Fall 2006

ISB 201* Insects, Globalization and Sustainability

section 001 Tu Th  10:20- 11:40

We will examine the biological processes and the interconnections of the biosphere with an emphasis on ecology and evolution, and investigate how the activities associated with globalization are potentially disrupting a delicate balance.  A strong emphasis will be placed on the use of scientific data in performing cost / benefit analysis to determine appropriate courses of action in making decisions as global stewards.  This course will identify methods by which the human race can accommodate its needs in a sustainable fashion.  Topics will include: population dynamics, biodiversity and biogeography, invasive species, global change, insect vectored diseases, food resources, water quality, and environmental factors impacting human health.

*ISB201L is available but not required for this Track.  Students in this Track may also take ISB208L or ISB201L at a later date.

IAH 206  Self, Society and Technology

Sections 014-019, M W 10:20-11:40

      Plus 1 hour recitation

We focus on multiple ways to understand the environment. We will develop a language for understanding different interpretive frames used to examine the natural world. While we will refer to scientific frames of reference that will be central to ISB (and later, in ISP), we will also explore how perspectives from philosophy, literature, history, and other places allow us to understand the environment. The goal of the course will be the development of critical interpretive abilities that will enhance one's capacity to understand the natural world--and communicate that understanding to others.

Spring 2007

ISS 310 People and the Environment

Section 005, TU TH 10:20-11:40,

           AND F 10:20-11:10

We will examine contemporary issues related to the interaction of socio-cultural and ecological systems. We consider how social systems are related to the environment and how the environment is altered by those social systems.; how time scales and spatial scales influence our understanding of change; how the geography of nation-states are related to the scale of ecosystems; how watersheds and other organizing schemes influence political destinies; and how water, or the lack thereof, influences our social choices.

ISP 221 Earth Environment and Energy

Section 001, M W F 11:30-12:20

We examine the flow of energy into, through, and out of the earth's lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere. We consider the basic nature of energy, the concept of entropy, and how they relate to the physical and life processes of the environment. Topics include energy & global warming, weather & climate, ocean tides & currents, ice caps, glaciers & sea ice. Some of the questions we address are: Why do you need a wet suit to surf the summer ocean off Northern California but not Massachusetts? Why do we find whale fossils in the Himalayas? How does the condensation of water droplets produce the megaton-a-minute energy of a hurricane? Why is it so cold in Michigan in January if the Earth is actually 3 million miles closer to the sun then? What is the evidence for global warming?

These courses will fulfill four of your seven required Integrative Studies courses.  Some of these courses have prerequisites.  These prerequisites have been waived for this special sequence.   If you have any questions about enrolling in the IS Environmental Track, please contact Marsha Walsh at mwalsh@msu.edu, 517-353-4572.