TRN141Y1: Environmental Science & Pathways to Sustainability
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course makes environmental science exciting, accessible and personally transformative, regardless of your Program of Study! You won’t be tested on your ability to memorize decontextualized facts. Instead, you will enrich your understanding of the fascinating phenomena that maintain life on earth and the processes that are degrading it; and gain knowledge and skills to do something about it.
We look at science as a tool for observing, measuring and analyzing the environment – situating it in meaningful social, economic and cultural contexts. You will develop an integrated sustainability lens that can be applied to any degree.
We engage with applied issues through hands-on activities and seminar discussions, which make science and interdisciplinary concepts easier to understand. The course advances students in preparation for integrated research with a literature review, research design and creative science communication – all motivated by the joy of exploration, discovery and advocacy.
Breadth Requirement: 0.5 FCE 4) Living Things and Their Environment + 0.5 FCE 5) The Physical and Mathematical Universes
HOW WILL I BE EVALUATED?
- Technical Papers
- Discussion Posts
- Reflections
- Presentations
- Debate
- Participation
Note: assignments can vary from year to year
WHAT SKILLS CAN I GAIN FROM THIS COURSE?
- Understanding of using scientific methods and data analysis in research
- A broad understanding of environmental science and sustainability
- Reading academic research papers
- Writing technical papers and reports
- Interpersonal skills
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
TRN141Y1 COURSE INSTRUCTOR
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Associate Director, Trinity’s Integrated Sustainability Initiative Email: nicole.spiegelaar@utoronto.ca Nicole Spiegelaar is an Assistant Professor with Trinity College and the School of the Environment, the Associate Director of Trinity’s Sustainability Initiative and a faculty lead on the Trinity Food Systems Lab and the Sustainability Pedagogy Community of Practice. She is most passionate about complex adaptive systems theory and interdisciplinary knowledge integration to address sustainability challenges. Her recent research looks at the natural environment as a setting and systems-model for mental wellness and is informed by Indigenous Knowledges of the James Bay Cree, Environmental Psychology and Ecosystems Science. Nicole applies this to sustainability programming, where interdisciplinary experiential learning and complexity not only provide students with critical skills to address global sustainability issues, they promote sustainable behaviour and foster student psycho-social resiliency in uncertain times. |
Dr. Nicole Spiegelaar
