Sustainability Courses

• American Indian Studies

  AIS 101: Introduction to American Indian Studies

  Designed to introduce students to American Indian Studies while also giving them the opportunity to engage with and better understand the various methods, theoretical approaches, and issues in American Indian Studies. Provides a broad introduction to American Indian Studies as an intellectual discipline and engages actual people working with local tribal communities. Explores the various ways that American Indian Studies and scholars have produced vibrant and meaningful knowledge.

  AIS 110: Decolonizing California: California Indian Resistance, Resurgence and Resilience

  Surveys California Indian resistance and resurgence. Provides a place-based approach to anti-racist and anti-colonial movements through community-centered learning and is a foundational overview of contemporary political, social, environmental issues, and representations through California Indian perspectives and knowledge. Subjects can include but are not limited to: tribal citizenship, self-determination, decolonization, sovereignty, and settler colonialism.

  
  AIS 115: American Indians, Colonialism, and Critical Thinking

  Utilizes skills first, active learning and Indigenous methodologies to approach critical thinking through current events and ethical issues that impact Indigenous communities. Draws from philosophical scholarship from disciplines like ethnic studies, environmental studies, legal, and gender studies. Enacts critical thinking skills through engaging with both Western and Indigenous paradigms of critical thinking, critically evaluating academic and non-academic research, and making well-formed arguments regarding philosophical concepts such as sovereignty, land, research ethics, decolonization, Indigenous feminisms, and cultural reclamation.

  
  AIS 120: Decolonizing Your Diet: Intro to Native Foods, Systems and Plants

  Explores the disparate health conditions faced by Native communities as a result of colonization, and the efforts by many community groups to address these health problems through increasing community access to traditional foods, whether by gardening projects or a revival of hunting and fishing traditions. Examines the ways in which Native food movements have converged and diverged from general American local food movements, and the struggles they often face in reviving treaty-guaranteed food ways. 

  
  AIS 130: Environmental Justice, Racism, and Settler Colonialism

  Explores the different articulations of environmental justice (EJ) for American Indian people compared to EJ for other communities. Situating settler colonialism as the origin of environmental injustice, genocide and land dispossession as its constituent components are viewed as an ongoing process and structure that keeps American Indian and Alaska Native people locked into struggles against extractive industries and a racist legal system as mechanisms of the capitalist settler state. Highlights Indigenous resistance and resiliency.

  
  AIS 150: Introduction to Federal Indian Law Policy

  Introduces the history and contemporary interpretations of federal Indian law from early American rulings that form the foundation of 21st-century understandings of tribal sovereignty.  Reviews recent legal cases and precedent that impact American Indian land and people.  Provides critical understanding of the legislative process and its effect on American Indians and all U.S. citizens including how to shape future policy and interests in the region, the state, and the nation.

  AIS 220: American Indian Religion

  Provides a survey of American Indian religions, philosophies, and world views.  Explores the practice of American Indian traditions as a complex, dynamic, and active intellectual, creative and affective system which forms the basis for holistic relationships and interactions between American Indian people, the environment, and other communities.

  AIS 225: American Indian Sports

  Focuses on sports in American Indian societies from both historical and contemporary perspectives, with attention to the roles of spirituality, culture, identity, and sovereignty. Modern sports that have roots in Indigenous cultures, such as Lacrosse and surfing, have had major impacts on American society, which will be explored through popular culture and critical analytical lenses

  AIS 230: Contemporary Issues in American Indian Art

  Introduces contemporary issues in American Indian art, including issues of cultural authenticity and ownership, legal foundations to protect American Indian artwork and artists, cultural misappropriation and theft (eg. pot-hunting), and (mis)representation in the marketplace. Promotes critical reading skills to analyze the social, material, and cultural context that informs artistic production as a result of cultural contact in various historical periods.

  AIS 235: American Indian Youth Literature: Learning to Tell the Good from the Bad

  Surveys the history, cultural, and political impact of children’s and young adult literature, including board books for the very young, chapter books, graphic novels, and young adult novels. Focuses on the importance of using books written and/or illustrated by tribal citizens that support the growth and understanding of tribal sovereignty. Analyzes books to create awareness of the pitfalls and possibilities of children’s books and how books can shape people’s behaviors and decision-making that impact American Indian nations and communities.

  AIS 240: American Indians and Environmental Issues

  Provides an overview and examination of environmental issues related to American Indians during the 19th to 21st centuries. Discusses land tenure disputes, stewardship (occupancy and care of the land), climate change, and other environmental issues from an American Indian perspective focusing on issues affecting California Indians and American Indians in the West/Southwest.

  AIS 250: California Indian Culture and History

  Focuses on California Indian history and culture using a place-based approach to introduce the many aspects of California Indian Culture throughout the state and in the region. Examines the history and status of California Indian culture, political, and social identities. Includes consideration of oral history and narratives, music and dance, gender roles, artistic expression, language, and other discussions of contemporary issues relevant to California Indians. Examines colonization and the resistance and resiliency of California Indians.

  AIS 260: Rumble: American Indians and Rock & Roll

  Explores how Native American culture and music influenced “mainstream” American popular music and impacted and influenced Rock ‘n’ Roll.  Students will engage in central questions surrounding human diversity such as race, gender, social equity, and how American Indian music has influenced Rock ‘n’ Roll in the U.S. and globally. Special attention is given to how Native American music and culture was both legally suppressed and commercially celebrated throughout history.

  AIS 265: American Indian Women Writers

  Surveys work by American Indian women writers from the early 19th century to the present. Takes a historical and topic-based approach to analyzing poetry, plays, short stories, memoirs, essays, and prose nonfiction by American Indian women. Covers land and sovereignty, colonization and decolonization, U.S. governmental policy and cultural genocide, civil rights and activism, missing and murdered Indigenous women, stereotypes and appropriation, and identity.

  AIS 270: American Indian Digital Humanities

  Develops American Indian historical, social, political, ethical, rhetorical, and cultural understandings and uses of technologies by tribal communities in the pursuit of self-determination and revitalization processes. Introduces the ways tribal communities organize, preserve, revitalize, contribute to, and support the continuity of oral history through storytelling with data, using digital tools and approaches. Builds a framework for understanding how meaningful collaboration and consultation combined with new technological opportunities can support decolonial, intersectional, and interdisciplinary research.

  AIS 280: American Indian Culture and Language
  

  Explores American Indian cultures and languages and the policies that impact cultural continuity, literacy, and fluency in tribal languages in the US.  Examines community practices to preserve, restore, and/or revitalize culture through language preservation.

  AIS 290: American Indian Education: Equity and Social Justice

  Compares and contrasts American Indian traditional systems of knowledge with western constructs.  Provides an introduction to the legacy of Indian boarding school policies, as well as evaluates the contemporary challenges that American Indians experience in educational systems, such as high dropout rates, low college matriculation rates, and the impact of cultural differences embedded in these trends. 

  AIS 315: Criminal Justice in Indian Country

  Examines American Indians in the U.S. criminal justice system and the discriminatory laws rooted in colonialism affecting American Indians, that have become institutionalized.  Provides overview of crime, jurisdictional complexities among sovereign nations, and focuses on American Indian approaches to justice.  Introduces the critical dimensions of criminal justice in Indian Country, as well as training in the application of knowledge, skills, and theory to assist in advocacy to policy development.

  AIS 348: American Indian Communities

  An in-depth examination of American Indian communities, with special emphasis on Southern California Indian communities. Students will understand contemporary issues and concerns facing American Indians today. Themes covered include, tribal sovereignty, demography, decolonization, education, identity, environment, health and wellness, cultural survival, and cultural empowerment. In partnership with local tribes, students will apply the knowledge and analytical skills gained in the classroom to help address environmental, social, and cultural issues within the community. Includes community work and has a field component.

  AIS 350: Imagining Indians: American Indians, Mass Media, Film and Society

  Designed to provide students with a critical analysis and deeper understanding of American Indian cultures at the intersection of the Mass Media. Examines American Indians in media from the very first instances in America through contemporary media and critically examines the effects of media on American Indian identity, politics, sovereignty, ethnic identity, environment, economic development, health disparities, human rights, spirituality, religious freedom, language and art and the very existence of Indian Country in the 21st century. Examines American Indian cultures as part of the American entertainment cinema, television and as mascots for team sports.

  AIS 360: American Indian Water Rights

  A historical, legal, political, economic, and environmental examination of key court cases and water settlements that have defined American Indian water rights.  Discussion of the water laws, treatises, water problems on Western reservations as case studies. 

  AIS 370: American Indian Women and Activism

  Examines the roles of American Indian women in politics, social work, academia, business, environmental, health issues, culture and community. Compares and contrasts the ideology of the predominantly white feminist movement with the goals and concerns of the “Red Power” movement and will emphasize American Indian socio-cultural values and concerns. Readings, films, guest lectures will provide an overview of contemporary experiences of American Indian women in the United States from an American Indian perspective. Profiles prominent American Indian female activists, tribal leaders and writers, in addition to topics of serious concern to American Indian women: violence, racism, loss of culture and language, education, health care and other manifestations of continued colonization.

  AIS 380: Topics in American Indian Studies

  Examination of a topic of study of interest to students in American Indian Studies.

  AIS 390: Independent Study in American Indian Themes

  Allows students to explore historical, cultural, social, and environmental questions significant to native communities under the supervision of a faculty member in the appropriate discipline. May be repeated for a total of six 6 units.  Enrollment Restrictions: Enrollment restricted to students who have obtained consent of instructor and the American Indian Studies Department Chair. 

  AIS 400: Contemporary American Indian Health and Wellness

  Examines American Indian/Alaskan Native (AIAN) health and wellness from a contemporary public and community health/epidemiologic perspective. Studies current AIAN health status and health behaviors and maintenance of a healthy environment, and theories of health behavior change. Tribal sovereignty and connectedness related to personal/community health and health care access will be evident throughout all aspects of the course. Includes historical and contemporary perspectives and ethical standards for tribally-appropriate health-related research and associated historic issues will be discussed.

  AIS 410: U.S. History Through Indigenous Lenses: Pre-Colonization to Present

  Focuses on the points of cultural intersections between Indigenous American peoples and non-Indigenous populations in the construction and establishment of the nation, from pre-contact to the present day, with a special emphasis on Indigenous sources in order to examine American History through Indigenous perspectives. Takes a chronological approach while also critically examining themes that have shaped American History.

  AIS 420: American Indian Leadership: Sustaining Indigenous Knowledge

  Considers leadership from an American Indian/Indigenous perspective including themes such as leadership that promotes tribal sovereignty, tribal knowledge, and social justice. Covers traditional approaches to leadership that are valued and have application in contemporary times as well as current leadership issues and challenges associated with the following: tribal sovereignty, self-determination, governance, decision-making, values, culture, and policy development and implementation. Includes study, analysis, and recognition of individual American Indian leaders.

  AIS 440: American Indian Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Practice

  Comprehension of Traditional Ecological Knowledge and its application in the relationship, care, and management of natural environment and resources such as land, water, plants and animals in American Indian communities.  Utilizes a critical social, legal, and historical framework based on Indian land tenure and stewardship and the inherent relationship to the social and life systems of American Indians. Analyzes cultural differences about ownership related to group/individual responsibility to care for elements of the natural world. 

  AIS 450: Decolonization in Practice

  Engages theory and concepts of colonization and decolonization from an American Indian perspective. Considers the context of global decolonization movements but applied specifically to the North American context. Classical as well as contemporary scholarly works provide the theoretical basis for examining ways decolonization might be applied in both tribal settings and mainstream society.

  AIS 468: American Indian Political and Economic Development

  Surveys the historical, political, and legal foundations of American Indian political and economic development in the United States. Focuses on the cultural, political, and legal dilemmas posed by tribal governments: how they maintain cultural legitimacy in the face of colonial cultural imposition and how they articulate retained rights in a system of shared sovereignty. An analysis of social, cultural, political, economic, and legal impact of various economic development strategies, including legalized gaming on Native American communities.

  AIS 470: Tribal Economics

  Focuses on core knowledge base of Tribal economics and Tribal economic development and expands into a merging of Tribal opportunity, issues, and complexities. Using a capitalist lens, the class will deconstruct and decolonize this economic paradigm to see how different market models fit with tribes. Covers processes to understand key economic principles, how these principles function with U.S. and Tribal markets, and strategies and policies that pertain to Tribal economic performance.

  
  AIS 490: American Indian Studies: Research, Methods, and Applications

  Overview of theories and methods used in gathering and studying data about historical and contemporary American Indian nations, tribal groups, communities, individuals, and their cultural and social productions.

  
  AIS 498/499: Capstone: Internship & Special Research Projects

  Capstone of the Native Studies minor. Designed to equip students for service to native communities. Students will be expected to provide faculty-monitored service with institutions serving reservation or urban native communities, such as (but not limited to) schools, libraries, clinics, urban service centers, youth programs, and study projects supervised by native entities (such as environmental studies). Students will turn in a portfolio reporting on all their activities during their internship.

• Anthropology

  ANTH 200: Cultural Anthropology

  A general survey of cultural anthropology, which is one of the main branches of general Anthropology. Employs a global and holistic perspective to examine the economic, social, political, cultural, and ideological integration of society.

  ANTH 305: Medical Anthropology

  Working collaboratively with health care professionals and/or ethnic populations with special health care needs, such as immigrant or indigenous communities, students document and analyze information pertaining to the delivery and consumption of health care services and the generation of health care alternatives.

  ANTH 319: Topics in Biological Anthropology 

  Topics in biological anthropology. Students should check the class schedule for listing of actual topics. May be repeated as topics change for up to nine (9) units.

  ANTH 325: Ancient Mexican Society and Art

  Examines Ancient Mexican art, cosmology, architecture, mythology, and literature as they reflect social structure, religion, social roles, ideology, economic and political organization, world-view, and the family. Using archeological and ethnographic  sources, the course covers the preclassic, classic, and postclassic periods, focusing on several cultural areas including the Olmec, Teotihuacan, Monte Alban and the Zapotec and Mixtec of Oaxaca, the Toltecs, the Maya, and the Aztec, or Mexica. Among other topics to be examined are the calendar, writing, concepts of space and time, the ball game, tribute, human sacrifice and bloodletting, sacred plants, and specific Mesoamerican deities.

  ANTH 340: Immigration and Health

  A cross-cultural examination of the impact of human migration on the health of migrant communities in a transnational context. Examines political and economic realities of globalization, health impacts of migration, and the social and political contexts in which immigrants access and utilize health care services. Examines how class, ethnicity, and gender condition the health of migrants.

  ANTH 370: Environment, Population, and Culture

  Focuses on contemporary world problems from interdisciplinary and anthropological perspectives. Employing the cross-cultural, evolutionary, and multidisciplinary research methods of anthropology and cultural ecology, examines the environmental crisis, rain forest destruction, resource management, consumption culture, world hunger, food systems, population pressure, poverty, energy distribution, the future of the global free market, and the role of ideology in environmental adaptation with the objective to foster crisis awareness and informed response. 

  
  ANTH 379: Environmental Health and Justice

  Examines disproportionate burdens of environmental contamination and subsequent health disparities affecting communities of color across the U.S. and internationally. Reviews environmental health and justice through anthropological case studies that illustrate how communities have organized to improve health and justice in their communities. Examines environmental health and justice literature and reviews programs organized to address childhood asthma reduction, lead poisoning prevention, clean-up and restoration of contaminated sites, sustainable/organic agriculture, clean energy programs and cancer and health disparities research. 

  
  ANTH 380: Current Archeology

  General survey of global archaeological sites, archaeological practice, and current issues in archaeology including intellectual property rights and the relationship between archaeology and world/regional cultural resources. Includes study of material culture, the archaeological record, survey and excavation, dating technologies, and subsistence patterns. Includes the examination of local archaeological sites/collections, pictographs, lithic techniques, indigenous land and resource management practices, indigenous knowledge of archaeological sites, including ceremonial, food gathering and processing, village sites, and contemporary use of culturally significant sites by local indigenous bands. 

  ANTH 480: Local Archeological Practice

  Students perform archaeological research relating to local cultural resource management (CRM) and documentation. Students engage with professional archaeologists and Native American communities to learn site research methods and identification and documentation of material culture. Primary goals of this class include providing students with a general understanding of CRM and the legislation that drives CRM, exposing students to archaeological practice in a CRM context, and exposing students to various cultural viewpoints regarding recovered archaeology. 

  ANTH 481: Native American Archaeological Monitoring

  Students work with local Native American bands concerning cultural preservation and the monitoring of archaeological sites threatened by development. Students examine traditional land use management and the traditional knowledge associated with specific sites. Students learn site research methods; identification and documentation of material culture; interpretation of federal, state, county, city, and private documents including Environmental Impact Reports, California Environmental Quality Act, and land use legislation; and assessment of cultural significance. Covers preservation options, ethics, and specific case studies. 

• Art, Media, and Design

  AMD 306: Video in the Community

  Explores video, art, activism and community service. Introduces current video production technology while using video within the community as a tool for social or political change, indigenous expression, cultural understanding, community organization, or advancement of social causes. Video projects relevant to communities will be identified, developed, and produced in collaboration with members of that community.

  AMD 313: Digital Photo and the Environment

  Investigates a broad range of artistic practices and contemporary artists who use digital media to comment on and shape current environmental debates and their interpretation through digital media

  AMD 314: Digital Photo Documentary 

  Investigates a broad range of artistic practices and contemporary artists who use digital media as a tool for social and political change. Explores a broad range of environmental perspectives to enrich our understanding of current social, political, and cultural concerns and their interpretation through digital media.

  AMD 316: Art, Science, and Technology

  Focuses on the juncture of art and science in contemporary art practice. Investigates the research agenda of various areas of science and the artistic responses to this scientific research. 

  AMD 421: Art and Social Change

  Exploration of how the desire for social change has led modern and contemporary artists and art movements to align with political and social causes.

  AMD 422: Art and Science: Historical and Contemporary Practice

  Surveys the connection between art and science from the Renaissance to the present, focusing on themes including space, time, process, pattern, and material. 

• Biology

  BIOL 105: Introduction to Biology/Ecology

  An introduction to the natural and physical processes governing environmental systems, as well as the ways in which human behavior impacts and is connected to the environment.

  BIOL 211: Organismal and Population Biology 

  Course covers population biology and role of environmental factors that affect them.

  BIOL 212: Evolution

  Evolution: including the biological definition, mechanism, detection methods, and predicting the future based on evolutionary evidence of earth's climate change.

  BIOL 316: The Biology of Cancer

  Considers the chemistry, cell biology, and etiology of human cancer. Includes characteristics of tumor cells, malignant transformation of cells, tumor viruses, chemical and environmental carcinogens, effects of radiation, oncogenes, and the genetics of cancer.

  BIOL 318: Plants and Society

  Introduction to the impact of aquatic and terrestrial plants on society, including vegetables and fruit, spices and herbs, beverage plants, herbal medicines, toxic-poisonous species, psychoactive plants, and other economically important species from a variety of habitats. 

  BIOL 336: Coastal Environments

  Sustainability is a major theme throughout this course.

  BIOL 338: Human Impact on the Environment

  Considers the major areas where human use of resources and consequent waste production (chemical, industrial, and biological) have had a negative impact on specific environments and on the species that inhabit them. An attempt will be made to identify areas of future adverse human impact and to evolve remedial solutions.

  BIOL 339: Conservation Biology

  Study of the principles of ecology applied to plant and animal populations considered endangered, threatened, or at risk. Investigates the complex factors contributing to the dynamics, decline, extinction, and perhaps recovery of species. Develops a stewardship perspective rooted in biological principles and considers the associated cultural, historical, economic, and political issues. Local, regional, and global conservation strategies are discussed. 

  BIOL 354: Principles of Ecology

  Discussion of major concepts in population, community, and evolutionary ecology including population growth and regulation, competition, predation, energetics, adaptations, and diversity.

  BIOL 367: Biology of Microorganisms

  Presents a comprehensive selection of subjects from the field of microbiology. Students will study prokaryotic structure and function; growth and control of microorganisms; ecology, physiology, and diversity of bacteria; basic microbial and viral genetics, microorganisms of medical and economic significance; and biotechnology and its human applications and societal implications.

  BIOL 382: Biogeography

  Introduction to the understanding of global biodiversity and the basis for geographic distribution patterns of individuals, populations and communities. The role of past geological and evolutionary events on these distributions will be considered. The considerable impact of humans on modern local to global range extensions will be studied including the basis for biological invasions.

  BIOL 383: Tropical Ecology

  A survey of the unmanaged and managed tropical terrestrial ecosystem and the biotic (living) and abiotic (non-living) factors that affect tropical ecosystem structure and function.

  BIOL 384: Natural History of Southern California

  Introduction to the natural history and community ecology of southern California. Major subjects include the climate, geology, and ecological factors that influence the local chaparral, coastal sage scrub, grassland, forest, desert, riparian, marsh, and estuarine communities of southern California. Three hours lecture Field trip(s) during or outside of class (including weekends) will be required.

  BIOL 388: Marine Communities 

  Examines the environmental characteristics, patterns of species distribution and abundance, and adaptations of organisms in marine benthic communities.

  BIOL 389: Freshwater Biology

  Introduction to the physical, chemical and biological processes in freshwater systems, including headwaters, streams, rivers, lakes, ponds, reservoirs, and vernal pools.

  BIOL 391: Fire Ecology

  Covers an interdisciplinary review and study of wildfires as a natural and man-made biophysical and ecological process. 

  BIOL 392: Natural Resource Management

  Covers management of natural resources such as land, water, soil, plants and animals, with a particular focus on how management affects quality of life, ecosystems, and long-term sustainability. Reviews and evaluates how management decisions influence ecosystem health, with a specific emphasis on the impacts related to invasive species, disease, insects, climate change and wildfires. Covers timely and topical relevant readings from the primary literature, especially those dealing with the current state of our knowledge of natural resource management, ecology, and public policy. 

  BIOL 404: Developmental Physiology

  Provides an in-depth analysis of developmental physiology. Examples of many different animal groups will be used to convey important concepts in how animal function develops, how development is influenced by the environment, and how development in other animals can inform us about human development and disease.

  BIOL 404: Developmental Physiology Lab

  Provides hands-on experience with experimental techniques for examining developmental physiology across a range of animal groups.

  BIOL 423: Fish Physiology

  Overview of comparative marine and freshwater fish ecology, biology and physiology. Strong focus on comparative physiology, supported by a focus on fishes from various habitats, including local California fishes and fishes that inhabit extreme environments on Earth.

  BIOL 463: Principles of Conservation Biology

  An in-depth focus on the principles and practices of conservation and restoration ecology. Factors that affect the creation, destruction, and distribution of biological diversity are examined. Class discussions and assignments will focus on human destruction and degradation of habitats, invasive species introductions, accelerated species extinctions, pollution, global climate change, and species over-exploitation. The selection and maintenance of conservation areas will be explored, as well as the theory and methodology for restoring degraded habitats.

  
  BIOL 533: Geographic Information Systems Applications in Landscape Ecology

  Explores how landscape structure and pattern affect ecological processes, at the individual, population, community, and ecosystem levels. Applications to land use planning and conservation biology will be covered. The primary enabling technologies for this new, rapidly growing discipline include remote sensing (such as satellite imagery) and geographic information systems (GIS), which will be covered during a weekly lab session. 

  BIOL 620: Advanced Ecological Monitoring

  An overview of the various approaches used to assess ecological condition (status) and change over time (trend) for ecosystems, vegetation types, populations, and biological communities. Lectures that provide conceptual understanding will be combined with hands-on practical exercises in the lab, so that students will be prepared to apply their knowledge to real-world conservation problems. Readings from the primary literature will explore the challenges and controversies involved in ecological monitoring.

  BIOL 663: Advanced Principles of Conservation Biology

  An in-depth focus on the principles and practices of conservation and restoration ecology. Factors that affect the creation, destruction, and distribution of biological diversity are examined. Class discussions and assignments will focus on human destruction and degradation of habitats, invasive species introductions, accelerated species extinctions, pollution, global climate change, and species over-exploitation. The selection of maintenance of conservation areas will be explored, as well as the theory and methodology for restoring degraded habitats.

• Business Administration

  BUSA 302: Business Environments 

  One entire session is devoted to sustainability issues. Also, sustainability is a component of several assignments.

• Biotechnology

  BIOT 355: Molecular Conservation Biology

  Lab course covers the role of sustainability for fuel sources. 

  BIOT 420:  Plant Biotechnology 

  We have a unit on biofuels, and how plants and algae are used to produced biofuels.

• Chemistry

  CHEM 308: Environmental Chemistry

  An introduction to the basic chemical processes in the environment. The subject matter will include environmentally related processes of both natural and human origin. Also included will be the chemistry relevant to air, water, and land-based pollution. All areas to be studied will utilize the ideas of chemical bonding, kinetics, and/or thermodynamics as a basis for understanding the environmental processes. 

  CHEM 311: Chemicals and the Environment

  A survey on chemicals of natural and industrial origin found in the environment, with emphasis on the chemical reactions of these substances and the effect on the quality of life on planet Earth. The areas covered are: chemical structures, inorganic and organic chemicals of natural and synthetic origins and the reactions of these chemicals, the effects of these chemicals on the environment (the atmosphere, soil, water ways, plants, and animals, especially human nutrition and health.) Intended for the non-chemistry major. 

  CHEM 312: Chemistry of Life

  Structure, function, and properties of bio-organic/biochemical molecules important to life, health and nutrition. The areas covered are: atomic and molecular structure, chemical and physical properties of bio-organic functional groups, carbohydrates, fats, amino acids, proteins, enzymes, hormones, nucleic acids, digestion, nutrition.

• Earth Science

  ES 100:  Earth and Its Place in the Universe

  ES 100 is a course that includes sustainability as a fundamental part of understanding how humans interact with our Earth system and how these interactions impact us as a species.

• Economics

  ECON 325: Economics of the Environment and Natural Resources

  Applies economic policy analysis to environmental and natural resource issues. Develops an understanding of the requirements of efficient markets, and the conditions under which markets fail. Subjects include the economics of externalities, optimal management of renewable and non-renewable natural resources, property rights, techniques for measuring the value of non-market environmental amenities, benefit/cost analysis, and the politics of environmental regulation and natural resources management. 

• Environmental Studies

  ENVS 100: Introduction to Environmental Studies

  An introduction to the ways in which human behavior impacts and is connected to environmental systems. Integrates multiple perspectives of environmental issues from the natural sciences, behavioral sciences, social sciences, culture, ethics, and the arts and humanities. Areas include: energy use, resource depletion, water supply, air pollution, population growth, urbanization, climate change, biodiversity, and more. 

  ENVS 210: Research Methods: Introduction to GIS

  Focus is using GIS tools to understand and solve sustainability challenges.

  ENVS 300: Environmental Issues and Solutions

  Explores imminent global environmental problems and how society is responding to those problems with innovative solutions. Introduces several ideological, environmental, and socio-economic factors that contribute to the production of environmental problems and solutions. Draws parallels between specific environmental problems and their possible solutions.

  ENVS 301: Place, Power, and the Environment 

  Investigates contemporary environmental and social conditions associated with landscape transformations.

  ENVS 305: Resilience and Society 

  Coming Fall 2020

  ENVS 309: Principles in Environmental Policy

  Introduces and gives an overview of environmental policy. Examines the policy process, role of interest groups and political parties, and the actions of policymakers. Investigates environmental issues such as urban planning, pollution control, water quality, climate change, conservation, and biodiversity.

  ENVS 310: Environmental Impact Analysis

  Introduces methods for analyzing and quantifying human impacts on the environment. Theoretical and applied aspects of environmental impact assessment are covered, with particular focus on preparation processes of environmental impact reports (EIRs) and statements (EISs) mandated by state and federal statutes.

  ENVS 320: Environmental Land-Use Design

  Develops methods to study human impacts on the environmental landscape associated with land-use planning. Spatial variations and interactions of rural, suburban, and urban landscapes are studied.

  ENVS 325: Environmental Issues through Film

  Explores environmental issues and problems (climate change, food and agriculture, consumption, pollution, drought, water quality, etc.) and their impacts on human and non-human species in depth, utilizing film and documentary. No prior knowledge of environmental issues or background in film or documentaries is required.

  ENVS 330: The Social Ocean

   

  ENVS 350: Sustainable Futures

   

  ENVS 361: Diet and Planning 

  Explores relationships between food and the environment through the analysis of food consumption and its biological, social, and environmental outcomes including how industrialization influences farming methods, dietary practices, and biocultural diversity.

  ENVS 390: Special Topics in Environmental Studies
  

  While this class does not focus directly on the pillars of sustainability, it addresses them all through the lens of social justice.

  ENVS 464: Food Politics and the Environment

  Interdisciplinary study of agrifood systems and food sovereignty movements in domestic and global contexts with specific interests in their goals, strategies, and outcomes through the methods and materials of ethnography, agroecology, and political ecology. 

  ENVS 490: Capstone in Environmental Studies

  Students will apply concepts from their coursework to complete an original research project. At least one faculty member approves and advises the student on a project that is mutually designed to satisfy the student’s intellectual interests and professional objectives. 

  ENVS 495A-495F: Internship in Environmental Studies

  Research, or work in connection with an organization concerned with environmental issues.

  ENVS 498A-498C: Independent Study in Environmental Studies

  Special project under the direction of a faculty member in Environmental Studies.

• Ethnic Studies

  ETST 301: Ethnic Studies and Society

  Examines social, political, economic and/or educational issues that bear historical and contemporary significance for racial-ethnic populations.  Also considers the ways that marginalized communities lobby for, pursue, or create communities that are affirming, sustaining and transformative. 

• French

  FREN 311: Advanced French

  Focuses on further development and refinement of the four primary skills in French (speaking, writing, reading, and listening comprehension), in addition to a study of cultural factors which affect communication.

  FREN 350: Civilization and Culture of France and Francophone World

  Study of the culture and civilization of the French-speaking world. Analysis of literature, art, history, geography, and contemporary social structures. Conducted in French.

• Wildfire Science

  *These courses are offered through Extended Learning*

  FIRE 101: Wildland and Urban Interface

  Overview of the wildland urban interface (WUI), which is a complex mix of native and ornamental vegetation, agriculture, industrial, commercial, and residential areas. Explores the challenges WUI firefighters face where vegetation, vehicles, structures, and infrastructure are at risk. Improves understanding of the WUI, including response strategies, interface awareness, size-up, initial attack, incident action planning, structure triage, structure protection tactics, and health/safety. Covers issues related to land-use planning and design, policy-making, and protection of natural areas. 

  FIRE 351: Wildfire Law and Economics

  Discussion of major concepts in environmental laws, regulations, and policies related to land management, forestry, and urban growth. Reviews the evolution of natural resource and land use policy, with emphasis on the local, state, and federal government, and considers the role of science, law, and economics. Examines analytical techniques and tools to evaluate liability, risk, and the social, economic, and environmental consequences of wildfires. Examines the roles of judicial oversight, administrative procedures, politics, key organizations, agencies, and stakeholders. 

  FIRE 355: Land Use Planning and Community Resiliency

  Covers how to plan and design strong, fire resilient communities. Subjects include land use planning, resource management, homeland security, natural disasters, and wildfires. Examines and evaluates how communities address vulnerability, risk, resiliency, and sustainability using case studies to highlight best practices for planning, preparedness, evacuation, management, design, materials, model codes and ordinances. Discussion of tools available for assessing risk, physical, social, and economic vulnerabilities, and how resilient community planning addresses people, buildings, businesses, infrastructure, cultural and natural resources.  

  FIRE 402: Fire Behavior, Fuels, and Resource Management

  Covers the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and analytical tools to understand and evaluate fire behavior prediction systems, with attention to assumptions, limitations, uncertainty, sensitivity, and probability. Explains and demonstrates how fuels, land use, and environmental conditions influence combustion and behavior by using fire models, with discussion on how resource deployment and land management influences outcomes of an incident. Examines and evaluates the tools and approaches for inventory and management of fuels for wildland fires over large, diverse areas in forests, woodlands, shrubland, and grasslands.   

• General Education - Science

  GES 101: Matter, Molecules, Life, and the Environment I [Physical Science]

  The first semester of a two-semester course consisting of integrated modules covering the areas of matter/energy, molecules, living systems, and environment. 

  GES 102: Matter, Molecules, Life, and the Environment II [Physical Science]

  The second of a two-semester course consisting of integrated modules covering the areas of matter/energy, molecules, living systems, and environment.

  GES 103: The Life and Environmental Sciences Around Us

  Introduces some of the basic concepts and ideas of life and environmental sciences and demonstrates how they are applicable to the world around us. Fundamental ideas to be introduced include evolution, biological molecules, genetics, physiology, and ecology. 

• Geography

  GEOG 201: World Regional Geography

  This is a survey course that examines human environmental relationships, physical geography, and development around the world. Sustainability and sustainable development are discussed throughout the course as students learn about the trajectories of world regions.

  GEOG 202: World Regional Geography: Geographis Information Systems (GIS) Enhanced

  Enhanced survey of major world regions and their major countries using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology. Study of specific geographical circumstances and geographical concepts, including an emphasis on physical geography. Focuses on processes and issues such as development and under-development; population and migration; race, class, and gender; technology and economic growth; natural resources and the environment, and conflict and cooperation with a world regional framework. 

  GEOG 305: The U.S.-Mexico Border

  Focuses on the economic, social, and cultural geography of the border region between the United States and Mexico. Overview of the U.S.-Mexico border as a whole as well as examination of selected border cities, industry and agriculture, the environment, labor, immigration, politics, and other issues.

  GEOG 310: Climate Change and Life in the Anthropocene

  Examines the physical basis of the climate system, including solar, atmospheric, biologic, and geologic evidence supporting our understanding of Earth’s past, present, and future climate cycles. 

  GEOG 320: Patterns of San Diego County

  The final report required students to identify sustainability measures taken at the assigned city.

  GEOG 341: Nature and Society in California

  This is a course on human-environment interactions, development and political-economy of California. Sustainability is discussed in sections on water and development, on food, and is often included in student research projects.  

  GEOG 352: Environment, Development, and Sustainability

  Explores human-environment relationships in the context of sustainable development and global change. Engages with a number of historical and contemporary debates about geography, political economy/political ecology, and development to encourage consideration of the multiple dimensions of sustainability. 

  GEOG 365: Globalization and Trade

  How do we create a more sustainable economy? To answer this question , we examine what globalization looks like in various sectors and discuss the environmental, social, and economic issues raised by the current organization of world trade and production.

  GEOG 422: Urban Geography: Cities in Global Context

  Explores contemporary urban issues in less and more developed countries from a geographic perspective. Covers issues such as globalization in cities, social movements, gentrification and housing, mobility, transportation, poverty, employment and labor, health and sanitation, and the impacts of development and trade on cities.

  GEOG 450: Parks and Protected Areas

  Uses U.S. and international parks and protected areas to explore themes of human-environment interaction, sustainability, and conservation.

  GEOG 460: Food System and Emerging Markets 

  Sustainability is all over this course about the food systems and emerging trends in food which invariably involve efforts to develop alternatives to the industrial food systems. 

• German

  GRMN 380: German Culture Through Film

  Study of important aspects of German-speaking cultures and history as they are represented in film. Elements of film analysis. Compositions and analysis of selected grammar topics.

• Global Business Management

  GBM 425: International Business Management

  Survey course to familiarize with what international business is, why it is important and how it affects business practice. Covers subjects such as the global environment, international trade, global marketing, global business strategy, foreign exchange and monetary policy issues, and international human resource management.

  GBM 440: International Travel Study 

  A field-based study of business management methods and issues in a particular country. The course focuses on understanding how environmental factors (e.g., political and economic systems, etc.) affect the management, marketing and overall business practices in selected countries.

• Global Studies

  GBST 100: Intro to Global Studies

  The curriculum includes modules on human rights, global environmental issues and the global economic.

  GBST 300: Perspectives in Globalization

  Interdisciplinary survey of global issues including development, globalization, democratization, religion, culture, and the environment. Emphasis placed on varying disciplinary perspectives of global studies, including research methods used to answer questions within the field. Focuses on the nexus between local and global processes, the roles played by nations and non-governmental organizations in global affairs, and the interaction between economics, politics, and culture in the international system.

  GBST 301: Constructing Global Identity

  Addresses the meaning of global citizenship and its relationship to local, national, and ethnic/racial identities considered from a humanities perspective. Issues covered may include cosmopolitanism, humanitarianism, religion, cultural diasporas/migrations, class, gender, human rights, food, sports, and/or the ethics of travel and tourism.

• Health and Science

  HSCI 200: Personal Health and Wellness

  Introduces the basic principles of health and wellness from a holistic perspective to enhance self-awareness and personal wellness behaviors. Subjects covered include mental, emotional, physical and socio-environmental dimensions of health, sexuality and relationships, nutrition and physical fitness, use and abuse of drugs, health care services and current health problems. 

• History

  HIST 131: U.S. History 1877-Present

  A survey of the development and the changing historical interpretation of institutions and society in the United States from the end of Reconstruction to the present. 

  HIST 305: Early Industrial Britain, 1688-1850

  Charts the early economic transformation of Britain and its role in shaping issues of politics and constitutional forms; surrounding the developing of class, gender, and social relationships; framing questions of empire and imperial policy; and cultural and intellectual expression. 

  HIST 309: Ancient Middle East

  An overview of the social, political, and cultural developments of the civilizations of the ancient Middle East, including Mesopotamia (Sumer, Akkad, and Babylonia), Egypt, Israel, Phoenicia, Asia Minor, Assyria, and Persia, and the interactions among them. 

  HIST 319: Industrialization of Europe

  Economic growth and social change in 19th Century Europe. Analyzes the processes of industrialization and their relation to class formation, gender, and politics. 

  HIST 340: Environmental History of the United States

  Considers the complex relationship between humans and the natural environment in the United States. Specific subjects include: the Native American interaction with the environment, nature’s influence on European colonization, the role of natural resources in America’s national development, the human attempt to control nature in the industrial era, the emergence of conservation and preservationist movements at the end of the nineteenth century, and the development of current environmental issues and concerns over the course of the twentieth century.

• Human Development

  HD 350: Health and Human Development 

  Includes health, education, housing and income disparities among various population: unequal access to resources, environmental implication for food production, economic disparates, racism, and public policies.

  HD 384: Social and Public Policy in Human Development

  A critical analysis of the contemporary and historical importance of social and public policies and their relevance to the development of health and human services programs. 

  HD 385: Ecological Systems Perspectives on Human Development

  Explores the dynamic nature of human development with special attention to the evolving human organism and the multiple systems that make up the individual’s environment.

• Liberal Studies

  LBST 307: Children and the Environment

  Provides an interdisciplinary exploration of the environment and children. Students will engage in cross-disciplinary exploration of children’s rights, the development of children, childhood and socioeconomic conditions in developed and developing countries, the particular environmental health issues facing children, planning and sustainability, and children’s relation to wild and urban areas.

• Literature and Writing Studies

   LTWR 346: U.S. Environmental Literature

  Explores the U.S. literary and cultural history of the idea of nature. Focuses on the characteristic rhetorical strategies of environmental literature or nature writing - such as claims of spiritual connection and recreation, blending of description and celebration, and direct and indirect political argument. 

• Management

  MGMT 474: Business Sustainability

  Explores the role of business in building a sustainable world. Focuses on what sustainability means to business, how it is measured and reported, as well as how to formulate and implement actionable strategies.

  MGMT 606: Managing the Sustainable Enterprise

  The role of business in building a sustainable world, what sustainability means to business, how it is measured and reported, and how to formulate and implement actionable value-generating strategies. Preparation for thriving in a changing business environment that values innovativeness and adaptability to current global challenges. 

• Philosophy

  PHIL 340: Ethics and the Environment

  A study of recent developments in the field of environmental ethics: Examines the moral and ethical status of the natural world. Environmental ethics is the attempt to think through issues such as: the proper place of human beings in nature, the extent of our moral and ethical obligations to the natural world, the ethical foundations of public environmental policy, the principles that govern environmental use and protection, and the legitimacy of various approaches to environmental advocacy.

• Political Science

  PSCI 396: Green Planet Politics

  Environmental problems respect no political boundaries; their resolution depends on successful collaboration among political players at many levels. Analyzes how these political players - ranging from world leaders to grassroots activists - struggle to solve global environmental problems within both formal and informal political structures.

  PSCI 420: U.S. Environmental Policy

  Examination of the development and evolution of environmental policy in the United States. Emphasis on the various institutions, political leaders and social movements active in the creation and evolution of landmark environmental legislation and environmental policy. 

• Psychology

  PSYC 338: Environmental Psychology 

  Focused is on "human behaviors associated with environmental problem" and "examines interventions designed to change human behavior such as conservation, public transportation, recycling, and environmental education. 

• Public Health

  PH 464: The Sustainable Development Goals and Global Health Cooperation

  Focuses on the multilateral responses to health issues of global concern. Integrates shared global goals that help develop the policy, institutional, built and natural environments for the health and wellbeing of populations. Utilizes the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a framework to explore how global cooperation is applied to the health and wellbeing of the global community.  Exposes students to different identity perspectives of each SDG: affluence, gender, age, migration, indigenous, and native peoples, through readings, lectures, reflections, and explorations.

  PH 501: Foundations in Public Health

  Introduces the five core public health disciplines: Health Services, Epidemiology, Social and Behavioral Sciences, Environmental Health, and Biostatistics.

  PH 506: Environmental Determinants of Health

  Provides an introduction to environmental factors affecting the health of communities.  Addresses current and emerging environmental health topics and challenges.  Primary focus is on biological, physical, and chemical determinants and exposures associated with human health.

  PH 516: Public Health Preparedness and Response

  Explores the role of public health in disasters and emergencies, including agents of terrorism, bioterrorism, and intentional mass threats.

  PH 517: Evolution of Public Health Biosecurity

  Overview of the global system of epidemic alert and response network, international public health security, and long-term preparedness and capacity-building as it relates to public health emergencies.

  PH 560: Principles of Global Humanitarian Emergencies

  Introduces the comprehensive nature of global public health preparedness and humanitarian response efforts for natural or human-made disasters. Includes the preparedness elements necessary for adequate responses to population shifts caused by natural and human-made disasters.

• Sociology

  SOC 105: Introduction to Justice Studies

  An introduction to the interdisciplinary field of Justice Studies. Explores economic, social, and criminal justice issues by means of sociological, philosophical, and legal perspectives and methodologies.

  SOC 348: American Indian Communities

  An in-depth examination of American Indian communities, with special emphasis on Southern California Indian communities. Students will understand contemporary issues and concerns facing American Indians today. 

  SOC 350: Imagining Indians: American Indians, Mass Media, Film, and Society

  Provides students with a critical analysis and deeper understanding of American Indian cultures at the intersection of the Mass Media.

  SOC 370: American Indian Women and Activism

  Examines the roles of American Indian women in politics, social work, academia, business, environmental, health issues, culture and community.

  SOC 400: Contemporary American Indian Health and Wellness

  Examines American Indian/Alaskan Native (AIAN) health and wellness from a contemporary public and community health/epidemiologic perspective. 

  SOC 439: Social Justice and the Environment

  Explores contemporary issues in society raised by environmental activists and scholars. Upon completion of the course, students will recognize the importance of the environment and environmental issues for our understanding of issues of justice in society.

• Water Management

  *These courses are offered through Extended Learning*

   WTRM 401: Survey of Water Management Fundamentals and Practice in California

  Introduction to the water management industry in California.  Covers key concepts and terms of water planning and efficient use of resource development. 

  WTRM 421: Environmental Issues, Policies, and Regulations for Water Managers

  Examines federal, state, regional, local, and special district governance with respect to environmental water issues and policies that have been enacted and implemented with emphasis on the American West. 

• Women Studies

  WMST 301: Gender, Race, and Class in Contemporary Societies 

  The main topic of this course is intersectionality, or the study of the various aspects of social identity. Students learn to analyze micro and macro social situations from a lens that focuses social justice and  awareness of all members of society.

  WMST 304: Ecofeminism

  Examines the intersections and collaborations of feminist and ecological thought.  The course examines the ways in which feminist movements have prioritized the environment, focused on relationships between humans and the natural world, and engaged a range of environmental issues.

  WGSS 424: Women and Health

  An exploration of women and health. Analysis of women’s health maintenance and disease prevention, gender bias in medical treatment, medicalization of “natural” processes, women and the health system, medical-legal system, and bio-medical research. Subject matter may include, but is not limited to: eating disorders, contraception, sexually transmitted diseases, fertility from pregnancy to birthing, stress and mental illness, menopause, breast cancer, and alternative and traditional healing systems. Issues of social class, nationality, race, culture, and sexual preference are emphasized throughout.

  WMST 445: Gender and Development

  Gender analysis remains in the peripheries of development theory and practice despite evidence which suggests that "modernization" results in disparate outcomes for similarly situated women and men.