Environmental Sustainability: Science, Public Policy and Community Action

  United States

• Other Cities in United States: 
Minnesota

Term: Fall 
Dates: Fall Semester

Description: In the land of lakes and rivers, Minneapolis and St. Paul are built within a rich natural landscape that is home to one of the most active networks of environmental organizations in the country. This semester program addresses key processes of ecosystem degradation and rehabilitation, the social and economic underpinnings of conflict over environmental change, and public policy and community-based strategies to achieve sustainability.

It offers students an off-campus experience based in the Twin Cities, examining a set of contemporary natural resource and public policy case studies. Students also participate in internships and in a grant funded community based research project. This program takes an integrated approach to environmental issues, addressing the linkages between rural and urban concerns as well as the way local decisions relate to regional and global trends. Topics include sustainable agriculture, land use management and watershed protection, industrial pollution, energy projection and consumption, transportation, urbanization and suburban sprawl.

Environmental problems are commonly viewed as technical problems. However, the most difficult and enduring challenges are social and institutional. In addition to providing an introduction to the science behind key environmental issues, Environmental Sustainability provides tools for analyzing the human context of environmental conflict, as well as strategies for social change. This dynamic investigation unfolds within a complex urban setting where questions of equity, justice and sustainability lead students to discover careers, life directions and new ways of knowing.

Highlights: Internship options center around themes of the program such as:

* Sustainable agriculture
* Environmental Monitoring
* Ecological Restoration
* Policy & Research Development
* Community Organizing
* Urban Planning
* Environmental Education

Courses
* Adaptive Ecosystem Management
* Social Dimensions of Environmental Change
* Internship & Integration Seminar
* Field Research Methods and Investigation

Cost in US$: Please inquire for more information

Experience Required: no

This Program is open to Worldwide Participants.

Participants Travel to United States Independently or in Groups

Typically Participants Work Independently or in Groups