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Courses

Environmental Studies

Related Courses

Also see the Master of Liberal Arts in Environmental Management and the Certificate in Environmental Management.

Courselist

ENVR E-101 Environmental Management I (11925)
(Website) (Printable version)
John D. Spengler, PhD, Akira Yamaguchi Professor of Environmental Health and Human Habitation, Harvard School of Public Health. George D. Buckley, MS, Assistant Director of the Environmental Management Program, Harvard Extension School.
Course tuition: noncredit and undergraduate credit $700, graduate credit $1,625.
Fall term: Wednesdays, 7:35-9:35 pm, Harvard Hall, Room 104. Required sections for graduate-credit students to be arranged.
Online and on-campus options. See Distance Education. Lecture 1 video.

This course examines environmental problems from a local, national, and international perspective. Federal legislation on air pollution, water pollution, drinking water quality, toxic substances, and coastal zones are reviewed. The fundamentals of pollution sources, pathways of transport, measurement methods, mechanisms of toxicity, health effects, and effects on the ecosystem, including acid rain, ozone depletion, and climate change are presented. Control technologies for treating air and water pollutants are studied. A one-day field trip to Cape Cod is scheduled on a weekend in the fall. Additional optional site visits are scheduled during the semester. Prerequisites: high school biology and chemistry. (4 credits)

ENVR E-102 Environmental Management II (21783)
(Website) (Printable version)
Petros Koutrakis, PhD, Professor of Environmental Sciences and Director of the Exposure, Epidemiology, and Risk Program, Harvard School of Public Health. David L. MacIntosh, ScD, Principal Scientist, Environmental Health and Engineering, Inc. Zachary D. Zevitas, BS, Environment Editor, Science Network.
Course tuition: noncredit and undergraduate credit $700, graduate credit $1,625.
Spring term: Wednesdays, 7:35-9:35 pm, Science Center, Hall A. Required sections for graduate-credit students to be arranged.
Online and on-campus options. See Distance Education. Lecture 1 video.

This course complements ENVR E-101 and covers regional and global environmental problems, including urban pollution, transportation, solid and hazardous waste, and indoor air pollution. The course emphasizes energy fundamentals, conventional and renewable energy, and energy conservation. The course introduces emerging environmental problems such as bioterrorism, persistent organic pollutants, pollution prevention, industrial ecology, GIS for environmental assessment, risk management, and pesticides. (4 credits)

ENVR E-105 Strategies for Environmental Management (21808)
(Website) (Printable version)
Robert B. Pojasek, PhD, Adjunct Lecturer on Environmental Science, Harvard School of Public Health.
Course tuition: noncredit and undergraduate credit $700, graduate credit $1,625.
Spring term: Mondays, 5:30-7:30 pm, 1 Story Street, Room 304.
Online and on-campus options. See Distance Education. Lecture 1 video.

Students explore the path to sustainable development at the local level. A case method approach is used to examine the nexus among communities, local businesses, organizations, and individuals. Sustainability is put into operation in local businesses as a management system. Local cases are used to illustrate the tradeoffs that may be necessary. (4 credits)

ENVR E-110 Ocean Environments (21784)
(Website) (Printable version)
George D. Buckley, MS, Assistant Director of the Environmental Management Program, Harvard Extension School.
Course tuition: noncredit and undergraduate credit $700, graduate credit $1,625.
Spring term: Mondays, 7:35-9:35 pm, Harvard Hall, Room 104. Required sections for graduate-credit students to be arranged.
Online and on-campus options. See Distance Education. Lecture 1 video.

This course provides students with a "window to the underwater world" while taking them on a virtual tour of the world's oceans and their environments. Topics include coral reef ecology, marshes and bays, the open ocean, the deep sea, aquaculture, ocean research at sea, marine fouling organisms, ocean pollution, sustainability and management of oceanic resources, and a special presentation on seashells of the world. Students have the opportunity to participate in local ocean conferences and field trips to the New England Aquarium and Cape Cod National Seashore. Distance students can participate virtually or conduct independent local field trips. (4 credits)

ENVR E-115 Introduction to Sustainable Development (12421)
(Website) (Printable version)
Kazi F. Jalal, PhD. Molly Kile, ScD, Research Fellow in Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health.
Course tuition: noncredit and undergraduate credit $700, graduate credit $1,625.
Fall term: Tuesdays, 5:30-7:30 pm, 1 Story Street, Room 306. Optional sections Tuesdays, 4:30-5:30 pm.
Online and on-campus options. See Distance Education. Lecture 1 video.

This course introduces the concept and practice of sustainable development (SD). It examines the environmental, economic, and social dimensions of SD by focusing on changing patterns of consumption, production, and distribution of resources. This course has an international focus and examines the impact of globalization, the role of the private sector, and NGOs. Economic evaluation of environmental impacts, environmental and social assessments, concepts, and methodologies are introduced. Prerequisites: introductory courses in environmental sciences, economics, and social science. Graduate-credit students must demonstrate knowledge of economics at the level of ECON E-10a. (4 credits)

ENVR E-117 Sustainability: The Challenge of Changing Our Institutions (22225)
(Website) (Printable version)
John D. Spengler, PhD, Akira Yamaguchi Professor of Environmental Health and Human Habitation, Harvard School of Public Health. Leith Sharp, MEd, Director of the Harvard Green Campus Initiative, Harvard University.
Course tuition: noncredit and undergraduate credit $700, graduate credit $1,625.
Spring term: Wednesdays, 7:35-9:35 pm, 1 Story Street, Room 306. Required sections to be arranged.
Online and on-campus options. See Distance Education. Lecture 1 video.

This course aims to address the real life challenges of environmental sustainability by building change agent capacities of students who operate within myriad institutional and other contexts. The course begins by exploring the wide range of institutionally related environmental impacts and the associated roles of individuals within these settings. Harvard University is used as a primary case study to illustrate institutional practices, including procurement, utility supply and consumption, building design and operations, transportation, and waste production and recycling. Case study materials are used to explore conceptual models for understanding sustainability and institutional behavior; strategies for revealing hidden impacts of institutions; approaches for achieving behavioral change; systems thinking and integrated design approaches; organizational leadership and facilitation; broad strategies for achieving innovation; building organizational learning capacities; and standards, tools, and other resources that have proven useful for achieving effective institutional change. (4 credits)

ENVR E-119 Sustainable Buildings: Design, Construction, and Operations (12989)
(Website) (Printable version)
John D. Spengler, PhD, Akira Yamaguchi Professor of Environmental Health and Human Habitation, Harvard School of Public Health. Nathan Gauthier, BS, Assistant Director of the Green Campus Initiative, Harvard University. Leith Sharp, MEd, Director of the Harvard Green Campus Initiative, Harvard University. Rafal Schurma, MArch, Principal Architect, VvS. Agnes Vorbrodt-Schurma, MArch, ALM, Principal Architect, VvS.
Course tuition: noncredit $400, undergraduate credit $700, graduate credit $1,625.
Fall term: Mondays, 7:35-9:35 pm, Science Center, Hall A.

Our built environment has a substantial impact on energy and material resources as well as being a critical determinant of health, comfort, and productivity for occupants. In response, there are numerous local, national, and international entities adopting green, sustainable criteria for new construction and renovations. This course approaches sustainable development for buildings by examining how building components and systems affect human performance and well being. Sustainable development starts with site planning and evaluation, and proceeds through construction, commissioning, and occupancy phases. The course includes many case studies of historic and contemporary structures exemplifying various sustainability features. The course presents rating systems for high performance buildings developed by the US Green Building Council and other international organizations. Field trips are arranged to tour buildings and green roofs in the Boston area. Prerequisite: ENVR E-105, E-115, E-117, or E-150. (4 credits)

ENVR E-120 Environmental Ethics and Land Management (11926)
(Website) (Printable version)
Timothy C. Weiskel, DPhil, Research Fellow, W. E. B. Du Bois Institute, Harvard University.
Course tuition: noncredit and undergraduate credit $700, graduate credit $1,625.
Fall term: Thursdays, 5:30-7:30 pm, 1 Story Street, Room 306. Optional sections to be arranged.
Online and on-campus options. See Distance Education. Lecture 1 video.

This course examines the ethical dilemmas faced by human cultures throughout history in their use of land and natural resources. Topics include the environmental ethics of game and wildlife management, natural resource use, water management, biological diversity, fisheries, ocean protection, and agricultural production. Emphasis is given to the different perceptions of the environment and the different strategies that cultures have employed to resolve ethical disputes over land management and resource use. The tensions between urban, suburban, agricultural, ranching, and mining communities over the management of federal land, water projects, national wildlife areas, national forests, and national parks receive particular emphasis. Special attention is devoted to the problem of suburban sprawl. (4 credits)

ENVR E-130 Global Climate Change: The Science, Social Impact, and Diplomacy of a World Environmental Crisis (22039)
(Website) (Printable version)
Timothy C. Weiskel, DPhil, Research Fellow, W. E. B. Du Bois Institute, Harvard University. William R. Moomaw, PhD, Professor of International Environmental Policy, Tufts University.
Course tuition: noncredit and undergraduate credit $700, graduate credit $1,625.
Spring term: Tuesdays, 7:35-9:35 pm, 1 Story Street, Room 304. Optional sections to be arranged.
Online and on-campus options. See Distance Education. Lecture 1 video.

This course introduces students to the science of climate change, drawing attention to the latest research and evolving pattern of scientific data on climate that has emerged in recent years. In addition, emphasis is given to analyzing the social changes and adaptations that human communities have already made and those they will most likely have to make as the Earth's climate continues to change in the coming years. Special attention is given to the diplomatic efforts that have been launched since the creation of the Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC) in 1992. (4 credits)

ENVR E-140/W Fundamentals of Ecology (12779)
(Website) (Printable version)
Mark Leighton, PhD, Associate in Anthropology, Harvard University.
Writing-intensive course. Course tuition: noncredit and undergraduate credit $700, graduate credit $1,625.
Fall term: Tuesdays, 7:35-9:35 pm, Harvard Hall, Room 201.
Online and on-campus options. See Distance Education. Lecture 1 video.

This course introduces basic concepts in the ecology of individual organisms, their populations, and the biological communities in which they live. Emphasis is on terrestrial plant and animal ecology. The historical, evolutionary, and ecological processes determining the distribution of ecosystems, habitats, and species are introduced. Evolutionary processes responsible for the adaptations of individuals are examined to understand the diversity of species and their features. Theories of competition, predation, disease, and mutualism help explain the functioning of biological communities. These fundamentals establish a basis for examining the challenges imposed by humans on the functioning of natural ecosystems. The sustainable harvesting and use of natural resources, the implications of human population growth and size, and the transformation of natural communities through human activities and policies are examined in this ecological context. The course features a weekend field trip and other activities. (4 credits)

ENVR E-142/W Conservation Biology and Sustainable Use of Forested Landscapes (22762)
(Website) (Printable version)
Mark Leighton, PhD, Associate in Anthropology, Harvard University.
Writing-intensive course. Course tuition: noncredit $400, undergraduate credit $700, graduate credit $1,625.
Spring term: Tuesdays, 7:35-9:35 pm, Sever Hall, Room 206.

The future quality and diversity of life on Earth depends critically on how well forests are conserved and managed in the tropical and temperate zones. This course deliberately compares tropical rainforests, which occur mostly in underdeveloped countries, with temperate forests, in countries like our own, in terms of ecological processes and policy approaches to protect biodiversity, maintain ecosystem services—including climate change mitigation—and sustain development. Ecological concepts relevant to conservation strategies for forest communities and populations are first examined. Then techniques of economic valuation that guide policy makers in selecting forest land use options, including the benefits and costs of protected areas, are introduced. Finally, the options of sustainable agroforestry and natural forest management, which can directly and indirectly contribute to conservation goals, are discussed from a joint ecological, economic, and sociopolitical perspective. A Saturday field trip links tropical forest land use with New England's forest history and management issues. (4 credits)

ENVR E-145 Introduction to Environmental Justice (22548)
(Website) (Printable version)
Timothy C. Weiskel, DPhil, Research Fellow, W. E. B. Du Bois Institute, Harvard University. James S. Hoyte, JD, Lecturer on Environmental Science and Public Policy, Harvard University.
Course tuition: noncredit and undergraduate credit $700, graduate credit $1,625.
Spring term: Thursdays, 5:30-7:30 pm, 1 Story Street, Room 304. Optional sections to be arranged.
Online and on-campus options. See Distance Education. Lecture 1 video.

This course examines the interplay of race, socio-economic status, and interest group politics and the formulation and implementation of US federal and state environmental policies. Students consider the proposition that low income and minority populations, whether residing in urban or rural communities, bear a disproportionate burden of environmental pollution and its health consequences. Attention is given to the evidence and opinion that there exists within the United States, as well as globally, a pattern of environmental inequity, injustice, and racism. Further, we evaluate the contention that underlying this pattern is a historical failure of the mainstream environmental movement to provide for the needs of traditionally marginalized communities. Recent proposals to address the problems of environmental racism and injustice are discussed and analyzed. (4 credits)

ENVR E-150 Life Cycle and Risk Assessment (12390)
(Website) (Printable version)
A. Wallace Hayes, PhD, Visiting Scientist in Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health. Gregory A. Norris, PhD, Visiting Scientist in Environmental Science and Engineering, Harvard School of Public Health.
Course tuition: noncredit and undergraduate credit $700, graduate credit $1,625.
Fall term: Thursdays, 7:35-9:35 pm, 1 Story Street, Room 304.
Online and on-campus options. See Distance Education. Lecture 1 video.

This course provides an in-depth, hands-on, project-based capacity to understand and conduct life cycle assessments. It also provides a practical and hands-on introduction to risk assessment. It demonstrates how these tools work together, and how they are being applied in industry, government, and civil society to advance sustainable development. Prerequisites: general chemistry, biology, and MATH E-3, or the equivalent. (4 credits)

ENVR E-160 Critical Thinking about Environmental and Public Health Issues (22435)
(Website) (Printable version)
David P. Ropeik, MSJ, Consultant in Risk Communication.
Course tuition: noncredit $400, undergraduate credit $700, graduate credit $1,625.
Spring term: Mondays, 5:30-7:30 pm, Sever Hall, Room 213.

Our ideas about complex environmental and public health issues such as climate change, industrial chemicals, and species extinction are largely formed by simplistic and dramatized media coverage and distorting political spin from all sides. In this course, students learn how to think about these issues more carefully. As a result, their views and perspectives are better informed and their choices are more intelligent and healthier for them and their families. Topics include risk perception—the psychology that explains why we are often more afraid of lesser risks and less afraid of bigger ones, and how that perception gap can be dangerous; media coverage of environmental and public health issues; risk analysis—the controversy over choosing policy options based on economics; the risk sciences of epidemiology and toxicology—what they can and cannot tell us; and hormesis—the discovery by toxicologists that small exposures to toxic substances may be beneficial. Other issues include endocrine disruption, radiation, air pollution (indoor and outdoor), pesticides, major causes of death (heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes, and accidents), and emerging infectious diseases. (4 credits)

ENVR E-200 Graduate Research Methods and Scholarly Writing in Environmental Management (12422)
(Syllabus) (Printable version)
Robert B. Pojasek, PhD, Adjunct Lecturer on Environmental Science, Harvard School of Public Health.
Graduate proseminar. Course tuition: graduate credit $1,725. Limited enrollment.
Fall term: Mondays, 7:35-9:35 pm, Sever Hall, Room 204.
Students who do not have Harvard ID cards must purchase $100 special borrower's cards at Widener Library.

This proseminar emphasizes the theoretical and practical aspects of a person's involvement in environmental management. Students develop critical thinking and scholarly writing skills and develop a thesis proposal for the Master of Liberal Arts (ALM) in Environmental Management. Prerequisites: successful completion of six ALM in Environmental Management courses, completion of the analytical skills and ecology requirements (see the ALM in Environmental Management degree requirements), and a satisfactory score on the test of critical reading and writing skills. In addition, at the first class meeting, students complete an assignment that demonstrates strong writing and analytical skills. (4 credits)