Humans in the Natural Environment

An introduction to environmental science and scientific methodology using the environment as the system of study. The goals are to help the student develop a better understanding of the environment, gain insight into human-caused problems found in nature, explore the relationships of humanity with the environment, and provide practical experience in performing scientific measurements and experiments.
Three lectures per week.
One 3-hour lab per week.
Does not count toward a biology major.

An introduction to the interaction of life with the environment at the molecular, organismal through ecosystem levels, highlighting the major factors influencing evolutionary change. Topics include genetic and phenotypic variation, natural selection, adaptation, speciation, symbiosis and populations dynamics especially in light of human interference, and ecosystem structure and function. Where possible, principles of evolution and ecology will be integrated.
Three lectures per week.
One 3-hour lab per week, including field, laboratory and greenhouse work.
Prerequisite(s): BIO 1400FYW Introduction to Biological Inquiry, CHEM 1110 Chemical Principles I and CHEM 2100 Organic Chemistry I .
(Normally offered each semester.)

A course devoted to exploring issues related to biological diversity, including how biodiversity is measured, where it is found, its value, threats to it, and measure taken at the population and species level to conserve it. The course includes examining links between conservation and economics, law, and the social sciences. Case studies and discussions of local and global topics will encourage students to understand the varied threats to global biodiversity and the principles necessary to overcome them.
Three lectures/discussions per week.
One 3-hour lab per week.
Prerequisite(s): BIO 1400FYW Introduction to Biological Inquiry, BIO 2200 Genetics and Cell Biology and BIO 2300 Ecology and Evolution and sophomore standing or instructor permission.
(Normally offered alternate springs.)
Note: Environmental Studies Minors are encouraged to register; please contact the instructor.

Course focusing on basic concepts in marine biology. Topics discussed in this course include basic oceanography, plankton ecology, nekton biology, meiofauna, marine communities, and the impact of humans on marine systems. Three meetings per week.
Prerequisite(s): BIO 1400FYW Introduction to Biological Inquiry or permission of the instructor.
(Normally offered in the spring of even-numbered years.)

A course highlighting the ecology of tropical ecosystems. Students will read and discuss current literature on recent advancements in the subject area.

Prerequisite: BIO 2300 Ecology and Evolution or BIO-2600 or permission of the instructor.

A study of the reciprocal relationships of living organisms and their environments with respect to individuals, populations, and communities.
Three lectures per week.
One 3-hour lab per week, including field and greenhouse work.
Prerequisite(s): BIO 1400FYW Introduction to Biological Inquiry, BIO 2200 Genetics and Cell Biology and BIO 2300 Ecology and Evolution or permission of the instructor.
(Normally offered alternate fall semesters.)

Each course in the Topics in World Literature group will study a selection of literary works that engage the chosen topic--texts of different genres, from historical eras, and from different cultural traditions. The selected readings will present both abstract principles involved in the topic and its immediate, lived realities.
Prerequisite(s): Any First Year Writing course.

A course in which students will concentrate in depth on one topic within the domain of rhetoric. The particular subject will be determined each time the course is offered.
Prerequisite(s): Junior standing or instructor permission.
(Normally offered every other fall.)

A study of environmental history focusing primarily on the United States and including Canada and Mexico as they involve border environmental conflicts. Emphasis will be placed on environmental philosophy, ethnic minorities, power and politics, regionalism, industrialism, gender, and literature. Course format will be lecture, class discussions based on assigned readings from assigned texts, as well as supplemental sources, reports, videos, and field trips.

See Thread Coordinator.

This course provides a rigorous and detailed examination of foundational concepts and genres from the Classic through Contemporary periods of the music history survey. Students develop and apply music research skills in four broad areas: historical social/cultural context, current published scholarship, overarching musical style(s) of the time period, and stylistic analysis of specific works (scoring, dynamics, rhythm, melody, harmony, texture, form). Alongside their study of music, history, and culture, students learn and apply information from environmental studies. This course includes instruction in writing and information literacy skills. For the semester-long project, students conduct three types of research: 1) personal experiences with/in the natural environment, 2) library research on music and the environment, 3) research and experiences creating sounds and silences. Students use this research to create a musical piece in any style and an accompanying written artist statement.
Prerequisite(s): Junior standing and permission of the instructor.

A course covering some of the most critical problems facing the world today - those relating to the production, distribution, and use of energy. The basic concepts of heat, work, electricity and energy as they apply to energy use around the world will be studied. The major source of energy, their value and importance, the historical and future demand for energy and the specific environmental problems and benefits encountered will be identified.
Three lectures and one laboratory per week.
Prerequisite(s): One year of high school algebra or permission of instructor.
(Normally offered alternate fall semesters.)

This seminar provides an introduction to global environmental politics. Many of the environmental problems of the twenty first century, from climate change to food insecurity to protection of biological diversity and endangered species, are global in nature, and addressing them requires international cooperation. The first part of the course provides the analytical foundation for evaluating environmental problems. The second part of the semester will apply these
analytic and policy tools to an evaluation of actors and solutions. We will look at the state and non-state actors, such as transnational social movements, civil society, NGOs and IOs, businesses and multinational corporations, and
nation-states.

This course examines the demographic and social dynamics of population size, composition, and distribution. It addresses the relationships among population, human health, development and the environment. Strong cross-cultural emphasis. A major focus is the development of a semester research paper contrasting the status of the Millennium and Sustainable Development Goals, environmental status, and health in a more- and less- developed country.

This course is part of the Thinking SocioLogically cluster and is centered on reading, discussing and critically analyzing a wide variety of perspectives on the environment, using environmental sociology as a touchstone for synthesis. The topics range across classical and key debates. Students are encouraged to develop a personal environmental ethic to help frame their personal life choices and societal engagement.

Prerequisite(s): SOC 1110 Introduction to Sociology

This course identifies and explores issues involved in the interaction between humans and the environment. Students are introduced to social impact assessment as a means for identifying the ways resource exploitation leads to both the development and decline of communities. Food production is used to illustrate these impacts because it plays a significant role in community organization, human survival, and environmental resilience. The requirements of 4530 are the same as 3540 EXCEPT that students enrolled in 4530 complete a semester length experiential field project relevant to the course material.
Prerequisite(s): SOC 1110 Introduction to Sociology or SOC 2530 Population and Environment.
(Normally offered alternate years.)

This course is a three-week study tour of selected parts of Australia during the winter break (summer in Australia). Students will have broad first-hand exposure to a wide variety of field sites (environmental, cultural and agricultural) and most of the "instruction" will be provided by various stakeholders on site and under the supervision of accompanying faculty. The experience is offered as a collaboration between Nebraska Wesleyan University and the University of Nebraska, but the course proper is a NWU course. The underlying theme for the course is consideration of what sustainability looks like and how it is achieved in culturally relevant ways. Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor.