List of undergrad Environmental and Sustainability Sciences (ESS) courses
ESS 101. Introduction to Environmental and Sustainability Sciences (3 credits)
The course introduces the basic principles of environmental and sustainability sciences, including the structure and functioning of ecosystems and their physical and biogeochemical cycles. The course will also examine these ecosystems within the context of complex socio-ecological and socio-technical systems. Specific topics include biodiversity, water, soil, land and air resources, human population dynamics, food and industrial production, and waste and toxicity. Topics will be supplemented by Armenia- and Caucasus-specific cases.
ESS 102. Modes of Inquiry in Environmental and Sustainability Sciences (3 credits)
The course introduces various methods of inquiry used in the field of Environmental and Sustainability Sciences. It is designed to equip students with tools and critical thinking skills to investigate, analyze, and explore paths to address complex challenges through the use of quantitative, qualitative, and hybrid approaches. Students will engage in hands-on exercises and case studies in ESS to enhance their practical skills. They will also develop abilities to critically evaluate existing research.
ESS 103. Research Methods and Statistics (3 credits)
The course will develop the foundational skills for conducting research and analyzing data. Throughout the course, the students will explore quantitative methodologies and garner an understanding of statistical principles and techniques. Topics covered include normality, variance, correlation and regression analysis, and data visualization. Hands-on exercises using statistical software will allow students to work on real-world datasets, fostering proficiency in data analysis. By the end of the course, students will identify relevant statistical tests based on population and sample characteristics.
ESS 110. Environmental and Natural Resource Economics (3 credits)
The course introduces core economic concepts, including supply and demand, market equilibrium, public goods, and externalities. It also explores the challenges faced by modern societies to ensure economic development while preserving and regenerating the natural environment. Students will learn about key analytical tools (such as cost-benefit analysis) utilized by economists when designing and evaluating environmental policies and will be asked to apply them critically to real-world issues and policies. Topics include linkages between the market economy and the environment, challenges of energy transition, and methods for the valuation of environmental costs and benefits.
ESS 120. Biology and Ecosystems (3 credits)
This course provides students with a solid foundation in the fundamental biological principles that govern environmental sustainability, from the smallest building blocks (genes & cells) to the interactions between organisms, populations, communities, and their abiotic surroundings. It will examine the role of biodiversity in human life and healthy ecosystems, discussing its conservation and restoration globally, in the Caucasus region, and Armenia.
ESS 120L . Biology and Ecosystems Laboratory (1 credit)
The course trains students in biology laboratory equipment use and techniques as well as field research approaches to bolster the underlying concepts discussed in the lecture course.
ESS 125. Chemistry for Environment and Sustainability (3 credits)
The course introduces basic chemistry concepts, including bonding, molecular structure, chemical reactions, thermochemistry, and chemical kinetics. In addition, students will gain skills in data mining and analysis related to environmental chemistry. All these will be applied to understand chemical systems including biogeochemical cycles, pollution, food and consumer goods, and toxicity.
ESS 125L. Chemistry for Environment and Sustainability Lab (1 credit)
The course trains students in chemistry laboratory equipment use and techniques to bolster the underlying concepts discussed in the lecture course. In addition, the lab will hone student skills in observing, critically assessing, and reporting data.
ESS 140 Sustainable Energy Systems and Solution (3 credits)
The course delves into the sustainable generation and use of energy at various scales, including building, local, national, and transnational levels. Key topics encompass energy efficiency, centralized and distributed energy generation, smart grids, non-fossil fuel transportation, energy storage, energy markets, and sustainable energy policies. Students will examine these topics from environmental, economic, and social perspectives. The course is project-based, allowing students to apply their knowledge through individual or group projects. Assessment will include these projects, as well as quizzes and examinations, ensuring a grasp of key topics.
ESS 160 Sustainable Food Systems (3 credits)
The course focuses on human food systems, including their social, economic, and environmental sustainability aspects. Students will become familiar with primary agricultural resources and inputs, production technologies, post-harvest handling, food waste, logistics, and marketing. They will also become familiar with developments in the food industry such as genetically modified organisms, organic agriculture (including sustainable fertilizer and pesticide management), fair trade, plant-based diets, and approaches to reduce food loss. The course is project-based, allowing students to apply their knowledge through individual or group projects. Assessment will include these projects, as well as quizzes and examinations, ensuring a grasp of key topics.
ESS 180. Introduction to Geographic Information Systems and Remote Sensing (3 credits)
The course introduces geographic information systems (GIS) and remote sensing using satellite images. Students gain skills in spatial analysis, including collecting and problem-solving through the use of visualization and analytical tools. More and more industries rely on GIS and remote sensing to analyze and visualize data. This course will look at applications of GIS in environmental sciences, public health, sustainable transportation, land-use planning, telecommunications, hydrology, meteorology, crime patterns, etc. The course will also explore remote sensing (Earth Observation) tools offered by NASA, EU Copernicus, and private-sector satellite imagery.
ESS 240. Sustainable Cities (3 credits)
The course introduces the concept of sustainable cities—places with human prosperity, social equity, and environmental health. Special emphasis will be placed on the concepts and tools necessary to address the environmental sustainability of cities, including their resource metabolism, ecology, and built environment impacts. Using case studies of cities, towns, and development projects globally, students will have the opportunity to reflect on principles of sustainability and innovative applications used at various scales by planners and designers. Students are expected to collect, analyze, and present data as well as assess the merits of analyses by others.
ESS 244. Water (3 credits)
The course examines water from various perspectives including ecological, human health, resource stewardship, economic, legal, and political. Topics to be covered include water supply, use, and recycling in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, energy, and domestic life; potential for resource efficiency and optimization; water quality and types of water pollution, methods of testing and monitoring water quality and conditions of freshwater ecosystems; water purification and wastewater treatment; water planning and management tool including those for watersheds, surface, and groundwater resources; new technologies, such as desalination, to access freshwater; and international and national laws on water. The course is project-based, allowing students to apply their knowledge through individual or group projects. Assessment will include these projects, as well as quizzes and examinations, ensuring a grasp of key topics.
ESS 246. Solid Waste in Circular Economy (3 credits)
The course will enable students to understand and explore principles of sustainable waste management from environmental, technological, social, and economic viewpoints. The course covers various types of waste, including food, packaging, plastics, paper, clothes, electronics, automotive, agricultural, and more. The course will focus on circular economy solutions discussing waste reduction strategies, green product design, reuse and recycling practices, zero-waste lifestyle, waste-to-energy, composting, biogas production, and more. The course is project-based, allowing students to apply their knowledge through individual or group projects. Assessment will include these projects, as well as quizzes and examinations, ensuring a grasp of key topics.
ESS 270. Disasters and Resilience Management (3 credits)
The Course explores the history, principles, theories, and approaches of resilience frameworks and management. Students study natural hazards–earthquakes, floods, wildfires, landslides, etc.–and anthropogenic hazards–industrial, nuclear, cyberterrorism, massive explosions, etc.– to plan and implement prevention, preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation strategies and tools. Topical investigations include a range of physical and human-related impacts of disasters, the role of decision-makers and the general public, and social and technological aspects of improved resilience. Global and Armenia-specific cases and scenarios are discussed.
COURSES TO BE ADDED TO THE ESS CATALOGUE
ESS 130. Environmental Geology
ESS 130L. Geology Lab (1 credit)
ESS 150. Fundamentals of Climate Change
ESS 195. Independent Studies
ESS 199. Special Topics
ESS 200. Environmental Monitoring
ESS 200L. Environmental Monitoring Lab (1 credit)
ESS 205. Environmental and Sustainability Assessment Tools
ESS 208. Environmental and Sustainability Modeling
ESS 210. Circular Economy
ESS 242. Sustainable Transportation
ESS 260. Biodiversity: Conservation and Restoration
ESS 262. Environmental and Sustainability Governance
ESS 280. Advanced GIS and Remote Sensing
ESS 290. Internship/Fieldwork
ESS 291. Capstone
ESS 295. Independent Studies
ESS 299. Special Topics
NOTE THAT ALL THE COURSES BELOW ARE ARCHIVED. AUA NO LONGER OFFERS THESE COURSES. AVAILABLE UNDERGRADUATE ENVIRONMENTAL COURSES ARE LISTED ABOVE AS ENVIRONMENTAL AND SUSTAINABILITY SCIENCES (ESS) COURSES.
ENV 101: Introduction to Environmental Sciences (3 credits)
The course is designed for students to gain an understanding of basic principles of environmental sciences, including an introduction to the structure and functioning of ecosystems and their physical and biogeochemical cycles. The course will emphasize the importance of these processes for human health as well as human impact on these processes. Specific topics to be covered include but are not limited to biodiversity, water, land and air resources, environmental conservation, human population trends and dynamic, food and industrial production, and waste and toxicity. Topics will be supplemented by Armenia- and Caucasus-specific cases. Instructor-led discussion along with reading, writing, presenting and practical assignments.
ENV 105: Numbers, Responsibility, and the Environment (3 credits)
The course is a practical introduction to basic quantitative and statistical techniques that can be applied to environmental studies. Students will learn techniques to identify, organize, verify, and understand data, including analyzing trends and tendencies. The course will emphasize the importance of ethical and responsible use of data and information. Each topic will begin with an introduction to a numerical or statistical concept followed by the application of that concept on a real world environmental challenge or opportunity. Students will use basic data analysis tools such as Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets.
ENV 110: Fundamentals of Climate Change (3 credits)
Climate change is one of the greatest challenges facing humanity today. The course will take a multidisciplinary approach to understanding its causes and consequences as well as responses to this challenge. The course will explore the science, economics, and politics of climate change. Key international and Armenia-specific literature, case studies, and social and political movements around climate change will be reviewed and discussed. The course will require students to participate in a simulated multi-stakeholder and multinational negotiations on addressing climate change.
ENV 120: Sustainable Food Systems (3 credits)
This course provides fundamental knowledge of food systems, including their economics and environmental sustainability aspects. This entails the description of primary agricultural resources and inputs, production technologies, post-harvest handling, and food waste, logistics, and marketing. Students will also learn developments in the food industry such as genetically modified organisms, organic agriculture, fair trade, and reduction of food loss. Three hours of instructor-led class time per week.
ENV 130: Plants and Society (3 credits)
This interdisciplinary course enables students to explore the relationship between plants and people and the role of plants in shaping human societies throughout millennia. The course will discuss current environmental challenges related to human relationship with plants, such as food security, forest ecosystem integrity, and more. Through focusing on plants’ impacts on human societies the course is specifically designed to increase students’ awareness and understanding of diverse regions, cultures, and societies within the context of contemporary global challenges.
ENV 140: Waste in Circular Economy (3 credits)
Producing waste seems to be an unavoidable result of human activity. But how can we minimize producing such waste? How can we extract value from these? The course will discuss the fundamental principles of sustainable waste management from environmental, technological, social, and business viewpoints. The course will cover various types of waste, including food, packaging, plastics, paper, clothes, electronics, and more. The course will focus on the circular economy solutions discussing waste reduction strategies, green product design, reuse and recycling practices, zero-waste lifestyle, waste-to-energy, composting, biogas production, and more. Field visits to waste treatment facilities may be part of the course.
ENV 150: Basics of Sustainable Energy (3 credits)
The course focuses on sustainable generation and use of energy. Topics will include identifying, evaluating and managing sustainable energy use and generation in homes, buildings, industry, cities, and nationally. Specific topics shall include energy efficiency, lighting, centralized renewable energy generation, distributed renewable energy generation, smart grids, e-transportation, energy storage, as well as sustainable energy policies. Students will have an understanding of sustainable energy from the environmental, economic, and social perspectives. Students will be evaluated based on individual or group projects and written examinations. Instructor-led class time. Not available to ENGS students.
ENV 170: Chemistry in Everyday Life (3 credits)
The course highlights and discusses the practical chemical world of human beings and the chemical nature of everyday processes. The role of chemistry in necessities of daily life such as the chemistry of life, agriculture, food, housing, healthcare, clothing, household goods (e.g., toys, furniture, etc.), transport, and communications will be discussed. In addition, the course will introduce various applications of chemistry in the area of arts, crime and law enforcement, consumer products, cosmetics, and warfare. As a science-based, quantitative course, the course will teach students the methods of scientific inquiry, including experimental design and chemical analytical methods, data generation and analysis, and presentation of the final results. Instructor-led discussion, along with reading, written, and practical assignments.
ENV 202: Environmental Projects (3 credits)
New Course Description: This course is designed for undergraduate students to gain competence in designing, implementing, and evaluating projects that address environmental issues. Students will work on semester-long group projects which would start from the design of project proposals, and culminate with round-table discussions on each of the implemented projects. The project topics could relate to issues such as: environmental education, resource management (such as waste, energy, soil, water, etc.), sustainable food systems, air quality, forest management or restoration, among other topics. The course includes several in-class simulations using case studies on environmental issues relevant globally and to Armenia. The course uses a project-based learning approach, where student evaluation will be based on their performance in their project, their participation during the in-class simulations and activities, as well as examinations.
Prerequisite: Any lower-division ENV course
ENV 203: Environmental Monitoring (3 credits)
The course will present general procedures, methods, theories, and techniques in the monitoring of environments. Contamination of air, water, soils, and food will be discussed with the emphasis on instrument selection and quality control, including documentation, calibration, and sample management. Classical monitoring schemes, as well as new and innovative techniques will be compared and evaluated. Local and regional data will be introduced and analyzed. The course will emphasize the methods of scientific inquiry, including planning and designing monitoring, sampling, biological and physical-chemical analytical methods, data generation and analysis, and effective presentation of the final results. Instructor-led discussion, along with reading, data-mining, presenting, written, and practical assignments. The course also includes lab and field work opportunities.
Prerequisite: ENV 101 Introduction to Environmental Science
ENV 204: Environmental Decision Tools: EIA, CIA, SEA, CBA (3 credits)
When a project (e.g., a hydro-power plant, a highway, or a mine) is built or a program/policy (e.g., promoting agriculture, regulating car emissions, or increasing waste disposal fees) is adopted, it could impact the natural environment (air, water, soil, flora, fauna, and ecosystems) and the human environment (resettlement of populations, noise, dust, odors, vibrations, obstruction of views, etc.). How do we understand these impacts and inform project design and policy formulation to minimize, mitigate, or eliminate negative impacts? This course will discuss the tools available and commonly used to do this: Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), Cumulative Impact Assessment (CIA), Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), and economic cost-benefit analysis (CBA). The course will also highlight the role of ecosystem services valuation as a relatively new concept that can enhance the effectiveness of decision-making tools introduced in the course. Instructor-led discussions and written assignments. PRE-REQUISITES: None but ENV 101 recommended.
ENV 210: Disasters (3 credits)
Explores the history, fundamentals, principles, theories, and approaches of disaster management. Students study natural and manmade disasters and the planning and management tools available for preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation. Topical investigations include: an overview of disaster management, the range of physical and human impacts, the role of decision-makers and the general public, and structural and non-structural techniques in this quantitative science course. Armenia-specific cases and scenarios are also considered and discussed.
ENV 211: Sustainable Cities (3 credits)
The course will introduce the concept of sustainable cities—places where there is human prosperity, social equity, and environmental health. This will be examined within the larger context of urban aspirations including green or eco-cities, smart cities, creative cities, resilient cities, and more. Special emphasis will be placed on the concepts and tools necessary to address the environmental sustainability of cities including its resource metabolism, ecology, and built environment impacts. Specific topics may include transportation, land use, energy, water, biodiversity and more. The course will also examine the role of integrated and inclusive urban planning and governance. Students are expected to collect, analyze and present data as well as assess the merits of analyses by others.
ENV 212: Mining (3 credits)
The course introduces the basic concepts of mineral exploration, ore extraction, mineral processing, and mine-waste management. The course will have a particular focus on related environmental, occupational safety, public health and social management issues and approaches. As a quantitative science course, emphasis will be placed on statistical, scientific, and engineering tools for understanding better management of mining operations. Additionally, the course will introduce some of the legal and policy topics related to good governance of the mining sector in a country. Both international and Armenia- specific cases will be used to highlight concepts and effective practices. Instructor-led discussion, along with reading, written, and practical assignments.
ENV 230: Water (3 credits)
Without adequate supply of freshwater our economies will not function and our health will not be secured. Human overuse and pollution of freshwater can also cause political conflict and damage ecosystems. This course will examine water from various perspectives including ecological, human health, resource stewardship, economic, and legal/political. Specific topics to be covered include water supply, use, and recycling in manufacturing, mining, energy, agriculture, and domestic life; potential for resource efficiency and optimization; water quality and types of water pollution, methods of testing and monitoring water quality and conditions of freshwater ecosystems; water purification and wastewater treatment; water planning and management tools/models including those for watersheds, surface, and ground water resources; new technologies, such as desalination, to access freshwater; and international and national laws on water. The course may include field and lab work opportunities.
ENV 250: Biodiversity: Conservation and Restoration (3 credits)
This course is designed for undergraduate students to develop basic quantitative skills for deeper understanding of the causes and consequences of the current worldwide loss of plant, animal and other species. The course will cover the theory and practice of managing endangered species and the conservation and restoration of habitats and species populations. The course will emphasize how to apply science and the scientific method in the conservation and restoration of biodiversity. Worldwide as well as Armenia-specific cases will be reviewed. A key expected outcome of the course is students’ competence in measuring trends using statistics and computing useful measures and indices. Three hours of instructor-led class time per week.
ENV 251: Forests (3 credits)
Students will use statistical and scientific tools to gain a deeper understanding of forests, forest-related processes, and management of this critical resource. The course will offer an introduction to the types of forests worldwide, the role of forests in ecosystem that protect the living environment, and their significance to human economies and well-being. Students will gain insights in the ecosystem services that forests provide—for instance, their importance in climate and water-cycle regulation as well as biodiversity and soil protection. Forest management techniques and the role of good forest governance will be highlighted throughout the course. Topics will be supplemented by Armenia and Caucasus-specific cases and problem sets. Instructor-led discussion, along with reading, written, and practical assignments.
ENV 290: Special Topics in Environmental Sciences (3 credits)
The course covers a selected topic of current interest. Topics to be announced prior to course registration.
Prerequisite: May vary; to be announced prior to course registration.