Environmental Science Courses

ENVS 101 Introduction to Environmental Studies

An overview of both the natural and human components of such environmental issues as climate change, human population growth, and biological diversity. The adequacy of scientific and policy responses to environmental dilemmas is examined in light of current knowledge and research.

ENVS 110 Introduction to Environmental Policy

This course will examine the policymaking process used for environmental issues in the contemporary U.S. We will begin by looking at the formal structures in place at the local, state, and federal levels, and then we will study the various informal ways that these structures can be manipulated. We will address multiple case studies of particular environmental issues, such as air quality, water quality, agriculture, wilderness preservation, and energy supply.

ENVS 115 Introduction to Archaeology

This course introduces students to the discipline of archaeology as a way of understanding the past and prepares them to participate in archaeological research. We review finds from a number of sites around the world in order to learn about human history from its origins around 6 million years ago. Further topics include: dating methods; field survey; excavation techniques; archaeological ethics; cultural heritage management; and theories of archaeological interpretation.

ENVS 118 Environmental Ethics

An examination of the contested frameworks that govern our environmental policies. Critical questions are: Is there a land ethic? Do animals have rights? Do we have ethical obligations to natural objects? Special attention is given to the major arguments of libertarian, utilitarian, and liberal-pluralist social philosophies and to the policies and practices of contemporary environmental activists.

ENVS 125 Environmental Geology

An introduction to the study of the Earth with emphasis on the relationship between humans and the environment as well as geologic hazards. Topics include plate tectonics, volcanism, climate cycling, rock formation, and erosion. Basic rock and mineral identification and an introduction to geologic field methods are included during laboratory periods.

ENVS 126 Environmental Literature, Film, and the Arts

This course builds on the premise that the natural environment is the "original text" that influences human conceptions of color, form, line, rhythm, sound, movement, texture, composition, causality, interconnectivity, etc., and that biospheric interconnectivity becomes a metaphoric basis for aesthetic evaluation in literature and the arts.

ENVS 167 U.S. National Parks

U.S. National Parks introduces students to the history and management of the National Park system in the United States. It situates the development of these public lands within trends in nineteenth- and twentieth-century environmental, cultural, and intellectual history. It also uses the National Park system to explore paradigms in U.S. public lands management and, more broadly, natural resource use in the United States.

ENVS 170 Atmosphere and Weather

An introduction to the field of climatology and meteorology, with an emphasis on atmospheric processes. Topically, this course examines key weather-related phenomena (e.g. hurricanes, frontal systems, air pollution) and acquaints students with their mathematical and scientific underpinnings.

ENVS 174 Urban Agriculture 1/2

An introductory scientific and experiential examination of growing fruits and vegetables in an urban environment, both on open-air farm as well as in a high tunnel. Fall term version focuses on: permaculture, late crops, composting, microgreens, harvesting, season extenders, collecting/storing seeds, winterizing, and aquaponics. Spring term version will focus on: planning, seedlings, planting, bedding soils, watering, pest control, weeding, and local food systems.

ENVS 180 Sustainability: Explorations and Opportunities

A practical introductory course in sustainability. Beginning with a history and overview of the concept of "sustainability," this course mounts an investigation and critique of many of the commonly promoted means to achieving it (i.e., recycling, technology, permaculture, etc.) from both an individual and system perspective. Group projects lead to demonstrations of usable and sustainable products and designs.

ENVS 188 Introduction to Geographic Information Systems

An introduction to the fundamental principles and applications of mapping and the use of geographic information systems (GIS) using ESRI ArcGIS software. Topics include spatial data types, map coordinate systems and projections, and basic spatial data analysis and visualization. Lectures are supplemented with ArcGIS-based projects. Familiarity with Windows operating system is recommended.

ENVS 195D 1/2

This preparatory course will investigate museum practices relevant to mineralogy, as well as how to demonstrate the property of mineral fluorescence to the public. Students will use this information to produce a fluorescent mineral display in SMC in December using the Knox College geology collection. Following the fall term half-credit seminar is a required two-week collaborative research project from December 2-13, 2024. Completion of the December project is a required component of the fall course. Successful completion of both components will satisfy the Active and Immersive Learning graduation requirement. Students should apply for financial support for the December project from the Vovis Center for Research and Advanced Study. Once enrolled, you will receive an email from Lisa Harris (Vovis Center) with instructions on how to apply for funding.

ENVS 201 Contemporary Biological Issues

This course explores the biological, political and social ramifications of contemporary controversial biological issues.

ENVS 203 The Environment in the German Imagination

From record-breaking renewable energy production to a historical fascination with natural spaces and woodlands in fairy tales and other literature, German-speaking central Europe has long been at the forefront of environmentalism and sustainability. This course examines both historical and contemporary environmentalist movements, examining cultural products, practices and perspectives of German-speaking peoples which make environmentalism and sustainability a priority. Topics may include contemporary laws and policies, everyday cultures of sustainability, energy production, historical movements such as Romanticism, environmentalism under various German regimes in the 20th & 21st centuries, and more.

ENVS 220 Environmental Chemistry 1/2 or 1

Pollution problems are in the news every day. The government continues to set ever more stringent guidelines for pollutants. But how are the small amounts of these chemicals measured? This course answers that question by focusing on the analytical procedures used to monitor these regulated pollutants and the improvements that will be necessary as government controls become tighter. When offered for a full credit, ENVS 220 meets three periods a week plus lab. When offered as a 1/2 credit courses, ENVS 200 meets two periods a week.

ENVS 228 Environmental Racism

This course focuses upon issues of environmental quality, and how the cost to human health and access to environmental benefits is often distributed according to race and poverty. Proposals devised by environmental and civil rights groups working within the growing environmental justice movement are also explored. The goal is to help students understand more fully how decisions affecting the health of neighborhoods, regions, and groups of people are made, and what individuals can do about it. The link between environmental issues and past and present discrimination is examined from an interdisciplinary perspective, requiring students to do work in both the natural and social sciences. Fieldwork will also be required.

ENVS 231 Native America: Identity and Adaptation

Cultural diversity of North American Indian tribes at the time of contact, adaptive strategies of particular culture areas, intellectual and artistic traditions of native North America, and confrontation of Indian and European cultures are explored.

ENVS 241 Soil Science

An introduction to soils with emphasis on laboratory methods of soil analysis. Topics examined include soil composition and genesis, physical and chemical properties of soil, soil biology and soil conservation. Current issues including environmental quality, agricultural use and soil as a natural resource are also discussed. Students formulate research questions and complete field- and laboratory-based investigations of local soils.

ENVS 242 Hydrology

An introduction to the hydrologic system with emphasis on water as a resource and the social justice issues associated with potable water access. Course topics include a detailed examination of precipitation, surface water, aquifers and groundwater flow. Students work with mathematical and graphical techniques for hydrologic analysis as well as field and laboratory methods for water monitoring and water quality analysis.

ENVS 243 Energy

A scientific examination of energy resources available on planet Earth. Energy forms are understood in terms of technological systems and sustainability. Students gain the necessary scientific background to understand the substantive challenges faced in providing sufficient energy to human civilization without depleting/exhausting natural resources and denigrating the natural environment.

ENVS 245 Environmentalism in Democratic Countries

This class will look at the environmental movement in different countries. We will examine the interest groups, political parties, and direct action movements that emerged in the 1960s, and we will try to understand which campaigns worked, and which did not. We will be focusing on North America, Western Europe, and Australasia.

ENVS 246 The Environment and the Apocalypse

In this course we will examine social science theories about the causes and consequences of 'apocalyptic' events. We will focus on nuclear war, climate change, and medical pandemics, studying both how such events could occur, and what the relationships between humanity and the natual world would be after such events. Students willl develop skills of risk analysis, small-group decision-making, and principles of social choice.

ENVS 248 Teaching Assistant 1/2 or 1

ENVS 254 Food Systems

This course examines multi-faceted systems that make possible the daily food we eat on the Knox campus and beyond. Through systems thinking and agroecological approaches, we consider the sources of our food, the ways people are socially connected, divided, and organized through food, the labor conditions and environmental consequences of small and large-scale agriculture, and the post-consumer routes of food. Through readings, films, site visits, and hands-on participation, we cover a range of practical, ethical, and logistical challenges and opportunities in our understanding of and engagements with local, regional, and global food systems.

ENVS 255 Exploring Regenerative Agriculture

Regenerative agricultural systems seek to produce nutritious food in ways that restore habitat and biodiversity to landscapes, minimize energy and chemical inputs, and support greater social-ecological wellbeing. This class explores key principles and practices of regenerative systems design that help communities keep resources and productions more locally based, enhance local soil structure and microbiology, and provide collaborative contexts for community education and engagement. This class offers hands-on, active learning as we work together to explore annual and perennial food production at the Knox Farm, mushroom cultivation techniques, herbal plant guilds, bioregional herbalism, community-scaled composting, and organize community-based educational events.

ENVS 256 Examining the Anthropocene

In the early 21st century, the term 'Anthropocene' emerged to characterize the increasingly extensive impact of human generated transformations of ecological, geological, and biological processes at global proportions. This class examines the arguments surrounding the concept of the Anthropocene and accelerated demands on natural resources and corresponding eco-systemic pressures. We incorporate the insights of cultural ecology regarding the interrelationships of social, political, and economic organization and the local and regional environments within which humans live. Through ethnogrpahic case studies, we examine the contested social and political fields in which people are making sense of, adapting to, and engaging these global transformations.

ENVS 263 Environmental and Natural Resource Economics

The study of the economics of renewable and exhaustible resources, environmental problems and policy responses. Topics include: the economics of air and water pollution control, including the economics of climate change, the economics of recycling, the use of cost-benefit analysis, the 'limits to growth' debate, and philosophical issues in environmental policy making.

ENVS 265 Food Justice

This course explores issues of access, equity, and justice in the American food system, with special focus on the topics of food insecurity, fisheries access and consolidation, and agricultural work. The course examines the ways in which the allocation of resources in the food system have disproportionately disadvantaged poor, minority, and immigrant communities. The course asks students to assess the implications of such food systems, positioning their analyses within community, environmental, and workers' rights approaches to social justice. The course's capstone is a community-based research project that identifies structural problems in the food system and devises asset-based solutions to these problems.

ENVS 268 American Environmental History

The course offers a survey of American environmental history. It introduces students to how humans have transformed the landscapes in which they live; how landscapes and ecologies have affected institutions, politics, and cultures in America; and how American conceptions and ideals of nature have changed over time.

ENVS 270 Science, Technology, Environment, and Society

An introduction to the field of science studies. This discussion-based course examines several modern questions in the application of science and technology in society. Several non-fiction texts and contemporary articles serve as case studies in the interaction of science, technology, and society. These materials focus on the following areas of thought, each through the lens of environmental concerns: catastrophe; the philosophy of technology; technological/scientific byproducts and social injustice; biomimicry; and scientific literacy.

ENVS 272 Environmental Matters in Municipalities

Cities depend on many environmental resources and services to thrive (clean water, clean air, waste disposal, etc.). Municipal governments often are key actors in guaranteeing that these resources are available to its residents. This course will provide substantial exposure to the practices that cities use to do this effectively and with sustainability in mind. Class will include local field trips as a means to converse with municipal personnel and examine relevant municipal infrastructure first-hand.

ENVS 275 Chemistry and Environmental Policy

A lecture/discussion course with emphasis on how environmental chemistry influences environmental policy. Topics include but are not limited to: atmospheric chemistry, acid rain, and the Clean Air Act. Three periods lecture/discussion.

ENVS 282 Deep Maps of Place

Taught at Knox's Green Oaks Field Station, this course concentrates on the various ways in which place is understood and represented, from scientific measurements of landscape change to individual imagination and cultural memory. One of the course's principle aims is to cultivate an enhanced ability to probe beyond the appearance of place in order to inquire into the rich tapestry of narratives - ranging from the geological and natural processes involved in the formation of place to the mythic, personal, historical and artistic/imaginative narratives.

ENVS 283 Natural History of Green Oaks

Taught at Knox's Green Oaks Field Station, this course provides students with detailed scientific knowledge and understanding of the main ecological components and relationships within Green Oaks' prairie, forest, and aquatic habitats. Students will learn how to make systematic observations and conduct ecological studies, and they will also examine their own place within the Green Oaks ecosystem. Students will design, carry out and present individual or team research projects.

ENVS 284 The Natural Imagination

Taught in the natural setting of the Green Oaks Field Station, this course explores visual works of the imagination made in dynamic relationship to nature and community. We will explore the history of individual and collaborative communities, and how those communities shaped and were shaped by their environments. Creative projects will reflect a reciprocity between forming and being formed by nature. Working with diverse concepts: observation, translation and synthesis, students will create visual representations of place using both traditional and non-traditional materials. The culmination of the course will be a site project in a physical setting within Green Oaks. Other creative endeavors are encouraged to complement visual projects such as multimedia presentations incorporating performance, movement, sound and video.

ENVS 285 Dynamics of Intentional Community 1/2

Students in the Green Oaks Term will be involved in the enterprise of forming an effective learning community. Through readings, field trips and discussions examining the processes by which communities reconcile individuality, social harmony and collective goals, this course explores the challenges and practices entailed in the building and maintaining communities. Graded S/U.

ENVS 288 Applications of Geographic Information Systems 1/2

This course builds upon the skills gained in ENVS 188, with a focus on raster data. Topics include geodatabase design, spatial analysis, data transformation and more advanced use of the editing and analysis tools provided by ESRI's ArcGIS software. Lectures are supplemented with ArcGIS-based projects.

ENVS 289 Geospatial Analysis

This course focuses on the analysis and use of geospatial data. Topics include topology, spatial statistics, raster analysis, model building and the use of satellite data. Lectures are supplemented by ArcGIS-based projexts using ESRI ArcView Software.

ENVS 295 Special Topics 1/2 or 1

Courses offered occasionally to students in special areas of Environmental Studies not covered in the usual curriculum.

ENVS 303 The Environment in the German Imagination

ENVS 314 Ornithology

This course explores the characteristics and evolution of birds and examines many areas of biology such as systematics, behavior, ecology and conservation biology using avian examples. Labs introduce students to the diversity of birds through examination of specimens of birds from around the world as well as during field trips to view a cross-section of Illinois' avifauna.

ENVS 317 Principles of Ecology

This course examines the interrelationships between living organisms and the physical and biological factors that surround them. Ecological principles at the level of the individual, population, community and ecosystem are considered. Includes both laboratory and field experiments.

ENVS 319 Conservation Biology

This course examines a dynamic and rapidly developing field. Conservation biology is the study of factors which influence both the diversity and scarcity of species. In particular, we concentrate on how human activities influence global biodiversity. We also discuss local biodiversity.

ENVS 320 Ethnobotany

Ethnobotany is the study of the interactions of plants and people, including the influence of plants on human culture. In this course, we examine the properties of plants used for food, fiber, and medicine. We examine how plants are used in developed nations and by indigenous peoples. We focus on ethnobotanically important local native plants in labs and in term papers.

ENVS 325 Applied Climatology

An exploration of the field of climatology with an emphasis on the earth's climate history and the examination of scientific data. Intensive labs provide students the opportunity to interpret meteorological variables and forecasts, and analyze climatological data in its many forms.

ENVS 330 Geochemistry and the Environment

An introduction to the chemistry of Earth systems. Topics include planetary formation and Earth's composition, mineral and rock formation, stable isotopes, geochronology, climate change, and Earth's surface environments. Students will work with quantitative models of geochemical systems.

ENVS 335 Case Studies in Human-Environment Interactions

This course is a survey of the relationship between humans and their environments over both evolutionary and historic timescales. Course topics include major climatic influences on human landscapes, environmental impacts on human ecology and cultural change, and potential field methods used to distinguish between natural and anthropogenic landscape change. Basic climate system dynamics and archaeological case studies are discussed.

ENVS 348 Teaching Assistant 1/2 or 1

ENVS 360 Politics of Climate Change

This course will explore the political debate on climate change. Students will examine both the international negotiations and the domestic debates. On the domestic side, students will study the concept of representation and how changes in public opinion on climate change have led to changes in public policy, particularly in the US. On the international side, students will examine the disagreements between industrialized and non-industrialized countries, and how resulting treaties have reflected different ideas of justice, and different political contexts. The course will be centered on social science theories that help us understand the politics of climate change.

ENVS 382 Deep Maps of Place

See ENVS 282. Students who enroll in ENVS 382 will complete the academic requirements of ENVS 282 and will also be responsible for a more advanced level of participation and a more substantial term project.

ENVS 383 Natural History of Green Oaks

See ENVS 283. Students who enroll in ENVS 383 will complete the academic requirements of ENVS 283 and will also be responsible for a more advanced level of participation and a more substantial term project.

ENVS 384 The Natural Imagination

See ENVS 284. Students who enroll in ENVS 384 will complete the academic requirements of ENVS 284 and will also be responsible for a more advanced level of participation and a more substantial term project in the creative arts.

ENVS 390 -391 Senior Research in Environmental Studies I and II 1/2

A two-term research experience in Environmental Studies. Students will work with a faculty mentor to develop a research question, propose a project, collect and analyze data, and report their results both orally and in writing.

ENVS 392 Immersive Senior Research

A two-term research experience in Environmental Studies. Students will work with a faculty mentor to develop a research question, propose a project, collect and analyze data, and report their results both orally and in writing. ENVS 390 (0.5 credit) must be taken first, followed by either ENVS 391 (0.5 credit) or 392 (1.0 credit). ENVS 392 fulfills the college Immersion/Active Learning requirement. Prerequisite(s): Junior standing and one of ENVS 241, 242, 243, 245, or 246.

ENVS 395 Special Topics 1/2 or 1

Courses offered occasionally to students in special areas of Environmental Studies not covered in the usual curriculum.

ENVS 399 Senior Project in Environmental Studies 1/2 or 1

An in-depth study of some environmental topic under the guidance of a faculty member in the environmental studies program. The project may involve extensive library research, an experiment, fieldwork, or other work appropriate to the student's interests and background. All projects result in an academic paper that is evaluated by the faculty mentor.

ENVS 400 Advanced Studies 1/2 or 1

See College Honors Program.