JINS 336 - The Environment (template course)

This course will investigate the natural environment from a variety of perspectives, focusing especially on the interaction between humans and the natural world. Possible topics: Border Crossings in South and Southeast Asian Forests - An exploration of diverse disciplinary perspectives on South and Southeast Asian forests (from Pakistan to Indonesia), including readings from anthropology, biology, geography, history, and literature. Change in the Great Plains After Lewis and Clark - In this course we will link scientific knowledge with choices and behavior to examine the human impact on the Great Plains. We will examine some of the ecological principles relevant to human existence in the environment and the human perspective on these principles, be they economic, philosophical, political, religious, sociological or psychological. Students will write responses to resource management dilemmas based on solid reasoning accounting for scientific knowledge and human perspective. The Neotropics in Literature and Science - This course will examine the New World tropics through the dual perspectives of literary and scientific disciplines. We will use these disciplines to examine the commonality of relationships in the Neotropics, both the relationships between the organisms that comprise the complex ecosystems of this region and the constantly evolving relationship between human beings and the environment. Water World-Human Influences on Aquatic Ecosystems - Water World is designed to make students aware of the variety, complexity, magnitude, and immediacy of water-related issues that modern human societies must cope with. The two main disciplinary approaches will be biology and political science.

Prerequisite: Junior status.
Credits: 3 hours
NOTE: This course fulfills the Junior Interdisciplinary Writing-Enhanced Seminar Interconnecting Perspective of the Liberal Studies Program.
NOTE: This course counts toward the 63-hour Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS) graduation requirement.
NOTE: This is a writing-enhanced course.