ESGE-100 Contemporary Environmental Issues (4 Credits)
(PN) This course provides an in-depth examination of the structure and dynamics of complex environmental issues at both local and global scales. We pay particular attention to the ways that place, people, and ecosystems interact to both cause and address these issues. Particular topics may include: natural hazards and disasters, consumerism, wildlife conflicts, food systems, and/or monoculture lawns. Seniors by permission only.
ESGE-130 Geography of World Regions (4 Credits)
(PS, G) Geography of World Regions is an exploration of the critical, interrelated, and diverse characteristics of the world\'s major geographic regions. This course will explore issues of global and regional significance facing our planet through the diverse lenses of geography. Our primary focus is on globalization and the linkages between places, the impact of globalization on diversity, and the importance of "local" and "global," unevenness in development, the legacy of colonialism, capitalism, and imperialism on world regions, and the relationships between societies and environments at various scales.
ESGE-150 Variation & Conservation (4 Credits)
(PN) Population genetics is at the intersection of molecular biology, genetics, and population biology with the aim to study genetic variation in populations. Genetic variation is the foundation for species and ecosystem diversities, as well as the raw material for evolution to act upon. This course will introduce students to the basics of population genetics by studying how genetic variation occurs and how genetic variation can change within and between populations. Students will use and derive basic quantitative models from published genomic datasets to understand different evolutionary forces. Students will have developed a population genetics portfolio with step-by-step protocols that can be referenced and built upon in future endeavors. Lastly, students will discuss how their derived genetic results can inform conservation management and policy.
ESGE-199 Directed Study (1-2 Credits)
199, 299, 399, 499 Directed Study (1+) Opportunity for students to study a particular subject under a faculty member\'s direction. Prerequisites: permission of department chair and instructor.
ESGE-200 Introduction to Environmental Science (4 Credits)
This interdisciplinary course examines the interconnectedness of earth processes by assessing how the atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and lithosphere inform natural processes and interactions that support human society. Students will explore environmental processes through the lenses of environmental science and geography, with an emphasis placed on systems thinking, data interpretation, and effective science communication. This course prepares students to identify and analyze complex environmental challenges and communicate findings to promote sustainability. ESGE 100 must be taken before or concurrently with ESGE 200. Includes one two-hour lab per week.
ESGE-200L Lab for 200 (0 Credits)
ESGE-201 People, Places and Environments (4 Credits)
(PS, G) This course explores the relationship between humans and the natural environment from a social science perspective. The primary goal of the course is to engage students in using human geography and environmental studies approaches to examine economic, cultural, environmental, political, and urban issues around the world. Students will gain an understanding of human-environment processes and patterns as well as how they change over space and time. By examining how places around the world are different and similar, globalized yet regionally distinct, we will gain a deeper understanding of the interrelated nature of the world in which we live. Major topics include global environmental change, urbanization, environmental conservation and resource management, migration, and current geopolitics and their historical contexts. ESGE 100 is recommended.
ESGE-205 Perspectives in ESGE (2 Credits)
The purpose of this course is to help students identify their environmental and geographic interests, understand their personal strengths and gifts, and select a major area of concentration (AOC) with clarity and intention. The course will include a Clifton\'s Strengths Finder assessment, self-reflections, Life Design exercises with CORE, exploration of influential professionals, and alumni discussion panels. This is intended for Environmental Studies and Geography majors and minors, and should typically be taken in sophomore year.
ESGE-223 Introduction to Urban Studies (4 Credits)
(D) This course is an introduction to the interdisciplinary field of Urban Studies. The course focuses on the interactions between humans, urban ecosystems, and the built environment. Students will learn about the history of cities and suburbs in the United States, the causes and consequences of racial segregation, and the geography of environmental risk and vulnerability in cities.
ESGE-225 Weather, Climate, and Society (4 Credits)
(PN) An introduction to elements of weather and climate systems and the hazards they may pose to society. How can we (or should we?) prepare and adapt to live in areas of natural atmospheric hazards? Topics include a study of the earth\'s atmosphere, ocean systems, precipitation processes, severe weather (tornadoes, hurricanes), drought, and climate change. Includes one two-hour lab per week.
ESGE-225L Lab for ESGE 225 (0 Credits)
ESGE-230 US Regional Immersion Exp (4 Credits)
(D) This course will explore a region of the United States through the lens of geography. Topics of the course will focus on human geography, physical geography, human-environment interactions, regionally important topics, and professional careers in geography. The course will begin and end on campus, with a 7-10 day field trip in between. Course fees will apply. Region varies by year.
ESGE-299 Directed Study (1-2 Credits)
Opportunity for students to study a particular subject under a faculty member\'s direction. Prerequisites: permission of department chair and instructor.
ESGE-300 Applied Environmental Research (4 Credits)
The purpose of this course is to practice research methodology from a human-environment interaction perspective. Students will design and perform a short-term research project led by faculty. Specifically, students will identify and evaluate authoritative resources, collect, manage, and analyze data, and synthesize and present their findings. Finally, students will continue to explore their geographic and environmental interests and apply for their SI experience. ESGE 100, 200, and 201 must be taken before ESGE 300.
ESGE-303 Natural Resource Management (4 Credits)
Analysis of problems in the use of water and land resources, including land use planning, soil and water conservation, recreational uses of resources, urban open space and runoff, flood plain management, wetlands preservation and solid waste disposal. Course uses decision-making approaches to these problems and includes an introduction to environmental perception, resource economics and environmental law.
ESGE-306 Soil Science (4 Credits)
This course will explore the basics of soil morphology, classification, mapping, microbiology, theories of soil formation, and pedoturbation. Other topics include the societal importance of soils, human modification of soils, and the important role that soils play in climate change. Several local field trips will be conducted to learn field-based skills of soil pit digging, soil describing, and landform analysis. Intended for juniors and seniors. Includes one two-hour lab per week.
ESGE-306L Lab for 306 (0 Credits)
ESGE-307 Food and Our Future (4 Credits)
The main focus of this class is the question "How are we going to feed ourselves?" This course examines the connections/disconnections between humans and the natural world and how this has led to our mistreatment of our planet, with a focus on soil and agriculture. These connections are explored in a philosophical, historical, and economic context to better understand the reasons behind our problems in feeding a growing human population under threat of climate change.
ESGE-323 Urban Planning (4 Credits)
Urban geography is the study of the spatial organization of the city and the interactions between humans, urban ecosystems, and the built environment. This course provides an introduction to the principles and prqactices of urban geography and planning, focusing on community development, land use, transportation, housing and sustainability. The course emphasizes both theory and practice, and we will assess efforts by planners and grassroots organizations to develop walkable, transit-oriented, and more environmentally just cities. Students design and carry out a community-based research project in the Quad Cities. Prerequisite: One course from ESGE-201 or ESGE-223 or permission of the instructor. Must be completed prior to taking this course.
ESGE-331 Geography of Latin America (4 Credits)
(G) This course provides an introduction to the geography of Latin America, including its people, politics, cultures, and environments. Latin America is home to a diverse set of landscapes and ecosystems, including tropical rainforests, snowcapped mountains, plains, deserts, and expanding megacities. In this course, we will examine the relationship between the environment and Latin American societies, focusing on the history of pre-Columbian peoples, European colonialism, uneven economic development, urbanization and migration, and environmental conservation. Case studies include Bolivia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Latino/as in the United States.
ESGE-332 Geography of the Arctic (4 Credits)
(G) A regional geographic course exploring the unique and rapidly changing region of the circumpolar Arctic. The course will provide an in-depth focus on the people, politics, economy, and natural environment of the Arctic, with an emphasis on "big picture" topics like climate change, resource extraction, indigenous rights, polar law, and human health. Although we don\'t live in the Arctic, we\'ll learn why this region has important implications and connections to the midlatitudes. Offered in alternate years.
ESGE-380 Special Topics (4 Credits)
Students use an interdisciplinary and systems approach to conduct an in-depth analysis of the social, economic, and environmental dimensions of a real-world sustainability problem facing campus or a community in the region.
ESGE-385 Plant Diversity (2 Credits)
Morphology, evolution, and taxonomy of plants with emphasis on plant families, especially those local to Rock Island and the Augustana campus. Certain groups may be emphasized based on instructor\'s expertise.
ESGE-386 Animal Diversity (2 Credits)
Morphology, evolution, and taxonomy of animals with emphasis on animal families, especially those local to Rock Island and the Augustana campus. Certain groups may be emphasized based on instructor\'s expertise.
ESGE-387 Environmental Justice (4 Credits)
(D) Although environmental conditions impact all people, environmental risks and amenities are not equitably distributed across places or populations. These inequities have prompted a consideration of the linkages between environmental issues and social justice. This course explores those linkages. We will work to understand the connections between environmental and human health, the evidence and explanations for differential distributions of environmental risks and amenities across populations, and the differing community responses to environmental injustices. By applying social concepts and examining a wide range of environmental justice case studies, we can better understand how and why inequalities arise, and why some communities are able to work more effectively towards environmental justice.
ESGE-388 Env. Conflict & Neg. (4 Credits)
(PH) Environmentalism is contentious and environmental conflicts are constantly taking shape. Negotiation is a process for managing environmental conflicts; it is a process of jointly making decisions to reconcile different interests. This course will focus on developing negotiation skills that can be applied to situations of environmental conflict. Through the use of negotiation simulations and case studies, we will examine contemporary environmental conflicts, identify the opportunities and challenges of using negotiation processes to manage environmental conflicts, and develop and practice our own negotiation skills. While the cases we discuss in class will pertain to environmental issues, the negotiation skills learned and developed in this course are easily transferable to other domains.
ESGE-389 Climate Change & Sustain Energy (4 Credits)
Intermediate level examination of the complex sustainability problem of climate change and access to modern energy production, emphasizing the complex direct and indirect cross-scale interactions between the social and ecological components of such systems. In-depth examination of relationship between access to modern energy and human well-being and climate change challenge facing humanity. Emphasis on refining the interdisciplinary model developed in ENVR 100/101 sequence and using such model to compare and contrast the environmental, social, economic, political, and ethical/moral dimensions of alternative energy resources and technologies (coal, natural gas, wind, solar, geothermal, nuclear, biofuels, biomass, hydro, etc.) and assess future alternative scenarios of systems. Students formulate an action-oriented of portfolio of solution strategies to drive a transition to a more sustainable society by avoiding dangerous climate change and improving human well-being without exceeding the Earth\'s life support systems. Students will complete a significant team-based project that develops a solution to a local energy problem in collaboration with a campus or external stakeholder. Includes one four-hour lab per week that focuses on field trips to energy generating facilities and real-world simulations and negotiations.
ESGE-393 International Study Colloquium (3-4 Credits)
ESGE-399 Directed Study (1-2 Credits)
Opportunity for students to study a particular subject under a faculty member\'s direction. Prerequisites: permission of department chair and instructor.
ESGE-400 Independent Study (1-2 Credits)
Advanced studies on specific subjects; research problems.