Environmental Studies

NOTE: See the beginning of Section H for abbreviations, course numbers and coding.

ENVS1003Environment and Climate Change (Cross-listed: ANTH 1003) 3 ch (3C/WEB) (W)
Learn how environmental anthropologists study the two-way relationship between human cultures and environments. With a focus on climate change, learn about environmental anthropology, how humans transform their environments, and how communities experience environmental change at local and wider scales. Explore how studies of youth climate movements, ecological grief, environmental justice, global health, Indigenous Ecological Knowledge, and western climate science contribute to our understandings of climate change and to our capacity to address the implications of environmental change for ecosystems and cultural worlds. NOTE: Credit cannot be counted for both ENVS 1003 and ANTH 1003. 
ENVS1023Arts First: Climate and Environment in Humanities and Social Sciences (Cross-listed: ARTS 1023, POLS 1023) 3 ch (2C 1T) (W)

Examine climate change and broader environmental issues from the perspective of the Humanities and Social Sciences. Explore how individuals, communities, and governments come to understand environmental problems and opportunities for action and social change, both locally and globally. Learn about different research methods and approaches in the Humanities and Social Sciences and apply them to real-world examples. A skills development tutorial component provides active-learning opportunities. NOTE: Registration restricted to students in a Faculty of Arts degree program. Credit can only be obtained for one of ARTS 1023, ENVS 1023, or POLS 1023. 

ENVS1803Politics of Climate Change (Cross-listed: POLS 1803) 3 ch (3C) (W)

 This course surveys the politics of climate change in a global context.  In the coming years, climate change will drive politics at the international, national, and sub-national levels.  Specific topics include climate change itself, international treaties to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, humanitarian crises and climate change refugees, climate change and the media, and climate change deniers. NOTE: Credit cannot be counted for both POLS 1803 and ENVS 1803. 

ENVS2011Environment and Infrastructure (Cross-listed: ANTH 2011) 3 ch (3C/WEB) (W)
Learn how roads, pipelines, walls, dams, and other infrastructures are the literal frameworks that underpin our everyday lives. Just as infrastructures transform ecosystems, livelihoods, and landscapes, they also generate new experiences of nature, work, and connection to place. Use the perspective of applied environmental anthropology to understand relationships between human environments, infrastructures, and design frameworks. Examine the impacts of infrastructures on cultural and natural resources, and how impact assessment and human-centered design mitigate such impacts, responding to diverse community needs. NOTE: Credit cannot be counted for both ENVS 2011 and ANTH 2011. 
ENVS2801Food and Culture (Cross-listed: ANTH 2801, SOCI 2801) 3 ch (3C) (W)
Introduces theories and methods of the growing field of food studies. Few things are more important to human beings than food. Food is profoundly cultural, which makes it a topic of interest to social scientists concerned with the comparative study of culture and society across time and space. On the one hand, what is considered edible, what is seen as good to eat, and how it all embeds in changing ways of life all varies depending on cultural, social, economic, and political contexts. On the other hand, thinking about nutrition, energy, diet and what is left behind opens a valuable window on societies past and present. The course goal is a practical guide to the study of food, its core ideas, and its methodologies with the goal of bringing order and insight to diverse relationships between people and what they eat. NOTE: Credit can only be obtained for one of ANTH 2801, SOCI 2801, or ENVS 2801. 
ENVS3015Animal Studies (Cross-listed: ANTH 3015) 3 ch (3C) (W)

 Explore the practical, cultural, and moral dimensions of human interactions with non-human animals. Consider how animals are involved in human activities from ritual life to laboratory testing, transport, farming and food production, and care and disability services. These examples are explored in terms of questions about origins and development of animal domestication, and the moral and legal status of wild and domesticated populations, including animal rights and animal ownership across various geographic and cultural settings. NOTE: Credit cannot be counted for both ANTH 3015 and ENVS 3015. 

ENVS3111Resource Extraction, Conflict, and Resistance (Cross-listed: ANTH 3111) 3 ch (3C) (W)
Examine the human consequences of transforming nature into commodities. Cutting timber, digging metals, pumping oil, fracking gas, growing crops, trapping animals, and many other forms of resource extraction are, or have been, essential to the global economy. Explore how extractive practices shape our planetary prospects for ecological and cultural survival. Learn about the conflicts that emerge amidst this commodification of nature. Consider the creative ways that people find to resist extractivism. Topics include diverse case studies and theoretical approaches. NOTE: Credit cannot be counted for both ANTH 3111 and ENVS 3111. 
ENVS3208Ecological Ethics (Cross-listed: PHIL 3208) 3 ch (3C/WEB)
Explore key ethical issues concerning humanity's relationship to the earth. Dominant themes include deciding what has value, criteria for making good decisions, and moral principles for human behaviour toward the world. Become familiar with a range of perspectives and positions commonly found in Western environmental debates, with emphasis on the relationship between theory and practice. NOTE: Students can receive credit for only one of PHIL 2206, PHIL 3206, and PHIL 3208. While this course is open to all students, only one upper division course in applied ethics (PHIL 3204, PHIL 3206, PHIL 3207, PHIL 3208, PHIL 3209, PHIL 3211, PHIL 3261, PHIL 3262) counts towards the major or Honours requirements, without permission of chair or advisor. Credit cannot be counted for both PHIL 3208 and ENVS 3208. 
ENVS3217Canadian Environmental Policy (A) (Cross-listed: POLS 3217) 3 ch (3C) (W)
Examines Canadian environmental politics and policy. Explores the influence of economic and political interests, public opinion, Canada’s political-institutional frameworks, and social movements on environmental policy and outcomes. Topics include climate policy, species at risk, air and chemical pollution, water management, land management, and environmental justice. NOTE: Credit cannot be counted for both POLS 3217 and ENVS 3217. 
ENVS3355Nature, Culture, and the Canadian Environment (O) (Cross-listed: HIST 3355) 3 ch (3C) (W)
Examines the relationship of humans in their environment from the end of the last glacial period to the late 20th century. Topics include the impact of climate on the development of Canadian society, the evolution of human-animal relationships, changing ideas about nature, and political discourse on and regulatory solutions to pollution and other forms of environmental degradation. NOTE: Credit cannot be counted for both HIST 3355 and ENVS 3355. 
ENVS3405Media & Environment (O) (Cross-listed: MAAC 3405, CCS 3405) 3 ch (3C) (W)
This course introduces students to the literature of environmental media studies. The media landscape, from television to video games, has a profound role in shaping how we think about nature, the wilderness, and the environment. The news and social media are also important sources of information about environment issues. In addition to being crucial sources of information, however, the media create many environmental problems, such as e-waste and carbon emissions. This course reflects on the production, distribution, and associated waste of digital media alongside its role in representing the environment and environmental problems. Teaching methods include lectures and seminars. Students have the option of creating an environmental media project e.g. a media campaign or short documentary, for their final project. NOTE: Credit can only be obtained for one of CCS 3405, MAAC 3405, or ENVS 3405. 
ENVS3553Environmental Sociology (Cross-listed: SOCI 3553) 3 ch (3C) (W)
Examine sociological perspectives on human-nature interactions as well as the complex social and political processes, which influence the escalating environmental threats we face each day. Emphasis is on various environmental problems and solutions through a sociological lens. Gain a nuanced understanding of the interrelationship between socio-political contexts and environmental issues such as environmental racism, local and global environmental inequality, politics of green consumerism, climate injustice, and environmental movements. NOTE: Credit cannot be counted for both SOCI 3553 and ENVS 3553. 
ENVS3563Global Perspectives in Environmental Health (Cross-listed: SOCI 3563) 3 ch (W)
Explores the broad conditions that shape environmental health, with special emphasis on both sociological analysis and political ecology.  We will examine questions of science, public policy and social justice.  This course will bridge the gap in understanding between policy and social perspectives and examine emerging strategies, from community-based monitoring to international negotiations concerning health and environment. NOTE: Credit cannot be counted for both SOCI 3563 and ENVS 3563. 
ENVS3755Environmental Economics (Cross-listed: ECON 3755) 3 ch (3C)

Explore economic principles for managing environmental resources like air and water. Examine the disparity between optimal and actual resource use in modern economies. Analyze government policies in theory and practice. Learn cost-benefit analysis to evaluate public sector projects using environmental resources. This course develops skills to analyze and address complex environmental economic challenges. NOTE: Credit cannot be counted for both ECON 3755 and ENVS 3755.  

Prerequisite: 3 ch of first-year microeconomics (ECON 1013 or ECON 1014) or ECON 1073, or permission of the instructor.  
ENVS3766Economics of Climate Change (A) (Cross-listed: ECON 3766) 3 ch (3C)

Climate change is posing a significant challenge to world economies. This course focuses on valuing the consequences of climate change and assessing the costs of mitigation and adaptation. The efficiency of alternative policy instruments such as carbon taxes, tradable emissions permits, voluntary initiatives, and others are assessed. Existing instruments, such as carbon taxes in British Columbia and carbon credit trading on the Chicago Climate Exchange are reviewed and critiqued. The potential contribution of these instruments to the overall achievement of Kyoto Protocol targets set by various countries is examined. NOTE: Credit cannot be counted for both ECON 3766 and ENVS 3766. 

Prerequisite: 3 ch of first-year microeconomics (ECON 1013, or ECON 1014), or ECON 1073, or permission of the instructor. 
ENVS3801Food Studies (Cross-listed: ANTH 3801, SOCI 3801) 3 ch (3C) (W)
Understand the role of food in contemporary societies by exploring the socio-cultural aspects of food production and consumption in a cross-cultural context. Analyze the economic and political landscape of farming in an international context by examining food politics concerning regulatory measures in food labelling and safety, genetically modified food, organic and sustainable agriculture, and the future of the world food system. NOTE: Credit can only be obtained for one of ANTH 3801, SOCI 3801, or ENVS 3801. 
ENVS3865Energy Economics (Cross-listed: ECON 3865) 3 ch (3C)

Applies economic theory to energy issues. Demand for energy and supply of energy are explored in terms of non-renewable and renewable energy resources. Markets for energy resources are discussed. Specific attention is directed to petroleum markets and OPEC behaviour. Public policy issues associated with the energy sector such as the environment and sustainability are addressed. NOTE: Credit cannot be counted for both ECON 3865 and ENVS 3865. 

Prerequisite: Any first-year Economics course. 
ENVS3983Literature and the Environment (O) (Cross-listed: ENGL 3983) 3 ch (3C) (W)
Reading a diverse array of ecologically oriented poetry, fiction, non-fiction, and theory, students will examine how literary forms engage non-human life. Possible areas of focus include human-animal encounters, Indigenous ways of knowing, river literature, ocean literature, the energy humanities, posthumanism, race and environment, eco-poetics, eco-film, visual art, and activist literature. Students will be invited to engage creatively with their literary and lived environments through written assignments, in-class discussion, and forays into the great wild world around us. NOTE: Credit cannot be counted for both ENGL 3983 and ENVS 3983. 
ENVS4025Hunters and Gatherers (A) (Cross-listed: ANTH 4025) 3 ch (3S) (LE) (W)
Consider hunter-gatherer groups from an anthropological and archaeological perspective. Although relatively few hunter-gatherers exist today, hunting and gathering was the sole lifeway worldwide for the vast majority of human history. Topics to be covered include portrayals of hunter-gatherers, the validity of hunter-gatherer as an anthropological category, variation in foraging strategies, cosmology, architecture, gender, and band-level political organization. NOTE: Credit cannot be counted for both ANTH 4025 and ENVS 4025. 
ENVS4114Culture and Environment (Cross-listed: ANTH 4114) 3 ch (3S) (W) (EL)
Examine how culture mediates the relationship between humans and their environment, including traditional ecological knowledge and/or local knowledge systems. NOTE: Credit cannot be counted for both ANTH 4114 and ENVS 4114. 
ENVS4724Topics in Environmental History and Politics (Cross-listed: POLS 4724) 3 ch (3S) (W)
This course surveys topics in North American environmental politics and history, including climate change, resource development, and water management.  It examines the role of governments, the environmental movement, and industry.  Finally, it examines how the environment as an idea has changed over time. NOTE: Credit cannot be counted for both POLS 4724 and ENVS 4724. 
ENVS4725Climate and Energy Policy (Cross-listed: POLS 4725) 3 ch (3S) (W)
Examines climate and energy policy making in a variety of jurisdictions including Canada. The course explores how institutions, interests, and ideas shape climate and energy policy design and implementation. Topics covered include carbon pricing, renewable energy, transportation, infrastructure, pipeline politics and divestment. NOTE: Credit cannot be counted for both POLS 4725 and ENVS 4725.
ENVS4734Political Economy of Energy and the Environment (A) (Cross-listed: POLS 4734) 3 ch (3S) (W)

 Surveys recent debates around the political economy of energy and its impact on the environment. Discusses the global energy market of hydrocarbons and its alternatives in the midst of climate change and political transformations globally. NOTE: Credit cannot be counted for both POLS 4734 and ENVS 4734. 

ENVS5342Environmental History of North America (O) (Cross-listed: HIST 5342) 3 ch (3S) (W)
Examines the interaction of the peoples of Canada and the United States with the natural environment. Topics include the theory and methodology of environmental history, changing patterns of land use, resource depletion and industrial migration, the environmental implications of urbanization, and the intellectual and institutional development of the conservation/environmental movement. NOTE: Credit cannot be counted for both HIST 5342 and ENVS 5342. 
ENVS5345Natural Resources, Industrialization, and the Environment in Atlantic Canada (A) (Cross-listed: HIST 5345) 3 ch (3S) (W)
Explores the political, economic and environmental implications of the dependence on natural resources in Atlantic Canada, through an examination of the historical development of the forest, fishing, agricultural and mining industries from the eighteenth century to the post-Second World War period. NOTE: Credit cannot be counted for both HIST 5345 and ENVS 5345.