Senior Seminar Info and Applications

2. ENVS 196 - Agroecology and Sustainable Agriculture - Stacy Philpott

Description: Agroecology has been described as a research discipline, as a production practice, and as a social movement. In this graduate-level course, we will focus on agroecology as a research discipline and production practice, and will focus on making explicit links between ecological theory, ecological principles, and empirical studies that contribute to the design and management of sustainable agricultural systems. We will also touch on the long-term goals of achieving agroecosystem sustainability through economic, social, and ecological contexts. The course is intended primarily for graduate students in the Environmental Studies PhD Program. It meets the Area Specialization course requirements for the required natural science course. The course will meet in person, on campus, in a synchronous format. 

There are four main learning outcomes for this course:

1. Students will be able to recall impacts of agricultural intensification, the role of agroecology as an alternative, and different definitions of agroecology.
2. Students will be able to differentiate between practices used in modern, conventional agriculture and agroecological (or organic or diversified) farming systems
3. Students will be able to explain how ecological principles, and evidence from empirical studies contribute to the design and management of sustainable agricultural systems.
4. Students will be able to implement ideas they have learned about agroecological research through creating a research proposal.
   
   

Prerequisites: Agroecology and ENVS majors with senior standing who have passed ENVS 100/L and three additional upper-division courses. Preference will be given to students who have completed ENVS 130A/L and ENVS 130B. Enrollment by application.

To apply: Fill out this application form. 

Winter 2025 (Two senior seminar sections will be offered)   

1. ENVS 196 - Climate Change Adaptation & Mitigation - Michael Loik

Description: Adaptation and mitigation broadly refer to proactive approaches to combating climate change. Adaptation refers to the actions we can take to prepare for climate change. Mitigation generally applies to technologies, processes, and policies that we can put in place to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. In this senior seminar, we will first review the frontiers of the climate change adaptation and mitigation literature. Then, we will undertake hands-on projects in which we will measure the effectiveness of local adaptation and mitigation projects at UCSC. Students will gain practical experience with state-of-the-art technologies for monitoring environmental variables and greenhouse gases. 

Prerequisites: ENVS majors with senior standing who have passed ENVS 100/L and three additional upper-division courses. Enrollment by application.

To apply: TBD

2. ENVS 196 - Conserving Water and Energy by Rethinking Wastewater Management - Elliott Campbell

Description: When a city is running out of water what can it do? Santa Cruz County is looking to wastewater reuse to protect our limited water supply. In fact, many cities are rethinking their approach to wastewater given intersecting challenges of water scarcity, agriculture sustainability, and fossil fuel reliance. There is a growing job market in wastewater, and this work can draw on the broad understanding of environmental resources and pollution. Environmental studies students who are concerned about water sustainability or might be considering future work in this area are encouraged to join this senior seminar.

Prerequisites: ENVS majors with senior standing who have passed ENVS 100/L and three additional upper-division courses. Enrollment by application.

To apply: TBD

Spring 2025 (Two senior seminar sections will be offered)   

1. ENVS 196 - Climate Justice - Jeffrey Bury

Description: As the pace and scale of global climate change rapidly escalates over the next few decades, it will pose profound environmental, social, economic, and political challenges for humanity. This senior seminar will focus on what climate justice is and why it is a critical component for current efforts to confront the climate crisis. The course will be organized around a series of student-led research analyses that examine climate justice and how it might be achieved in relationship to our most recent knowledge about the complex nature of this unfolding crisis. The specific themes to be addressed will be determined by the participants in the course, but will likely include global carbon budgets and taxes, vulnerability and adaptation, migration and climate refugees, geoengineering, and alternative energy. The goal of these evaluations will be to assess why climate justice is important and how it might current and proposed efforts to address climate change and the social, political, and economic constraints affecting how it might be achieved. 

The class will be organized around two different sections. The first section will consist of seminars in which students will read and discuss the idea of climate justice and the most recent and significant papers and reports focusing on climate change. During this section, participants will select specific thematic focus areas for further research. The second section of the course will consist of student presentations and larger class discussions evaluating each of these focus areas and a specific set of proposals that seek to confront the climate crisis.

Each student will be expected to prepare a written research paper that includes a review of the salient literature related to their focus area that addresses the question of how, in what ways, and if their selected case-study proposal might confront the climate crisis.

Prerequisites: ENVS major with senior standing and has completed ENVS 100/L and 3 additional upper-division courses. Preference will be given to those who have demonstrated past academic excellence and have background course work or professional experience related to the course focus.

To apply: TBD

2. ENVS 196G - Foundations of Applied Research in Geographic Information Systems - Instructor TBD

Description: TBD

Prerequisites: ENVS majors with senior standing who have passed ENVS 100/L, ENVS 115A/L, ENVS 115B, and ENVS 115C. Enrollment by application.

To apply: TBD