GEOG 347 - Human Impacts on the Environment

Global environmental change is among the most important of issues in the next century. The primary objective of the course is to explore the relationship between the human and environmental systems-at local to global scales. In order to grasp the importance of global environmental change, students need to understand: (1) the importance of scale in order to differentiate behaviors that modify the landscape (i.e., an individual throwing trash versus tropical deforestation) and the impacts they have (i.e., local stream pollution versus variability in large-scale precipitation patterns); (2) data collection methods, data analysis, and presentation of findings; (3) how research outcomes can affect local, positive changes to address negative local and global environmental degradation; and (4) the differential impacts of global environmental change by comparing various worldwide locations, including differences between the Global South (e.g., Costa Rica) and Global North (e.g., the U.S.). Open to sophomores, juniors, and seniors. (Previously listed as Environmental Alteration) Fall (Group I)