Current Courses

Earth systems science reveals that the environmental conditions that supported the development of human civilization over the past 10,000 years are becoming increasingly destabilized. This course introduces students to the Earth's regulatory systems such as climate, nitrogen and phosphorus flows, forests, oceans and biodiversity, and the social structures and processes that are interfering with them. Students will come to understand that environmental problems cannot be solved by individual behavioural changes; solutions will require collective action to achieve systemic change.

Earth systems science reveals that the environmental conditions that supported the development of human civilization over the past 10,000 years are becoming increasingly destabilized. This course introduces students to the Earth's regulatory systems such as climate, nitrogen and phosphorus flows, forests, oceans and biodiversity, and the social structures and processes that are interfering with them. Students will come to understand that environmental problems cannot be solved by individual behavioural changes; solutions will require collective action to achieve systemic change.

Social systems are constructed on a set of dominant beliefs, assumptions and values that are largely unexamined but shape the way societies perceive and interact with the natural world. In this course, students examine the dominant perspectives that give rise to environmental degradation, as well as alternative paradigms offered by Green, ecojustice, global south, sustainability, and indigenous movements. Students also engage with political, economic, and cultural theories of environmental change. Prerequisite: ENVS 1013 or permission of the instructor.

Everyone eats, and by eating we are all connected to a global system of industrialized food production and local networks of distribution and waste management. The system outputs include ecological devastation, food insecurity, poor health, and precarious rural economies. As individuals, we are embedded in various food cultures that either bolster the system or are threatened by it. Drawing from political ecology, political economy, sociocultural and health perspectives, this course takes a critical look at food systems and our relationship to them, including Indigenous and Global South perspectives, and practices of and movements for food sustainability, security, and sovereignty. Prerequisite: Must have completed 27 credit hours of coursework.

Good health and wellbeing depend on clean air and water, nutritious food, functioning ecosystems, a stable climate, peace, and security. Conversely, pollution, climate change, ecological destruction, and conflict have devastating health impacts, especially for the most vulnerable populations. Using a public health framework. this course introduces the concept of ecological determinants of health and their intersection with social conditions and population health. This includes examining the roots of the COVID-19 pandemic. This course is open to all students with 27 credit hours of completed course work.

This survey course introduces the concept of sustainability as encompassing three dimensions -ecological, socio-economic, and personal - and explores the societal changes necessary to achieve sustainability. Prerequisite: ENVS 1013

This course refers to standards and methods for analyzing and reporting on the ecological and social sustainability of an organization or business. This course examines principles and design of various auditing and reporting frameworks, theories of sustainability reporting and behaviour change, and design and implementation of action plans. Student projects will involve hands-on experience with an audit or action plan as appropriate.

The course explores the systemic economic and political relationships which have created the problem of global climate change and its associated impacts for humanity. There is no prerequisite for this course.

Earth systems science reveals that the environmental conditions that supported the development of human civilization over the past 10,000 years are becoming increasingly destabilized. This course introduces students to the Earth's regulatory systems such as climate, nitrogen and phosphorus flows, forests, oceans and biodiversity, and the social structures and processes that are interfering with them. Students will come to understand that environmental problems cannot be solved by individual behavioural changes; solutions will require collective action to achieve systemic change.

Praxis can be understood as reflection and action for social change. Drawing on learning in ENVS 1013, students will investigate how global environmental problems are manifested at the local level. They will then develop local action strategies to effect change in those systems. This approach will foster citizenship skills and empower students in the face of global problems. This course will qualify for the STU Experiential Learning Certificate. Prerequisite: ENVS 1013.

The public sphere is filled with competing visions, agendas and styles of speaking about the critical social ecological issues facing our world such as climate change, ecosystem destruction and chemical pollution. This course examines how communication shapes our perceptions of sustainability issues; introduces various media platforms and public forums that are used for communicating about sustainability issues; analyzes the communicative strategies of various actors (scientists, corporate lobbyists, environmentalists, ordinary citizens) in trying to influence decision makers; and prepares students to participate in conversations and debates about sustainability issues in their communities. Prerequisite: Must have completed 27 hours of university course work or by permission of the instructor.

This survey course introduces the concept of sustainability as encompassing three dimensions -ecological, socio-economic, and personal - and explores the societal changes necessary to achieve sustainability. Prerequisite: ENVS 1013

Problems such as climate change, species extinctions and toxic chemical pollution are global and require the cooperation of many nations to solve. This course examines the mechanisms for multilateral cooperation on environmental problems, particularly through the United Nations, and the politics involved in getting agreement among nations with diverse and competing interests, including the dynamics of the power imbalances between Global North and Global South states

This course explores how alternative visions of the future translate into political action at the international, national, provincial, community, and personal levels. This involves an analysis of alternative theories of the nature of social change. A component of this course may be service learning. Prerequisites: ENVS 1013 and 1023, or permission of the instructor.

Sustainable food systems are characterized by distinct value systems, knowledge systems, design principles and related practices. This course explores each of these elements. An experiential learning component focuses on the application of design principles of permaculture and the practice of regenerative land 24 management. Prerequisite: Must have completed 27 credit hours of university coursework.

In recent years, public health and health promotion experts have introduced the concept of Planetary Health which stresses the crucial links between physical and mental wellbeing and the state of the planet. Building on concepts learned in ENVS 2243, this course introduces students to the planetary health framework for health promotion and advocacy. This framework provides a systems-based analysis of the environmental drivers of mental and physical illness and proposes system changes that would result in healthy people and a healthy planet. Prerequisite: ENVS 2243.

This is a required course for the Major in Environment & Society which is designed to integrate the entire programme of study. The seminar will focus on developing a multidisciplinary understanding of a selection of environmental issues as determined by student and faculty interests. Issues considered will include ecological damage, social origins, and alternative approaches to addressing problems. Prerequisites: ENVS 3013 and ENVS 3023 or permission of the instructor.