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Course Descriptions

For more information about the order in which you should take these courses, refer to your checklist.

• Introduction to Environmental Management and Sustainable Development (ENV-100)

• This course is dedicated to studying ecological, economic, political, and sociocultural perspectives on the relationship between humans and the natural world. It presents an interdisciplinary outlook on the wide range of environmental concepts and contemporary environmental issues. Throughout the course, students will learn about ways of sustainable development in the context of an imminent threat of global warming.听

• Applied Ecology: Interactions, Relationships, and Conservation (

• This course will provide you with a foundational understanding of ecology: the interactions that govern our environment.听 We鈥檒l learn about living and nonliving aspects of the environment, discover the relationships between organisms, explore local environments around Bishkek, investigate conservation methods and techniques available for ecological research, and uncover practical ways we can have a positive impact on our environment.

• General Chemistry (EMSD/NTR-101)

• General Chemistry is a preparatory laboratory science course. Each unit of the course centers on chemistry-related technological issues currently confronting our world.听

• Environmental Geochemistry (AGEO/NS-110)

• In this course students will learn about the types and properties of chemical substances that pollute the environment. Emphasis will be placed on the environmental implications of energy utilizations. Chemical composition and properties of the atmosphere, hydrosphere and lithosphere will be studied through comprehensive discussion of climate change, air pollution, ozone depletion, pollution of water sources, and the utilization of insecticides and herbicides.

• GIS Application in Environmental Management (ENV/NS-202)

• This course introduces the underlying principles and methodologies of working with Geographical Information Systems (GIS). Students will learn about data management, data visualization, georeferencing, data collection and analysis, and reporting. The course provides the students an opportunity to develop practical skills of data collection and processing using the leading Open Source GIS software package, Quantum GIS.听

• Climate Change and Sustainable Development Goals (ENV-216)

• This course examines the issue of climate change in all of its complexity, bringing together scientific, economic, social, and political aspects of the problem. Throughout the course, we will address several important questions, such as, 鈥淲hat is the scientific basis for our understanding of climate change, and to what extent is the scientific basis uncertain?鈥�, 鈥淲hat are the sources of greenhouse gas emission?鈥�, and, 鈥淲hat solutions exist or need to be developed in order to slow down or stop climate change?鈥�

• Water Resource System Planning and Management (ENV-304)

• The course examines key principles, approaches and issues in water resource management. The objective of the course is to introduce students to the methodology of water resource management, gain practice, and increase their awareness of effective water use and conservation of water resources.

• Green Spaces in Urban Development (ENV/NTR-210)

• This course gives an overview of the concepts relevant to sustainable urban development, which includes: urban green spaces, urban trees, green corridors and blue corridors. Latest research on tree health will be analyzed, and numerous examples of green urban zones across the world will be examined. The main focus of the course will be the project dedicated to protection and renaturation of the Karagachevaya Rosha Park in Bishkek, implemented by the French-Kyrgyz Association of Ecotourism in partnership with the 69色.

• Environmental Geophysics (ENV/NS-203)

• Trees, Forests and Sustainability (ENV/NS-215)

• Trees and forests are nowadays threatened although they are among our best allies in solving the emerging climate catastrophe. By revisiting the traditions of ancient people and providing scientific explanations of their practices and methods, the course aims to encourage students to develop an alternative outlook on nature and discover the often-unsuspected particularities of trees.听

• Environmental and social impact assessment (ENV-200)

• Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) is the process of evaluating possible effects of new projects on the environment and the society, and finding ways to mitigate them. The purpose of this course is to help students develop a comprehensive and critical understanding of the theory and practice of EIA. The course examines the components of ESIA, the process of ESIA conduction, as well as various juridical, technical and policy issues associated with it.

• Research Methods (ENV-207)

• In this course students will learn about various research methodologies, protocols, and foundational research theories. The course teaches students how to write a proposal, engage in independent studies, and work collaboratively within a mentor-mentee relationship with an ESCS faculty advisor. By the end of the course, students will complete a proposal for a research project. At the end of the summer students will convert this proposal into a full-length research paper.

• International Environmental Law and Policy (ENV/NS-295)

• Food Security, Nutrition 2022 and Sustainable Development (ENV/NTR-214)

• This course examines the concept of food security within the context of sustainable development and social stability while taking into account the role of financial markets, agri-business industries and international trade. The issue of food deficit is connected to broader global challenges such as food sovereignty, public health, climate change, complex emergencies, and forced migration. In addition, this course addresses population growth and the challenges it poses 鈥� in particular, the challenge of providing everyone with an adequate diet while simultaneously conserving the natural resources on which agriculture and other economic activities depend.

• Agro-Ecology Integrated Crop Management (ENV-303)

• This is an advanced 6-credit course for students interested in ecology of agricultural systems, environmental impacts of crop production, agro-ecology and sustainable agriculture. The course examines the application of ecological concepts and principles for the improvement of cropping systems. Students will gain an in鈥恉epth understanding of the relationship between inputs and outputs in agricultural systems and their relation to primary productivity, nutrient cycling, energy flows, and species interactions on farms.
• Internship: Research Project (ENV-300)
• An internship experience provides students with an opportunity to explore career interests while applying knowledge and skills learned in the classroom. Such experience also helps students gain a clearer sense of what they still need to learn, and provides an opportunity to build professional networks. The internship will provide students with the opportunity to:
• Acquire knowledge of the industry in which the internship is done.
• Practice applying knowledge and skills learned in the classroom in a work setting.
• Develop a greater understanding of existing career options while simultaneously developing personal professional goals.
• Develop and refine oral and written communication skills.
• Identify areas for future learning and skill development.

• Senior Thesis Seminar (ENV-400)

• Environmental Studies Senior Seminar brings together majors with different course backgrounds to analyze environmental problems using an interdisciplinary approach. The seminar will guide students through key issues in research design, from choosing a topic, through selecting research approaches, to conducting research, drawing conclusions and summarizing the results. While students will be able to rely on a textbook to aid them in understanding the research process in ecological science, emphasis will be placed on how such research is actually conducted. Students will also review and discuss empirical articles published in a variety of social science journals. Each student will be required to present the results of their research to their colleagues at the end of the course.

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