 10:00-11:50 |
Faculty Tentative |
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609
Advanced Industrial Ecology Seminar: Global Approaches to Industrial Symbiosis
609 Advanced Industrial Ecology Seminar: Global Approaches to Industrial Symbiosis : Industrial Symbiosis examines the idea that the “waste” from one enterprise can become the raw material for another—and is studied at YSE as a sub-discipline of industrial ecology. By taking a systems approach to analyzing the inputs and outputs of various interconnected businesses, Industrial Symbiosis can simultaneously improve a firm’s operational efficiency, stimulate regional economic growth, and reduce climate impacts. On the practical side, this seminar will give future business and environmental leaders experience using an actionable framework to analyze and redesign their industries – from small start-ups to large industrial parks – in a more sustainable way. This course is open to students of all disciplines and will enable them to work on projects at the cutting edge of circular economy, upcycling, co-opetition, adaptive reuse, social networks, and other concepts.
The class meets on Wednesday morning at 9:00–10:20am and Wednesday afternoon TBA, based on student schedules. : Marian Chertow :
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Chertow W - 9:00-10:20 & 5:30-6:50 |
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613
Writing as a Public Scholar
613 Writing as a Public Scholar :
Environmental scholars and practitioners increasingly recognize the need, and often have the desire, to communicate their passions and expertise to a wide, lay audience. The seminar starts from the premise that to do this effectively a mastery of written storytelling is essential, particularly in today’s saturated and fractured media landscape. Students will read popular works by classic and contemporary scholars, such as Rachel Carson and Richard Prum; practitioners in the sciences, such as Atul Gawande and Peter Wohlleben; and journalists such as Elizabeth Kolbert and John McPhee; as well as growing number of authors, such as Bill McKibben, whose work crosses these categories. Some pieces students will analyze multiple times, developing a increasingly nuanced understanding of storytelling technique : Stephanie Hanes Wilson : Stephanie Hanes Wilson
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Wilson Th - 1:00-3:50 |
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Wilson TBA - TBA |
614
GHG Management: Practical Methods (Spring-1, Jan 23- Feb 27)
614 GHG Management: Practical Methods (Spring-1, Jan 23- Feb 27) : There are increasing climate action roles and responsibilities being assigned to professionals working in both the private and public sectors. Rigorous and effective climate change mitigation actions – from those that occur as a result of business management or public policy making – are all predicated on informed GHG management. The goal of this course is to provide students with a practical and applied understanding of corporate and national-level GHG accounting. This course moves beyond environmental, social, or political climate change theory; and teaches the entry level skills and employment proficiencies needed to secure and execute climate change employment. : TBD Faculty :
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Faculty M - 2:30-5:20 |
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617
Real World Environmental Data Science
617 Real World Environmental Data Science : Application required:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfV9bxGI8wEJYe3kGHiBUrnTT49yRKlyeXkdIjAQv1pV7CIVA/viewform?usp=sf_link
The goal of this course is to provide students with a foundational understanding of what it takes to perform environmental data work in a practical, professional setting. To make sound policy decisions, we need data, and the reality is that data is often messy, difficult to find, and incomplete. In order to effectively leverage the data, students need to be able to troubleshoot when there is a problem. We focus on understanding the mechanics and nuances of working with messy data in the professional setting, not teaching statistics. We will provide a high level explanation of methods, what they will tell us and how they are useful, and then focus on implementation. : Elena Grewal : : Sarah McGowan
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Grewal Tu - 1:00-3:50 |
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618
Anthropology of Smallholder Agriculture in Developing Countries
618 Anthropology of Smallholder Agriculture in Developing Countries :
The premise of this course is that small-scale agriculture, its distinctive economic character, and its ecology shape each other in important ways. This course will explore smallholder farming in the developing world through ethnographies.
It is often said that small-scale agriculture provides half of the contemporary global food supply (see for example Graeub et al 2016); in fact there are no good global statistics on small farm production, especially in the developing world (in which many nations just don’t have statistics on food production and farm size, Ricciardi et al 2018). I argue simply that small-scale agricultural food production is important to both livelihoods and food security. If this is so, then the inter-linkages between farms, economies, and ecologies are important. These inter-linkages are also complex. : Carol Carpenter : Carol Carpenter
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Carpenter W - 9:00-11:50 |
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Carpenter TBA - TBA |
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619
Philosophical Environmental Ethics
619 Philosophical Environmental Ethics : This is a philosophical introduction to environmental ethics. The course introduces students to the basic contours of the field and to a small number of special philosophical problems within the field. No philosophical background is required or expected. Readings are posted on Canvas and consist almost entirely of contemporary essays by philosophers and environmentalists. The total reading load averages about three philosophy papers weekly—roughly sixty pages. Course avoids avoid environmental ethics topics that are treated in other Yale courses: e.g., religion and ecology, and all but a very little bit of indigenous views of ecology. : Stephen Latham : Stephen Latham
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Latham Tu,Th - 9:00-10:15 |
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Latham TBA - TBA |
621
The Ministry for the Future—Imagining the Potential for Global Climate Cooperation
621 The Ministry for the Future—Imagining the Potential for Global Climate Cooperation : This course focuses on the potential for global cooperation and implementation of climate solutions in this century. We will use the novel The Ministry for the Future to guide our discussion of potential climate solutions, and the potential for their implementation. Each week we will combine reading a section of the novel with related research on technical climate solutions and on international cooperation. The novel will help us envision one possible future while our other readings will let us decide how plausible that future might be, and examine what other potential futures we might experience.
This course will be a reading-intensive course, with students expected to read 100-150 pages of material each week and be ready to discuss the material in seminar. The course will feature a final paper about the possible effectiveness of a climate solution, including whether it is likely to be politically feasible : Luke Sanford :
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Sanford Th - 1:00-3:50 |
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623
The Role of Methane in Global Climate Disruption: The Search for Solutions
623 The Role of Methane in Global Climate Disruption: The Search for Solutions : In this course students will develop methane literacy reviewing evidence from primary literature to understand the methane cycle and how it impacts the global climate system. Students will read primary scientific literature, contribute questions/topics for discussion, and map the provenance of research. Meeting time will be used for presentations and discussions. : Sparkle Malone :
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Malone Tu - 1:00-3:50 |
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625
Writing Workshop (Spring-1 January 17-Feb 28)
625 Writing Workshop (Spring-1 January 17-Feb 28) : This is a practical course aimed at helping students improve their writing. The goal is to help students develop their writing skills and make them better able to communicate their work and ideas through writing that is clear, accessible, and free of jargon. Students are required to write short pieces each week and to write one longer article. The class is organized as a workshop, with students reading and commenting on each other’s work. The instructor is available for weekly meetings with students to discuss their writing. There are regular readings of articles or short book selections, but the focus is on improving the students’ own writing. Students are evaluated on the completion of all assignments on time; the quality of their work; the progress their writing shows over the course of the term; and participation in discussions. : Roger Cohn : Roger Cohn
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Cohn Tu - 1:00-3:50 |
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Cohn TBA - TBA |
626
Writing for Publication in the Natural Sciences
626 Writing for Publication in the Natural Sciences : This course will give students insights into the process of writing manuscripts for publication in the natural sciences. The seminar will guide students through the stages of writing a paper and end the semester with a submitted manuscript. We will also consider various strategies for writing, accountability, time management, and productivity. The course is aimed at students in the natural sciences with cleaned and analyzed data that they want to write up for publication. : Simon Queenborough : Simon Queenborough
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Queenborough Tu - 11:00-11:50 |
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Queenborough TBA - TBA |
630
The Physical Science of Climate Change
630 The Physical Science of Climate Change : This course covers the science behind Earth’s climate system. The first part of the course entails understanding the components of Earth’sclimate, including the chemical and physical atmosphere and the role of land, ice, and the oceans in regulating global climate. The second half takes a closer look at how Earth’s climate system impacts global sustainable boundaries, including its impact on ecosystems, waterresources, the built environment, human health, and the global food system. During the first half of the course students are expected to complete weekly homework assignments that reinforce class concepts and perform a guided analysis using a climate model. The second half of the course involves project work on the impact of climate on a system (e.g., ecosystem, water resource, community, health, etc). : Peter A. Raymond : Peter A. Raymond : Xuhui Lee
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Raymond Tu,Th - 10:30-11:50 |
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Raymond TBA - TBA |
631
Poverty, Environment and Inequality
631 Poverty, Environment and Inequality : : : Dorceta Taylor
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Taylor TBA - TBA |
632
Intro to Social Entrepreneurship
632 Intro to Social Entrepreneurship : Have you ever wondered what it would be like to practice social entrepreneurship? You don't have to found your own company to make a difference. Everyone can learn from the social entrepreneurship mindset and skillset, and apply it in their own way to create social impact. In this course, we combine theory and practice, applying a systematic framework to guide students through the social entrepreneurship experience. We start by identifying a social or environmental challenge each student is interested in tackling. Students form interdisciplinary teams to immerse themselves in characterizing the challenge, ideating potential solutions, and building business models around those solutions. Social Entrepreneurship Lab is a safe space to experiment, iterate, prototype, test, and fail. You don't need to launch your venture, though some teams will. You'll meet alumni who launched new ventures; and social entrepreneurs from New Haven and around the world. All students are welcome; no prior experience necessary. : Teresa Chahine : Teresa Chahine
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Chahine M,W - Two Sections: M/W 4:10-5:30 or M/W 6:00-7:20 |
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Chahine Tentative |
633
Critical Race Theory
633 Critical Race Theory : : : Gerald Torres
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Torres TBA - TBA |
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634
Ecology of Global Drylands
634 Ecology of Global Drylands : This course explores the controls on the geographic distribution, community and ecosystem structure, and functioning of drylands globally. Lectures, writing, and student-led discussions. : William Lauenroth :
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Lauenroth Tu,Th - 9:00-10:20 |
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635
Renewable Energy Project Finance
635 Renewable Energy Project Finance : Application Required: https://forms.gle/YHEM8fWh75f3AwmYA due by November 28
The course is intended to be a practicum, exposing students to real-world tools of the trade as well as the theory underlying them. In place of a textbook, students are provided with approximately 400 pages of actual project documents used for a U.S. wind energy project constructed relatively recently. Through weekly homework assignments, students develop the skills necessary to construct a detailed financial model, largely comparable to what would be used by an investment firm, project developer, or independent power producer. Modeling skills include sizing debt capacity, sensitivity analysis, stochastic forecasting, taxes, and the creation of financial statements. Lectures also provide an introduction to risk management, energy market dynamics, alternative contractual structures, financial structuring, and the core engineering and risks inherent in the most common renewable energy technologies.
While cross-listed at the School of Management, it will follow the YSE Academic Calendar. : Daniel Gross : Daniel Gross
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Gross Tu,Th - 9:00-10:20 |
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Gross TBA - TBA |
636
Carbon Removal as a Decarbonization Pathway (Spring-2 Mar 6-Apr 28)
636 Carbon Removal as a Decarbonization Pathway (Spring-2 Mar 6-Apr 28) : Carbon removal and storage technologies are expected to play a significant role in achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement, which require net zero greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by 2050. A wide range of carbon removal technologies are being worked on today, yet, this nascent field must overcome technical, logistical, ethical, and financial challenges before contributing to stabilize the climate at scale. In the first half of this course, we will examine the need, scale, and timelines for carbon removal as expressed by international climate commitments and corporate climate goals, study the landscape of carbon removal approaches, and workshop a framework for evaluating carbon removal approaches. In the latter half of the course, scientists and entrepreneurs advancing novel carbon removal approaches including Direct Air Carbon Capture (DACC), Enhanced Mineral Weathering, and Photosynthetic pathways will speak to students about the mechanics, risks, and potential of their respective technologies. Students will walk away from this course with a deeper understanding of carbon removal drivers, approaches and challenges. After examining the key challenges, trade-offs, and opportunities, it is up to you to decide whether carbon removal is a viable decarbonization strategy and solution, or whether it deflects resources from other pressing decarbonization pathways and immediate environmental justice priorities. We look forward to engaging in spirited discussion with you on this topic
Applications due by January 13 at 5:00 pm ET: https://forms.gle/bX7PfRJMx9ANmhuFA : Anastasia O’Rourke :
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O’Rourke M - 2:30-5:20 |
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637
A Toolkit for Communicating Environmental Science
637 A Toolkit for Communicating Environmental Science : This course is designed to provide students with a sophisticated understanding of why environmental science communication often fails, and to leave them with a skill set that will enable them to overcome these difficulties and communicate successfully. The course introduces students to the complex intersection between environmental science and the media—broadly defined—and gives them the tools to navigate it in the 2020s and beyond, whether they plan to pursue careers as scientists or as environmental leaders who need to communicate often with the media and public.
: Chris Mooney :
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Mooney M - 9:00-11:50 |
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640
Ethical Consumption: Promoting Workers’ Rights, Fair Prices, and Sustainability
640 Ethical Consumption: Promoting Workers’ Rights, Fair Prices, and Sustainability : : : Edward Ian Robinson
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Robinson TBA - TBA |
641
Market-Based Mechanisms for Water Management
641 Market-Based Mechanisms for Water Management : This course provides students with both the theory and application of environmental water transactions (EWTs) to water management challenges, such as river restoration, drought-mitigation, and agricultural allocation. The geographic focus is primarily the western United States, as this region, out of necessity, has been very active in implementing EWTs in recent years. Other market-based mechanisms for water management also are explored, such as groundwater mitigation banks, urban stormwater markets, and water quality markets. The course also covers considerations such as environmental justice, tribal access to and use of water, and diversity/equity/inclusion in water management. A final project will give students the opportunity to develop a simple hydrological and water rights model for a fictional watershed to use as the basis for designing a suite of water transactions and market-based water management solutions. This is an online course taught by experienced professionals who value a hands-on approach to learning. In addition, the course will feature discussion of current events in water, case studies, and guest lectures from practitioners actively using market-based mechanisms for water management. : Sarah Kruse : : David Pilz
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OnlineKruse Th - 1:00-3:50 |
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642
Environmental Justice/Climate Justice
642 Environmental Justice/Climate Justice : In this seminar, we will focus on the evolution and development of the environmental justice movement. We will pay particular attention to its embrace of climate justice, and we will ask what conception of justice is at play in both the environmental justice and climate justice movement. We will begin with a legal and social-historical survey but will quickly bring the inquiry up to the current moment. We will explore the legal and policy developments that have followed the environmental justice critique. I will expect students to choose a particular movement (or one expression of it) and write a paper bringing to bear all of the questions we raise in the seminar. (For example, how did opposition from environmental justice advocates lead to a reformed climate change initiative in California? Or What is the genesis of the Sunrise movement and what legal or policy changes would be required to make it a reality.)The paper need not focus on a domestic response, because the environmental/climate justice critique is now global. : Gerald Torres : Gerald Torres
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Torres Tu,Th - 4:00-5:20 |
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Torres TBA - TBA |
643
The Environment Project: Research, Methods, and Discourse
643 The Environment Project: Research, Methods, and Discourse : Over the next decade, cities and human settlements will remain a critical lever for addressing the climate crisis and ecological collapse. Contemporary urbanization differs from historical patterns of urban growth in its scale and rate of global change, touching on such dimensions as food and agriculture, land use, biodiversity, water, energy, governance, and more. Large-scale urban expansion of new and growing cities as well as continued development of established cities present opportunities for a new conceptualization of the built environment in the context of sustainability. As cities dominate the globe, the intersection between architecture and environmental action must be redefined. This course is designed for students who seek new terrain for architectural thought within the context of evolving environmental challenges. The course is run as a colloquium and workshop. Invited guests forging new work in the built environment will share not only their current research and practice but also their methods of work. Student-moderated discussions with our guests will present the opportunity for students to build the skills to critically position themselves within the discourse of urbanization, architecture, and environmental action. Concurrently, students will workshop individual or group projects operating at the intersection of the built and natural environments resulting in a project proposal of each student’s choosing. In the short-term, students will build research skills and cultivate critical thinking. In the long-term, students will build the foundations for their future professional / academic trajectory by forging new methods of practice or research in urbanization and architecture. Students from all programs are encouraged to enroll and no design work is required. Projects can be historical, analytical, speculative, policy-oriented, etc. The only requirements is for the proposed project to interrogate the intersection between the built and natural environments and open new avenues for cross-disciplinary work about built form as a critical lever for global sustainability. : TBD Faculty :
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Faculty Th - 11:00 - 12:50 |
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645
Urbanization, Global Change and Sustainability
645 Urbanization, Global Change and Sustainability : Urbanization and associated changes in human activities on the land (land use) and in the physical attributes of Earth’s surface (land cover) have profound environmental consequences. Aggregated globally, these effects constitute some of the most significant human impacts on the functioning of Earth as a system. This class examines the interactions and relationships between urbanization and global change at local, regional, and global scales with an emphasis on the biophysical aspects of urbanization. Topics include urbanization in the context of global land use change, habitat and biodiversity loss, modification of surface energy balance and the urban heat island, climate change and impacts on urban areas, urban biogeochemistry, and urbanization as a component of sustainability. Emphasis is on management of urban areas worldwide or at national scales for planetary sustainability. : Karen C. Seto : Karen C. Seto
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Seto Tu - 9:00-11:50 |
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Seto TBA - TBA |
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646
Foundations of Agriculture and Environment
646 Foundations of Agriculture and Environment : Agricultural systems have a profound impact on the environment, but also depend on environmental processes—such as climate and nutrient cycling—for continued productivity. Because of this two-way relationship, there has been a growing integration of environmental and agricultural sciences over the past several decades with growing recognition that designing and implementing agricultural systems that minimize environmental harm and benefit people is necessary to sustainable development. This course provides foundational knowledge of how agricultural and environmental systems are linked. The goal is to provide theoretical understanding of the important environmental and human processes, as well as practical experience interpreting these processes and applying them to real-world scenarios. : Stephen Wood : Stephen Wood
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Wood Tu - 2:30-5:20 |
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Wood TBA - TBA |
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647
Climate Change, Economic Inequality, and Human Health
647 Climate Change, Economic Inequality, and Human Health : Climate change has emerged as a defining ecological challenge of our time. Emerging evidence suggests that the social consequences of climate change will depend largely on broader economic forces - particularly those shaping trends in inequality both across and within countries. This course provides an introduction to the frontier of social scientific scholarship at the intersection of climate impacts, human health, and economic inequality, focusing on data-driven research in environmental and labor economics. Case studies include the unequal consequences of hotter temperature for human health, student learning, and workplace safety, as well as the consequences of wildfire smoke and air pollution for environmental inequality. Also included will be a primer on trends in economic and racial inequality
within countries, and leading theories regarding the key drivers of such trends. While not a methods course per se, students will have an opportunity to develop a working knowledge of key statistical techniques used in the\climate econometrics" literature. Studies in this field often apply causal inference to \big data" (e.g. medical records, test scores, administrative tax records) in order to generate policy-relevant insights. We will discuss key merits and policy applications in addition to important limitations of such applications. Students will have the opportunity to hone written and oral communication skills, in the form of a final paper and in-class presentation. Those interested in advanced study and/or doctoral research will also have the option of developing a detailed empirical research proposal in lieu of the final paper. : R. Jisung Park :
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Park Tu,Th - 1:00-2:20 |
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648
Organizing: People, Power, and Change
648 Organizing: People, Power, and Change : : : Edward Ian Robinson
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Robinson TBA - TBA |
650
Seminar in Wildland Fire Ecology and Management
650 Seminar in Wildland Fire Ecology and Management : TBD : Mark S. Ashton :
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Ashton M - 4:00-5:20 |
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651
Seminar in the Biosphere: History, Development, and Consequences
651 Seminar in the Biosphere: History, Development, and Consequences : This seminar traces the history and development of the biosphere concept and its consequences: biological, social, and cultural. The course will start with a discussion of four major contributors: Eduard Suess, a paleontologist/geologist who coined the term; Vladimir Vernadsky, who amplified the concept; Arthur Tansley, who coined the term ecosystem; and G. Evelyn Hutchinson, who amplified and quantified the ecosystem concept. Energy flow in the biosphere will also be discussed. Students will be required to give seminars and present a term paper on topics of their choice. : Graeme P. Berlyn : Graeme P. Berlyn
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Berlyn Tu,Th - 1:00-2:20 |
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Berlyn Tentative |
653
Maple: From Tree to Table
653 Maple: From Tree to Table : This course covers the cultural, industrial, and sustainable practices of non-timber forest products through the lens of maple sap and syrup. Maple sugar is a forest product unique to northeastern North America, and it has seen a resurgence in interest as global consumers seek nutritious, natural, and sustainably produced foods. This course covers the booming industry and culture around maple syrup, from backyard operations through modern 100,000-tap investment operations. Maple producers are on the front lines of climate change and forest health threats. The course provides students with the knowledge of how challenges related to forest health and climate change are directly impacting maple producers and how these producers are learning to adapt in ways that are environmentally friendly, ecologically sound, and financially competitive in a global market. : Joseph Orefice : Joseph Orefice
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Orefice M - 5:30-6:50 |
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Orefice TBA - TBA |
654
Structure, Function, and Development of Trees
654 Structure, Function, and Development of Trees :
This course focuses on two aspects of plant life: (1) basic processes that drive plant development, such as seed formation, germination, seedling establishment, maturation, and senescence; and (2) basic structure and function of plants (such as root systems, leaf formation and development, height, and diameter growth). Differences between different groups of seed plants are analyzed from structural, functional, ecological, and evolutionary standpoints. Special attention is given to woody plants and their importance in the biosphere and human life. Coverage includes tropical, temperate, and boreal trees. Plant biology is discussed in the context of physiological and structural adaptations in terms of strength, storage, and water and solute transport. : Graeme P. Berlyn : Graeme P. Berlyn
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Berlyn Tu,Th - 4:00-5:20 |
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Berlyn TBA - TBA |
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656
Physiology of Trees and Forests
656 Physiology of Trees and Forests :
Mineral nutrition and cycling, mycorrhizas, symbiosis, nitrogen fixation, light processing, photosynthesis, respiration, water relations including transpiration, and ecophysiology are covered. The interaction of photosynthesis with water relations, mineral nutrition, temperature, and environmental stress is discussed. Effects of climate changes on forests, past and present, and other current topics like wild land fires are also considered. Term paper required. : Graeme P. Berlyn : Graeme P. Berlyn
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Berlyn Tu,Th - 4:00-5:20 |
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Berlyn TBA - TBA |
659
The Practice of Silviculture: Principles in Applied Forest Ecology (Friday field trips)
659 The Practice of Silviculture: Principles in Applied Forest Ecology (Friday field trips) :
The scientific principles and techniques of controlling, protecting, and restoring the regeneration, composition, and growth of natural forest vegetation and its plantation and agroforestry analogs worldwide. Analysis of biological and socioeconomic problems affecting specific forest stands and design of silvicultural systems to solve these problems. Applications are discussed for management of wildlife habitat, bioenergy and carbon sequestration, water resources, urban environments, timber and nontimber products, and landscape design. Recommended: some knowledge of soils, ecology, plant physiology, human behavior, and resource economics. Four to six hours lecture. One hour tutorial. Seven days fieldwork. : Mark S. Ashton : Mark S. Ashton
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Ashton M,W - 8:30-10:20 |
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Ashton Tentative |
660
Forest Ecology & Dynamics
660 Forest Ecology & Dynamics : This course introduces the study of forest stand dynamics — how forest structures and compositions change over time with growth and disturbances. Understanding the dynamic nature of forest stands is important for creating and maintaining a variety of critical ecosystem services sustainably and synergistically, including sustainable supplies of wood products, biodiversity and wildlife habitats, water, fire protection, and others. Through readings, lectures, discussions, and field trips we explore forest development processes and pathways, concentrating on the driving mechanisms and emergent properties including natural and human disturbances. We make use of New England forests as living laboratories while discussing how similar forest patterns and processes are played out throughout the temperate, tropical, and boreal worlds. This class is a core component of the M.F. degree but is explicitly designed to be accessible to anyone interested in an in-depth exploration of forest ecosystems. : Marlyse Duguid : Marlyse Duguid
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Duguid Tu,Th - 9:00-10:15 |
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Duguid TBA - TBA |
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668
Field Trips in Forest Resource Management and Silviculture
668 Field Trips in Forest Resource Management and Silviculture :
Seven- to twelve-day field trips to study the silviculture and forest management of particular forest regions. In previous years, classes have visited Slovenia, Germany, Austria, the United Kingdom, British Columbia, and, in the United States, the southern Coastal Plain and Piedmont, and the Allegheny, Appalachian, Adirondack, and Green mountains. Enrollment limited to sixteen. : Mark S. Ashton : Mark S. Ashton
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Ashton Tentative |
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Ashton Tentative |
670
Southern Forest and Forestry Field Trip
670 Southern Forest and Forestry Field Trip :
This course augments our forestry curriculum by providing a forum for viewing and discussing forestry and forest management with practitioners. The trip provides M.F. candidates and other interested students with an opportunity to experience the diversity of southeastern forested ecosystems and ownership objectives ranging from intensively managed pine plantations to restoration and protection of endangered habitats. Students discuss forest management issues—including forest health, fragmentation, policy, law, and business perspectives—with landowners and managers from large industries, nonindustrial private landowners, TIMOs, federal and state land managers, NGOs, and forestry consultants. We also tour sawmills, paper mills, and other kinds of forest products processing facilities, active logging operations, and, weather permitting, participate on prescribed fires. Not least, we experience the unique cultures, food, and hospitality of the southeastern United States. : Joseph Orefice : TBD Faculty
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Orefice Tentative |
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Faculty Tentative |
671
Woody Plant Taxonomy and Dendrology
671 Woody Plant Taxonomy and Dendrology :
Dendrology literally translates as “the study of trees” and integrates morphology, phenology, ecology, biogeography, and the natural history of tree species. In this course students learn how to identify more than 120 individual species of woody plants using common morphological and ecological traits used for field identification. Dendrology is by nature context-specific, so this course has a focus on North American forest species, primarily of eastern North America. In addition, we use phylogenetic systematics as the structure for understanding taxonomy and the evolutionary history and relationships between species. Enrollment limited to thirteen. : Marlyse Duguid : Marlyse Duguid
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Duguid Th - 1:00-5:00 |
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Duguid TBA - TBA |
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677
Ecological Restoration
677 Ecological Restoration : : : Marlyse Duguid
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Duguid TBA - TBA |
679
Plant Ecophysiology
679 Plant Ecophysiology : This course focuses on the physiological ecology of plants and their interaction with the biotic and abiotic environment, understood through the lens of first principles. We use a quantitative approach to demonstrate the linkages between photosynthesis, growth, and carbon allocation at the tissue and whole plant level, which can then be scaled up to forests and ecosystems. We also focus on specific physiological and anatomical adaptations plants use to survive in the many varied habitats on Earth. The laboratory component of this course ( ENV 679L) involves the theory, programming, and deployment of micrometeorological equipment to monitor environmental conditions in the field, as well as methods for measuring photosynthesis and growth in the greenhouse and field. Enrollment limited to twenty-four. : Craig Brodersen : Craig Brodersen
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Brodersen M,W - 2:30-3:50 |
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Brodersen TBA - TBA |
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683
Seminar in Tropical Forest Restoration
683 Seminar in Tropical Forest Restoration : : : Mark S. Ashton
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Ashton Tentative |
684
Forest Finance
684 Forest Finance : Understanding the tools used in financial analysis is an important component of successful forestland investment and forest management decision making. This course will provide students with a basic suite of financial tools used in the acquisition and management of forestland/timber. It will include an overview of traditional financial analysis metrics used in land acquisition, timber management, and risk management, as well as topics related to supply and demand for forest products, international timberland investment and emerging trends in forestland investing. The first eight weeks of the course will be a lecture format, and the remainder of the course will be a case study / project that will give students an opportunity to apply their knowledge in the analysis of an actual “deal”. : Deborah Spalding : Deborah Spalding
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Spalding M,W - 4:00-5:20 |
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Spalding Tentative |
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685
Theory and Practice for Engaging Landholders and Communities in Conserving and Restoring Tropical Forest Landscapes
685 Theory and Practice for Engaging Landholders and Communities in Conserving and Restoring Tropical Forest Landscapes : The design and implementation of sustainable land management strategies in tropical forest landscapes must effectively involve the people and communities who manage and govern these regions. In many cases, however, practitioners design projects that focus on technical solutions only and ignore people altogether, or base their projects upon incorrect assumptions about the people at the heart of their interventions. These trends ultimately lead to project failure and can cause a host of adverse unintended consequences that further exacerbate the problems that practitioners were trying to resolve. This pattern is particularly prevalent with recent pledges by global organizations and national governments to plant trillions of trees around the globe in an effort to address the adverse effects of climate change (see The Bonn Challenge and Trillion Trees). While these initiatives are largely well-intended, they largely ignore the socio-cultural and political complexities of the landscapes where the trees would be planted, including whether landholders already plant or protect trees and if they want to increase this practice and how, which species they want to plant or protect and how, and the effects of tree planting on land tenure systems, traditional livelihood strategies and gender dynamics. Little attention is also given to examining who removed the trees from the landscape and why, and whether tree planting is an appropriate solution. This course aims to provide forestry and land conservation students with the tools to think critically about the socio-cultural and political complexities of tropical forest landscapes and to more effectively engage landholders and communities in land management interventions. The course draws upon theoretical considerations in the social sciences literature and the applied experiences of the Environmental Leadership & Training Initiative (ELTI), a Center & Program of YSE focused on capacity development in tropical forest landscapes. ELTI staff and affiliates have 16 years of experience developing the capacity of people who manage and govern tropical forest landscapes to implement land management strategies that restore and protect tree and forest cover while supporting livelihoods. The program has a diverse collection of applied case studies featuring a range of strategies and approaches that practitioners use to engage landholders and communities on these themes. The course is designed to link YSE students to ELTI team members so they can learn directly from their experiences in a variety of contexts. Students will also interact with selected participants of ELTI’s yearlong online certificate program, Tropical Forest Landscapes: Conservation, Restoration & Sustainable Use, who are practitioners developing applied conservation and restoration projects around the globe. : Eva Garen : Eva Garen : Alicia Calle
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Garen M,W - 1:00-2:20 |
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Garen Tentative |
688
Forest Management and Operations
688 Forest Management and Operations : This course will provide students with an opportunity to understand many aspects of forest management, especially as it relates to multiple use forestry. Course content will include understanding and critique of forest inventory, and students will be introduced to growth and yield concepts. Forest planning and optimization for objectives such as forest products and carbon will be covered. Stewardship of forestland will be discussed as will legal aspects to land ownership and forest conservation.
Included in this course is are sections focused on forest operations. Students will gain experience in the diverse elements and aspects of forest harvesting. The course is taught from the perspective of what a forester should know about harvesting which includes logging safety, timber harvesting operations and sale administration, legal dimensions of harvesting, planning and maintaining forest access systems, timber procurement and appraisal, logging costs and analysis, and environmental and social influences. Field experiences will compliment lecture material : Joseph Orefice : Joseph Orefice
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Orefice M,W - 2:30-3:50 |
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Orefice TBA - TBA |
692
Science and Practice of Temperate Agroforestry
692 Science and Practice of Temperate Agroforestry : This course explores the science and practices of temperate agroforestry, covering current knowledge of agroforestry science and shedding light on the myths and assumptions that have yet to be tested regarding the integration of trees in agricultural systems. The course begins with an overview of modern agriculture to help us better understand why agroforestry systems have potential to improve the sustainability of farming systems. We also cover the social science regarding agroforestry and why it has not been widely adopted. Silvopasture and forest farming systems are the primary focus, but windbreaks, alley cropping, and riparian forest buffers are also covered. The field of agroforestry has struggled with the promotion of hypothetical practices; this course introduces students to real-world production agroforestry systems and helps them better contribute to financially viable and environmentally sound agricultural operations. : Joseph Orefice : Joseph Orefice
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Orefice M,W - 2:30-3:50 |
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Orefice TBA - TBA |
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694
Invasive Species: Ecology, Policy, and Management
694 Invasive Species: Ecology, Policy, and Management : Enrollment cap: 12 students**
**Please make sure to fill out the application here: https://forms.gle/fdeMJDx1zSqew1vg8 and register so you are visible on our canvas roster by January 14th
More information about the class can be found on the canvas site: https://yale.instructure.com/courses/85012
Humans are moving species outside of their native ranges at unprecedented rates, and the resulting biological invasions present challenges for ecologists, conservationists, and policy makers alike. Through course readings, in-class discussions, and debates, seminar participants will learn to critically assess contemporary conservation and policy decisions regarding the regulation and management of nonnative species using information gained from the ecological study of biological invasions. We will explore the major scientific questions in biological invasions, including ‘What makes a species invasive?” and ‘What makes a habitat invasible?” as well as more nuanced questions of how invasive species interact with native and other invasive species and how these interactions alter ecological consequences of biological invasions. Throughout the semester we will discuss how invasion biology research informs policy decisions, assessing relevant policy questions such as ‘Should biocontrol agents be used against species invasions?’ or ‘Should we eat invasive species to control their abundance?’ This course is appropriate for graduate students (Masters and PhD) interested in learning how species introductions and anthropogenic change interact on a global scale, and how to use the science of species invasions to inform policy and management decisions. By the end of the course, students will have a solid background in the ecology and social dimensions of biological invasions. : Marlyse Duguid : : Sara Kuebbing
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Duguid Tu,Th - 10:00-11:20 |
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695
Yale Forest Forum Series: (Re)Considering Planted Forests for the 21st Century
695 Yale Forest Forum Series: (Re)Considering Planted Forests for the 21st Century : The Forest School at the Yale School of Environment has developed a new seminar for fall 2023 in collaboration with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, The Forests Dialogue and the Center for Business and the Environment at Yale. The series will focus on (Re)Considering intensively managed planted forests for the 21st Century, drawing on a wide range of perspectives and experiences from around the world.
Planted forests, including tree plantations established for wood production, continue to grow in both extent and significance. Tree plantations currently provide almost half of the world’s industrial wood, a proportion expected to increase significantly in coming decades. They also have great potential to deliver environmental services and social benefits. However, many aspects of tree plantations have been and remain controversial, with concerns that associated environmental and social costs often outweigh economic and other benefits. The seminar is guest lecture/discussion based and will include a weekly public webinar hosted by the Yale Forest Forum (YFF).
This seminar is the third in a four-seminar series focused on the Future Role of Forest Products in a Changing Climate. The first in the series covered issues related to Mass Timber; the second was on bioenergy. The fourth seminar in the series will cover Pulp and Paper. The seminar will bring in a wide range of experts to discuss the future role of intensively managed planted forests (IMPF) in addressing urgent needs/changes related to climate, resource, societal and environmental challenges at regional and global scales.
Guest speakers will represent forestry, industry, conservation, communities, and climate science. Speakers will describe their personal and organizational experience with IMPF, and discuss the environmental, economic, and societal implications for increased development IMPFs for the plantations sector, forest products industry and society. : Mark S. Ashton : : Gary Dunning
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Ashton Tu - 11:30-12:50 |
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696
YFF:Smallholder, Non-Industrial Planted Forests and Trees: For climate, biodiversity and livelihoods
696 YFF:Smallholder, Non-Industrial Planted Forests and Trees: For climate, biodiversity and livelihoods : The Forest School at the Yale School of the Environment and the Forestry Division at UN-FAO have co-developed a new seminar for Spring 2023 titled Smallholder, Non-Industrial Planted Forests and Trees: for climate, biodiversity and livelihoods. The seminar series will focus on ways to harness the potential of smallholder planted forests and trees to contribute to the provision of environmental services (including addressing climate change) and livelihoods. It will focus on the following questions:
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What are the key success factors in the establishment and management of planted forests and trees by smallholders?
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Which management objectives do they pursue?
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What are the operational and financial risks and vulnerabilities they face?
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Which models and practices are most promising?
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Which opportunities arise from the transition towards carbon-neutral economies?
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How can policies and producers’ associations support smallholders?
The guest lecture-based series will draw on a wide range of perspectives and experiences from around the world. : Mark S. Ashton : : Gary Dunning
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Ashton Tu - 12:00-2:00 |
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704
Workshop on Remote Sensing and Photogrammetry with Drones
704 Workshop on Remote Sensing and Photogrammetry with Drones : : : Xuhui Lee
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Lee TBA - TBA |
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706
Organic Pollutants in the Environment
706 Organic Pollutants in the Environment :
An overview of the pollution problems posed by toxic organic chemicals, including petroleum, pesticides, PCBs, dioxins, chlorinated solvents, and emerging contaminants such as PFAS, personal care products, and brominated compounds. The course covers the processes governing the environmental fate of organic pollutants (e.g., evaporation, bioconcentration, sorption, biodegradation, migration in groundwater), as well as tools for the prevention and remediation of organic pollution. Previous knowledge of organic chemistry is not required (but is welcome). : Shimon C. Anisfeld :
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Anisfeld M,W - 1:00-2:15 |
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709
Lectures, Discussions and Applications of Soil Science
709 Lectures, Discussions and Applications of Soil Science : : : Mark Bradford
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Bradford TBA - TBA |
712
Water Management
712 Water Management :
An exploration of water management at scales ranging from local to global. The course looks at multiple dimensions of the water crisis, including both human and ecosystem impacts; quantity and quality problems; and infrastructural and institutional issues. Theory is illustrated through a variety of case studies. Topics covered include global water resources; flooding; water scarcity; residential, agricultural, and industrial water use; water and health; water justice; impacts of climate change and land-use change; stormwater management; dams and other technologies for water management; human impacts on aquatic ecosystems; water and energy; water economics; water rights; water conflict and cooperation. : Shimon C. Anisfeld : Shimon C. Anisfeld
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Anisfeld M,W - 4:00-5:20 |
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Anisfeld TBA - TBA |
713
Coastal Ecosystems
713 Coastal Ecosystems : : : Shimon C. Anisfeld
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Anisfeld TBA - TBA |
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715
Case Studies in Water Management: Rural-Urban Linkages
715 Case Studies in Water Management: Rural-Urban Linkages : This advanced course is designed for students who have already taken a water management course and want a chance to delve more deeply into the complex issues involved. Our focus will be the ways that water and water services link urban and rural landscapes and populations, including direct water supply (including water quality protection), but also other water-related goods and services: flood control, wastewater absorption, food and energy production, mining, and recreation. Each linkage will be explored through instructor lectures and student case studies. : Shimon C. Anisfeld : Shimon C. Anisfeld
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Anisfeld W - 1:00-3:50 |
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Anisfeld TBA - TBA |
716
Renewable Energy
716 Renewable Energy :
Introduction to renewable energy, including physical principles, existing and emerging technologies, and interaction with the environment. Energy demand; transmission and storage; generation by hydroelectric, wind, solar, biofuel, and geothermal sources, as well as waves and tidal generation. Includes field trips to conventional, hydroelectric, and wind power facilities in Connecticut.
: Michael Oristaglio : Ronald Smith
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Oristaglio M,W - 9:00-10:15 |
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Smith Tentative |
717
Tropical Field Ecology
717 Tropical Field Ecology :
APPLICATIONS DUE FRIDAY DECEMBER 10th (by 5pm EST) for ENV 717 TROPICAL FIELD ECOLOGY (ECUADOR FIELD TRIP)
Weds 10:30-11:50am and mandatory field trip to Ecuador over Spring Break
Please find below a course description for Tropical Field Ecology (ENV 717b) for the Spring 2023 semester. The course involves a mandatory field trip to Ecuador over spring break (tentative dates: March 12–25). In the spring semester, we will meet once per week Weds 10:30-11:50am. Because the appropriate logistics and arrangements must be secured several months in advance, enrollment must be finalized by the end of December.
APPLICATION PROCEDURE: If you are interested in taking the course, please read the description below and email Dr. Simon Queenborough (simon.queenborough@yale.edu) with the following information by 5PM, DECEMBER 10th:
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Name
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Degree program and expected graduation date
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List of previous relevant coursework
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A brief explanation of why you want to take the course and how it would further your academic and career goals (200 words max)
Course expenses (including airfare, local transportation, meals, lodging, fees, etc.) for YSE students will be covered by the YSE field trip fund. Funding is also available for Yale College undergraduates. Students from outside of YSE and Yale College must seek alternative funding. Interested YSE and Yale College students should apply regardless of financial situation, and we will work with selected students individually to ensure participation is possible.
SELECTION PROCEDURE:For logistical and financial reasons, enrollment is limited. Top priority will be given to students for whom the course will clearly advance their academic/career goals (i.e., students planning to conduct ecological field research and/or focus on tropical ecosystems in their careers). Some previous coursework in ecology is required, but ENV 752 Ecology & Conservation of Tropical Forests is not a prerequisite this year (we will provide some of this content during pre-trip lectures).
You must be available for the entire length of the field trip (no arriving late or leaving early to attend other spring break field courses or for other personal/academic/work commitments).
_____________________________________________________________________________
ENV 717b, Tropical Field Ecology | 3 credits | Weds 10:30-11:50am | enrollment capped at 12
This course is designed to give students firsthand knowledge of tropical biology and the issues surrounding conservation of biodiversity in the tropics, through a combination of seminar-style discussions and a mandatory12-day field trip over winter break. The emphasis is on active learning and developing independent research projects carried out during the field trip. Using a case-study approach, topics covered include patterns of biodiversity, tropical forest dynamics, reforestation, species interactions and coevolution, climate change impacts, ecosystem services, and human land use. Students also gain experience with study design, data collection methods, and statistical analysis.
This year’s field trip is to Ecuador, a country famous for its high biological, cultural, and economic diversity. We visit a variety of forest ecosystems and hear from local and international scientists about current research in the field. Students undertake two short research projects and also learn basic identification and natural history of tropical plant, bird, and insect species. Students should expect to spend a major part of each day outside in the natural tropical environment under adverse conditions. Enrollment limited to twelve. Priority will be given to students planning to conduct field research in the tropics. This year (2022/2023), ENV 752 is not a required prerequisite: additional lectures will be provided during Spring 2023.
This course is designed to provide students with an introduction to tropical biology and the conservation of biodiversity in the tropics, through a combination of lectures, discussions, and hands-on research projects. Lectures provide background on the climate, structure, function, and diversity of tropical forests, with an emphasis on the evolutionary and ecological processes shaping these ecosystems. Through guest lectures and hands-on projects, students also gain experience with study design, data collection methods, statistical analysis, and scientific writing and presentations. If conditions permit, this course will include a mandatory spring break field trip to the Neotropics. : Liza Comita : Liza Comita : Simon Queenborough
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Comita W - 10:30-11:50 |
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Comita TBA - TBA |
723
Wetlands Ecology, Conservation & Management
723 Wetlands Ecology, Conservation & Management :
Wetlands are ubiquitous. Collectively they cover 370,000 square miles in the United States and globally encompass more than five million square miles. Most points on a map are less than one kilometer from the nearest wetland. Yet wetlands are nearly invisible to most people. In this course we explore wetlands in all of their dimensions, including the critical services they provide to other systems, the rich biodiversity they harbor, and their impact on global climate. Additionally, wetlands are linchpin environments for scientific policy and regulation. The overarching aim of the course is to connect what we know about wetlands from a scientific perspective to the ways in which wetlands matter for people.
: Kealoha Freidenburg : Kealoha Freidenburg
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Freidenburg M,W - 1:00-2:15 |
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Freidenburg TBA - TBA |
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725
Water, Energy, and Food Interconnections in a Changing Climate
725 Water, Energy, and Food Interconnections in a Changing Climate : Water, energy, and food systems are interconnected. Over-appropriation of freshwater to support irrigated agriculture and to develop non-renewable and renewable energy sources has depleted rivers and aquifers, contributing to growing water scarcity that imperils food and energy security. This problem is exacerbated by climate change, which is lowering precipitation and riverine flows in water-stressed regions, increasing crop-water requirements, and raising energy demands for cooling. This seminar is intended to illuminate the relations between freshwater demand and availability, various forms of energy development, agriculture, and human-induced climate change. An understanding of these relations is needed to manage the often-competing objectives of the water, energy, and food sectors in ways that ensure the long-term health of ecosystems. : James E. Saiers :
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Saiers M,W - 2:30-3:50 |
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726
Observing Earth from Space
726 Observing Earth from Space :
A practical introduction to satellite image analysis of Earth’s surface. Topics include the spectrum of electromagnetic radiation, satellite-borne radiometers, data transmission and storage, computer image analysis, the merging of satellite imagery with GIS and applicationsto weather and climate, oceanography, surficial geology, ecology and epidemiology, forestry, agriculture, archaeology, and watershed management. : Xuhui Lee : Xuhui Lee
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Lee Tu,Th - 9:00-10:15 |
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Lee TBA - TBA |
727
Global Food Challenges
727 Global Food Challenges : This seminar explores significant challenges posed by the global food supply to environmental quality and human health. The primary obligation is a research paper, dissertation chapter, master’s project, or senior essay draft. We read critically 150–200 pages per week, and students should be prepared to discuss or present analyses.
Challenges examined include fresh vs. processed foods, nutritional sufficiency and excess, radionuclides, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, fertilizers, animal feeds, plastics, flame retardants, flavors, fragrances, ingredient fraud, genetic modification, waste, energy input and yield, locality, processing technologies, packaging, and carbon emissions. Corporate case histories are considered in a number of sessions. Private innovations in the production and management of food are analyzed, including trends in certification and labeling initiatives. Most sessions examine one or several foods. Examples include cow’s milk, human milk, infant formula, grapes, wine, corn, bananas, tomatoes, salmon, cod, tuna, sodas, fruit juice, water, coffee, and olive oil. Enrollment limited to sixteen. : John P. Wargo : John P. Wargo
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Wargo W - 1:00-3:50 |
Wargo TBA - TBA |
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728
Introduction to Statistics and Data Analysis in the Environmental Sciences
728 Introduction to Statistics and Data Analysis in the Environmental Sciences :
An introduction to statistics and data analysis with emphasis on practical applications in the environmental sciences. Includes graphical analysis, common probability distributions, hypothesis testing, confidence intervals, and linear regression. The second part of the course introduces the topics of multiple regression and ANOVA that are typically not covered in an introductory class such as AP statistics. There are weekly problem sets, 2 exams, and a final project. Assignments require use of Minitab, SPSS, or R. This course is a prerequisite for other statistics courses offered through YSE, and it presents statistical methods used in many Yale courses in both the natural and social sciences. Three hours lecture. : Jonathan Reuning-Scherer : Jonathan Reuning-Scherer
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Reuning-Scherer Tu,Th - 2:30-3:50 |
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Reuning-Scherer TBA - TBA |
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729
Caribbean Coastal Development: Science and Policy
729 Caribbean Coastal Development: Science and Policy :
This seminar explores human-ecosystem interactions at the land-sea interface in the tropics, with Caribbean islands as the main study sites. Many tropical islands are undergoing rapid, uncontrolled development, placing severe local stress on several unique and vulnerable ecosystems types. In addition, human induced environmental changes on scales up to global also impose stresses. This course examines the normal functioning of these ecosystems, scientific methods to evaluate and characterize ecosystem condition and processes, how human activities interfere with natural cycles in biophysical systems, and what management and policy tools can be applied to reduce impacts. : Gaboury Benoit : : Mary Beth Decker
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Benoit M,W - 10:30-11:45 |
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731
Tropical Field Botany
731 Tropical Field Botany : ENV 731b Tropical Field Botany
Credits: 3
Spring 2023: Th, 1:00-3:50, Marsh Rotunda, and field trip 10-20 March 2023 to Costa Rica
Faculty: Fabian Michelangeli (New York Botanical Garden)
TF: Hari Radhamoni
Note: The field trip to Costa Rica will take place over spring break. Dates: March 10-20. Participants must be available the entire trip and are unable to arrive late or leave early.
This course teaches students how to identify the most important tropical plant families, with an emphasis on woody taxa. Students learn key characteristics for identification. We concentrate on families that have high economic, ecological, or ethnobotanical importance. We also discuss distribution, habitat, and ecology. The course has a strong practical component, and instructors emphasize vegetative characters to identify families and higher-level taxa. The course includes a two-week field trip to Costa Rica over Spring Break (Fri 10 -- Mon 20 March 2023). Because of the field trip, enrollment is capped.
To apply for the course, please send the following information to: harikrishnan.venugopalannairradhamoni@yale.edu
Application deadline: 5pm, Fri Dec 9 2022.
1-Name
2-Enrolled in which degree:
3-Year?
4-Have you taken a class on plant taxonomy or plant systematics in the past? Provide brief details.
5-How could this class help with your current thesis or research project?
6-How could this class help with your future work/research plans?
7-Do you plan to come on the field trip to Costa Rica (March 10-20) [please note that we will leave on Friday 10th; we cannot accommodate students joining the trip late or leaving early]
8-US citizen or permanent resident?
9-Passport issued by which country:
10-If you are an international student, do you need a visa to enter Costa Rica? Getting a visa can be a long process because you will need documents apostilled. Check here: http://www.costarica-embassy.org/index.php?q=node/51
This course teaches students how to identify the most important tropical plant families, with an emphasis on woody taxa. Students learn key characteristics for identification. We concentrate on families that have high economic, ecological, or ethnobotanical importance. We also discuss distribution, habitat, and ecology. The course has a strong practical component, and instructors emphasize vegetative characters to identify families and higher-level taxa. The course includes a two-week field trip to Costa Rica over spring break. : Fabian Michelangeli :
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Michelangeli Th - 1:00-3:50 |
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734
Biological Oceanography
734 Biological Oceanography :
This natural science course provides a foundation for those interested in the ecology and management of marine systems. Includes an exploration of a range of coastal and pelagic ecosystems. Relationships between biological systems and the physical processes that control the movements of water and productivity of marine systems. This course also covers anthropogenic impacts on oceans, such as the effects of fishing and climate change. Includes up to three Friday field trips. Recommended prerequisite: college-level biology or ecology course. Three hours lecture : Mary Beth Decker : Mary Beth Decker
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Decker Tu,Th - 11:35-12:50 |
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Decker TBA - TBA |
735
Hydrologic Science for Environmental Managers
735 Hydrologic Science for Environmental Managers : This course examines how natural processes and human actions affect the stocks, flows, and quality of freshwater within rivers, wetlands, soils, and aquifers. The course also covers methods used to assess current water-resource conditions. And it surveys the science that underpins predictions of trajectories of freshwater availability and quality as shaped by management and other drivers of change. : James E. Saiers : James E. Saiers
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Saiers Tu,Th - 10:30-11:50 |
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Saiers TBA - TBA |
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742
Fundamentals of Working with People
742 Fundamentals of Working with People : Using environmental science to help inform and change human actions is a key challenge for environmental managers. Doing so requires that professionals be able to work across different scales, including: (1) understanding their own values and ways of working, as well as those of others; (2) forming, working in, and leading teams reflecting a diversity of experiences and skills; (3) influencing the actions of the organizations within which they are working; and (4) building and managing collaborative networks with others in other organizations affecting the resource systems about which they care. The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the scholarship being done (mostly within management fields) on how best to make these connections, as well as the ways individuals are putting those lessons learned into action. The course also introduces students to the professors, individual courses, workshops and other offerings across Yale that offer deeper dives into specific approaches to working more effectively with people. : Stuart DeCew : Stuart DeCew
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DeCew Tu,Th - 8:30-9:50 |
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DeCew Tentative |
744
Conservation Science and Landscape Planning
744 Conservation Science and Landscape Planning :
This advanced course applies ecological principles to understand and manage biodiversity and attendant ecosystem functioning and services in the anthropocene. The course addresses the ethical and functional basis for conservation and fosters thinking about why and how humans ought to share the planet with nonhuman life. It covers scientific principles such as evolution, life-history and the viability of species, species endangerment and extinction risk, the kinds of biodiversity, the spatial distribution of biodiversity, the functional roles of species in ecosystems, vulnerability and risk assessments, and valuing biodiversity and ecosystem services. The course applies these principles to the exploration of such topics as biodiversity’s role in the functioning and sustainability of ecological systems, restoration of environmental damages, conserving biodiversity in dynamic landscapes, adapting landscapes to climate change, balancing conservation with urban development and agriculture, and renewable energy siting. It provides students with the quantitative skills to conduct population viability analyses, geospatial analyses of the distribution of biodiversity across landscapes, vulnerability analyses, and decision-analysis to balance trade-offs among multiple objectives of human land development and biodiversity conservation. Prerequisites: ENV 602aor equivalent course in population or community ecology, ENV 755b or equivalent course in GIS, and ENV 728a or equivalent course in statistical analysis of biological data. A course in economics or applied math for environmental studies is strongly encouraged : Oswald J. Schmitz : Oswald J. Schmitz
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Schmitz M,W - 10:30-11:50 |
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Schmitz TBA - TBA |
746
Conservation Ethics
746 Conservation Ethics : Interested students should email a short application statement (~500 words) to nathalie.sommer@yale.edu on (1) why you want to take the course, (2) career plans, and (3) any previous philosophy or ethical training by January 9, 2023
Conservation Biology is a crisis discipline, seeking to preserve biodiversity across scales. As such, the discipline is constantly faced with challenging scientific and ethical dilemmas, which requires that practitioners have a robust understanding of both ecology and environmental philosophy. This course will provide students with a foundation in applied ethics and the tools necessary to solve contemporary problems in conservation while managing the ethical realities. The first half of the semester will be focused on gaining the ethical foundation necessary to engage in conservation ethics. Weekly philosophical readings will be assigned and classes will be a mix of lecture and seminar style discussion. The second half of the course will focus on integrating these ethical frameworks with scientific practice through a series of case studies. This part of the class will be conducted primary seminar style and require short, weekly management plans informed by ethical reasoning. No philosophical background is required and the course material has been tailored not to overlap significantly with other courses offered at Yale (i.e. Environmental Ethics, Environmental History and Values, or Environmental Justice). : Oswald J. Schmitz : : TBD Faculty
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Schmitz M,W - 9:00-10:20 |
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750
Writing the World
750 Writing the World :
This is a practical writing course meant to develop your skills as a writer. But its real subject is perception and the writer’s authority—the relationship between what you notice in the world around you and what, culturally speaking, you’re allowed to notice. What you write during the semester is driven entirely by your own interest and attention. How you write is the question at hand. We’ll be exploring the overlapping habitats of language—present and past—and the natural environment. And, to a lesser extent, we’ll be exploring the character of persuasion in environmental themes. Every member of the class will write every week, and we will all read what everyone writes every week. It makes no difference whether you’re a would-be journalist, scientist, environmental advocate or policy-maker. The goal is to rework your writing and sharpen your perceptions, both sensory and intellectual. Application for interested students will be avaiable in August. : Verlyn Klinkenborg : Verlyn Klinkenborg
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Klinkenborg Tu - 2:30-5:20 |
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Klinkenborg TBA - TBA |
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751
Sampling Methodology and Practice
751 Sampling Methodology and Practice :
This course is intended to provide a fundamental understanding of the principles of statistical sampling, alternative estimators of population parameters, and the design basis for inference in survey sampling. Natural, ecological, and environmental resource applications of sampling are used to exemplify numerous sampling strategies. Sample designs to be studied include simple random; systematic; unequal probability, with and without replacement; stratified sampling; sampling with fixed-radius plots; horizontal point sampling; and line intercept. The Horvitz-Thompson, ratio, regression, and other estimators are introduced and used repeatedly throughout the course. Three hours lecture. Weekly and biweekly problem sets and fina project. : Timothy G. Gregoire : Timothy G. Gregoire
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Gregoire M,W - 10:30-11:50 |
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Gregoire TBA - TBA |
753
Regression Modeling of Ecological and Environmental Data
753 Regression Modeling of Ecological and Environmental Data :
This course in applied statistics assists scientific researchers in the analysis and interpretation of observational and field data. After considering the notion of a random variable, the statistical properties of linear transformations and linear combinations of random data are established. This serves as a foundation for the major topics of the course, which explore the estimation and fitting of linear and nonlinear regression models to observed data. Three hours lecture. Statistical computing with R, weekly problem exercises.
: Timothy G. Gregoire : Timothy G. Gregoire
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Gregoire M,W - 10:30-11:50 |
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Gregoire TBA - TBA |
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755
Modeling Geographic Space
755 Modeling Geographic Space :
An introduction to the conventions and capabilities of image-based (raster) geographic information systems (GIS) for the analysis and synthesis of spatial patterns and processes. In contrast to ENV 756a, the course is oriented more toward the qualities of geographic space itself (e.g., proximity, density, or interspersion) than the discrete objects that may occupy such space (e.g., water bodies, land parcels, or structures). Three hours lecture, problem sets. No previous experience is required. : Charles Dana Tomlin : Charles Dana Tomlin
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Tomlin Th - 1:00-3:50 |
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Tomlin TBA - TBA |
756
Modeling Geographic Objects
756 Modeling Geographic Objects :
This course offers a broad and practical introduction to the nature and use of drawing-based (vector) geographic information systems (GIS) for the preparation, interpretation, and presentation of digital cartographic data. In contrast to ENV 755b, the course is oriented more toward discrete objects in geographical space (e.g., water bodies, land parcels, or structures) than the qualities of that space itself (e.g., proximity, density, or interspersion). Three hours lecture, problem sets. No previous experience is required. : Charles Dana Tomlin : Charles Dana Tomlin
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Tomlin Th - 1:00-3:50 |
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Tomlin TBA - TBA |
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757
Data Exploration and Analysis
757 Data Exploration and Analysis : In introduction to the R computing language, statistical plots and transformations, a review of introductory statistics techniques, and an extension into more advanced topics including multiple regression, ANOVA and ANCOVA, binary and multinomial logistic regression, and non-parametric techniques such as the bootstrap and permutation tests. This course also covers data types, data cleaning, and web scraping. This course is designed to follow a prior introduction to statistics course such as ENV 728. Weekly problem sets, two exams, and a final project. Three hours lecture.
Follows Yale College Calendar : TBD Faculty : Jonathan Reuning-Scherer
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Faculty Tu,Th - 9:00-10:20 |
Faculty Tu,Th - 9:00-10:15 |
Reuning-Scherer TBA - TBA |
Reuning-Scherer TBA - TBA |
758
Multivariate Data Analysis in the Environmental Sciences
758 Multivariate Data Analysis in the Environmental Sciences :
An introduction to the analysis of multivariate data. Topics include multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), principal components analysis, cluster analysis, canonical correlation, ordination methods including multidimensional scaling, discriminate analysis, factor analysis, and structural equations modeling. Emphasis is placed on practical application of multivariate techniques to a variety of examples in the natural and social sciences. Students are required to select a dataset early in the term for use throughout the term. There are regular assignments and a final project. Extensive use of computers is required—students may use any combination of R, SAS, SPSS, MINITAB, and STATA. Three hours lecture/discussion. : Jonathan Reuning-Scherer : Jonathan Reuning-Scherer
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Reuning-Scherer Tu,Th - 1:00-2:15 |
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Reuning-Scherer TBA - TBA |
759
Power, Knowledge, and the Environment: Social Science
759 Power, Knowledge, and the Environment: Social Science : Course on the social scientific contributions to environmental and natural resource issues, emphasizing equity, politics, and knowledge. Section I, introduction to the course. Section II, disaster and environmental perturbation: the social science of emerging diseases; and the social origins of disaster. Section III, boundaries: cost and benefit in the Green Revolution; riverine restoration; and aspirational infrastructure. Section IV, methods: working within development projects, and rapid appraisal and consultancies. Section V, local communities, resources, and (under)development: representing the poor, development discourse, and indigenous peoples and knowledge. This is a core M.E.M. specialization course in YSE, and a core course in the combined YSE/Anthropology doctoral degree program. Enrollment capped. : Michael R. Dove : Michael R. Dove
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Dove M - 1:00-3:50 |
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Dove TBA - TBA |
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760
Conservation in Practice: An International Perspective
760 Conservation in Practice: An International Perspective :
This seminar focuses on the practice of wildlife and wildlands conservation, examining key topics from the dual perspectives of academic literature and actual field experiences; bringing together interdisciplinary thinking; and drawing on examples from Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the United States. The thematic outline of the seminar is organized around three fundamental questions in nature conservation: What are we trying to save—and why? How is this being done—and how has it changed over time? What lessons are we learning—and what overarching issues remain problematic? Specific topics include how different players define and value wildness; selection and prioritization of conservation targets; comparisons of various species and landscape conservation approaches; and governance and decision making in conservation, including ties between conservation and development and community-based conservation. During the semester, students work in small teams to assess one of several current case studies - integrating biological, social, economic, and governance considerations - to propose an effective path forward for conservation. Participation and leadership are key, as the seminar is discussion-based and approximately half the sessions are student-led. Evaluation is based on participation, presentations, and a final paper. : Amy Vedder : Amy Vedder : Bill Weber
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Vedder Tu,Th - 5:30-6:50 |
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Vedder TBA - TBA |
761
Negotiating International Agreements: The Case of Climate Change
761 Negotiating International Agreements: The Case of Climate Change : This class is a practical introduction to the negotiation of international agreements, with a focus on climate change. Through the climate lens, students explore cross-cutting features of international agreements, the process of international negotiations, the development of national positions, advocacy of national positions internationally, and the many ways in which differences among negotiating countries are resolved. The seminar also examines the history and substance of the climate change regime, including, inter alia, the 1992 UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, the 2009 Copenhagen Accord, the 2015 Paris Agreement, and recent developments. There will be two mock negotiations.
Permission from Instructor needed to register : Susan Biniaz :
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Biniaz M - 1:30-3:20 |
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762
Applied Math for Environmental Studies (AMES):Foundations for Measuring and Modeling Environmental and Socio-environmental Systems
762 Applied Math for Environmental Studies (AMES):Foundations for Measuring and Modeling Environmental and Socio-environmental Systems : : : Eli Fenichel
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Fenichel TBA - TBA |
764
Sociology of Sacred Values: Modernity, Ecology, and Policy
764 Sociology of Sacred Values: Modernity, Ecology, and Policy :
This course equips students to understand how moral culture shapes all environmental issues and management, driving even the most basic decisions that on the surface may appear to be entirely obvious, rational, or scientific. Modern people and modern institutions are propelled toward certain ends and possibilities that are inescapably rooted in questions of human culture about who we are, what we should do, and why it all matters. The first half of the course draws on theoretical readings from sociology, philosophy, and religious studies to understand the ubiquity of sacred codes and how they work, with an emphasis on late-modernity, rationality, capitalism, and the sacred/profane. The second half of the course introduces recent case studies to see in practice how moral values are embedded in environmental work, including policymaking, advocacy, the free market, scientific research, race and class, death and extinction, ecotourism, and more. Cultivating a lens to see culture and moral values in all things will improve students' applied work in all sectors.
: Justin Farrell :
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Farrell W - 8:00-10:50 |
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767
Building a Conservation Toolkit: From Project Design to Evaluation
767 Building a Conservation Toolkit: From Project Design to Evaluation : As wildlife and wildland conservation programs have multiplied and grown in size, conservation organizations have sought methods to improve strategic project planning, assessment of progress, cross-project comparison, learning of lessons, and transparency for donors. To address these challenges, major nonprofit organizations have collaboratively designed a set of decision-support tools for planning field projects and programs and for monitoring their progress, summarized in the “Open Standards for the Practice of Conservation” ( http://cmp-openstandards.org). Use of these tools has allowed organizations to more clearly articulate strategies, define priority actions, critically assess success, manage adaptively, and derive lessons—all of which help to improve effectiveness and respond to donor interests. Students in this course explore a mutually reinforcing suite of these project tools: their underlying principles are introduced, students practice the techniques, and current case studies from field conservation are examined to explore tool utility. Students synthesize use of these design tools in a final project proposal focused on a single case study of their choice. The suite of decision-support tools covered includes situation (logic) models for project design, stakeholder assessments, threats and opportunities analysis, conservation target identification, and monitoring frameworks. Students gain experience in design of projects and their monitoring, as well as familiarity with budgeting. Enrollment limited to twelve. : Amy Vedder : Amy Vedder : Bill Weber
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Vedder M,W - 2:30-3:50 |
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Vedder TBA - TBA |
770
Western Lands and Communities Field Clinic: Research to Practice
770 Western Lands and Communities Field Clinic: Research to Practice :
Application process: Write an email with the subject "Field Course Application" to Justin Farrell (justin.farrell@yale.edu) explaining in less than 300 words in total: (1) Name, degree program, year, and specialization. (2) Per the course description, what is your project? (3) What is your intended end-of-the- semester deliverable for this project? (4) How will this field-based clinic benefit your project? (5) How does this course align with your future professional goals?
Application window: Open November 28th and closed December 12th. Decision letters will be sent by December 19th.
This project-based course is for students engaged in social research, humanities study, applied management, natural science, and/or conservation policy in Western U.S. landscapes. Western lands and communities face growing ecological, cultural, economic, and social equity problems that require integrated solutions. Working individually or in small teams, students will complete self-driven projects. There are two options for these projects: (1) scholarly research, or (2) applied research for a practitioner-client. Students conducting scholarly research will hone and apply skills for data collection, analysis, and scholarly writing for publication. Applied students will engage in similar work, but they'll establish a relationship with a client of their choosing and carry out a project with concrete deliverables informed by the needs of that client (e.g., NGOs, federal land agencies, Native Nations, local governments, etc.). The course counts toward the MEM Capstone, if desired. There is a mandatory field trip for experiential learning during spring break. As such, the course is capped at 12 and requires an application. No preference is given to a particular field of study. Some preference is given to students having prior experience with Western lands and communities. : Justin Farrell : Justin Farrell
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Farrell Th - 4:00-6:50 |
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Farrell TBA - TBA |
771
Fundamentals of Green Engineering and Green Chemistry
771 Fundamentals of Green Engineering and Green Chemistry :
There is a broad desire to ensure that consumer products, manufacturing processes, and material and energy systems are compatible with public health, environmental sustainability, and this course provides the fundamental knowledge on the frameworks, methods, tools, and techniques of how to design for sustainability. Through an understanding of the conceptual contracts and the application to real-world case studies, students will understand the impacts of design on health (including toxic and eco-toxic effects) and the ways to ensure that new products, processes, and systems can be constructed through the principles of green engineering and green chemistry. This is a course of fundamentals that set the foundation for more advanced investigations in sustainable design and therefore there are no pre-requisites. : Julie Zimmerman : Paul Anastas : Hanno Erythropel : Paul Anastas
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Zimmerman M,W - 10:30-11:50 |
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Anastas TBA - TBA |
773
Air Pollution Control (APC)
773 Air Pollution Control (APC) :
An overview of air quality problems worldwide with a focus on emissions, chemistry, transport, and other processes that govern dynamic behavior in the atmosphere. Quantitative assessment of the determining factors of air pollution (e.g., transportation and other combustion–related sources, chemical transformations), climate change, photochemical “smog,” pollutant measurement techniques, and air quality management strategies. : Drew Gentner : Drew Gentner
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Gentner M,W - 2:30-3:45 |
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Gentner Tentative |
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775
Federal Indian Law
775 Federal Indian Law : Follows Law School Calendar
This course will cover the basics of federal Indian law. It will not address the substantive content of tribal law. Tribal law is a specialized study arising from the exercise of the legal authority that the tribes retain. This course is designed to lay the ground work for a deep understanding of what kinds of sovereignty Indian nations may exercise within the framework of our legal system.
Normally, courses of this type begin with an historical exploration of the foundations of the relations between Indian and non-Indian peoples. Instead, we will begin with questions that are current and sketch out, roughly, where we are now. Typically, we start with cases pending before or recently decided by the Supreme Court. We use the Marshall Trilogy to build from the present back to the origins to see how the doctrines reflect the positive aspects of the legal expression of contact between Europe and the native nations of the Western hemisphere as well as the more malign aspects. We will also situate the doctrinal evolution of federal Indian law with the struggle over colonialism as expressed in the insular cases. We will not neglect the history; it will prove critical for understanding the ways in which federal Indian law is sui generis in domestic jurisprudence, but we will see how that history is always haunted by the specter of colonialism, extra-legality, and finally international legal norms. Every student must complete the discussion question requirements to sit for the examination or to submit a paper. Self-scheduled examination or paper option.
Note: Students are required to attend the first day of class. : Gerald Torres :
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Torres Tu,Th - 2:10-3:35 |
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777
Water Quality Control
777 Water Quality Control : : : Jaehong Kim
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Kim Tentative |
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781
Applied Spatial Statistics
781 Applied Spatial Statistics :
An introduction to spatial statistical techniques with computer applications. Topics include modeling spatially correlated data, quantifying spatial association and autocorrelation, interpolation methods, variograms, kriging, and spatial point patterns. Examples are drawn from ecology, sociology, public health, and subjects proposed by students. Four to five lab/homework assignments and a final project. The class makes extensive use of the R programming language.
Prerequisite: introductory course in statistics is mandatory. An intermediate-level course in statistical modeling and handling spatial data is strongly preferred, but not required. : Timothy G. Gregoire : Timothy G. Gregoire
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Gregoire Tu,Th - 10:30-11:50 |
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Gregoire TBA - TBA |
782
Globalization Space: International Infrastructure and Extrastatecraft
782 Globalization Space: International Infrastructure and Extrastatecraft : : : Keller Easterling
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Easterling Tentative |
785
Material Flow Analysis for the Circular Economy
785 Material Flow Analysis for the Circular Economy : Material Flow Analysis is a tool routinely used by many scientists to monitor the consumption of national resources. In this course, students will become proficient in material flow analysis (MFA) and material stock analysis (MSA) and explore how MFA data are used to monitor material efficiency. Specifically, the course is designed to offer ample opportunities to practice with dynamic MFA—a branch of MFA that deals with multi-year data—to quantify resource consumption, estimate waste generation, and measure the circularity of a system. Classes alternate between frontal lectures and practical sessions. During the practical sessions, students will learn how to implement MFA and MSA analyses in Microsoft Excel and Python. The overarching theme of circularity issues provides the opportunity to reflect on various physical aspects of the economy and the extent to which circular economy initiatives can succeed. : Alessio Miatto : Alessio Miatto
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Miatto Tu,Th - 2:30-3:50 |
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Miatto Tentative |
789
Energy and Development
789 Energy and Development : This 3 credit course delves into the relationship between energy use and economic development, at a household, national and global scale. The course will provide both a quantitative and qualitative understanding of poverty, energy demand, and the relationship between the two. Students will grapple with different income and multidimensional poverty and living standards indicators, GDP and its limitations as a human development measure. We will learn about energy poverty in various parts of the world, energy consumption patterns with rising income. Students will be exposed to cutting edge research on living standards measures and their embodied energy needs. Students will study actual household survey and national statistics data on consumption and energy use. We will cover basic models for household energy transitions, and appliance diffusion. This is a seminar course, wherein students will be expected to present readings in class. The course involves one term project and presentation which may be quantitative or qualitative. Basic math, excel and microeconomics are required. Those selecting technical projects should have basic R or other data manipulation skills. : Narasimha Rao :
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Rao Tu - 1:00-3:50 |
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795
Nature as Capital: Merging Ecological and Economic Models (Class begins Jan 30th)
795 Nature as Capital: Merging Ecological and Economic Models (Class begins Jan 30th) :
Students learnconcepts and develop skills in natural resource economicsincluding thinking about natural resources as capital assets with a specific link to quantitative measures that may be useful in assessing sustainability. Students gain a working knowledge of concepts necessary to apply capital theory to ecosystems and develop a skill set sufficient to build dynamic bioeconomic models that can help them approximate the value of changes in ecosystems. Students also learn computational toolsin Excel and Rin dynamic optimization, which are useful for forward-looking decision-making. Application focus on natural resources and conservation questions. : Eli Fenichel : Eli Fenichel
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Fenichel M,W - 9:00-10:20 |
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Fenichel TBA - TBA |
796
Biopolitics of Human-Nonhuman Relations
796 Biopolitics of Human-Nonhuman Relations : Seminar on the “post-humanist” turn toward multispecies ethnography. Section I, introduction to the course. Section II, the ontological turn: multispecies ethnography; and ecology and human consciousness; Section III, fauna: human-animal conflict?; hunting and politics; and the bushmeat ‘crisis’. Section IV, flora: ‘weedy/invasive/pest’ species; and ethnobotany. Section V, the long and broad view: the history of natural history; and the classics. Section VI, class contributions: student-selected readings; student presentations of seminar papers; and lecture by teaching fellow. Enrollment capped. : Michael R. Dove :
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Dove Th - 1:00-3:50 |
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799
Sustainable Development Goals and Implementation
799 Sustainable Development Goals and Implementation : Students develop an understanding of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and focus on how to manage projects that implement the SDGs. Students develop an understanding of the global sustainability agenda, studying each SDG in detail. Students explore and acquire practical project management skills. The course also taps into the expertise and experience of professors and staff from various disciplines and schools, as well as practitioners directly from the field. : Gordon T. Geballe :
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Geballe Tu,Th - 11:35-12:50 |
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800
Energy Economics and Policy Analysis
800 Energy Economics and Policy Analysis :
This course examines energy policy issues that pertain to the environment, with a focus on providing tools for analyzing these issues. A primary objective is to apply economics to particular issues of energy markets, environmental impacts, investment in renewables, and other energy issues such as transportation and energy efficiency. We cover the economic and technical considerations behind a particular energy policy issue and then discuss a related article or case study. : Kenneth Gillingham : TBD Faculty
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Gillingham M,W - 1:00-2:20 |
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Faculty TBA - TBA |
803
Green Markets: Voluntary and Information Based Approaches to Environmental Management
803 Green Markets: Voluntary and Information Based Approaches to Environmental Management : : : Matthew J. Kotchen
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Kotchen TBA - TBA |
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804
Economics of Environmental & Natural Resource Management
804 Economics of Environmental & Natural Resource Management :
Linking of abstract economic concepts to concrete policy and management decisions. Application of theoretical tools of economics toglobal warming, pollution control, fisheries, water management, forestry, recreation, and mining. : Robert O. Mendelsohn :
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Mendelsohn M,W - 10:30-11:20 |
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805
Seminar on Environmental and Natural Resource Economics
805 Seminar on Environmental and Natural Resource Economics :
This seminar is based on outside speakers and internal student/faculty presentations oriented toward original research in the field of environmental and natural resource economics and policy. Presentations are aimed at the doctoral level, but interested master’s students may enroll with permission of the instructors. : Kenneth Gillingham : Kenneth Gillingham : Matthew J. Kotchen
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Gillingham W - 3:00-4:20 |
Gillingham W - 3:00-4:20 |
Gillingham TBA - TBA |
Gillingham TBA - TBA |
807
Corporate Sustainability Strategy and Management
807 Corporate Sustainability Strategy and Management :
This survey course focuses on the policy and business logic for making environmental issues and sustainability a core focus of corporate strategy and management. Students are asked to analyze when and how sustainability leadership can translate into competitive advantage by helping to cut costs, reduce risk, drive growth, and promote brand identity and intangible value. The course combines lectures, case studies, and class discussions on management theory and tools, the legal and regulatory frameworks that shape the business-environment interface, and the evolving role of business in society, including how to deal with a world of diverse stakeholders, increasing transparency, and rising expectations related to corporate environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance. Self-scheduled examination : Marian Chertow : Daniel C. Esty
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Chertow Tu,Th - 10:30-11:50 |
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Esty TBA - TBA |
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811
Metrics, Tools and Indicators in Corporate Responsibility
811 Metrics, Tools and Indicators in Corporate Responsibility : This is an applied course on the standards, guidelines and tools for designing, implementing, auditing and communicating a corporate environmental and social responsibility (CR) program. The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the knowledge and tools needed to enter a career in CR and sustainability. The course is designed for students who currently hold/will hold positions in organizations where they are/will be responsible for creating, implementing, measuring and/or managing internal CR and sustainability programs, or be responsible for assisting a corporations in this area. : Todd Cort : Todd Cort
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Cort Tu,Th - 10:10-11:30 |
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Cort Tentative |
814
Energy Systems Analysis
814 Energy Systems Analysis :
This lecture course offers a systems analysis approach to describe and explain the basics of energy systems, including all forms of energy (fossil and renewable), all sectors/activities of energy production/conversion, and all energy end uses, irrespective of the form of market transaction (commercial or noncommercial) or form of technology (traditional as well as novel advanced concepts) deployed. Students gain a comprehensive theoretical and empirical knowledge base from which to analyze energy-environmental issues as well as to participate effectively in policy debates. Special attention is given to introducing students to formal methods used to analyze energy systems or individual energy projects and also to discuss traditionally less-researched elements of energy systems (energy use in developing countries; energy densities and urban energy use; income, gender, and lifestyle differences in energy end-use patterns) in addition to currently dominant energy issues such as climate change. Active student participation is required, including completion of problem sets. Participation in extra-credit skill development exercises (presentations, fact-finding missions, etc.) is encouraged. Invited outside speakers complement topics covered in class. : Narasimha Rao : Narasimha Rao
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Rao M,W - 9:00-10:20 |
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Rao TBA - TBA |
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816
Electric Utilities: an Industry in Transition
816 Electric Utilities: an Industry in Transition : The U.S. electric utility industry is a $400 billion business with capital expenditures on the order of $100 billion per year to replace aging infrastructure, implement new technologies, and meet new regulatory requirements. A reliable electricity infrastructure is essential for the U.S. economy and the health and safety of its citizens. The electric industry also has a significant impact on the environment. In the United States, electric power generation is responsible for about 40 percent of human-caused emissions of carbon dioxide, the primary greenhouse gas. Electric utilities in the United States are at a crossroads. Technological innovations, improving economics, and regulatory incentives provide a transformational opportunity to implement demand-side resources and distributed energy technologies that will both lower emissions and improve service to customers. Such significant changes could, however, disrupt existing utility business models and therefore may not be fully supported by incumbent utilities. This course focuses on the issues, challenges, risks, and trade-offs associated with moving the U.S. utility industry toward a cleaner, more sustainable energy future. We explore how utilities are regulated and how economic factors and regulatory policies influence outcomes and opportunities to align customer, environmental, and utility shareholder interests to craft win-win-win solutions. : Lawrence Reilly : Lawrence Reilly
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Reilly Tu - 2:30-5:20 |
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Reilly TBA - TBA |
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817
Urban, Suburban, and Regional Planning Practice
817 Urban, Suburban, and Regional Planning Practice :
Our cities, towns, and regions represent the cumulative impact of planning policies implemented at multiple scales over the past century. This course explores the dynamic trends facing the United States and its communities and the evolution in planning practice that is occurring at the local and regional scale to address them. It looks at both suburban and urban approaches. The recent pandemic, multiple recessions, climate change, and a lack of social cohesion call for a new triple bottom-line approach to decision-making for our future. Existing policies and governance structures are not always well suited for the new challenges and opportunities that we face. Local, state, and the national government are, to varying degrees, crafting new solutions to the challenges of urban and suburban America. : David Kooris : David Kooris
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Kooris Tu - 4:00-6:50 |
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Kooris TBA - TBA |
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820
Land Use Law and Environmental Planning
820 Land Use Law and Environmental Planning :
This course explores the regulation by local governments of land uses in urban, rural, and suburban areas and the effect of development on the natural environment. The course helps students understand how the environment can be protected through effective regulation at the local level. It provides an introduction to federal, state, regional, and local laws and programs that promote watershed protection and to the laws that delegate to local governments primary responsibility for decision-making in the land use field. Theories of federalism, regionalism, states’ rights, and localism are studied, as are the cases that provide a foundation in regulatory takings and the legitimate scope of land use regulation. The history of the delegation of planning and land use authority to local governments is traced, leading to an examination of local land use practices that relate to human settlement patterns, water resources, low impact development, watershed protection, alternatives to Euclidean zoning, brownfields redevelopment, resiliency and adaptation in response to sea-level rise and climate change. Students engage in empirical research to identify, catalogue, and evaluate innovative local laws that successfully protect environmental functions and natural resources, and the manner in which towns incorporate climate change into their planning and regulations. Nearby watersheds are used as a context for the students’ understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of local planning and regulation. Attention is paid, in detail, to how the development of the land adversely affects natural resources and how these impacts can be mitigated through local planning and subsequent adoption of environmental and other regulations designed to promote sustainable development in a climate-changing world. : Marjorie Shansky : Marjorie Shansky
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Shansky M,W - 4:00-5:20 |
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Shansky TBA - TBA |
821
Environmental Policymaking: From Local to Global
821 Environmental Policymaking: From Local to Global : This course focuses on policymaking around environmental issues. We will explore and analyze institutions at all levels of government, from community management of forests to global management of greenhouse gas emissions. We will also explore a variety of environmental case studies. Students will learn to examine issues and institutions through the lens of the actors involved, their incentives, and the information they have. The course will include a simulation taking place over multiple weeks where students will negotiate an international environmental agreement
by application (tbd) : Luke Sanford : Luke Sanford
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Sanford M,W - 1:00-2:20 |
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Sanford Tentative |
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822
Strategic Communication: Presenting Effectively in a Virtual World (see description for section times and dates)
822 Strategic Communication: Presenting Effectively in a Virtual World (see description for section times and dates) : Must get permission from Instructor to enroll in course - Cannot add this course to online worksheet
Enrollment cap of 5 YSE students per section.
YSE students are asked to submit a statement of interest to Professor Reich.
2 Sections available in Fall-2
Section -01: T/Th 10:10-11:30 - Evans Hall
Section -02: T/Th 1:00-2:20 - Evans Hall
Class attendance is mandatory, including the first day - students are required to attend the first class session in order to remain enrolled or to bid for the course. There are four sections to choose from - two sections offered in fall-2 and two sections offered in spring-2. They are all the same half semester course, just offered at different times in the semester. The focus of this course is to increase one's competencies in oral communication and presentation. Developing and executing effective communication strategies is essential in a variety of business settings. Business leaders are often expected to present their message with confidence and clarity to employees, clients, partners, investors and the public. This highly interactive, practical course will help students develop confidence in public speaking through weekly presentations and assignments, lectures and discussions, guest speakers, simulated activities, and filmed feedback. Students will be given the opportunity to present both individually and as part of a team. We will explore the essentials of communication strategy and persuasion: audience analysis, message construction, communicator credibility, and delivery. Students at all levels of mastery of public speaking will benefit from this course. Enrollment is limited to 36. Students are required to attend the first class session in order to remain enrolled or to bid for the course. : Taly Reich : Taly Reich
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Reich TBA - TBA |
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Reich Tentative |
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823
Energy Law and Policy (Follows Law School Calendar)
823 Energy Law and Policy (Follows Law School Calendar) :
This course explores the troubled intersection between energy, environmental, economic and national security policies. We consider a diverse range of regulatory approaches to minimize adverse environmental effects of various forms of energy development. These include emerging issues regarding climate change and promoting renewable energy, hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”), regulation of off-shore drilling and lessons from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, liability for natural resources and other damages from oil spills under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA90), the Fukushima, Three Mile Island and Chernobyl nuclear accidents and the role of nuclear energy, if any, going forward. We also cover the basics of utility rate setting and the role of the Federal Energy Regulatory Agency (FERC). We conclude by considering the geopolitical implications of various energy policies. There are no prerequisites. Supervised Analytic Writing or Substantial Paper credit available for three credits, or a shorter seminar paper or self-scheduled essay exam for two credits. Self-scheduled examination or paper option : E. Donald Elliott :
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Elliott Tu - 2:10-4:00 |
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824
Environmental Law and Policy
824 Environmental Law and Policy :
Introduction to the legal requirements and policy underpinnings of the basic U.S. laws, including the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and various statutes governing waste, food safety, and toxic substances. This course will examine and evaluate current approaches to pollution control and resource management as well as the "next generation" of regulatory strategies, including economic incentives, voluntary emissions reductions, and information disclosure requirements. Mechanisms for addressing environmental issues at the local, regional, and global levels will also be considered. Scheduled examination : Robert Klee : Robert Klee
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Klee M,W - 1:00-2:20 |
Klee TBA - TBA |
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834
Environmental Economics and Policy
834 Environmental Economics and Policy : This is a course in environmental and natural resource economics and policy. It covers both general methodological principles and specific applications. Rather than serving as a standard course in environmental and natural resource economics, the material is tailored specifically to master’s students pursuing professional degrees in environmental management. The course therefore has a focus on environmental problem solving in the real world. Topics covered include, but are not limited to: evaluation of environmental policies (e.g., standards, taxes, cap-and-trade); cost-benefit analysis and its critiques; nonmarket valuation (ecosystem services, revealed and stated preferences); discounting and macroeconomic perspectives on climate change; management of nonrenewable resources (oil, minerals, etc.); management of renewable resources (forests, fisheries, etc.); land and biodiversity conservation; the relationship between development, trade, and the environment; strategic incentives for international environmental agreements; and environmental behavioral economics. : Marc Conte : TBD Faculty
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Conte W - 9:00-11:50 |
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Faculty TBA - TBA |
835
Seminar on Land Use Planning
835 Seminar on Land Use Planning : Land use control exercised by state and local governments determines where development occurs on the American landscape, the preservation of natural resources, the emission of greenhouse gases, the conservation of energy, and the shape and livability of cities and towns. The exercise of legal authority to plan and regulate the development and conservation of privately owned land plays a key role in meeting the needs of the nation’s growing population for equitable housing, energy, and nonresidential development as well as ensuring that critical environmental functions are protected from the adverse impacts of land development. This course explores the multifaceted discipline of land use and urban planning and their associated ecological implications. Numerous land use strategies are discussed, including identifying and defining climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies, including affordable housing, community revitalization, energy development and siting, equitable community engagement, transit-oriented development, building and neighborhood energy conservation, distressed building remediation, jobs and housing balance, coastal resiliency, and biological carbon sequestration. The class will also explore how recent events impact these planning issues. The focus of this seminar is to expose students to the basics of land use and urban planning, especially in the U.S. but also internationally, and to serve as an introduction for a YSE curricular concentration in land use. Guest speakers are professionals involved in sustainable development, land conservation, smart growth, renewable energy, and climate change management. : Jessica Bacher : Jessica Bacher
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Bacher W - 10:30-11:50 |
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Bacher TBA - TBA |
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835E
Seminar on Land Use Planning (Online)
835E Seminar on Land Use Planning (Online) : Land use control exercised by state and local governments determines where development occurs on the American landscape, the preservation of natural resources, the emission of greenhouse gases, the conservation of energy, and the shape and livability of cities and towns. The exercise of legal authority to plan and regulate the development and conservation of privately owned land plays a key role in meeting the needs of the nation’s growing population for equitable housing, energy, and nonresidential development as well as ensuring that critical environmental functions are protected from the adverse impacts of land development. This course explores the multifaceted discipline of land use and urban planning and their associated ecological implications. Numerous land use strategies are discussed, including identifying and defining climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies, including affordable housing, community revitalization, energy development and siting, equitable community engagement, transit-oriented development, building and neighborhood energy conservation, distressed building remediation, jobs and housing balance, coastal resiliency, and biological carbon sequestration. The class will also explore how recent events impact these planning issues. The focus of this seminar is to expose students to the basics of land use and urban planning, especially in the U.S. but also internationally, and to serve as an introduction for a YSE curricular concentration in land use. Guest speakers are professionals involved in sustainable development, land conservation, smart growth, renewable energy, and climate change management. : Jessica Bacher : Jessica Bacher
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Bacher online |
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Bacher TBA - TBA |
836
Agrarian Societies: Culture, Society, History, and Development
836 Agrarian Societies: Culture, Society, History, and Development :
An interdisciplinary examination of agrarian societies, contemporary and historical, Western and non-Western. Major analytical perspectives from anthropology, economics, history, political science, and environmental studies are used to develop a meaning-centered and historically grounded account of the transformation of rural society. Four hours lecture plus discussion sections. : TBD Faculty : TBD Faculty : Kalyanakrishnan Sivaramakrishnan
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Faculty W - 1:00-5:20 |
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Faculty Tentative |
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838
Life Cycle Assessment
838 Life Cycle Assessment :
The increasing concerns about environmental pollutions and resource challenges drive the development of sustainable solutions that can meet societal needs without compromising the environment or depleting the resources for future generations. Given many technological, behavioral, and policy options, it is challenging to determine which option best serves humanity and the environment. Life cycle assessment (LCA) offers a systems approach to support these decisions. This course is an overview of life cycle thinking, the fundamental theory of LCA framework, and practical applications in supporting real-world decision-making. Students will learn state-of-the-art LCA tools, industrial case studies, and advanced LCA methodologies. The course will have an emphasis on systems thinking. The course is appropriate for all MEM specializations.
Application required by January 6, 2023: https://forms.gle/BCizyvLByJjJcKNXA
: Yuan Yao : Yuan Yao
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Yao Tu,Th - 10:30-11:50 |
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Yao TBA - TBA |
839
Power in Conservation
839 Power in Conservation : This course examines the anthropology of power, particularly power in conservation interventions in the global South. It is intended to give students a tool-box of ideas about power in order to improve the effectiveness of conservation. Conservation thought and practice is power laden—conservation thought is powerfully shaped by the history of ideas of nature and its relation to people, and conservation interventions govern and affect peoples and ecologies. This course argues that being able to think deeply, particularly about power, improves conservation policy-making and practice.
Political ecology is by far the most well-known and well-published approach to thinking about power in conservation; this course emphasizes the relatively neglected but robust anthropology of conservation literature outside political ecology, especially literature rooted in Foucault. It is intended to make four of Foucault’s concepts of power accessible, concepts that are the most used in the anthropology of conservation: the power of discourses, discipline and governmentality, subject formation, and neoliberal governmentality. The important ethnographic literature that these concepts have stimulated is also examined. Together, theory and ethnography can underpin our emerging understanding of a new, Anthropocene-shaped world.
This course will be of interest to students and scholars of conservation, environmental anthropology and political ecology, as well as conservation practitioners and policymakers. It is a required course for students in the joint YSE/Anthropology doctoral degree. It is highly recommended for MESc students who need an in-depth course on social science theory. MEM students interested in conservation practice and policy-making are also encouraged to consider this course, which makes an effort to bridge the gap between the best academic literature and practice. It is also open to advanced undergraduate students. No prerequisites. Three hour discussion-centered seminar. : Carol Carpenter : Carol Carpenter
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Carpenter Tu - 1:00-3:50 |
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Carpenter TBA - TBA |
840
Climate Change Policy and Perspectives
840 Climate Change Policy and Perspectives : This course examines the scientific, economic, legal, political, institutional, and historic underpinnings of climate change and the related policy challenge of developing the energy system needed to support a prosperous and sustainable modern society. Particular attention is given to analyzing the existing framework of treaties, law, regulations, and policy—and the incentives they have created—which have done little over the past several decades to change the world’s trajectory with regard to the build-up of greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere. What would a twenty-first-century policy framework that is designed to deliver a sustainable energy future and a successful response to climate change look like? How would such a framework address issues of equity? How might incentives be structured to engage the business community and deliver the innovation needed in many domains? While designed as a lecture course, class sessions are highly interactive. Self-scheduled examination or paper option. : Robert Klee : Robert Klee
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Klee M,W - 2:30-3:50 |
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Klee TBA - TBA |
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850
International Organizations and Conferences
850 International Organizations and Conferences :
This course focuses on the historic, present, and future roles of international environmental conferences. Through guest speakers, assigned readings, and discussions, students explore conferences including IUCN’s World Conservation Congress, the UN’s Convention on Biological Diversity, UNFCCC’s climate change conference, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Students, along with visiting alumni and guest speakers, discuss the roles and impacts of the various conferences in international environmental decision-making and the future of international conferences in a post-COVID world. The course also assesses the potential for improved equity, justice, and inclusion in international conferences, organizations, and their secretariats. Students attending fall conferences (in person or virtually) develop work plans to be completed during the conference under the guidance of their host delegations and the instructor. : Peter Boyd : TBD Faculty
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Boyd Tu - 4:30-6:50 |
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Tentative (No Semester)
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852
Food Systems and US Environmental Law (follows Yale law calendar)
852 Food Systems and US Environmental Law (follows Yale law calendar) : By Application
We eat food every day. The food system, from agricultural production to processing and distribution to consumption and waste, shapes our lives. Less well known, but of equal or greater impact, the food system profoundly affects our environment, climate, and public health. This course takes the food one eats in a day and uses those to demonstrate the environmental impact of modern agriculture and the U.S. laws that attempt to reduce those harms.
Today’s industrial food system bears little relation to the bucolic family farms we imagine – and that were in Congress’s mind when it passed most modern environmental laws. Since the 1970’s when most environmental laws were enacted, U.S. agriculture has grown increasingly concentrated and industrial. In terms of output of cheap food, the system is a success: we now produce about 60% more food than we need, food is about one-third less expensive today than in 1980; and less than 2% of U.S. employment is in agriculture. In addition, agriculture now also produces about 10% of the nation’s vehicle fuel.
On the other hand, the increased industrialization, without the environmental safeguards applicable to other industries, has led to agriculture being a major source of environmental and health harm. Agriculture occupies approximately 60% of the country’s contiguous land and thus is the main driver of loss of native habitats. Almost 800 million acres of U.S. land are used for pasture or range for livestock, which often destroy habitat, imperil native species, and pollute waters. Most row crops are monocultures dependent on high doses of fertilizers and pesticides that pollute waters and endanger workers, surrounding communities, and downstream consumers. The vast majority of our meat is produced in industrial-scale “concentrated animal feeding operations” that house thousands or even millions of animals producing more waste than many cities, yet without sewage treatment systems, and thus cause significant water and air pollution. Agriculture is responsible for about 20 percent of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions and the food system as a whole contributes over a third of total greenhouse gas emissions. At the end of the system, approximately 35 percent of food is wasted and most of that ends up in landfills where it releases methane.
US environmental law directly and indirectly seeks to reduce these harms, although often in partial, ineffective, or unenforceable ways. While there are alternative production systems that have been demonstrated to produce sufficient food with much less environmental impact, the law rarely encourages, and often discourages such approaches. This course studies existing US environmental law and its strengths and weaknesses, and explores alternative approaches to environmental and public health protections. We start and end with climate change – its impact on agriculture and agriculture’s impact on climate – and address other impacts and statutes between. Several short papers and in-class presentations, as well as a final paper are required for all students. Students who write a longer paper for Substantial Paper credit may earn a third unit. Paper required. Enrollment limited to eighteen. Application required : Peter Lehner :
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Lehner W - 4:10-6:00 |
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855
Climate Change Mitigation in Urban Areas (Dates TBD)
855 Climate Change Mitigation in Urban Areas (Dates TBD) : : : Karen C. Seto
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Seto TBA - TBA |
860
Understanding Environmental Campaigns and Policymaking: Strategies and Tactics
860 Understanding Environmental Campaigns and Policymaking: Strategies and Tactics : This course is about the strategies and tactics used by successful environmental campaigns, taught from a practitioner's perspective. It is also a course about environmental policymaking. Policy doesn’t just happen the way it’s described in grade school civics textbooks. And it isn’t just policymakers who make it. Corporate and civic interests play an influential role at all levels of policymaking. As future participants in the policy process, whether you come at it from a perch in government, business, as an advocate, or as a private citizen, you can jumpstart your ability to participate and respond by understanding how policy campaign advocacy impacts policymaking. Though this topic is neither well documented nor regularly taught, there is a toolkit that can be learned. Most environmental campaigners and policymakers learn about policy campaigning on the job. This course attempts to advance understanding of the policy making process by exposing YSE students to case examples from the environmental policy making world of the past decade. The course examines selected case examples of successful policy campaigns, and seeks to tease out lessons and best practice. No single environmental campaign is the same, and strategies and tactics are always evolving, but there are key lessons about campaign practices that can be learned.Some of the Case studiesexamined in this course in the past have includedcampaigns enacting anti-toxic legislation in Washington State; stopping the Keystone XL Pipeline; shuttingcoal fired power plantsacross the U.S., protecting the Great Bear Rainforest and the Boreal Forest in Canada; stopping water privatization in Bolivia; banning the use of high Sulphur fuels in the Arctic; securing an international ban on Arctic ocean fishing; catalyzing the decarbonization of supply chain emissions at Levis; and encouraging banks and insurers to commit to Paris aligned lending and financing. Campaigners who have played leadership roles in thecampaigns we examinewill join us for class. We will examine each case, seek a practical understanding of strategies and tactics used by each campaign, and attempt to synthesize lessons and best practice. : Michael Northrop : Michael Northrop
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Northrop Tu - 2:30-5:20 |
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Northrop Tentative |
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861
Sustainable Development Law and Governance
861 Sustainable Development Law and Governance : The challenges facing law and governance for more sustainable development of a globalizing world are real, many and complex. The world urgently needs a practical, universal and effective framework for sustainable development to address the simultaneous challenges of ending poverty, increasing social inclusion, and sustaining local and planetary life systems. Leaders of 193 countries adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at the UN SD Summit in 2015, setting out 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with 169 time-bound targets to end poverty, fight inequality and injustice, secure access to health and education, tackle climate change, protect life on land, promote peace, justice and strong institutions, and other pressing priorities. Feasible pathways to long-term sustainability are highly complex, subject to technological uncertainty and environmental constraints- they require substantial financial and other resources, including vastly strengthened human capacity. The UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) was launched in 2012 to mobilize global scientific and technological knowledge on the challenges of sustainable development, including the design and implementation of the post-2015 global sustainable development agenda. New kinds of cross-disciplinary expert teams, engaged in the relevant international partnerships and networks in these issues, working across national borders, are needed to provide an integrated approach to sustainability. The broad goal of this course is to introduce the foundations of key legal and thematic knowledge to advance the SDGs internationally. The course will draw on insights from international initiatives led by Yale visiting professors on climate law and governance, biodiversity law and governance, human rights and intergenerational justice, sustainable trade, investment and financial rules, and sustainable management of natural resources. Upon successful completion of the course, students will become familiar with current and emerging global law and public policy issues related to the Sustainable Development Goals, be equipped to analyze critical legal dimensions of sustainable development in different jurisdictions, and be cognizant of the key spatial and temporal connections and their integration for successful law, policy and practice on sustainable development. Students will also feel more confident taking informed decisions for their future professions helping the world achieve sustainable development : TBD Faculty :
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Faculty Tu - 10:10-12:00 |
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863
Sustainable Finance Policy & Regulation
863 Sustainable Finance Policy & Regulation :
Finance has long been considered essential for the transition to a sustainable economy. Yet, what Lord Stern characterized as the "greatest market failure the world has seen," climate change, did not concern the financial markets, nor its custodians – regulators and central banks – until very recently. The rise of ESG markets, mired in controversies over greenwashing, the conclusion of the Paris Agreement, and the unabated climate emergency have forced policymakers and regulators to switch gears. This novel course explores how financial policy and regulation are shaping the transition to a sustainable economy. Sustainable finance policy and regulation rank among the most innovative public responses to today’s climate emergency. We start this course by exploring the limits of self-regulation and traditional policy instruments. We then engage in the new debates on the role of financial policies and regulation. These debates set the stage for the methodic and practical examination of old and new instruments used or considered worldwide to support the financial system in the transition to a sustainable economy. Despite the focus of financial policies and regulation on climate, the class integrates other social and environmental dimensions of sustainable finance. In addition to two weekly lectures, students have, over the course of the term, the chance to exchange with three high-level experts of sustainable finance policy and regulation. No prior course is required for this class. : Nathan De Arriba-Sellier :
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De Arriba-Sellier M,W - 1:00-2:20 |
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865
[The] Law of the Sea
865 [The] Law of the Sea : This seminar will examine a variety of contemporary issues concerning the Law of the Sea: piracy, environmental protection, fisheries, maritime security, maritime delimitation, the exclusive economic zone, the continental and outer continental shelfs, human rights, unmanned vessels, artificial islands, the South China Sea, and the Arctic region. Enrollment will be capped at eighteen. Scheduled examination or paper option. Also GLBL 7045 : TBD Faculty :
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Faculty Tu - 10:10-12:00 |
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878
Climate and Society: Past to Present
878 Climate and Society: Past to Present : Discussion of the major currents of thought—both historic and contemporary—regarding climate, climate change, and society; focusing on the politics of knowledge and belief vs disbelief; and drawing on the social sciences and anthropology in particular. : Michael R. Dove : Michael R. Dove
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Dove Th - 1:00-3:50 |
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Dove TBA - TBA |
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884
Industrial Ecology
884 Industrial Ecology :
The principal objective of industrial ecology is to reorganise the industrial system so that it evolves towards a mode of operation that is compatible with the biosphere and is sustainable over the long term” (Erkman 2017). To achieve this ambitious objective, the field of Industrial Ecology takes a systems perspective and draws analogies between industrial systems and ecology. Industrial Ecologists study (1) the flows of materials and energy in industrial and consumer activities, (2) the effects of these flows on the environment, and (3) the influences of economic, political, regulatory, and social factors on the flow, use, and transformation of resources (White 1994).
This course will introduce the foundations and applications of key tools of the field: Material Flow Analysis (MFA), Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Environmentally-Extended Input-Output Analysis (EEIO), and Industrial Symbiosis (IS). Strategic applications of these tools can provide insight for a wide range of decisionmakers with sustainability aims.
The overall goals of the course are to define and describe Industrial Ecology; to demonstrate the relationships among production, consumption, sustainability, and Industrial Ecology in diverse settings and at multiple scales; to show how industrial ecology serves as a framework for the consideration of environmental and sustainability-related aspects of science, technology, and policy; and to gain an understanding of the tools, applications, and implications of Industrial Ecology : Reed Miller : TBD Faculty
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Miller M,W - 1:00-2:20 |
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Faculty Tentative |
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891
Biology of Insect Disease Vectors
891 Biology of Insect Disease Vectors : : : Brian Weiss
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Tentative (No Semester)
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892
Introduction to Planning and Development
892 Introduction to Planning and Development :
This course demonstrates the ways in which financial and political feasibility determine the design of buildings and the character of the built environment. Students propose projects and then adjust them to the conflicting interests of the financial institutions, real estate developers, civic organizations, community groups, public officials, and the widest variety of participants in the planning process. Subjects covered include housing, commercial development, zoning, historic preservation, parks and public open space, suburban subdivisions, planned communities, and comprehensive plans. : Alexander Garvin : Alexander Garvin
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Garvin Tentative |
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Garvin Tentative |
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893
Principles of Risk Assessment
893 Principles of Risk Assessment :
This course introduces students to the nomenclature, concepts, and basic skills of quantitative risk assessment (QRA). The goal is to provide an understanding necessary to read and critically evaluate QRA. Emphasis is on the intellectual and conceptual basis of risk assessment, particularly its dependence on toxicology and epidemiology, rather than its mathematical constructs and statistical models. Specific cases consider the use of risk assessment for setting occupational exposure limits, establishing community exposure limits, and quantifying the hazards of environmental exposures to chemicals in air and drinking water. : TBD Faculty : Vasilis Vasiliou
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Faculty F - 3:00-4:50 |
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Vasiliou Tentative |
894
Green Building: Issues and Perspectives
894 Green Building: Issues and Perspectives :
To apply for the course, email the instructor (melissa.kops@yale.edu) with an explanation of why you are interested in the class and how you feel it will advance your professional and academic goals by the end of day on Friday, August 26. Decisions will be shared no later than end-of-day on Sunday, August 28.
Buildings have an outsized impact on human and environmental health. The Building Sector is the largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions globally, responsible for almost 40% of total emissions. Construction and demolition activities generated 600 million tons of waste in 2018 in the United States, more than twice what was generated in municipal solid waste. Buildings represent an enormous opportunity to reduce environmental impact, and the movement that represents this approach is commonly called green building. But green building is broad and deep—involving process, products, and policy—and crisscrosses many disciplines.
This course will examine green building from a variety of perspectives, placing it in a technical, social, financial, and historical context. The task of reducing the environmental impact of our buildings requires cross-disciplinary integration and touches nearly every aspect of our lives as occupants and managers of interior spaces. Individual topics in green building—such as building science, indoor environmental quality, innovative finance, and public- and private-sector programs—will be covered through research, class discussion, guest lectures, field trips, and group projects. Great emphasis will be placed on the practical challenges and opportunities that green building presents to building and non-building professionals working together to design, specify, construct, operate, renovate, and finance our nation’s buildings.
If more than 15 applications are received, priority will be given to 2nd year Yale School of the Environment (YSE) students, followed by 1st YSE year students, PhD students, students in other graduate and professional schools, and Yale undergraduates. : Melissa Kops : Melissa Kops
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Kops Th - 9:00-11:50 |
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Kops Tentative |
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896
Public Health Toxicology
896 Public Health Toxicology :
This course is designed to serve as a foundation for understanding environmental toxicology. It includes basic principles of toxicology, mechanisms of toxicity and cellular defense, and the fundamental interactions between chemicals and biological systems. Human exposure to foreign chemicals and their adverse effects are considered, as is the importance of federal and state agencies in protecting public health. Through the use of case studies, the course provides insights into prevention of mortality and morbidity resulting from environmental exposure to toxic substances, the fundamentals of risk assessment and regulatory toxicology, and the causes underlying the variability in susceptibility of people to chemicals. : Vasilis Vasiliou : Vasilis Vasiliou
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Vasiliou Th - 1:00-2:50; F, 1:00-1:50 |
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Vasiliou Tentative |
897
Environmental and Occupational Exposure Science
897 Environmental and Occupational Exposure Science : : : TBD Faculty
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Faculty Tentative |
898
Environment and Human Health
898 Environment and Human Health : : : Michelle L. Bell
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Bell TBA - TBA |
900
Doctoral Student Seminar and Responsible Conduct of Research
900 Doctoral Student Seminar and Responsible Conduct of Research :
This course provides the foundation for doctoral study at the School of Forestry & Environmental Studies. As a major part of the course, students will learn what it means to do scholarly research as well as become adept with philosophy of science and research methodology and proposal writing, as a basis for exploring diverse approaches to formulating and addressing research questions. Students will work with their advisers to put these concepts and principles into practice to develop the basis for their dissertation research (including building bibliography, identifying and crafting research questions, formulating research hypotheses and drafting a research proposal). Students will further learn about funding opportunities and procedures for submitting grants. The course will also cover professional ethics and responsible conduct of research, including ethical approaches to inquiry and measurement, data acquisition and management, authorship and publication, peer review, conflicts of interest, mentoring, collaborative research, and animal and human subjects research. Finally, the course will explore ethical ways to advocate for the application of scholarly knowledge in the interest of environmental problem solving. Weekly assigned readings will support concepts and issues addressed in class. Students will present their embryonic research ideas in class and use feedback from the group to further develop their ideas : Peter A. Raymond : Peter A. Raymond
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Raymond W - 1:00-3:50 |
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Raymond TBA - TBA |
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902
Environmental Anthropology Colloquy
902 Environmental Anthropology Colloquy :
1 course credit/credit/fail. A biweekly seminar for Dove doctoral advisees and students in the combined YSE/Anthropology doctoral program. Presentation and discussion of grant proposals, dissertation prospectuses, and dissertation chapters; trial runs of conference presentations and job talks; discussion of comprehensive exams, grantsmanship, fieldwork, data analysis, writing and publishing, and the job search; and collaborative writing and publishing projects. : Michael R. Dove : Michael R. Dove
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Dove F - 1:00-4:00 |
Dove F - 1:00-4:00 |
Dove TBA - TBA |
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905
Doctoral Seminar in Environmental and Energy Economics
905 Doctoral Seminar in Environmental and Energy Economics :
This course is designed to bring doctoral students up to speed on the latest developments in the literature on environmental and energy economics. Key papers are presented, and associated mathematical and empirical methods are covered. Topics to be covered include uncertainty and climate change policy, estimating energy demand, electricity markets, and behavioral economics and the environment. A focus is on identifying areas that deserve future research attention. Open to advanced master’s students with permission of the instructor. : Kenneth Gillingham :
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Gillingham W - 12:00-2:50 |
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907
Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Sustainable Laboratory Seminar
907 Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Sustainable Laboratory Seminar : This course is only open to graduate students. The course examines food insecurity; inequities in access to fresh, healthy, and affordable foods; and disparate impacts arising from exposure to environmental hazards. Students also examine issues such as energy and health justice, as well as the distribution of and access to environmental amenities such as parks and open space.
Permission of Instructor needed : Dorceta Taylor : Dorceta Taylor
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Taylor Th - 1:00-3:50 |
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Taylor TBA - TBA |
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909
JEDSI Seminar II: Advancements in Environmental Justice Research
909 JEDSI Seminar II: Advancements in Environmental Justice Research : This course is only available to students who have successfully completed, ENV 907
The seminar focuses on three broad areas of environmental justice research: food insecurity, green infrastructure, and environmental disparities. Each week students will discuss topics related to these broad thematic areas. In addition, students will participate in workshops to help them learn spatial analytical skills. These will include two workshops on flood mapping, five ArcGIS workshops, and five remote sensing workshops. All students will do the flood mapping workshops. However, first students will do the ArcGIS workshops, while second-year students will do the remote sensing workshops. At least one field trip is being planned for the course.
Class participants will use the seminar to (1) develop their thesis ideas – first-year thesis students; (2) prepare their thesis research article – second-year thesis students, and (3) prepare a research article from their dissertation – doctoral students. MEM students will either be assigned an article to write or prepare an article for publication based on a chosen topic.
All students will complete the assignments outlined in the syllabus. Class attendance, participation in workshops, and class presentations are also graded. : Dorceta Taylor :
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Taylor Th - 1:00-3:50 |
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910
Survival Skills for Doctoral Students
910 Survival Skills for Doctoral Students : credit/fail. This course is aimed at preparing advanced doctoral students for successful and rewarding careers in ecology and environmental science. Students learn about academic and non-academic careers from readings of and presentations by scientists in those positions. Students identify important steps toward planning and launching their career paths, and skills for being effective in these positions; and they develop their own career plan, curriculum vitae, teaching and research plans, and critiques of professional web pages. Finally, the course exposes students to resources and opportunities for continuing to apply and polish their skills. : William Lauenroth : : Indy Burke
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Lauenroth Th - 1:00-3:00 |
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951
Strategic Environmental Communication
951 Strategic Environmental Communication : Strategic communication is a powerful means of achieving an organization’s mission, especially when informed by insights into human behavior and social systems. By the end of this course, students are able to develop communication strategies and apply insights from the social and behavioral sciences to improve the effectiveness of their communication campaigns. Enrollment limited to twelve.
Application information:
Application for ENV 951: Strategic Environmental Communication (3 credits YSE; 1 credit Yale College)
Instructor: Leiserowitz
Spring, 2023
This is a seminar course with a strong emphasis on active participation and discussion, so the enrollment is limited to 12 students.
Please note that this is a hands-on course, in which you will be developing a communication plan for or analysis of an actual organization, as described below. Please do not apply if you will be unable to do this.
Throughout the class, you will either: 1) develop a strategic communication plan for an organization of your choice, ideally one that you have a direct relationship with; or 2) analyze an historical communication campaign that an organization of your choice has implemented in the past.
The organization could be a company, a non-profit, a candidate or elected official, a government agency, or a center or program within the Yale School of the Environment, Yale College or other administrative unit. The organization must be facing or have faced some issue, opportunity, or obstacle related to their environmental mission – your job is to either develop a strategic communication plan to help the organization address this situation or analyze a past communication campaign. By the end of the class, you will have a full campaign plan that the organization could implement, or an assessment of a prior campaign.
To apply, please provide short answers to the following questions and email your responses + your current resume/CV in one PDF with the subject line “ENV 951 application” to eric.fine@yale.eduno later than 5:00 pm EST on Monday, January 9th. You will be notified by C.O.B. January 11th.
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Why are you interested in taking this class?
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What organization and/or project are you planning to develop a communication plan for or to analyze?
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Do you have an existing relationship with that organization and/or project? If so, what is it? Have you asked if they would support your project (not necessary, but very helpful)?
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Are you a graduate student or undergraduate? What is your specialization or major?
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When do you expect to graduate?
: Anthony Leiserowitz : Anthony Leiserowitz
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Leiserowitz M,W - 1:00-2:20 |
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Leiserowitz TBA - TBA |
953
Sustainable Business Capstone Consulting
953 Sustainable Business Capstone Consulting :
The intended outcome of this course is to provide you with a ‘capstone’ experience; consulting to established organizations confronting real-life challenges at the intersection of business and environmental sustainability. The course is designed for you to apply tools and insights gained in this and other courses to a defined project, creating deliverables that will be useful to the partner organizations.
This course is designed to help prepare anyone who wishes to become a consultant after graduation; though it is also intended to be useful for those that intend engaging with consultants in their career post-Yale. In short, there is hopefully something in it for many of you!
The brief from the client will be topical and relevant to challenges and opportunities faced by their organization and intersect business and environmental opportunity. It is also likely to surface potential trade-offs and require addressing cross-cutting critical issues of justice, equity, diversity and inclusion; all complicated by living through, and emerging from, the pandemic. Consulting teams will be consistently applying tools learnt in this and other courses, and the clients will be on hand to provide insight and guidance at points throughout the term.
Through a combination of individual & group work and lively discussion, you will establish an understanding of the client’s wider Purpose and Priorities; then help co-define and connect the Potential success of the project with the organization’s broader goals. You will work together in small consulting teams, holding each other accountable to Perform, creating defined deliverables for the client. In this way the course builds off some of the core elements of the Perspectives Course (ENV 553 - Fall 2020) : Peter Boyd : Peter Boyd
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Boyd M,W - 1:00-2:20 |
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Boyd TBA - TBA |
954
Management Plans for Protected Areas (includes Friday and Saturday Field trips)
954 Management Plans for Protected Areas (includes Friday and Saturday Field trips) :
A seminar that comprises the documentation of land use history and zoning, mapping and interpretation, and the collection and analysis of socioeconomic, biological, and physical information for the construction of management plans. Plans are constructed for private small-holders within the Quiet Corner Initiative partnership managed by the Yale School Forests. In the past plans have been completed for the Nature Conservancy; Massachusetts Trustees of Reservations; town land trusts; city parks and woodlands of New Haven, New York, and Boston; and the Appalachian Mountain Club. Prerequisite: ENV 659b or 660a, or permission of the instructor. Ten days fieldwork.
Must also take ENV 957 in same semester. : Mark S. Ashton : TBD Faculty
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Ashton M,W - 1:00-2:20 |
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Faculty TBA - TBA |
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955
Seminar in Research Analysis, Writing and Communication in Forest Ecology
955 Seminar in Research Analysis, Writing and Communication in Forest Ecology :
A seminar conducted over both academic semesters for students in their second year working on research projects.Students start by working through the peer-review publication process. They identify the scope and scale of the approporiate journal for their work. They then work on their projects that comprise data and projects in applied forest ecology. Discussions in the seminar involve rationale and hypothesis testing for a project, data analysis techniques, reporting and interpretation of results. It is expected that manuscripts developed in the course are worthy of publication and that oral presentations are of a caliber for subject area conferences and meetings. Extensive training in writing and presenting is provided as the students learn to write and present their work
1 credit option available for incoming students only. Must be taken for 3 credits to count as a capstone course.
: Mark S. Ashton : Mark S. Ashton
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Ashton W - 5:00-7:00 |
Ashton Tentative |
Ashton Tentative |
956
Strategies for Land Conversation
956 Strategies for Land Conversation :
This is a professional seminar on private land conservation strategies and techniques, with particular emphasis on the legal, financial, and management tools used in the United States. The seminar is built around presentations by guest speakers from land conservation organizations. Speakers are assigned topics across the land conservation spectrum, from identification of target sites, through the acquisition process, to ongoing stewardship of the land after the deal is done. The tools used to protect land are discussed, including the basics of real estate law, conservation finance, and project/organization management. Students are required to undertake a clinical project with a local land conservation organization. Enrollment limited to twenty-five; preference to second-year students if limit reached.
application information available in Canvas : Bradford S. Gentry : Bradford S. Gentry
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Gentry Tu - 2:30-5:20 |
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Gentry TBA - TBA |
957
Field Skills in Land Stewardship
957 Field Skills in Land Stewardship : See ENV 954 for description.
Must register for both ENV 954 & 957 at the same time. : Mark S. Ashton : Mark S. Ashton
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Ashton M,W - 1:00-2:20 |
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Ashton TBA - TBA |
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959
Clinic in Climate Justice, Climate Policy, the Law, and Public Health
959 Clinic in Climate Justice, Climate Policy, the Law, and Public Health :
In the course, interdisciplinary student teams carry out applied projects at the intersection of climate justice, law and public policy, and public health. Each team works with a partner organization (e.g., state agency, community organization, other nongovernmental organization) to study, design, and implement a project, typically through community-based participatory research practices. The course affords the opportunity to have a real-world impact by applying concepts and competencies learned in the classroom. This course should be of interest to graduate and professional students across the University and is open to Yale College juniors and seniors. In addition, this course is one of the options available to students to fulfill the practice requirement for the M.P.H. degree at YSPH and the capstone requirement for the M.E.M. degree at YSE. Students who plan to enroll must complete an application, which will be used to match each student with a clinic project. Check the course’s Canvas site or contact the Yale instructor at laura.bozzi@yale.edu for more information.
Prerequisite: EHS 547 or permission of the instructor. : Laura Bozzi : TBD Faculty
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Bozzi Th - 1:00-2:50 |
Bozzi Tu - 3:00-4:50 |
Faculty Tentative |
Faculty Tentative |
962
Tribal Resources and Sovereignty-Clinic
962 Tribal Resources and Sovereignty-Clinic :
All interested must send in an application for consideration
The application link is here: https://forms.gle/Ka9gcidscbZrfVuX7
Application opens October 31 and closes on November 18
The course attendance will be capped at 25 students and also requires 1 hour discussion section
Understanding Tribal Resource Management: We will identify and describe the varieties of tribal resources and the limitation of the management prerogatives facing Tribal Nations under the current legal regime. We will explore those resources governed by the trust duty and the federal government’s role. We will also look at the emerging resources
in the green economy and investigate the relations between tribes, states, and private actors.
• Co-management, the trust duty, and tribal sovereignty will be the main themes around which the clinic will be structured.
• This will be a graduate-level course. This course has no prerequisites and is not capped. It requires an application. It is designed for master’s and Ph.D. students at the Yale School of the Environment, students at the Law School, the School of Management, and the Divinity School. The course is open to Yale College undergraduates and graduate
students from elsewhere in Yale if they get the approval of the instructor.
• This course will enable students to:
1. Gain familiarity with concepts in natural resource management problems;
2. Attain an understanding of the various roles and tools of policymakers and policymaking;
3. Develop an appreciation of the complex dialectic between policy formulation and the different levels of government, as well as other stakeholders;
4. Assess the implications of incorporating different forms of knowledge (disciplinary knowledge, local knowledge, indigenous knowledge, expert knowledge, and citizen knowledge);
5. Gain an appreciation of the strengths and weaknesses of interdisciplinary work;
6. Synthesize both existing work and individual values and ethics into a defensible approach to complex natural resource management problems
7. Appraise varying forms of injustice and inequities arising from the dynamics of this work;
8. Develop a critical theoretical and historical underpinning for their work, develop a personal self-reflexive stance of openness to various forms of knowledge and different community values, Sharpen their written and oral analytic skills.
9.Students working on this project will integrate technical forestry and policy expertise with other disciplines to create research that can be communicated to forestry and non-forestry decision-makers. In addition, students should have a willingness to learn to work with tribal staff and assert inherent sovereignty at the local, state, national and international levels by coordinating policy, law, and business.
: Patrick Gonzalez-Rogers :
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Gonzalez-Rogers W - 9:00-11:50 |
Gonzalez-Rogers W - 9:00-11:50 |
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968
Strategy and Grand Strategy in Large Scale Conservation
968 Strategy and Grand Strategy in Large Scale Conservation : The formidable task of “living in harmony with nature by 2050” demands grand strategies at all scales, from local to global. A strategy is the management of resources to achieve the desired outcomes stipulated and sought by a policy goal. A grand strategy enables us to see how concerted efforts by a community of practice, whether undertaken by an individual, a group, an organization, a state, or an international institution, can combine to realize an ambitious goal in the common interest. This capstone seminar course is integrative via interdisciplinary in an explicit, systematic sense. It aims to help students develop grand strategic thinking and planning skills. Students will practice how to develop workable grand strategy to deal with three kinds of interrelated problems (ordinary/technical, systematic/governance, constitutive/cultural) manifested in any conservation and natural resource management challenge. The seminar will meet once weekly for discussions, guest presentations, and exercises. Students will also go on a field trip to the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, including Yellowstone National Park during the spring break
Application process: Answer the following questions (limited to 2 pages at most) in a word document and email it with the subject “ENV 968b Application – Your Last Name” to Susan Clark (susan.g.clark@yale.edu) and Gao Yufang (yufang.gao@yale.edu) no later than 5:00 pm EST on Monday, December 12. Please also provide a current CV or resume if you have one readily available. Decision letters will be sent by December 16. After the date, we will create an alternate list in case of dropout. Feel free to email Susan and Gao with any inquiries about the course.
Your Name and email:
School, Degree Program, and Year:
Course experience relevant to this class:
Real-world experiences relevant to this class:
What are your expectations for your time at YSE?
Why are you applying to this class? How do you wish to benefit from it?
Are you going to participate in the field trip?
Are you going to take this class as a 6-credit course? : Susan G. Clark :
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Clark W - 2:30-5:20 |
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970
Environmental Protection Clinic Policy and Advocacy (Follows Law School Calendar)
970 Environmental Protection Clinic Policy and Advocacy (Follows Law School Calendar) :
Follows Law School Calendar
The Environmental Protection Clinic’s mission is to train students in environmental advocacy through interdisciplinary project work in collaboration with the Natural Resources Defense Council and other public interest organizations. Students are assigned to teams of two-to-four members drawn from the Law School and the School of the Environment to work on discrete projects in collaboration with partner organizations. The clinic’s docket covers a wide range of environmental issues, with most projects integrating legal and policy components. In addition to covering current topics in environmental policy and principles of environmental justice, clinic seminars help students master the tools of effective environmental advocacy, including the ability to research law and science, write persuasively, and manage projects cooperatively
Note: Attendance at the first-class meeting is mandatory for admitted students. Admitted students must confirm their participation in advance of the first class by a date designated by the instructors. A no-drop policy applies. Students are expected to prioritize their work for the clinic and abide by the clinic’s expectations of professional conduct. For any questions about clinic work or expectations, email Sam Whillans at samuel.whillans@yale.edu.
Course Bidding: Students in the School of the Environment (and students from any other school besides Yale Law School) must complete the clinic’s Bidding Form by 4:30 p.m. on November 3rd.
The Bidding Form will be posted here on October 27.
: Douglas Kysar : Douglas Kysar : Elizabeth Suatoni : David Hawkins : TBD Faculty
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Kysar Tu - 12:10-2:00 |
Kysar Tu - 12:10-2:00 |
Kysar TBA - TBA |
Kysar TBA - TBA |
971
Land Use Clinic
971 Land Use Clinic : Land use control exercised by state and local governments determines where development occurs on the American landscape, the preservation of natural resources, the emission of greenhouse gases, the conservation of energy, and the shape and livability of cities and towns. The exercise of legal authority to plan and regulate the development and conservation of privately owned land plays a key role in meeting the needs of the nation’s growing population for equitable housing, energy, and nonresidential development as well as ensuring that critical environmental functions are protected from the adverse impacts of land development. This course explores the multifaceted discipline of land use and urban planning and their associated ecological implications. Numerous land use strategies are discussed, including identifying and defining climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies, including affordable housing, community revitalization, energy development and siting, equitable community engagement, transit-oriented development, building and neighborhood energy conservation, distressed building remediation, jobs and housing balance, coastal resiliency, and biological carbon sequestration. The course also explores how recent events impact these planning issues. The focus is on exposing students to the basics of land use and urban planning, especially in the United States but also internationally, and serving as an introduction for a YSE curricular concentration in land use. Guest speakers are professionals involved in sustainable development, land conservation, smart growth, renewable energy, and climate change management. : Jessica Bacher : Jessica Bacher
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Bacher W - 10:30-11:50 |
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Bacher TBA - TBA |
972
Advanced Environmental Protection Clinic (Follows Law School Calendar)
972 Advanced Environmental Protection Clinic (Follows Law School Calendar) : Follows Law School Calendar
Open only to students who have successfully completed the Environmental Protection Clinic (ENV 970). Students in the School of the Environment (and students from any other school besides Yale Law School) must complete the Clinic’s Bidding Form by 4:30 p.m. on November 3rd. Attendance at clinic seminar is optional, except for several dates during the semester (see syllabus). For all questions, please e-mail samuel.whillans@yale.edu. : Douglas Kysar : Douglas Kysar : Elizabeth Suatoni : TBD Faculty
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Kysar Tu - 12:10-2:00 |
Kysar Tu - 12:10-2:00 |
Kysar Tentative |
Kysar Tentative |
979
Climate Solutions Capstone: Sub-National Actors
979 Climate Solutions Capstone: Sub-National Actors : : : Robert Klee
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Klee TBA - TBA |
980
Social Justice in the Global Food System Capstone
980 Social Justice in the Global Food System Capstone : This course examines social and environmental justice dimensions of today’s globalized food system. Using a critical participatory action research (cPAR) approach, we connect theory to practice through a project with partnering community food and justice organizations. Seminar discussions explore topics connected to the course project including: food sovereignty, agroecology, Black agrarianism, migration/immigration, and the Right to Food; the relevance of structural violence to food system inequities; and how land grabbing or food insecurity are connected to relative power on the global stage. Project work is grounded in understandings developed in the seminar, and involves research or practice projects designed in collaboration with partner groups (e.g., community-based non-profits; alliance organizations). Students will develop competencies in analyzing global food systems phenomena through justice frameworks; contributing to the work of community-based initiatives; and working in diverse settings on food and environmental issues, as practice for management, leadership, policymaking, collaborative/action research, or other professional roles.
Yale School of the Environment students may count the course toward the MEM capstone requirement, as an elective in the “People, Equity, and Environment” specialization, or as a general elective. Students may enroll without counting the course toward the YSE capstone requirement. The course is also open to students from across the University, including Yale School of Public Health, Yale School of Management; and to Yale College seniors, upon application. : Kristin Reynolds : Kristin Reynolds
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HybridReynolds Th - 2:30-5:20 |
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Reynolds TBA - TBA |
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982
Green Engineering and Sustainability
982 Green Engineering and Sustainability :
Study of green engineering, focusing on key approaches to advancing sustainability through engineering design. Topics include current design, manufacturing, and disposal processes; toxicity and benign alternatives; policy implications; pollution prevention and source reduction; separations and disassembly; material and energy efficiencies and flows; systems analysis; biomimicry; and life cycle design, management, and analysis. : Julie Zimmerman :
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Zimmerman Tu,Th - 9:00-10:15 |
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985
Capstone: Neighborhood Planning Workshop
985 Capstone: Neighborhood Planning Workshop :
This capstone workshop provides an opportunity for students to apply the theory of practice developed in ENV 817 (or comparable study/experience) to a real-world, local urban planning project as part of an interdisciplinary student team. Up to two teams of up to six students each will work together, for a client, to develop a strategy for a neighborhood in New Haven or its environs. The emphasis in each neighborhood will be on identifying and overcoming the tensions and conflicts between economic, social, and environmental objectives to develop a balanced strategy for each neighborhood that meets stakeholders’ goals while acknowledging the context of overarching regional, national, and global challenges and opportunities (e.g., climate change, demographic shifts). Toward that end, students are exposed to the detailed processes of local government as well as techniques used by city planners to collect and assess data and combine those quantitative tools with stakeholder engagement to develop strategies to achieve community vision. With a focus on interdisciplinary problem solving and the collective project management resulting in a client-driven work product, students learn valuable skills for their future careers. : David Kooris : David Kooris
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Kooris Tu - 4:00-6:50 |
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Kooris TBA - TBA |
990
Climate, Animals, Food, and Environment Law & Policy Lab (“CAFE Lab”)
990 Climate, Animals, Food, and Environment Law & Policy Lab (“CAFE Lab”) : The Spring 2023 offering of the Climate, Animals, Food & Environment (CAFE) Law & Policy Lab will have a limited number of spots available for non-law students to work on innovative policy proposals in collaboration with a network of NGOs interested in food system reform. If you are interested in applying, please send your resume and a brief (1-2 paragraph) statement of interest to Doug Kysar ( douglas.kysar@yale.edu) by the end of the day on Monday, December 19. (Note that the deadline has been extended by one week from what is posted in the course description).
Students in the CAFE Lab will work with faculty, outside experts, and non-governmental organizations to develop innovative litigation and legislative initiatives to bring systemic change to the global food industry, which is one of the top contributors to climate change, animal suffering, human exploitation, and environmental degradation worldwide. The Lab’s primary focus areas for 2022-23 include litigation to address GHG emissions from industrial agriculture and legislative models to hold industrial food producers accountable for the currently uncounted, externalized costs of industrial agriculture for animals, workers, communities, and the environment.
Students enrolled in the Lab will work directly with the teaching team, NGO attorneys, and a wide range of stakeholders with expertise in food, animal, climate, and environmental law on real-world litigation and legislative intervention projects. The Lab will include orientation and training sessions, and students will be required to meet regularly with Lab instructors and outside partners and experts, either as a group or in subgroups as we collaborate in each area of our work. More information on CAFE Lab projects is available for review on the CAFE Lab website. Enrollment limited. Permission of instructors is required. Also ENV 981. D. Kysar, J. Lovvorn, D. Bray, and V. Morris.
Course Bidding: In addition to listing this course among experiential permission selections, students should submit a resume and a brief statement of interest by 4:30 pm on the last day of the bidding period.
Note: Attendance at the first class meeting is mandatory for admitted students and for those on the waiting list who wish to remain in consideration for admission if a place becomes available. Admitted students must confirm their participation in advance of the first class by a date designated by the instructors. A no-drop policy applies. Students who have accepted their places may drop up until August 20 but cannot drop during the normal add/drop period after classes begin.
: Douglas Kysar :
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Kysar M - 4:10-6:00 |
Kysar M - 6:10-8:00 |
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991
Advanced Climate, Animals, Food, and Environment Law and Policy Lab
991 Advanced Climate, Animals, Food, and Environment Law and Policy Lab : Follows the Yale Law School Calendar.
Open only to students who have successfully completed ENV 981, Climate, Animals, Food, and Environment Law and Policy Lab (CAFE Lab).Paper required. Enrollment limited to nine. Permission of the instructors required.
In addition to listing this course among experiential permission selections, interested students should submit a brief statement describing the project they intend to pursue through the Advanced CAFE Lab. Statements should be submitted by 4:30 pm on the last day of the bidding period of the Yale Law school.
Note:The instructors will set a regular meeting time once the students have set their schedules. : Douglas Kysar : Douglas Kysar : TBD Faculty
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Kysar M - 6:10-8:00 |
Kysar Tentative |
Kysar Tentative |