ENVS 110 Introduction to Environment & Sustainability

This course explores ways to understand interactions between our social and natural worlds. Familiarizing students with concepts and theories from environmental geography, political ecology, and related fields is the first major course goal. As such, this course along with ENVS 112, provides basic social science background for upper level courses in the Environmental Studies and Environmental Science major. The OWU Campus and the Delaware, Ohio area serve as a point of engagement throughout the semester. Environmental and sustainability issues are everywhere, and understanding how these issues play out on the ground in real places is the second major goal of the course. All students in this course will engage in a course project that reveals their understanding of course content, culminating in a presentation of results. This project can look at a local issue, such as water runoff or recycling or green energy, or focus on a particular environmental object such as invasive plants, Canadian geese, feces, carbon from air travel, or microplastics, for example. Students will develop an overview of their topic, then show how concepts and theories, learned in class, help to understand and explain the complexities of environmental issues. Projects will be presented during the final weeks of the semester. Suggested for first semester freshmen interested in ENVS and related majors.

OWU Units: 1.00. Crosslisting(s): None. Prerequisite(s): None. Corequisite(s): ENVS 198 should be taken with this course by new ENVS majors. Antirequisite(s): Not open to Seniors. Fee: None. Core Competency: Act Responsibly. Offered: TBD.