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Advanced GIS
Class Size: 16
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Taught by
Advanced GIS is a fast-paced course designed to teach graduate students to use Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for mapping, spatial data management, and spatial data analysis. Instruction is based on reading assignments, lectures, and weekly hands-on labs using ArcGIS 10.1, including both desktop and online mapping tools for collaboration and presentation.
Evaluations are based on the quality of student-produced map and analysis products and two quizzes. Students should have experience with quantitative software and must be able to demonstrate a solid understanding of MS Windows file management practices. Students will be expected to use the Esri software suite outside of class, for performing hands-on mapping assignments. Student versions of the ArcGIS software will be made available, but support is limited to college computers (note: ArcGIS Desktop software runs only under MS Windows, see requirements: http://resources.arcgis.com/en/help/system-requirements/10.1 ).
Faculty Biography
Mike Ruth, M.Sc.,
is a professional GIS practitioner for Esri (Environmental Systems
Research Institute, Inc). Mike has been a project manager and
consultant for Esri, helping a wide variety of agencies learn and
exploit geographic information systems. His clients have included
major non governmental organizations, tribal and state governments, and
US federal agencies. Mike studied Environmental Science in
college, later specializing in Geology at George Washington
University. For his Masters degree, Mike completing a field
mapping project studying the geology of the western Dominican Republic
along the Haiti border area. After completing his Master of
Science degree, Mike worked for the Spot Image Corporation, developing
GeoTIFF and other satellite imagery methods for GIS integration.
Now at Esri, Mike has focused on Africa projects for non-profit
organizations over the past few years. Recent projects address the
applications of GIS technology for improving polio vaccination success
in Nigeria, agricultural improvement for small holder farmers in
Tanzania, and participatory community conservation activities in the
western Serengeti, among other projects.
Credits per quarter
Students will have completed MES's Introduction to GIS or be able to show significant experience using ArcMap for Desktop software in either professional or academic settings. Students who have not completed Introduction to GIS should email a brief description of their previous experience with GIS to the MES Director (Kevin Francis, francisk@evergreen.edu ) and Faculty (Mike Ruth, ruthm@evergreen.edu ). Registration priority will be given to students who have taken Research Design and Quantitative Methods. To register, you must email the MES Director for approval (Kevin Francis, francisk@evergreen.edu ).
- Enhanced Online Learning - This offering requires access to web-based tools, but use of these tools does not displace any face-to-face instruction.
Class Size: 16
Scheduled for: Evening
Advertised schedule:
Monday 6-10 pm
Located in: Olympia
American Indian Solutions to Environmental Challenges
Class Size: 15
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Taught by
Native American Tribes represent a powerful force for environmental and social progress in an age that can seem to be dominated by negative forces within our political economic system. To a significant extent, the Tribes are leaders in fields such as conservation, ecological restoration, and adaptation to climate change. In addition to managing a significant part of the land base, the Tribes possess unique legal tools and the only long-term cultural memory of environmental conditions in this continent. This elective will be of interest to students who will be working as scientists, resource managers, policy makers, and educators addressing pressing environmental issues such as climate change, habitat conservation, ecological restoration, recovery of endangered species, and challenges to human health and environmental quality posed by water, soil, and air pollution. Working in or collaborating with the resource agencies, scientists, and governance structures of American Indian Tribes is increasingly a central task of all environmental professionals. Yet, most of these newly minted environmental professionals have little to no preparation for such work. To be effective, environmental scientists, resource managers, policy makers and educators must understand: (1) treaty law and policy, and Indian land tenure; (2) Tribal accomplishments and current projects in such areas as ecological restoration, habitat conservation, and recovery of endangered species; and (3) the fields of Native science and Indigenous knowledge, and how practitioners engage in what is known as “two-eyed seeing” – a special case of interdisciplinarity that encompasses knowledge acquisition using Western and Native American traditions. The course will address these topics, using a combination of lectures, seminars, case studies, guest lectures and panels, plus a weekend field trip.
Faculty Biography:
Linda Moon Stumpff, MPA, Ph.D., a member of the Apache Tribe, is emeritus faculty who has dedicated her long and varied career to protecting the land and Indigenous knowledge and values. She served in management positions in the National Park Service and USDA Forest Service in the areas of ecosystem planning, park and wilderness management and tribal relations. The primary foci of her academic work in public policy is international administration and the exploration of local and indigenous knowledge and values as they are expressed through participatory governance institutions, tribal economic initiatives and policy. Linda was a founder of the Tribal Governance track while she served as MPA Director from 1998-2001 and developed the tribal curriculum and governance program in cooperation with tribal leaders, along with new electives in Tribal Forestry, International Environmental Policy and other areas for the MES Program. She continues to develop relevant curriculum on tribal policy and environmental issues emanating from climate change, wildfire and wilderness. She is co-director, editor, faculty workshop and case writer for the NSF-sponsored the Enduring Legacies Project at The Evergreen State College in the MPA and MES Programs.
Ted Whitesell, Ph.D. , is a broadly trained cultural geographer with special interests in political ecology and conservation. As a freshman at the University of Colorado, Ted co-founded the CU Wilderness Study Group. After graduation, Ted ran the Colorado Wilderness Workshop, the only statewide preservation organization at the time. From 1975 to 1985, he was a leader of the Southeast Alaska Conservation Council, campaigning to secure designation of the first wilderness areas in the Tongass National Forest. He was recognized as the most accomplished environmental leader in the country of 25 years of age or less by the Tyler Foundation. Later, he earned a Ph.D. in geography from the University of California, Berkeley, investigating grassroots proposals for conservation and development in the Amazon rainforest of Brazil. Ted came to The Evergreen State College in 1998 and is affiliated with two planning units – Environmental Studies and Sustainability & Justice. His students published a major book in April 2004, called Defending Wild Washington (The Mountaineers Books). His most recent research was a collaborative investigation of tribal perspectives on marine protected areas in western Washington.
Credits per quarter
- Hybrid Online Learning - This offering delivers < 25% of its instruction online, rather than via face-to-face contact between you and your instructors.
Class Size: 15
Scheduled for: Evening
Advertised schedule:
Monday 6-10 pm
Located in: Olympia
Aquatic Ecology
Class Size: 15
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Taught by
Inland
waters are some of the most threatened ecosystems on Earth. Yet they
provide critical ecosystem services: providing food and freshwater,
regulating climate, and detoxifying pollutants. In this course, we
will examine inland waters (focusing on rivers and streams) as
ecological systems that interact with their drainage basin and the
atmosphere. We will also explore how physical, chemical, and
biological processes operate and impact the organisms found within each
ecosystem. Finally, we will study the way inland waters, as hotspots of
biogeochemical activity, contribute to fluxes of greenhouse
gasses. Case studies of real-world problems will be used to assess
the effect of anthropogenic changes on inland waters and
watersheds. This program will include lectures, laboratories, and
field trips to gain experience with sampling techniques in aquatic
ecology.
Faculty Biography
Erin Martin, Ph.D.
, is an aquatic biogeochemist whose research focuses on examining the
role of rivers in the global carbon cycle. Rivers are large sources of
carbon to both the atmosphere and the ocean and are consequently
critical to our understanding of the global carbon cycle. While
working in the Amazon Basin, her research demonstrated that bacteria
living in the river produce high levels of carbon dioxide through
respiration, and this carbon dioxide is subsequently lost to the
atmosphere. Her current research in the Mekong Basin (i.e.
Cambodia) focuses on characterizing the type of organic carbon that is
exported by large rivers to the ocean. Specifically, she uses
molecular tracers to determine where in the watershed the carbon
originates from, and uses radiocarbon analyses to determine the age of
this material. Such information is necessary in order to
understand the preservation of terrestrial carbon in the ocean, which
can affect atmospheric carbon dioxide levels over long time
scales. Through her training (master’s and doctoral degrees from
the School of Oceanography at the University of Washington), Erin has
research experience working in streams, rivers, lakes, and the
ocean. Additional interests include ocean acidification, estuarine
ecology, evaluating the impacts of dams on downstream processes, and
microbial ecology. Her past and present research has been
conducted through collaborations with colleagues in Brazil, Cambodia,
and the Pacific Northwest.
Credits per quarter
- Enhanced Online Learning - This offering requires access to web-based tools, but use of these tools does not displace any face-to-face instruction.
Class Size: 15
Scheduled for: Evening
Advertised schedule:
Wednesday 6-10 pm
Located in: Olympia
Case Studies and Thesis Design
Class Size: 50
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Taught by
The fourth program in the core sequence allows students to deepen their understanding of the research process as they make decisions about their own thesis research design and methodology. Activities and assignments help students understand how their thesis builds upon and fills gaps they identify in previous research. Students will complete a literature review to guide their their own research framework and study design. They will write a prospectus in collaboration with a reader assigned in the course of Case Studies to facilitate the thesis research process. Through this course, students will improve their ability to communicate academic research to a broad audience via posters and oral presentations. Successful completion of this program is required to enroll for thesis credits.
Credits per quarter
- Enhanced Online Learning - This offering requires access to web-based tools, but use of these tools does not displace any face-to-face instruction.
Class Size: 50
Scheduled for: Evening
Advertised schedule:
6-10p Tue/Thu
Located in: Olympia
Conserving and Restoring Biodiversity
Class Size: 15
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Taught by
This course focuses on the biology that underlies conservation and restoration issues around the world. There are many ways to approach the study of conservation and restoration biology and this course will mostly emphasize the scientific elements of these disciplines. The course will also will provide you with a practitioner's perspective of the relationship between biology and policy from work done in Washington State. This course will introduce students to the literature, controversies, and promising methodologies for a variety of conservation/restoration biology applications. In addition, a number of local experts will come in and provide perspectives on their work in applied fields of conservation. We will read, discuss, and write on various conservation topics. Course assignments will include written and oral exercises with peer evaluations to help students develop ideas and improve communication skills. This course will introduce students to the principal concepts and methodologies of conservation and restoration biology, enrich their understanding of the scientific contributions necessary for solving conservation problems, and further their powers of analysis and communication.
Faculty Biography
Timothy Quinn, Ph.D.,
has served as chief scientist of the Washington Department of Fish and
Wildlife’s habitat program since 1999. Quinn recently served on the
Science Working Group that came up with scientific underpinnings and a
technical framework for the development of the Puget Sound Partnership.
He has a B.S. in Biology from Western Washington University (1979), an
M.S. in Physiological Ecology of Marine Fish from Western Washington
University (1987), and a Ph.D. in Wildlife Ecology from University of
Washington (1993).
Credits per quarter
- Enhanced Online Learning - This offering requires access to web-based tools, but use of these tools does not displace any face-to-face instruction.
Class Size: 15
Scheduled for: Evening
Advertised schedule:
Wednesday 6-10 pm
Located in: Olympia
Ecological and Social Sustainability
Class Size: 50
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Taught by
The second program in the core sequence examines sustainability at theoretical and practical levels. We will examine how sustainability is understood from multiple perspectives, emphasizing systems thinking and complexity theory at regional, national, and global scales. Students will develop a foundation in climate science, development theory, and energy policy to help them assess current strategies of climate mitigation and adaptation. Seminars, lectures, and workshops will help students refine their critical thinking, writing, discussion, and presentation skills. By the end of the quarter, each student will produce a professional quality research paper (candidacy paper) and presentation based on current scholarship. Candidacy is outlined in the student handbook .
Credits per quarter
- Enhanced Online Learning - This offering requires access to web-based tools, but use of these tools does not displace any face-to-face instruction.
Class Size: 50
Scheduled for: Evening
Advertised schedule:
Located in: Olympia
Energy Regimes and Environmental Justice
Class Size: 15
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Taught by
Maintaining a reliable energy system is vital to a healthy society and economy. However, energy extraction, production, and transportation practices across the globe have created serious social and environmental harms, and the United States has not escaped these problems. Although existing and emerging renewable energy technologies promise to help alleviate some of these issues by greatly reducing pollution and being conducive to a more democratic energy production system, the existing energy regime holds much economic and political power to influence the capacity and rate of the clean energy transition. This elective will examine the social and environmental justice implications of various energy production systems, including fossil fuels, nuclear, hydroelectric, and renewables. Through the study of historic and contemporary case studies primarily in the United States (but also in Canada), we will identify broad patterns of injustice and power inherent to the current energy regime complex. We will explore issues of justice and resistance in the larger societal shift toward a cleaner energy economy, as well as forces of change and obstruction in the energy transition, including technology, infrastructure, economy, politics, and social movements. We will spend considerable time studying the impacts of energy development on indigenous or native peoples and consider the role of indigenous rights in the energy transition. We will conclude by exploring pathways toward a just energy transition.
Faculty Biography (forthcoming)
Credits per quarter
- Hybrid Online Learning - This offering delivers < 25% of its instruction online, rather than via face-to-face contact between you and your instructors.
Class Size: 15
Scheduled for: Evening
Advertised schedule:
Monday 6-10 pm
Located in: Olympia
| Date | Revision |
|---|---|
| 2017-12-05 | Schedule changed from Wednesday to Monday. |
Environmental Communication
Class Size: 15
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Taught by
Environmental issues involve diverse decision-makers and stakeholders. This course will focus on how to understand, engage, and persuade the audiences that we want to reach. Students will study the techniques of classical rhetoric, mass communication, and scientific writing and apply them to their own writing. This intensive writing course is designed to improve each student’s abilities in careful reading, argument construction, persuasive writing, and substantive editing. The course aims to challenge and support students at a variety of levels of confidence and expertise in writing. Students can expect to receive constructive feedback from both the instructor and other students through weekly writing workshops. For some of these assignments, if they choose, students may write on topics related to their candidacy paper or thesis.
Credits per quarter
- Hybrid Online Learning - This offering delivers < 25% of its instruction online, rather than via face-to-face contact between you and your instructors.
Class Size: 15
Scheduled for: Evening
Advertised schedule:
Wednesday 6-10pm
Located in: Olympia
Environmental Education
Class Size: 15
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CANCELLED
Taught by
Environmental literacy and engagement are considered essential to furthering goals of sustainability, environmental protection, and climate justice – but how is such literacy developed? This course examines a variety of recognized disciplines within Environmental Education (EE), including outdoor leadership, K-12 education, and citizen science. While exploring the history and development of these fields, we will also critically examine their goals and limitations and consider possibilities for improvement and change. Guest speakers and field trips will contribute to our understanding of EE and how it is interpreted and practiced by multiple stakeholders. Students should expect to gain a more historical understanding of EE, develop insights into real-world challenges to implementing good EE, and add new tools to their educator/communicator toolbox. Note: We will have two all-day Saturday field trips (dates TBA).
Faculty Biography:
Andrea Martin is the Assistant Director of Evergreen’s Master of Environmental Studies program. She has been leading and participating in outdoor and environmental education programs since 2009 all over the western United States. As an MES student from 2011-13, she investigated the long-term influence outdoor education opportunities have on environmental decision making. After completing her MES, Andrea worked with the non-profit Washington Trails Association, where she led their state-wide youth stewardship and leadership programs and supported the development of their equity and inclusion initiatives.
Credits per quarter
- Enhanced Online Learning - This offering requires access to web-based tools, but use of these tools does not displace any face-to-face instruction.
Class Size: 15
Scheduled for: Evening
Advertised schedule:
Monday 6-10 pm
Located in: Olympia
| Date | Revision |
|---|---|
| 2017-12-12 | This course has been cancelled. |
Food and Agricultural Policy
Class Size: 15
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Taught by
The modern industrial food system has dramatically increased agricultural productivity, reduced the cost of food production, and provided an almost unlimited range of consumer choices. The corporations and organizations that control this system are some of the wealthiest and most politically powerful forces on the planet. Despite this success, the environmental, social, and economic consequences of the system have led many to question its long-term sustainability. This class will examine the origins of the modern industrial food system and the economic and policy framework that supports it, both internationally and in the United States. Through readings, lectures, films, discussions, written assignments, and a day-long field trip, we will consider both the costs and benefits of the current system as well as potential alternatives and strategies for change. Students will also complete an individual research project examining their own relationship with the food system and the forces and policies that shape their choices as consumers and citizens.
Faculty Biography (forthcoming)
Credits per quarter
- Hybrid Online Learning - This offering delivers < 25% of its instruction online, rather than via face-to-face contact between you and your instructors.
Class Size: 15
Scheduled for: Evening
Advertised schedule:
Monday 6-10 pm
Located in: Olympia
graduate Conceptualizing Our Regional Environment (gCORE)
Class Size: 50
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Taught by
The first program in the core sequence provides an interdisciplinary framework for understanding Pacific Northwest ecosystems, environmental history, and regional identity. In addition to developing a foundation in the methodologies and perspectives of core environmental disciplines, students will assess the value of particular disciplines for framing and solving environmental problems. We will focus on a few major environmental challenges, such as salmon recovery and forest management, through readings, lectures, workshops, seminar discussions, writing assignments, and field trips. A central part of this quarter's work is an interdisciplinary group project, which assumes that many critical environmental issues cannot be solved by individuals working alone or even by teams from a single discipline. This project provides an opportunity for students to develop their research, writing, presentation, and collaborative problem-solving skills.
Credits per quarter
- Enhanced Online Learning - This offering requires access to web-based tools, but use of these tools does not displace any face-to-face instruction.
Student fee for multiple-day field trip--details to be announced.
Class Size: 50
Scheduled for: Evening
Advertised schedule:
6-10p Tue/Thu
Located in: Olympia
Introduction to GIS
Class Size: 15
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Taught by
This course will teach students how to use the versatile technology of Geographic Information Systems (GIS). GIS is more than map-making. A GIS integrates computer hardware, software, and data for capturing, managing, analyzing, and displaying all forms of geographically referenced information across a wide variety of disciplines. GIS technology is increasingly used by physical and social scientists, policy makers, businesses, environmental and conservation organizations, utilities, public health providers, the military, and educators, to name a few. More and more organizations are using spatial data and analysis to help them make decisions relating to acceptable land uses, allocation of resources and assets, fairness and social wellbeing, and many other needs. Instruction will rely strongly on weekly hands-on labs and homework exercises to guide students through a public policy decision process from beginning to end over the duration of the quarter. Students will learn to manage spatial data and tools, mainly using the Esri suite of software commonly known as ArcGIS. No previous experience with GIS is required. Student versions of the ArcGIS software suite will be made available for home use (but technical support is limited to college computers).
Faculty Biography
Michael Ruth, M.Sc.,
is a professional GIS practitioner for Esri (Environmental Systems
Research Institute, Inc). Mike has been a project manager and
consultant for Esri, helping a wide variety of agencies learn and
exploit geographic information systems. His clients have included
major non governmental organizations, tribal and state governments, and
US federal agencies. Mike studied Environmental Science in
college, later specializing in Geology at George Washington
University. For his Masters degree, Mike completing a field
mapping project studying the geology of the western Dominican Republic
along the Haiti border area. After completing his Master of
Science degree, Mike worked for the Spot Image Corporation, developing
GeoTIFF and other satellite imagery methods for GIS integration.
Now at Esri, Mike has focused on Africa projects for non-profit
organizations over the past few years. Recent projects address the
applications of GIS technology for improving polio vaccination success
in Nigeria, agricultural improvement for small holder farmers in
Tanzania, and participatory community conservation activities in the
western Serengeti, among other projects.
Credits per quarter
- Hybrid Online Learning - This offering delivers 25 - 49% of its instruction online, rather than via face-to-face contact between you and your instructors.
Class Size: 15
Scheduled for: Evening
Advertised schedule:
Monday 6-10 pm
Located in: Olympia
Master of Environmental Studies Thesis
Spring 2018
Class Size: 50
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Taught by
To complete their degree, MES students are required to complete a 16 credit thesis. Students are assigned a faculty mentor or "reader" in fall quarter of their second year. Each reader is assigned a CRN (course reference number) for Winter quarter and a different CRN for Spring quarter, and students will be notified of their reader's CRN by email from the MES office prior to registration for each quarter. Students will take eight thesis credits each quarter. In addition to the thesis, students are required to attend an evening thesis workshop, which is usually offered on occasional Tuesday or Thursday evenings throughout the Winter and Spring quarters. Students will be notified of exact details during Fall quarter. See our Thesis Resources page for more information.
Credits per quarter
- Enhanced Online Learning - This offering requires access to web-based tools, but use of these tools does not displace any face-to-face instruction.
Class Size: 50
Scheduled for: Evening
Advertised schedule:
6-10p on occasional Tue or Thu
Located in: Olympia
Probing the "How" and the "Why": An Introduction to Qualitative Research Methods
Class Size: 15
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Taught by
Quantitative methods of research typically focus on answering questions about the extent or significance of relationships between variables. In contrast, qualitative research seeks to answer questions that usually start with "Why. . . " and "How . . ." through nuanced descriptions and explanations. This elective introduces students to both the theory and methodology associated with diverse kinds of qualitative research. Students will explore the social construction of reality, what it means to participate in "self-full" research, phenomenology, and grounded theory through reading and seminar discussions. Students will also examine environmental studies that use observational research, archival searches, case studies, interviews, focus groups, and surveys. Finally, students will develop skills on specific tools for data analysis and interpretation, including the use of Atlas.ti for coding. Students can expect to complete exercises throughout the quarter that help them discover key features and techniques of qualitative research. This course provides a strong conceptual and practical foundation for students who want to employ qualitative methods in their thesis or subsequent research.
Faculty Biography
Kathleen M. Saul, M.A., M.E.S.,
received her BA in French and BS in Chemical Engineering from the
University of Notre Dame and MA in Management from the Wharton School of
Business (University of Pennsylvania) before turning her attention to
environmental issues and eventually joining the MES program at
Evergreen. After completing her degree in 2009, she taught
Statistics in the Evening and Weekend studies program and Qualitative
Methods, an Energy elective and gCORE in the Graduate Program on the
Environment. Kathleen then moved to the Center for Energy and
Environmental Policy at the University of Delaware to pursue her PhD.
Her dissertation research focuses on the displacement of people that
results from large scale technology projects, with a focus those
involving nuclear technology. While at Delaware, she participated
in research projects looking into the energy policy implications of the
Fukushima nuclear disaster as well as alternative administrative forms
for organizations devoted to energy conservation, efficiency, and
sustainable energy options. She also taught in the undergraduate
Introduction to Energy Policy and Sustainable Energy Policy and Planning
courses. Her engineering acumen, business sense, and
environmental awareness all come together in understanding modern energy
systems and the green energy economy.
Credits per quarter
- Hybrid Online Learning - This offering delivers < 25% of its instruction online, rather than via face-to-face contact between you and your instructors.
Class Size: 15
Scheduled for: Evening
Advertised schedule:
Wednesday 6-10 pm
Located in: Olympia
Public Land Management and Climate Change
Class Size: 15
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Taught by
- Taught by Peter Goldmark
Our public lands are a resource far beyond monetary value. Washington’s forested and shrub steppe landscapes represent a vulnerable and irreplaceable natural resource that fosters vital wildlife habitat, forage, clean water, oxygen regeneration, carbon storage, fiber and building materials, recreational opportunities, personal solace and much more. In the first phase of this class, we will look at the complex management plans currently deployed on state, federal, and tribal lands across Washington State. Students will also engage directly with a diverse spectrum of land managers in both field and classroom settings. Course work will include analyzing research papers and land plans that detail many of the current strategies managers use. A mid-term paper summarizing these various and sometimes contrasting management methods will be required. The second phase of the course will focus on climate change and the threat this presents to all public lands and, thus, the imperative of adaptive strategies. Students will consider a range of climate models and consensus predictions presented by climatologists. We will also focus on innovative management strategies that will enhance the resilience of public forests and rangelands to mitigate warmer temperatures and more frequent natural disturbances. Visiting experts from Native American tribes and federal and state agencies will lead discussions on potential approaches to the enormous threat that climate change presents. We will examine and debate management strategies to increase resilience of forests and rangelands, improve carbon storage, enhance water retention of landscapes, and dramatically increase the fire resistance of embedded communities. A final paper and oral argument on each student’s suggested potential adaptation plans for public lands will be required. There will be a minimum of 4 field trips, including meetings with scientists and senior agency staff in the field.
Faculty Biography
Peter Goldmark has a lifelong involvement with agriculture, conservation, science, education, and public service. In January 2017, Peter completed his second elected term as Washington State Commissioner of Public Lands. He obtained his B.S. from Haverford College in 1967 and went on to complete a PhD in Molecular Biology at UC Berkeley. He has published research papers in national and international journals and instructed class at Heritage college and UC Berkeley.
Credits per quarter
- Hybrid Online Learning - This offering delivers < 25% of its instruction online, rather than via face-to-face contact between you and your instructors.
Class Size: 15
Scheduled for: Evening
Advertised schedule:
Wednesday 6-10 pm
Located in: Olympia
Research Design and Quantitative Methods
Class Size: 50
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Taught by
The third program in the core sequence explores quantitative methods for studying complex environmental phenomena. A primary focus is developing practical literacy in experimental design and data analysis. Students will learn statistical methods including graphical and tabular summaries, distributions, confidence intervals, t-tests, analysis of variance (ANOVA), Chi-square tests, linear regression, multivariate statistics, and both non-parametric and resampling approaches to these statistical methods. The program also introduces software for data management and statistical analyses. Computer lab exercises and collaborative group research projects help students develop proficiency in experimental design and statistical programs.
Credits per quarter
- Hybrid Online Learning - This offering delivers < 25% of its instruction online, rather than via face-to-face contact between you and your instructors.
Class Size: 50
Scheduled for: Evening
Advertised schedule:
6-10p, Tue/Thu
Located in: Olympia
The Political Ecology of Natural Disasters and Climate Justice
Class Size: 20
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Taught by
Graduate CRN: 40175
Undergraduate CRN: 40176
The Anthropocene in the 21st century is an age of volatile changes in the environmental well-being of many human and non-human communities. Increasingly, scientists and environmental managers have found themselves involved in work that seeks to evaluate and mitigate the emerging effects of these human-caused ecological changes and natural disasters. But who stands to benefit from and whose well-being is left out of adaptation, mitigation and recovery efforts? Centered with critical lenses from the political ecology and climate justice literature, we will explore regional and globally-situated case studies of climate disruption and natural disaster regimes, asking these question and recognizing that human systems never operate apolitically. Examining these case studies, we will explore how environmental harms are not equally distributed and already vulnerable communities are often disproportionately impacted. We will probe our own roles as practitioners, managers and scientists, diving into the socio-cultural reactions on the ground during these traumatic moments and recognizing that complex political realities often affect the ability of communities, governments and organizations to respond to these challenges equitably.
Masters students can choose to develop their thesis topics or capstones through their own case study in the course. With a focus on critical methodologies and qualitative methods, students will be exposed to the latest research trends and discussions in the social sciences, where practitioners are evolving to better account for the needs and desires of researched communities in this era of climate disruption and natural disasters. This curriculum will also help students develop the skills to communicate their work effectively in order to better inform and collaborate with policymakers, community organizations and frontline communities in the complex social and political realities of the Anthropocene.
Credits per quarter
- Hybrid Online Learning - This offering delivers < 25% of its instruction online, rather than via face-to-face contact between you and your instructors.
Class Size: 20
Scheduled for: Evening
Final schedule and room assignments:
Advertised schedule:
Thursdays 6-10pm
Located in: Olympia
Tropical Ecology
Class Size: 15
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Taught by
- Sabra Hull
This class explores Costa Rican tropical ecology, research, and culture through preparatory classes, readings, and a two-week trip to southern Costa Rica. Students will be introduced to organisms and ecological processes of lowland, pre-montane and cloud forest tropical forests through a series of forest walks, lectures, and independent field studies. Each student will develop, implement, and report on an independent field study exploring concepts from class, lectures, and reading. The class will travel by private transport and stay at three research stations. Resources and staff at each station will help students maximize their time in country.
Class topics will explore (1) biogeographical and ecological explanations for species diversity and distribution, (2) alternate hypotheses and explanations for high diversity tropical forests, (3) ecological interactions and coevolution, (4) pollination and fruit dispersal mechanisms, (5) land use change, forest fragmentation and sustainable development models, (6) Costa Rica’s forward-thinking ecosystem services programs, and (7) forest restoration.
Faculty Biography
Richard Bigley, Ph.D.,
is a forest ecologist who teaches sustainable forestry and on occasion a
forest ecology class. His current work focuses on the restoration of
riparian forests to older forest conditions in western Washington, and
the ecology and management of headwater streams and wetlands. He works
for the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Over the
last 21 years with DNR, he has served as the team leader for the Forest
Ecology, Wildlife Science and the Habitat Conservation Plan Monitoring
and Adaptive Management Teams. He also advises other organizations on
the development of conservation plans. Before DNR, he worked as an
ecologist for the Forest Service PNW Experiment Station and private
industry. Richard earned a Ph.D. in Forest Ecology and Silviculture and a
M.Sc. in Botany from the University of British Columbia. He has been an
Assistant Professor at the University of Washington, College of the
Environment, School of Forestry since 1994. As member of the Northern
Spotted owl “5-year review” panel in 2004, Richard was a contributor to
the first comprehensive evaluation of the scientific information on the
Northern Spotted owl since the time of its listing as threatened under
the Endangered Species Act in 1990. After his family, his passions are
the science of natural resources management and conservation, and
boating.
Sabra Hull (forthcoming)
Credits per quarter
- Hybrid Online Learning - This offering delivers < 25% of its instruction online, rather than via face-to-face contact between you and your instructors.
Class fees : Anticipated to be $1,350 plus $800 airfare. A $350 deposit will be due on registration that contributes to the class fee. All students are required to attend an orientation session about this elective early in fall quarter that will provide further details.
Class Size: 15
Scheduled for: Evening
Advertised schedule:
This course will meet during four Wednesday evenings, 6-10 pm, during winter quarter followed by two weeks (March 17-30) in Costa Rica.
Located in: Olympia
Urban Ecology
Class Size: 15
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How do different patterns of urban development affect biodiversity, ecosystem function, human health, and social well-being? Can we accommodate urban growth in the face of environmental changes, while maintaining and restoring urban green spaces and habitats? Why do some species adapt to urban environments while others do not? These are examples of the “big questions” that urban ecologists ask. Answering them requires collaboration across diverse disciplines.
In this course we will examine urban areas as socio-ecological systems, in which humans and their actions are a component of ecological systems. Students will learn relevant principles, methods and approaches from ecology, geography, economics, history, urban studies and public policy development, and use them to assess case studies of environmental problems and solutions in urban areas. Students will also read and discuss contemporary scientific articles and books, visit local restoration and green infrastructure projects, and address a critical urban ecological issue of their choice through a final project.
Faculty Biography (forthcoming)
Credits per quarter
- Hybrid Online Learning - This offering delivers < 25% of its instruction online, rather than via face-to-face contact between you and your instructors.
Class Size: 15
Scheduled for: Evening
Advertised schedule:
Monday 6-10 pm
Located in: Olympia