Environmental Studies Minor

Offered every other year. Same as ENST 377. Not open to PCOM. Survey of rhetorical texts that shape public understanding of nature and environmental issues. Analysis of a range of historical and contemporary environmental texts using theoretical concepts from the rhetorical tradition.

Offered every other year. Same as CCS 349. Not open to PCOM majors. Analyzes consumption as a communication practice, investigates discourses that promote consumption, and illuminates environmental impacts on consumption.

Offered intermittently.  Prereq., ECNS 201S. Outlines a theoretical framework for the analysis of environmental problems, including concepts of market failure and externalities, materials balance and property rights. The policy implications of this analytical model are explored for a range of topics including pollution and the preservation of natural environments and species.  Formally cross-listed with EVST 440.

Offered autumn every other year. Same as CCS 445. Prereq., ECNS 201S. An introduction to the economics of various policy approaches towards climate change and other international environmental issues such as trans-boundary pollution problems, international trade and the environment and pollution haven hypothesis.

Offered autumn and spring. Requires consent of instructor. Practical application of classroom learning through internship with governments, organizations or industry. A maximum of 6 credits of Internship (198, 298, 398, 498) may count toward graduation.

(R-9) Offered intermittently. May be restricted to EVST majors. May require consent of instructor. Experimental offerings of visiting professors, new courses, or one time offerings of current topics.

(R-6) Offered autumn and spring. Requires consent of instructor. Course material appropriate to the needs and objectives of the individual student.

Offered autumn. Prereq or coreq ENSC 360. Designing, executing, interpreting and documenting field studies. Project oriented.

Offered autumn.  Provides background, overview, interpretations, and understanding of key concepts, themes, approaches, and forms in American nature and environmental nonfiction as well as that literature’s response to and influence on environmental events, figures, and movements.

Offered autumn. Foundation in public lands history, bedrock environmental laws, policy processes and institutions.  Research and analysis of current environmental and natural resource policy issues.  Focus is domestic illustrated by case studies.

Offered spring. Writing workshop for the creation, critique, and revision of essays about the environment to include natural history, personal narrative, science interpretation, advocacy/editorial, place-based essay, and others. Examination of concepts, forms, and approaches to writing about environmental concerns, awareness and sensitivity. Reading and responding to published work, primarily from the perspective of technique and approach.

Offered spring.  Introduction to the history, law and theory of environmental regulation in the United States using public and private land regulation mechanisms as case studies.  Basic principles of constitutional and administrative law relevant to environmental regulation, substantive public and private land use law and the history of environmental problems and their regulation.

(R-12) Offered intermittently. May be restricted to EVST majors. May require consent of instructor. Experimental offerings of visiting professors, of new courses, or one-time offerings of current topics.

(R-12) Offered every term. Via extended backcountry travel, experiential examination of cultural history and public lands management, and how those affect ecosystem integrity. Investigation of personal roles in and relationships with human and ecological communities. Offered by the Wild Rockies Field Institute and Northwest Connections.

(R-10) Offered Fall (2 cr.), Spring (2 cr.); Summer intensive, (6 cr.). Students learn small scale sustainable vegetable farming in a hands-on work environment at the PEAS farm (15 minute bike ride from campus). Lectures, readings and reflection inform the work. Summer students also visit local farms on once-a-week field trips. PEAS is repeatable, as the curriculum changes across the season, and students can attend any semester, though the 6 credit summer intensive course is the heart of the program.

Offered autumn and spring. Consent of instructor required. Practical application of classroom learning through internship with governments, organizations or industry.  A maximum of 6 credits of Internship (198, 298, 398, 498) may count toward graduation.

Offered Intermittently.  Study of the environmental movement as a social movement.  Examination of different approaches to environmental protection and restoration in view of the movement’s historical roots and contemporary debates. 

The course focuses on the history, culture, economy and environment of Vietnam, with particular emphasis on the Mekong Delta region. This is achieved through lectures from local professors at Can Tho University, active participation in field trips, the home stay, course readings, and synthesis through questions sets and discussions provided by University of Montana instructor. The goal of this half of the Vietnam study abroad program is to provide an understanding of the unique environments and the socio-economy of the Mekong Delta region to facilitate learning about the effects of climate change on these complex natural and anthropogenic systems. Co-convenes with ENST 514.

Offered spring, from start of semester to mid-April.  Surveys treatment of farmers and farming in the humanities.  Course covers specific agricultural crops and their effect on social and environmental history, artistic commentary on agricultural life and farmer philosophy.  Themes range from agriculturally influenced historical events to Wendell Berry's poetry to Albert Borgmann's philosophy.

This course focuses on the threats posed by climate change in Vietnam, with particular emphasis on the Mekong Delta region. This is achieved through lectures from Can Tho University professors, active participation in field trips, the homestay, course readings, and synthesis through questions sets and discussions provided by University of Montana instructor. The goal of this half of the Vietnam study abroad program is to provide an understanding of the potential impacts of climate change on the ecosystems and people of the Mekong Delta, and explore opportunities for people to adapt to and mitigate these impacts. Co-convenes with ENST 516.

Offered autumn and spring. A study of the foundations of environmental science and conservation education with applications to community service and teaching.

Offered spring. Prereq., open to juniors and seniors only or by consent of instructor. Same as CCS 476. Develops leadership and environmental citizenship skills, values and virtues through student-initiated projects informed by principles of organizing and sustainable behavior change theories of social marketing.

Offered spring.  Exploration of the premise that agricultural sustainability requires practices, policies, and social arrangements that balance concerns of environmental soundness, economic viability, and social justice among all sectors of society.

Offered autumn. Study of current trends in economic globalization and its effects on efforts to work for social justice and environmental sustainability, particularly in the Global South.  Examination of different models and theories of globalization, analysis of ethical issues raised, and assessment of alternatives proposed.

Offered autumn. Examination of evidence, causes and consequences of social inequality in the distribution of environmental risks and in access to natural resources and environmental amenities. Community, government and industry responses and service approaches for addressing environmental inequities.

(R-12) Offered intermittently. May be restricted to EVST majors. May require consent of instructor. Experimental offerings of visiting professors, of new courses, or one-time offerings of current topics.

(R-6) Offered autumn and spring. Consent of instructor required. Course material appropriate to the needs and objectives of the individual student.

Offered summer.  Two week travel seminar to one or more Latin American countries to examine Latin American perspectives on environmental justice and efforts toward sustainable development within the context of the global economy and U. S. foreign policy.  Required one-credit seminar offered spring semester to provide background readings. 

(R-6) Offered intermittently. May be restricted to EVST majors. May require consent of instructor. A seminar on a current environmental topic.

Offered intermittently. Prereq., senior standing in EVST. For seniors who want to design and perform a significant capstone project involving research and/or service. Students have responsibility for designing their projects which are subject to faculty approval. A final report and public presentation are required. Honors credit available.

Offered spring even-numbered years. Prereq., upper-division or graduate standing. Same as CCS 421. A discussion of sustainability efforts in cities around the world.  Topics include, for example, urban sprawl and smart growth, alternative energy, public transportation, integrated waste management, integrated water management, green architecture, and urban agriculture.

This course will examine some of the fundamental issues raised by global climate change and consider how environmental ethics might help to address these issues. Students will become acquainted with the essential elements of climate change science and be provided with an introduction to contemporary approaches to environmental ethics that have developed out of the primary ethical traditions of western thought: deontological (Kantian) ethics, utilitarian ethics, and virtue ethics. In addition, the course will examine alternative understandings of the appropriate relationship between humans and the natural world including: “Deep Ecology” and Native American perspectives.

Offered autumn.  An introduction to ecological principles, stressing the structure and function of natural communities and examining human's role in these ecosystems.

Offered autumn. Prereq., BIOB 272. Analysis of the distribution and abundance of plants and animals. Includes individual, population and community-level processes (e.g., population growth and regulation, competition, predation, succession, nutrient cycling, energy flow and community organization).

Offered autumn. Prereq or coreq ENST 201. To succeed in this course, students also need college level courses in general biology, chemistry & statistics. Principles and concepts of ecology and how they can be applied to inform real life decisions about human interactions with the environment. Emphasizes the science of sustainability and the conservation of watersheds and biodiversity.

Offered autumn and spring. Prereq., FORS 210 or ENSC 245N or NRSM 210N; and BIOO 105N or BIOB 170N or BIOE 172 or BIOB 160N or FORS 240; and FORS 201 or STAT 216 or SOCI 202 or WILD 240 or PSYX 222. Examination of physical and biological factors affecting forest structure, composition, and function, including biodiversity, disturbance, and nutrient cycling. Field labs throughout Northern Rockies including developing skills in field observation, data interpretation and problem solving.