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Bard College Catalogue 2009-2010
2009-2010
Environmental and Urban Studies
http://eus.bard.edu FacultyKris Feder (coordinator), Jonathan Shapiro Anjaria*, Sanjib Baruah, Mark Becker, Daniel Berthold, Diana De G. Brown, Noah Chasin, Sanjaya DeSilva, Michèle D. Dominy, Gidon Eshel, Felicia Keesing, Mark Lindeman, Christopher R. Lindner, Mark Lytle*, William T. Maple, Gregory B. Moynahan, Catherine O’Reilly, Susan Fox Rogers, Yuka Suzuki**
* on sabbatical, fall 2009
** leave of absence, 2009–10OverviewThe Environmental and Urban Studies (EUS) concentration at Bard is a secondary field of study that requires a student to complete a major in a primary discipline. EUS focuses on empirical studies that give students the skills to understand the interconnection of living and constructed systems. Such an approach capitalizes on transformations within an array of social and natural sciences, from systems theory to environmental toxicology, and furthers Bard’s holistic approach to ecology and development through studies of the Hudson River estuary and valley. The Hudson River forms a laboratory and stepping-off area for an integrated understanding of global environmental transformation.
EUS has links to Hudsonia and the Bard College Field Station on campus, Bard Globalization and International Affairs Program in New York, and a rich variety of internship and junior-year abroad programs. Students also draw on resources at the Bard Center for Environmental Policy, Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library, Cary Arboretum, Institute for Ecosystem Studies, and The Rockefeller University laboratories.
Students with a strong foundation in science and/or economics may apply to the 3-2 program with the Bard Center for Environmental Policy, earning in five years a B.A. and masters of environmental policy degree.
Areas of StudyRecent courses have addressed the global ecology of disease and epidemics; consequences of alternative property systems for environmental sustainability and distribution of wealth; exposure to environmental contaminants; environmental racism; globalization; deforestation; species extinction; and international efforts to protect the global environment. Senior Projects have addressed suburban sprawl and urban blight; the impact of land-use planning; transportation; tourism; watershed protection; habitat and farmland loss; agricultural and industrial pollution of the Hudson River and other waterways; risks and benefits to local residents of nuclear power stations, industrial plants, and landfills; and the politics and economics surrounding the provision of municipal and social services. RequirementsEUS at Bard has three tracks that students may follow individually or in combination: a social science orientation (drawing on such disciplines as history, political studies, philosophy, anthropology, and human rights); science (with emphasis on ecology, biology, and environmental chemistry); and urban studies (focusing on urban design and history, planning, cultural geography, and architecture). All students are expected to be familiar with elements of each track. For example, a student might draw on environmental chemistry to examine urban air pollution, environmental disease, and policy planning for air quality control.
Moderation into EUS should take place simultaneously with Moderation into the primary program. Three EUS or EUS cross-listed courses are required for Moderation, including at least one core natural science course and one core course in social science or social studies. At least one of these must be at the 200 level or higher. At Moderation students indicate which track they intend to pursue and construct the board accordingly. For graduation, three additional courses at the 200 level or higher, including at least one at the 300 level, are required: a course in quantitative empirical methods; a natural science course in environmental studies; and a core social science course in environmental studies. Students are encouraged to develop some facility with either GIS (geographic information system) or another mapping system. EUS students are also encouraged to participate in relevant internships, community service projects, and study abroad programs during the junior year and/or summers. These opportunities should be discussed at Moderation.CoursesRequired courses include: Environmental Studies 101, Introduction to Environmental Studies; Biology 142, Organismal Biology or Biology 152, Biodiversity; Environmental Studies 399-400, Environmental Studies Research Seminar; Sociology 205, Economics 229, or another course in empirical methods. Related courses offered by other programs have included: Field Study in Natural History, Introduction to Microeconomics, Urban and Regional Economics, Environmental Ethics, and Environmental Politics in the United States.Introduction to Environmental Studies
Environmental Studies 101
This course considers such topics as the ecological impacts of agricultural subsidies, political struggles over the management of public lands, geology pertinent to landfill remediation, the effects of habitat fragmentation on species extinction rates, trends in deforestation and reforestation, and the impacts of and possible alternatives to the “Green Revolution.” Geographic Information Systems
Environmental Studies 308
cross-listed: sts
This course is designed to provide undergraduate students with a comprehensive review of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Global Positioning Systems (GPS), and remote sensing technologies as they are used in a variety of social and environmental science applications. Preference given to moderated students. Environmental Studies Research Seminar
Environmental Studies 399-400
This seminar is required for students moderated in Environmental Studies. Students and faculty share tips on research methods and sources, academic writing, and strategies for designing and executing a successful project. Students are expected to take the seminar twice, during their junior and senior years.
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