Curriculum
Courses
Faculty

Core Course

• GEOG-G 561 Human Dimensions of Global Environmental Change (3 cr.) Introduction of global environmental change (GEC), focusing on the human causes and consequences of biophysical transformations of land systems.  Emphasis on socioeconomic, political, institutional and environmental dimensions of land change; tropical forests, grasslands and urbanizing areas; international environmental regimes; spatial methodologies in GEC research, and integrated approaches.

Methods Elective Courses

• ANTH-E 600 Research Design and Proposal Writing (3 cr.).

• ANTH-E 606 Ethnographic Methods (3 cr.)

• GEOG-G 535 Environmental Remote Sensing (3 cr.) Principles of remote sensing of the earth and its atmosphere, emphasizing satellite data in visible, infrared, and microwave portions of the electromagnetic spectrum. Emphasis on practical applications and digital image analysis. A satellite data analysis project is required.

• GEOG-G 536 Advanced Remote Sensing: Digital Image Processing (3 cr.) Advanced remote sensing theory and digital image processing techniques with an emphasis on environmental science applications. Hands-on computer exercises provide significant experience in digital image processing techniques for extraction of qualitative and quantitative information about Earth's terrestrial and aquatic environments.

• GEOG-G 538 Geographic Information Systems (3 cr.) Overview of the principles and practices of Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Spatial data models, database design, introductory and intermediate GIS operations, and case studies of real-world GIS applications. Laboratory exercises will provide significant hands-on experience. Lecture and laboratory.

• GEOG-G 539 Advanced Geographic Information Systems (3 cr.) Intermediate and advanced topics in geographic information science and spatial analysis techniques using GIS software. This advanced course is for graduates who seek a greater understanding of this rapidly developing field and to learn how to construct, manage and analyze their own GIS data and models.

• GRAD-G 591 Methods of Population Analysis & Applications (3 cr.) Techniques of measuring and analyzing population size and trends, fertility and mortality patterns, migration flows. Population estimates and projections. Major models of formal demography.

• POLS-Y 673 Empirical Theory & Methodology (3 cr.)

• POLS-Y 773 Empirical Theory & Methodology (3 cr.)

• SPEA-E 518 Vector-based Geographic Information Systems (3 cr.) Geographic information systems using vector data structure. Vector GIS capabilities and uses. Data structure and file management of spatial data. Laboratory exercises using vector-based GIS software such as ARC/INFO.

• SPEA-E 527 Applied Ecology (3 cr.) Ecosystem concepts in natural resource management. Techniques of ecosystem analysis. Principles and practices of ecological natural resource management.

• SPEA-E 528 Forest Ecology & Management (3 cr.) Field and laboratory exercises in quantitative analysis of forest ecosystems. Sampling and data collection methodologies, data analysis and interpretation. Concepts in forest ecology and forest management.

Minor Elective Courses

University Graduate School

• GRAD-G 513 Topics Seminar in Human Dimensions of Envi­ronmental Change (3 cr.) Topical courses related to the study of institutions, population, and environmental change will be arranged in light of recent scientific developments and student and faculty interests. Analysis of human roles in environmental change is contextualized by attention to biophysical and ecosys­tematic relationships. 

• GRAD-G 514 Fieldwork Practicum in Human Dimensions of Environmental Change (12 cr.) P: Approval from director of the Center for the Study of Institutions, Population, and Envi­ronmental Change. Topical courses related to the study of institutions, population, and environmental change will be arranged in light of recent scientific developments and student and faculty interests. Analysis of human roles in environmental change is contextualized by attention to biophysical and ecosys­tematic relationships. 

• GRAD-G 591 Methods of Population Analysis and Applica­tions (3 cr.) P: An undergraduate course in statistics. This is a course about methods of measuring and projecting population dynamics. We focus on describing the three basic demographic processes (mortality, fertility, and migration) and showing how each one affects population size and age structure. An under­standing of these basic processes is fundamental for studying behavioral aspects of population change. 

• GRAD-G 593 International Perspectives on Population Prob­lems (3 cr.) International trends in population growth, charac­teristics, and structure with attention to major social, envi­ronmental, economic, and political implications. Comparisons between industrially advanced economies and less developed countries in Latin America, Africa, and Asia. Special emphasis will be placed on local and national circumstances affecting fertility, mortality, migration, and emerging roles of population policies in development planning. 

Anthropology

• ANTH-B 540 Hormones and Human Behavior (3 cr.). This course examines the roles of hormones in the evolution (ultimate explanations) and expression (proximate mechanisms) of human and nonhuman primate behaviors in an ecological framework. Emphasis is placed on aspects of endocrinology and behavior associated with eating, stress, social cohesion, mating, pregnancy, parenting, and aggression. 

• ANTH-B 543 Evolution of Human Ecological Footprint (3 cr.). The current environmental crisis did not begin overnight and likely has roots deep in our evolutionary history. Although the scale of our effects on the biosphere has only recently shown exponential growth, it is worth examining how we got to this point today. This course explores a series of threshold moments in the history of our species that had great implications for the environment.​ 

• ANTH-B 545 Nutritional Anthropology (3 cr.) A biocultural approach to diet and nutrition. Basic concepts in nutrition. Methods to assess dietary intake and nutritional status. Diet in human evolution, human biological variation, and the adaptive significance of food processing. Contemporary critiques of nutrition and food policies; globalization of diet; and anthropological perspectives on under- and over-nutrition.

• ANTH-E 527 Environmental Anthropology (3 cr.) Graduate course on theory and method in the study of human-environment inter­actions. Emphasis on contemporary debates and approaches and on research design in environmental research.

• ANTH-E 600 Topic Seminar: Remote Sensing for Social Scientists (3 cr.) This course combines a historical review on the use of remote sensing in the social sciences, conceptual discussions on applications of remote sensing to social science problems, and a formal introduction to remote sensing techniques based on hands-on laboratory sessions. The course will consist of a conceptual and a laboratory session each week. 

• ANTH-E 600 Topic Seminar: People and Forest: Contemporary Issues on Deforestation, Forest Management, and Agroforestry (3 cr.) The main goal of this seminar is to provide a semester-long “environment” in which the student’s individual research inter­est (research paper, proposal, etc. related to “people and for­est”) can be “nurtured” and discussed with an interdisciplinary group of graduate colleagues. The goal is to work on a single research paper or dissertation proposal or dissertation chapter during the whole semester while interacting with colleagues in class. 

• ANTH-E 621 Food and Culture (3 cr.) Discusses the political economy of food production, trade and consumption on a global basis. Gives a cross cultural and historical perspective on the development of cooking and cuisine in relationship to individual, national, and ethnic identity. Relates cuisine to modernity, migration and forms of cultural mixing and Creolizaiton.

• ANTH-E 644 People and Protected Areas: Theories & Realities of Conservation (3 cr.) Explores major theories and approaches to conservation, from “fortress conservation” to community-based and participatory strategies. It considers the implications of protected areas for local human populations and cultural diversity. It evaluates outcomes and unintended consequences of protected areas, and controversies over the “best” way to protect natural resources.

Geography

• GEOG-G 511 Sustainable Development Systems (3 cr.) P: G208 or consent of instructor. An examination of the notion of sustain­able development and its meaning and implementation in the areas of resources, agriculture, water, transport, cities, and tourism. Also considers how such systems can be implemented in developed countries. 

• GEOG-G 517 Geography and Development: Critical Perspectives (3 cr.) Critical analysis of development theory, development practice, and the discourse of development, particularly within the context of the Third World. Geographic approach to the study of neoliberalism and globalization, commodity chains, transnational corporations, multi-lateral organizations, labor relations, NGOs, consumption practices, sustainability, gender, and culture.

• GEOG-G 520 Migration and Population Redistribution (3 cr.) P: G314 and G320, or consent of instructor. Examines the history of geography. Particular reference is made to the use of philosophical traditions of positivism, structuralism, humanism and postmodernism within geography and to the major debates about philosophy and methodology in the last two centuries within the discipline.

• GEOG-G 535 Environmental Remote Sensing (3 cr.) P: G314 and G320, or consent of instructor. Principles of remote sensing of the earth and its atmosphere, emphasizing satellite data in visible, infrared, and microwave portions of the electromagnetic spectrum. Emphasis on practical applications and digital image analysis. A satellite data analysis project is required. 

• GEOG-G 536 Advanced Remote Sensing: Digital Image Processing (3 cr.) P: G535 or consent of instructor Advanced remote sensing theory and digital image processing techniques with an emphasis on environmental science applications. Hands-on computer exercises provide significant experience in digital image processing techniques for extraction of qualitative and quantitative information about Earth¿s terrestrial and aquatic environments.

• GEOG-G 538 Geographic Information Systems (3 cr.) Overview of the principles and practices of geographic information systems (GIS). Spatial data models, database design, introductory and intermediate GIS, operations and case studies of real-world GIS applications. Laboratory exercises will provide significant hands-on experience. Lecture and laboratory.

• GEOG-G 539 Advanced Geographic Information Systems (3 cr.) P: G538 or consent of instructor. Intermediate and advanced top­ics in geographic information science and spatial analysis tech­niques using GIS software. This advanced course is for students who seek a greater understanding of this rapidly developing field and to learn how to construct, manage, and analyze their own GIS data and models. 

• GEOG-G 544 Climate Change Impacts (3 cr.). 

• GEOG-G 549 Political Ecology (3 cr.) P: G315, G320, G341, G343 or consent of instructor. This seminar introduces political ecology, an approach which focuses on the political-economic context of natural resource conflicts with particular attention to issues of equity, justice and power.  This course covers the theoretical lineage of political ecology, its development over the last twenty years, and current hot topics in the field.

• GEOG-G 551 Water Resources (3 cr.) P: One introductory physical science course and at least one 300-level physical/biological science course or consent of instructor. Introduction to hydrological processes occurring at multiple spatial and temporal scales.  Principles of water resources such as infiltration, runoff, surface- and groundwater flow will be explored. Topics covered also include the environmental, economic, and social implications of floods, droughts, dams, and water usage as well as current and future issues in water quality, water pollution, and water-resource regulation.

• GRAD-G 578 Global Change, Food and Farming Systems (3 cr.) P: G208 or consent of instructor. Introduction to systems of food production and consumption, emphasizing linkages to globalization and environmental change. Reviews the origins of agriculture, contemporary farming systems, and agricultural adaptation and sustainability, with attention to the impacts of changing climate, land use, and social systems (including industrialization, urbanization, population growth, and economic liberalization). Additional topics include agricultural decision making; farming livelihoods; gender and poverty; prospects and challenges of biotechnology; agroecology; and food security and global health.

• GEOG-G 639 Topical Seminar in Geographic Information Science (3 cr.) Applications of geographic information science principles in the collection and analysis of spatial data. Integration of GIS, remote sensing, and GPS technologies. Review of current literature on technique, theory, technology, and applications with an emphasis on environmental topics. Discussion, laboratory, and research project.

International Studies

• INTL-I 502 Global History of Sustainability (3 cr.). Investigations into the environmental history behind unsustainable and sustainable practices around the globe. Examines long-term changes in both space and time to develop a keener understanding of how the human-nature relationship has evolved. Special emphasis will be placed on the relationship between “the West” and the rest of the globe, as well as on how notions of “development” and “modernization” led people to alter the natural world in many different ways.

Maurer School of Law

• LAW-B 506 Climate Law & Policy (3 cr.) Climate change presents enormous legal and policy challenges for society. This course examines those challenges and proposed solutions to them at all levels of governance. Students will learn about the science of climate change, the socio-economic consequences of rising global mean temperatures (along with uncertainties and other problems of climate modeling), climate change law and policies at international (e.g., United Nations processes and EU policies), national (focused predominantly on the US), regional, state, municipal and even private levels of governance, and climate change litigation. The goal of the course is to prepare students to engage effectively as lawyers and policy makers in the developing field of climate law and policy. Please note that this class meets according to SPEA regulations and calendar.

Political Science

• POLS-Y 669 International Relations: International Political Economy (3 cr.) Illustrative topics: approaches and issues; international conflict; international organization; quantitative international relations; analysis and evaluation of policy making; U.S. foreign policy; Soviet foreign policy; international and comparative communism.

• POLS-Y 773 Empirical Theory and Methodology: Revisiting Collab­orative Forest Communities in Indiana (3 cr.)

O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs

• SPEA-E 465 Environmental Management in the Tropics (3 cr.) Histori­cal examination of land use in tropical, non-Western cultures. Resource use in physical and cultural settings is explored through an interface with ecology, economics, and policy analysis. Common principles of analysis are used to help the students understand the cultural and historical dimensions of how people relate to their environment.  

• SPEA-E 501 Human Behavior and Energy Consumption (3 cr.) We face many barriers that prevent us from conserving energy and other natural resources. This course is aimed at decreasing energy use independent of top down regulations. Students will understand the nature of energy, the importance of human behavior, and how to create, and evaluate behavioral change.

• SPEA-E 518 Vector-Based Geographic Information Systems (3 cr.) Geographic information systems using vector data structure. Vector GIS capabilities and uses. Data structure and file man­agement of spatial data. Laboratory exercises use ARC/INFO software. 

• SPEA-E 522 Urban Forest Management (2-3 cr.) Originally an out­growth of aboriculture, urban forestry now encompasses the broader concepts of managing the trees, forests, and other natural recourses of cities for ecological, economic, and social benefits. Lectures, discussion, and field projects will be supple­mented by outside speakers. (IUB and Bloomington will be the field laboratory.)

• SPEA-E 527 Applied Ecology (3 cr.) P: One introductory-level ecology course. Ecosystem concepts in natural resource management. Techniques of ecosystem analysis. Principles and practices of ecological natural resource management. 

• SPEA-E 528 Forest Ecology and Management (3 cr.) P: E538 or V506. Field and laboratory exercises in quantitative analysis of forest ecosystems. Sampling and data collection methodolo­gies. Data analysis and interpretation. Concepts in forest ecol­ogy and forest management. 

• SPEA-E 534 Restoration Ecology (3 cr.) P: E538 or V506. The course will cover basic concepts of ecosystem restoration, including development of energy flow and nutrient cycles, soil formation, mechanisms of species dispersal, and colonization and mutualistic relation­ships. Restoration of specific terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, including grasslands, forests, lakes, rivers and streams, and wetlands, will be covered. 

• SPEA-E 555 Topics in Environmental Science: Fundamentals of Sustainable Agriculture (3 cr.) This course will present the fundamentals of specialty crop and animal sustainable agriculture based on an agroecological framework. Students will learn about and apply ecological, social, and economic concepts in evaluating for farm sustainability. The course includes both “in-class” and field lab experiences. Participation, observation, and thoughtful, open discussion will be essential to successful learning.  Lectures will include overviews of the basic principles and practices guiding ecological farming systems.

• SPEA-E 557 Conservation Biology (3 cr.) P: One 300-level ecolo­gy course. Ecological principles associated with rare species and with biodiversity, laws and statutes used to conserve biodiver­sity, and land and species management practices. Our aim is to understand scientific and political complexities of conservation biology and to study different methods used to conserve living resources and resolve conflicts associated with conservation.

School of Public Health-Bloomington

• SPH-O 510 Human Health, Quality of Life, and Natural Environments (3 cr.) Numerous textbooks address the relationship between human health and natural environments from either the perspectives of toxicity or environmental degradation. This course, on the other hand, approaches the issues of human health and quality of life from a broader context that also includes the perspective of interaction with the natural environment. That is, in what ways do natural environments impact human health and an individual’s reported sense of quality of life?