Mail Code: 94305-4215
Phone: (650) 725-3183
Email: deana@stanford.edu
Web Site: http://earthsystems.stanford.edu
Courses offered by the Earth Systems Program are listed under the subject code EARTHSYS on the Stanford Bulletin's ExploreCourses web site.
Mission of the Undergraduate Program in Earth Systems
The Earth Systems Program is an interdisciplinary environmental science major. Students learn about and independently investigate complex environmental problems caused by human activities in conjunction with natural changes in the Earth system. Earth Systems majors become skilled in those areas of science, economics, and policy needed to tackle the world's most pressing social-environmental problems, becoming part of a generation of scientists, professionals, and citizens who approach and solve problems in a systematic, interdisciplinary way.
For students to be effective contributors to solutions for such problems, their training and understanding must be both broad and deep. To this end, Earth Systems students take fundamental courses in ecology, calculus, chemistry, geology, and physics, as well as economics, policy, and statistics. After completing breadth training, they concentrate on advanced work in one of six focus areas: biology, energy, environmental economics and policy, land systems, sustainable food and agriculture, or oceanography and climate. Tracks are designed to support focus and rigor but include flexibility for specialization. Examples of specialized foci have included but are not limited to environment and human health, sustainable agriculture, energy economics, sustainable development, business and the environment, and marine policy. Along with formal course requirements, Earth Systems students complete a 1-unit (270-hour) internship. The internship provides a hands-on academic experience working on a supervised field, laboratory, government, or private sector project.
The Earth Systems Program provides an advising network that includes faculty, staff, and student peer advisers.
The following is an outline of the sequential topics covered and skills developed in this major.
- Fundamentals: The Earth Systems Program includes courses that describe the natural functioning of the physical and biological components of the Earth and human activities that interact with these components. Training in fundamentals includes introductory course work in geology, biology, chemistry, physics, and economics. Additional training in course work in single and multivariable calculus, linear algebra, and statistics provides students with skills needed for quantifying environmental problems. Training in statistics is specific to the area of focus: geostatistics, biostatistics, econometrics.
- System Interactions: Focus in these courses is on the fundamental interactions among the physical, biological, and human components of the Earth system. Understanding the dynamics between natural variation in and human-imposed influences on the Earth system informs the development of effective solutions to social-environmental challenges.
- Earth Systems courses that introduce students to the dynamic and multiple interactions that characterize social-environmental challenges include:
Course List Units EARTHSYS 10 Introduction to Earth Systems 4 EARTHSYS 111 Biology and Global Change 4 EARTHSYS 112 Human Society and Environmental Change 4 - Competence in understanding system-level interactions is critical to development as an Earth Systems thinker, so additional classes that meet this objective are excellent choices as electives.
- Earth Systems courses that introduce students to the dynamic and multiple interactions that characterize social-environmental challenges include:
- Track-Specific Requirements: After completing a core designed to introduce students to different functional components of the Earth system, undergraduate students focus their studies through one of six tracks: Human Environmental Systems (formerly Anthrosphere); Biosphere; Energy, Science and Technology; Oceans and Climate (formerly Oceans); Land Systems; or Sustainable Food and Agriculture.
- Skills Development: Students take skills courses that help them to recognize, quantify, describe, communicate, and help solve complex problems that face society. For example, field and laboratory methods can help students to recognize the scope and nature of environmental change. Training in satellite remote sensing and geographic information systems allows students to monitor and analyze large-scale spatial patterns of change. This training is either required or recommended for all tracks.
- Communication: Success in building workable solutions to environmental problems is linked to the ability to effectively communicate ideas, data, and results. Writing intensive courses (WIM) help students to communicate complex concepts to expert and non-expert audiences. Other Earth Systems courses also focus on effective written and oral communication and are recommended. All Stanford students must complete one WIM course in their major. Earth Systems students can fulfill the WIM requirement by successfully completing one of the following courses:
Course List Units EARTHSYS 200 Environmental Communication in Action: The SAGE Project 3 EARTHSYS 191 Concepts in Environmental Communication 3 EARTHSYS 177C Specialized Writing and Reporting: Environmental and Food System Journalism 4-5 EARTHSYS 149 Wild Writing 3 EARTHSYS 135 3 - Finding solutions: Effective solutions to environmental problems take into consideration natural processes as well as human needs. Earth Systems emphasizes the importance of interdisciplinary analysis and implementation of workable solutions through:
Course List Units EARTHSYS 210A Senior Capstone and Reflection 3 or EARTHSYS 210B Senior Capstone and Reflection EARTHSYS 210P Earth Systems Capstone Project 2 EARTHSYS 260 Internship 1
A comprehensive list of environmental courses is available on the "Related Courses" tab. This list as well as advice on courses that focus on problem solving are available in the program office.
Learning Outcomes (Undergraduate)
The program expects majors to be able to demonstrate the following learning outcomes. These learning outcomes serve as benchmarks for evaluating students and the program's undergraduate degree. Students are expected to:
- demonstrate knowledge of foundational skills and concepts in order to advance the interdisciplinary study of the environment.
- demonstrate the ability to analyze, integrate and apply relevant science and policy perspectives to social-environmental problems.
- demonstrate the ability to communicate complex concepts and data relevant to social-environmental problems and questions to expert and non-expert audiences.
Learning Outcomes (Graduate)
The coterminal master's degree in Earth Systems provides the student with enhanced analytical tools to evaluate the disciplines most closely associated with the student's focus area. Specialization is gained through course work and independent research work supervised by the master's faculty adviser.
Bachelor of Science in Earth Systems
The B.S. in Earth Systems (EARTHSYS) requires the completion of courses divided into three categories:
- core
- foundation and breadth
- track-specific requirements.
The student must fulfill the internship requirement, participate in the Senior Capstone and Reflection course (EARTHSYS 210A or EARTHSYS 210B), complete the Earth Systems Capstone Project (EARTHSYS 210P), and complete the Writing in the Major (WIM) requirement.
Core courses, track courses, and electives must be taken for a letter grade. The WIM course may not also count towards the track or electives, if counted as a WIM.
Required Core
| Units | ||
|---|---|---|
| EARTHSYS 10 | Introduction to Earth Systems | 4 |
| EARTHSYS 111 | Biology and Global Change | 4 |
| EARTHSYS 112 | Human Society and Environmental Change | 4 |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Senior Capstone and Reflection | ||
| Senior Capstone and Reflection | ||
| EARTHSYS 210P | Earth Systems Capstone Project | 2 |
| EARTHSYS 260 | Internship | 1 |
| Select one of the following (WIM): | ||
| Environmental Communication in Action: The SAGE Project | ||
| Concepts in Environmental Communication | ||
| Specialized Writing and Reporting: Environmental and Food System Journalism | ||
| Wild Writing | ||
EARTHSYS 135 | ||
Required Foundation and Breadth Courses
| Units | ||
|---|---|---|
| Biology | 4-10 | |
| Select one of the following (see specific tracks; in some cases, other Bio courses are required): | ||
| Introduction to Ecology | ||
| Plant Biology, Evolution, and Ecology | ||
| Genetics, Evolution, and Ecology and Culture, Evolution, and Society | ||
| Ecology of the Hawaiian Islands | ||
| Chemistry | 5-10 | |
| Select one of the following: | ||
| Chemical Principles Accelerated | ||
| Chemical Principles I and Chemical Principles II | ||
| Economics | 5 | |
| Principles of Economics | ||
| Geological Sciences 1 | 4-5 | |
| Select one of the following: | ||
| Introduction to Geology | ||
| Coevolution of Earth and Life | ||
| Earth Sciences of the Hawaiian Islands | ||
| Evolution of Terrestrial Ecosystems | ||
| Mathematics | 5-15 | |
| Calculus and Calculus and Calculus | ||
| Linear Algebra and Differential Calculus of Several Variables | ||
or CME 100 | Vector Calculus for Engineers | |
| Probability and Statistics | 3-5 | |
| Select one of the following: | ||
| Experimental Design and Probability | ||
| Biostatistics | ||
| Introduction to Statistical Methods (Postcalculus) for Social Scientists | ||
| Statistical Methods in Engineering and the Physical Sciences | ||
| Theory of Probability | ||
More extensive work in mathematics and physics may be valuable for those planning graduate study. Graduate study in ecology and evolutionary biology and in economics requires familiarity with differential equations, linear algebra, and stochastic processes. Graduate study in geology, oceanography, and geophysics may require more physics and chemistry. Students should consult their adviser for recommendations beyond the requirements specified above.
| 1 | The Geological Sciences requirement can be fulfilled by completing GS 1, GS 4, or EARTHSYS 117. GS 1A, 1B, and 1C are no longer offered. If taken in previous years, these will still fulfill the Earth Systems' Geological Sciences requirement. |
Tracks
Human Environmental Systems (formerly Anthrosphere)
| Units | ||
|---|---|---|
| Additional foundation and breadth courses | 10 | |
| Economic Analysis I | ||
| Environmental Economics and Policy | ||
| Physics (select one of the following): | 3-4 | |
One physics class from the PHYSICS 20 or 40 series or GEOPHYS 110 | ||
| Choose one course in each of the three following sub-categories, with a total of six required. At least one of the six must be a skills/methods course marked with an asterisk (*): | ||
| Economics and Environmental Policy | 3-5 | |
| Natural Resource Extraction: Use and Development: Assessing Policies, Practices and Outcomes | ||
| The Ethics of Stewardship | ||
EARTHSYS 175 | ||
| Environmental Advocacy and Policy Communication | ||
| Economic Analysis II | ||
| Applied Econometrics * | ||
| Social Science Field Research Methods and Applications (ECON 121 can count towards this track requirement. Not offered 17.18.) | ||
| Economic Policy Analysis | ||
| Law and Economics | ||
| Economic, Legal, and Political Analysis of Climate-Change Policy | ||
| Energy Markets and Policy | ||
| International Environmental Law and Policy | ||
| The Geopolitics of Energy | ||
| Environmental Law and Policy | ||
| Energy and Environmental Policy Analysis | ||
| Systems Modeling for Climate Policy Analysis | ||
| Energy Policy Analysis | ||
| Social Entrepreneurship and the Environment | 2-5 | |
| Negotiation | ||
| FEED the Change: Redesigning Food Systems | ||
| Transformative Design | ||
| Ethics on the Edge: Business, Non-Profit Organizations, Government, and Individuals | ||
| Design for Extreme Affordability | ||
| Design Thinking Studio | ||
| Creativity Rules | ||
| Organizations: Theory and Management | ||
| Concepts and Analytic Skills for the Social Sector * | ||
| Social Entrepreneurship Collaboratory | ||
| Sustainable Development | 3-5 | |
| Indigenous Peoples and Environmental Problems | ||
| Culture as Commodity | ||
| Anthropology of Capitalism | ||
| Sustainable Development Studio (must be taken for at least 3 units) | ||
CEE 126A | (CEE 126A can count towards this track requirement. Not offered 17.18.) | |
CEE 126B | ||
| World Food Economy * | ||
| International Urbanization Seminar: Cross-Cultural Collaboration for Sustainable Urban Development | ||
| Feeding Nine Billion | ||
| Economic Analysis III * | ||
| Development Economics | ||
| Theory of Ecological and Environmental Anthropology | ||
| Sustainable Cities: Comparative Transportation Systems in Latin America | ||
| The American West | ||
| Introduction to Urban and Regional Planning | ||
| Land Use Control | ||
| Sustainable Cities | ||
| Elective Requirement | 6-10 | |
| Two additional courses at the 100-level or above are required. Each must be a minimum of 3 units. | ||
Biosphere
| Units | ||
|---|---|---|
| Additional foundation and breadth courses | ||
| Instead of Biology Foundation requirement listed in Required Foundation/Breadth section above, two of the following Bio courses are required: | 5 | |
| Introduction to Ecology | ||
| Genetics | ||
| Or either BIO 81 or BIO 82 AND: | 5 | |
| Plant Biology, Evolution, and Ecology | ||
| Additional Chemistry requirement (in addition to 31A/B or X): | 5 | |
| Structure and Reactivity of Organic Molecules | ||
| Physics (select one of the following): | 4 | |
| Mechanics | ||
or PHYSICS 45 | Light and Heat | |
or GEOPHYS 110 | Introduction to the foundations of contemporary geophysics | |
| Choose two courses from Ecology and Conservation Biology, and one course from each of the remaining sub-categories below, total six required: | ||
| Biogeochemistry | 3-4 | |
| Aquatic Chemistry and Biology | ||
| Environmental Microbiology I | ||
| Evolution of Earth Systems | ||
| Molecular Geomicrobiology Laboratory | ||
| Biological Oceanography | ||
| Marine Chemistry | ||
| Science of Soils | ||
| Geomicrobiology | ||
| Soil Physics and Hydrology (Not offered in 2017-18.) | ||
| Ecology and Conservation Biology | 3-12 | |
| The Hidden Kingdom - Evolution, Ecology and Diversity of Fungi | ||
| Conservation Biology: A Latin American Perspective | ||
| Marine Ecology: From Organisms to Ecosystems | ||
| Marine Conservation Biology | ||
| Dynamics and Management of Marine Populations | ||
| Ecology and Conservation of Kelp Forest Communities | ||
| Ecology of the Hawaiian Islands | ||
| Evolution of Terrestrial Ecosystems | ||
| Evolution of Marine Ecosystems | ||
| Coral Reef Ecosystems | ||
| Freshwater Systems | ||
| Coastal Forest Ecosystems | ||
| Living Chile: A Land of Extremes | ||
OSPSANTG 85 | (OSPSANTG 85 can count towards this track requirement. Not offered 17.18.) | |
| Ecosystems and Society 2 | 3-5 | |
| Heritage, Environment, and Sovereignty in Hawaii | ||
| Nature, Culture, Heritage | ||
| Indigenous Peoples and Environmental Problems | ||
| Political Ecology of Tropical Land Use: Conservation, Natural Resource Extraction, and Agribusiness | ||
| Environmental Change and Emerging Infectious Diseases | ||
| Evolution and Conservation in Galapagos | ||
| Disease Ecology: from parasites evolution to the socio-economic impacts of pathogens on nations | ||
| Control of Nature | ||
| Geographic Impacts of Global Change: Mapping the Stories | ||
| Feeding Nine Billion | ||
| Theory of Ecological and Environmental Anthropology | ||
| Energy, Environment, Climate and Conservation Policy: A Washington, D.C. Perspective | ||
| Elective Requirement | 6-10 | |
| Two additional courses at the 100-level or above are required. Each must be a minimum of 3 units. | ||
| 1 | Must take GS 1, GS 4, or EARTHSYS 117 to fulfill this requirement. GS 1C is no longer offered but if taken in previous years fulfills this requirement. |
| 2 | May also use ANTHRO 183 to fulfill this requirement. This course is not offered this year. |
Energy, Science and Technology
| Units | ||
|---|---|---|
| Instead of Biology Foundation requirement listed in Required Foundation/Breadth section above, select one of the following Bio courses: | 8 | |
| Introduction to Ecology | ||
| Biochemistry & Molecular Biology | ||
| Plant Biology, Evolution, and Ecology | ||
| Genetics, Evolution, and Ecology and Culture, Evolution, and Society | ||
| Ecology of the Hawaiian Islands | ||
| Additional Foundation and Breadth Courses | ||
| Electricity and Magnetism | ||
| Light and Heat | ||
| Vector Calculus for Engineers (preferred over MATH 51 for this track) | ||
| Computer science requirement: One-unit of Computer Science is required (unless CME 100 was completed); see Earth Systems staff for approved CS courses. | 0-1 | |
| Energy Fundamentals | 3 | |
ENGR 30 | (ENGR 30 can count towards this track requirement. ) | |
| Select one of the following: | 3-4 | |
| Modern Power Systems Engineering | ||
| Fundamentals of Petroleum Engineering | ||
| Solar Cells, Fuel Cells, and Batteries: Materials for the Energy Solution | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3-5 | |
| Energy and the Environment | ||
| Fundamentals of Renewable Power | ||
| Understanding Energy | ||
| Choose at least one course in each of the three sub-categories, total five required. Note that many of these have prerequisite work: | ||
| Energy Resources & Technology | 3-5 | |
| Building Systems | ||
| Energy Efficient Buildings | ||
| Energy and the Environment | ||
| Understanding Energy | ||
| Fundamentals of Petroleum Engineering | ||
| Geothermal Reservoir Engineering | ||
| Fundamentals of Energy Processes | ||
| Energy from Wind and Water Currents | ||
| Solar Cells, Fuel Cells, and Batteries: Materials for the Energy Solution | ||
| Internal Combustion Engines | ||
| Fuel Cell Science and Technology | ||
| Sustainable Energy & Development | 3-4 | |
cee 126A | (CEE 126A is an option for this track requirement. Enroll in 3 units. Not offered 2017-18.) | |
| Electric Power: Renewables and Efficiency | ||
| Planning Tools and Methods in the Power Sector | ||
| Life Cycle Assessment for Complex Systems | ||
CEE 272S | (Not offered in 2017-18.) | |
| Fundamentals of Renewable Power | ||
| Atmosphere, Ocean, and Climate Dynamics: The Atmospheric Circulation | ||
| Carbon Capture and Sequestration | ||
| Solar Cells, Fuel Cells, and Batteries: Materials for the Energy Solution | ||
| Sustainable Urban and Regional Transportation Planning | ||
| Energy Policy, Economics & Entrepreneurship | 2-4 | |
| Sustainable Energy for 9 Billion | ||
| Engineering Economics | ||
| Energy Infrastructure, Technology and Economics | ||
| Optimization of Energy Systems | ||
| Energy Markets and Policy | ||
| Energy and Environmental Policy Analysis | ||
| Energy Law | ||
| Systems Modeling for Climate Policy Analysis | ||
| Energy Policy Analysis | ||
| Elective Requirement | 3-5 | |
| One additional course at the 100-level or above is required. This course must be a minimum of 3 units. 3 units of approved energy seminars may count as one elective. See Earth Systems staff for the approved seminar list. | ||
Land Systems
| Units | ||
|---|---|---|
| Additional foundation and breadth courses | 4 | |
| Mechanics | ||
or PHYSICS 45 | Light and Heat | |
or GEOPHYS 110 | Introduction to the foundations of contemporary geophysics | |
| Choose at least one course in each of the four sub-categories below, total seven required: | ||
| Land Ecosystems | 3-4 | |
| Conservation Biology: A Latin American Perspective | ||
| Evolution of Terrestrial Ecosystems | ||
| Science of Soils | ||
| Principles and Practices of Sustainable Agriculture | ||
| Soil and Water Chemistry | ||
| Living Chile: A Land of Extremes | ||
| Water | 3-4 | |
| Mechanics of Fluids | ||
| Watersheds and Wetlands | ||
| Floods and Droughts, Dams and Aqueducts | ||
| Aquatic Chemistry and Biology | ||
| The Water Course | ||
| Near-Surface Geophysics | ||
| Soil Physics and Hydrology (Not offered 2017-18.) | ||
| Land Use | 3-5 | |
| Political Ecology of Tropical Land Use: Conservation, Natural Resource Extraction, and Agribusiness | ||
| Sustainable Development Studio | ||
| Energy Efficient Buildings | ||
| World Food Economy | ||
| Urban Agriculture in the Developing World (Not offered 2017-18.) | ||
| Feeding Nine Billion | ||
| Analyzing land use in a globalized world | ||
| Introduction to Urban Studies | ||
| Introduction to Urban Design: Contemporary Urban Design in Theory and Practice | ||
| Land Use Control | ||
| Urban Design Studio | ||
| Methods | 3-5 | |
| Remote Sensing of Land | ||
| Fundamentals of Geographic Information Science (GIS) | ||
| Fundamentals of Modeling (Not offered in 2017-18.) | ||
HISTORY 401A | (HISTORY 401A can count towards this track requirement. Not offered 17.18.) | |
| Elective Requirement | 6-10 | |
| Two additional courses at the 100-level or above are required. Each must be a minimum of 3 units. | ||
Sustainable Food and Agriculture
| Units | ||
|---|---|---|
| Instead of Biology Foundation requirement listed in Required Foundation/Breadth section above, the following Bio courses are required: | ||
| BIO 81 & BIO 82 | Introduction to Ecology and Genetics | 4 |
| or BIO 83 | Biochemistry & Molecular Biology | |
| OR HUMBIO 2A & HUMBIO 2B | ||
| OR EARTHSYS 116 | ||
| OR BIOHOPK 43 | ||
| Additional foundation and breadth courses | ||
| Mechanics | ||
or PHYSICS 45 | Light and Heat | |
or GEOPHYS 110 | Introduction to the foundations of contemporary geophysics | |
| A total of seven courses are required from the Food and Agriculture focus areas: | ||
| Fundamentals of Agriculture Production and Economics | 9-10 | |
| Both required: | ||
| World Food Economy | ||
| Feeding Nine Billion | ||
| Biogeophysical Dimensions | 9-12 | |
| Required: | ||
| Science of Soils | ||
| And select two of the following: | ||
| Plant Genetics | ||
| Soil Physics and Hydrology (Not offered 2017-18.) | ||
| The Human-Plant Connection | ||
| Human Nutrition | ||
| Social Dimensions | 3-5 | |
| Select one of the following: | ||
| Conservation Biology: A Latin American Perspective | ||
| Food and Community: Food Security, Resilience and Equity | ||
| Urban Agriculture in the Developing World (Not offered in 2017-18.) | ||
| FEED the Change: Redesigning Food Systems | ||
| Development Economics | ||
HISTORY 203G | (HISTORY 203G can count towards this track requirement. Not offered 17.18.) | |
| Healthy/Sustainable Food Systems: Maximum Sustainability across Health, Economics, and Environment | ||
| Food and Society: Exploring Eating Behaviors in Social, Environmental, and Policy Context | ||
| Applied Study in the Field | 3-4 | |
| Required: | ||
| Principles and Practices of Sustainable Agriculture | ||
| Elective Requirement | 6-10 | |
| Two additional courses at the 100-level or above are required. Each must be a minimum of 3 units. | ||
Oceans and Climate (formerly Oceans)
| Units | ||
|---|---|---|
| Additional Foundation and Breadth Courses | 0-5 | |
| Linear Algebra and Differential Calculus of Several Variables and Integral Calculus of Several Variables (CME 100 preferred over MATH 51 and MATH 52) | ||
or CME 100 | Vector Calculus for Engineers | |
| Physics (select one of the following): | 3-4 | |
| Mechanics | ||
| Light and Heat | ||
or GEOPHYS 110 | Introduction to the foundations of contemporary geophysics | |
| Physics of the Atmosphere and Climate | 3 | |
| Select one of the following: | ||
| Weather and Storms (Students are discouraged from taking CEE 63 in 2017.18. EARTHSYS 164 is not offered in 2017.18, so EARTHSYS 146A and EARTHSYS 146B should be taken to fulfill these track requirements instead.) | ||
| Atmosphere, Ocean, and Climate Dynamics: The Atmospheric Circulation (preferred) | ||
| Physics of the Ocean | 3-4 | |
| Select one of the following: | ||
| Introduction to Physical Oceanography (Not given in 2017.18. Students must take EARTHSYS 146A and EARTHSYS 146B instead.) | ||
| Atmosphere, Ocean, and Climate Dynamics: the Ocean Circulation | ||
| Spatial Analysis | 3-4 | |
| Remote Sensing of the Oceans | ||
| Biological Oceanography | 3-4 | |
| Select one of the following: | ||
| Biological Oceanography (preferred; take at the same time as EARTHSYS 152) | ||
| Oceanic Biology | ||
| Marine Chemistry | 3-4 | |
| Marine Chemistry | ||
| Human Dimensions | 1-5 | |
| Select one of the following: | ||
| Marine Conservation Biology | ||
| Short Course on Ocean Policy | ||
EARTHSYS 175 | ||
| Environmental Advocacy and Policy Communication | ||
| Natural Resources Law and Policy (Seniors only.) | ||
| Field Experience 1 | 12-20 | |
| Select at least one of the following: | ||
One quarter abroad at the Stanford in Australia Program | ||
One quarter at Stanford @ SEA | ||
One quarter (or more) at the Hopkins Marine Station | ||
| Elective Requirement | 6-10 | |
| Two additional courses at the 100-level or above are required. Each must be a minimum of 3 units. See Earth Systems staff for a list of possible electives. | ||
| 1 | Courses taken during Stanford@SEA and BOSP Australia cannot be substituted for track requirements but can count toward electives. |
Summary of Course Requirements and Units
For all students:
| Units | ||
|---|---|---|
| Earth Systems Introduction and Core | 12 | |
| Required Foundation and Breadth Courses | 31-48 | |
| Internship | 1 | |
| Senior Capstone & Reflection and Capstone Project | 5 | |
| Writing in the Major (WIM) | 3-5 | |
Track-Specific:
| Units | ||
|---|---|---|
| Human Environmental Systems (formerly Anthrosphere) Track | 38-54 | |
| Biosphere Track | 40-60 | |
| Energy, Science and Technology Track | 34-47 | |
| Land Systems Track | 31-44 | |
| Sustainable Food and Agriculture Track | 34-45 | |
| Oceans and Climate Track | 37-63 | |
Honors Program
The Earth Systems honors program provides students with an opportunity to pursue interdisciplinary research. It consists of a year-long research project that is mentored by one or more Earth Systems-affiliated faculty members, and culminates in a written thesis.
To qualify for the honors program, students must have and maintain a minimum overall GPA of 3.4. Potential honors students should complete the EARTHSYS 111 Biology and Global Change and EARTHSYS 112 Human Society and Environmental Change sequence by the end of the junior year. Qualified students can apply in Spring Quarter of the junior year, or the fourth quarter before graduation (check with program for specific application deadlines) by submitting a detailed research proposal and a brief statement of support from a faculty research adviser. Students who elect to do an honors thesis should begin planning no later than Winter Quarter of the junior year.
A maximum of 9 units is awarded for thesis research through EARTHSYS 199 Honors Program in Earth Systems. Those 9 units may not substitute for any other required parts of the Earth Systems curriculum. All theses are evaluated for acceptance by the thesis faculty adviser, one additional faculty member (who is the second reader), and the Director of Earth Systems. Both the adviser and second reader must be members of the Academic Council. Acceptance into the Honors program is not a guarantee of graduating with the honors designation.
Honors students are required to present their research publicly, preferably through the School of Earth, Energy, and Environmental Sciences' Annual Thesis Symposium, which highlights undergraduate and graduate research in the school. Faculty advisers are encouraged to sponsor presentation of student research results at professional society meetings.
Minor in Earth Systems, Sustainability Subplan
The minor in Earth Systems, Sustainability subplan, provides an introduction to fundamental science, interdisciplinary systems thinking, and environmental justice considerations, as well as a foundation in practical skills and applied problem solving experience needed to understand social-environmental systems and address intergenerational sustainability challenges. Students declaring the minor in Earth Systems must also declare the Sustainability subplan.
Students pursuing the minor must take the courses listed below and approved electives for a minimum of 35 units. Courses that count towards the fulfillment of major requirements may not be counted towards the minor, and all courses must be taken for a letter grade.
Students declaring a minor in Earth Systems must do so no later than two quarters prior to their intended quarter of degree conferral; for example, a student must declare a minor before the end of Autumn Quarter to graduate the following Spring Quarter. The Sustainability subplan must also be declared in Axess when declaring the minor. In addition, students pursuing the minor must complete the Multiple Major/Minor Form and have it reviewed by all applicable departments/programs. This form must be submitted to the Student Services Center by the application to graduate deadline for the term in which the student intends to graduate.
Required Course Work
Core
| Units | ||
|---|---|---|
| EARTHSYS 10 | Introduction to Earth Systems | 4 |
| EARTHSYS 111 | Biology and Global Change | 4 |
| EARTHSYS 112 | Human Society and Environmental Change | 4 |
(ECON 1 recommended as a pre- or co-requisite to EARTHSYS 112.) | ||
(Prerequisites to EARTH 280 for the minor: EARTHSYS 111, EARTHSYS 112.) | ||
| EARTHSYS 131 | Pathways in Sustainability Careers | 1 |
| SUST 210 | Pursuing Sustainability: Managing Complex Social Environmental Systems (SUST 210 is a required course for the minor; this will be an active course as of Autumn 17-18.) | 3 |
Electives
Students must take a minimum of 19 units of electives at the 100-level or above that address dimensions of environmental systems and social-environmental systems in theory or practice, with at least one course taken in each category.
Of the electives selected from the categories above,
- at least one course must address dimensions of environmental justice in theory or practice;
- at least two courses must provide opportunities to develop skills applicable to sustainability-related questions or challenges; and
- at least one course must engage students in applied problem solving on a sustainability-related question or challenge.
A list of approved electives is available on the Earth Systems website and in the Earth Systems Program office (Y2E2 131). Students may petition to count one relevant freshman or sophomore seminar toward the minor.
Coterminal Master's Degrees in Earth Systems
The Earth Systems Program offers current Stanford University undergraduates the opportunity to apply to a one-year coterminal master's program. Earth Systems offers a coterminal Master of Science (M.S.) degree in Earth Systems and a coterminal Master of Arts (M.A.) degree in Earth Systems, Environmental Communication. The Environmental Communication subplan prints on both the transcript and the diploma.
Application and Admission
The Earth Systems Program has quarterly coterminal degree application deadlines: November 7, 2017; February 20, 2018; and May 15, 2018. Seniors must apply by Winter Quarter deadline. To apply, students should submit an online application. The application includes the following:
- The Stanford coterminal application
- A statement of purpose
- A resume
- A current Stanford unofficial transcript
- Two letters of recommendation, one of which must be from the master's adviser (who must be an Academic Council member; each coterminal M.A. student has two advisers: Thomas Hayden and Kevin Arrigo, or another approved faculty adviser)
- Master's Program Proposal: A list of courses that fulfill degree requirements signed by the master's adviser
- Applications must be submitted no later than the quarter prior to the expected completion of the B.S. degree (and within quarterly application deadlines). An application fee is assessed by the Registrar's Office for coterminal applications, once students are matriculated into the program.
- Students applying to the coterminal master's program must have completed a minimum of 120 units toward graduation with a minimum overall Stanford GPA of 3.4.
- All applicants must devise a program of study that shows a level of specialization appropriate to the master's level, as determined in consultation with the master's adviser and the Director of Earth Systems. (See also following sections, Master of Science and Master of Arts in Earth Systems Degree Requirements).
- Students applying from an undergraduate major other than Earth Systems should review their undergraduate course list with Deana Fabbro-Johnston, Richard Nevle, or Thomas Hayden (M.A. only).
- The student has the option of receiving the B.S. degree after completing that degree's requirements or receiving the B.S. and M.A./M.S. degrees concurrently at the completion of the master's program.
- Students must submit a new application to change from the M.S. to the M.A. in Earth Systems, or from the M.A. to the M.S. in Earth Systems. If accepted, the student must submit a Graduate Authorization Petition through Axess; a $125 fee applies to a successful Graduate Authorization Petition.
University Coterminal Requirements
Coterminal master’s degree candidates are expected to complete all master’s degree requirements as described in this bulletin. University requirements for the coterminal master’s degree are described in the “Coterminal Master’s Program” section. University requirements for the master’s degree are described in the "Graduate Degrees" section of this bulletin.
After accepting admission to this coterminal master’s degree program, students may request transfer of courses from the undergraduate to the graduate career to satisfy requirements for the master’s degree. Transfer of courses to the graduate career requires review and approval of both the undergraduate and graduate programs on a case by case basis.
In this master’s program, courses taken during or after the first quarter of the sophomore year are eligible for consideration for transfer to the graduate career; the timing of the first graduate quarter is not a factor. No courses taken prior to the first quarter of the sophomore year may be used to meet master’s degree requirements.
Course transfers are not possible after the bachelor’s degree has been conferred.
The University requires that the graduate adviser be assigned in the student’s first graduate quarter even though the undergraduate career may still be open. The University also requires that the Master’s Degree Program Proposal be completed by the student and approved by the department by the end of the student’s first graduate quarter.
Coterminal Master of Science in Earth Systems
Degree Requirements
The master of science degree in Earth Systems allows specialization through graduate-level course work that may include up to 9 units of research with the master’s adviser. This may culminate in the preparation of a M.S. thesis; however, a thesis is not required for the degree. The process of building mastery in the field is enriched through steady communication with a faculty adviser.
The following are required of all M.S. students:
- A minimum of 45 units of course work and/or research credit (upon approval).
- At least 34 units of the student's course work for the master's program must be at the 200-level or above.
- All remaining course work must be at the 100-level or above.
- All courses for the master's program must be taken for a letter grade; courses not taken for a letter grade must be approved by the master's adviser and Director of Earth Systems.
- A minimum overall GPA of 3.4 must be maintained.
- All coterminal master's students are required to take the capstone course, EARTHSYS 290 Master's Seminar.
For the Master of Science degree in Earth Systems, the following courses must be taken if not completed in the undergraduate degree program. These courses do not have to be completed before applying to the coterm program. These may not be counted as part of the 45-unit master's degree:
| Units | ||
|---|---|---|
| Core (both required): | 8 | |
| Biology and Global Change | ||
| Human Society and Environmental Change | ||
| Biology: One Biology Foundations/Core course pre-approved by Master's adviser, OR select from the following: | 4-10 | |
| Plant Biology, Evolution, and Ecology | ||
| Genetics, Evolution, and Ecology and Culture, Evolution, and Society | ||
| Ecology of the Hawaiian Islands | ||
| Chemistry (select one of the following): | 5-10 | |
| Chemical Principles Accelerated | ||
| Chemical Principles I and Chemical Principles II | ||
| Physics (select one of the following): | 3-4 | |
One physics class from the PHYSICS 20 or 40 series or GEOPHYS 110 | ||
| Mathematics (select one of the following): | 5 | |
| Linear Algebra and Differential Calculus of Several Variables | ||
| Vector Calculus for Engineers | ||
| Statistics (select one of the following): | 3-5 | |
| Experimental Design and Probability | ||
| Biostatistics | ||
| Introduction to Statistical Methods (Postcalculus) for Social Scientists | ||
| Statistical Methods in Engineering and the Physical Sciences | ||
| Theory of Probability | ||
Coterminal Master of Arts in Earth Systems, Environmental Communication
Degree Requirements
The Master of Arts in Earth Systems, Environmental Communication, provides an overview of the theory, techniques, and challenges of communicating environmental concepts to non-specialist audiences and includes hands-on experience with different modalities of communication, principally writing, multimedia production, and education. The degree program is built on a three quarter progression of required core courses, including a required practicum experience, along with electives. Students complete 22 units of required core courses along with 23 units of focus courses to be chosen in close consultation with Thomas Hayden and a faculty co-adviser.
For the master of arts degree, prerequisites may vary based on the interests and academic background of each student, to be determined in consultation with primary adviser Thomas Hayden, the faculty co-adviser, and the Director of Earth Systems. At a minimum, entering students must have completed EARTHSYS 10 Introduction to Earth Systems (may be audited), EARTHSYS 111 Biology and Global Change, and EARTHSYS 112 Human Society and Environmental Change. These courses do not have to be completed before applying to the coterm program. Additional course work in the sciences, mathematics, and other fields may also be required on a case-by-case basis; such required foundational course work may not count toward the 45 units of master's-level course requirements.
The following are required of all M.A. students:
- All M.A. students must declare the Environmental Communication subplan in Axess.
- A minimum of 45 units of course work and/or research credit (upon approval).
- At least 34 units of the student's course work for the master's program must be at the 200-level or above.
- All remaining course work must be at the 100-level or above.
- All courses for the master's program must be taken for a letter grade; courses not taken for a letter grade must be approved by the master's adviser and Director of Earth Systems.
- A minimum overall GPA of 3.4 must be maintained.
- All coterminal master's students are required to take the capstone course, EARTHSYS 290 Master's Seminar.
Director: Kevin Arrigo
Deputy Director: Richard Nevle
Associate Director: Deana Fabbro-Johnston
Affiliated Faculty and Lecturers: Michelle Anderson (Law), Patrick Archie (Earth Systems, Earth System Science), Nicole Ardoin (School of Education, Woods Institute for the Environment), Kevin Arrigo (Earth Systems, Earth System Science), Gregory Asner (Department of Global Ecology, Carnegie Institution), Greg Beroza (Geophysics), Barbara Block (Biology, Hopkins Marine Station, Woods Institute for the Environment), Alexandria Boehm (Civil and Environmental Engineering), Gordon Brown (Geological Sciences), Marshall Burke (Earth System Science), Ken Caldeira (Earth System Science), Liz Carlisle (Earth Systems), Karen Casciotti (Earth System Science), Page Chamberlain (Earth System Science), Larry Crowder (Biology, Woods Institute for the Environment), Danny Cullenward (Earth Systems), Lisa Curran (Anthropology, Woods Institute for the Environment), Gretchen Daily (Biology, Woods Institute for the Environment), Jenna Davis (Civil and Environmental Engineering, Woods Institute for the Environment), Anne Dekas (Earth System Science), Mark Denny (Biology, Hopkins Marine Station), Noah Diffenbaugh (Earth System Science, Woods Institute for the Environment), Rodolfo Dirzo (Biology, Woods Institute for the Environment), Robert Dunbar (Earth System Science, Woods Institute for the Environment), Debra Dunn (Earth Systems, Hasso Plattner Institute of Design), William Durham (Anthropology, Woods Institute for the Environment), Louis Durlofsky (Energy Resources Engineering), Stefano Ermon (Computer Science), Gary Ernst (Geological Sciences, emeritus), Walter Falcon (Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, emeritus, Woods Institute for the Environment), Scott Fendorf (Earth System Science, Woods Institute for the Environment, Precourt Institute for Energy), Christopher Field (Woods Institute for the Environment), Christopher Francis (Earth System Science, Woods Institute for the Environment), Zephyr Frank (History, Woods Institute for the Environment), David Freyberg (Civil and Environmental Engineering, Woods Institute for the Environment), Tad Fukami (Biology), Margot Gerritsen (Energy Resources Engineering), Elizabeth Hadly (Biology, Woods Institute for the Environment), Thomas Hayden (Earth Systems), George Hilley (Geological Sciences), Suki Hoagland (Earth Systems), Robert Jackson (Earth System Science, Woods Institute for the Environment), Michael Kahan (Urban Studies), David Kennedy (History, emeritus, Woods Institute for the Environment), Alexandra Konings (Earth System Science), Karl Knapp (Atmosphere and Energy Operations), Rosemary Knight (Geophysics, Woods Institute for the Environment), Jonathan Koomey (Earth Systems), Jeffrey Koseff (Civil and Environmental Engineering), Anthony Kovscek (Energy Resources Engineering), Eric Lambin (Earth System Science, Woods Institute for the Environment), Jim Leape (Center for Ocean Solutions), David Lobell (Earth System Science, Woods Institute for the Environment), Evan Lyons (Earth Systems Science), Gilbert Masters (Civil and Environmental Engineering), Pamela Matson (Dean, School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Woods Institute for the Environment), Anna Michalak (Earth System Science), Fiorenza Micheli (Hopkins Marine Station, Center for Ocean Solutions), Stephen Monismith (Civil and Environmental Engineering, Woods Institute for the Environment), Ian Monroe (Earth Systems), Harold Mooney (Biology, emeritus, Woods Institute for the Environment), Rosamond Naylor (Earth System Science, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Woods Institute for the Environment), Richard Nevle (Earth Systems), Julia Novy-Hildesley (Sustainability Science and Practice), Michael Osborne (Earth Systems), Stephen Palumbi (Biology, Hopkins Marine Station, Woods Institute for the Environment), Jonathan Payne (Geological Sciences), Kabir Peay (Biology), Emily Polk (Program in Writing and Rhetoric), Thomas Robinson (Medicine), Matt Rothe (Earth Systems, Hasso Plattner Institute of Design, Graduate School of Business), Jennifer Saltzman (Geological Sciences), Dustin Schroeder (Geophysics), Paul Segall (Geophysics), Deborah Sivas (Law), George Somero (Biology, Hopkins Marine Station), Jenny Suckale (Geophysics), James Sweeney (Management Science and Engineering, Woods Institute for the Environment), Leif Thomas (Earth System Science), Barton Thompson, Junior (Law, Woods Institute for the Environment), Sarah Truebe (Earth Systems), Tiziana Vanorio (Geophysics), Peter Vitousek (Biology, Emmett Interdisciplinary Program in Environment and Resources, Woods Institute for the Environment), Virginia Walbot (Biology), Paula Welander (Earth System Science), Cindy Wilber (Jasper Ridge), Michael Wilcox (Anthropology), Mikael Wolfe (History), Jane Woodward (Atmosphere and Energy Operations), Mark Zoback (Geophysics)
Overseas Studies Courses in Earth Systems
The Bing Overseas Studies Program manages Stanford study abroad programs for Stanford undergraduates. Students should consult their department or program's student services office for applicability of Overseas Studies courses to a major or minor program.
The Bing Overseas Studies course search site displays courses, locations, and quarters relevant to specific majors.
For course descriptions and additional offerings, see the listings in the Stanford Bulletin's ExploreCourses or Bing Overseas Studies.
| Units | ||
|---|---|---|
| OSPAUSTL 10 | Coral Reef Ecosystems | 3 |
| OSPAUSTL 25 | Freshwater Systems | 3 |
| OSPAUSTL 30 | Coastal Forest Ecosystems | 3 |
| OSPCPTWN 63 | Socio-Ecological Systems | 3 |
| OSPKYOTO 45 | Japan's Energy-Environment Conundrum | 4 |
| OSPMADRD 79 | Earth and Water Resources' Sustainability in Spain | 3-4 |
| OSPSANTG 58 | Living Chile: A Land of Extremes | 5 |
Courses
EARTHSYS 4. Coevolution of Earth and Life. 4 Units.
Earth is the only planet in the universe currently known to harbor life. When and how did Earth become inhabited? How have biological activities altered the planet? How have environmental changes affected the evolution of life? Are we living in a sixth mass extinction? In this course, we will develop and use the tools of geology, paleontology, geochemistry, and modeling that allow us to reconstruct Earth¿s 4.5 billion year history and to reconstruct the interactions between life and its host planet over the past 4 billion years. We will also ask what this long history can tell us about life¿s likely future on Earth. We will also use One half-day field trip.
Same as: GS 4
EARTHSYS 8. The Oceans: An Introduction to the Marine Environment. 4 Units.
The course will provide a basic understanding of how the ocean functions as a suite of interconnected ecosystems, both naturally and under the influence of human activities. Emphasis is on the interactions between the physical and chemical environment and the dominant organisms of each ecosystem. The types of ecosystems discussed include coral reefs, deep-sea hydrothermal vents, coastal upwelling systems, blue-water oceans, estuaries, and near-shore dead zones. Lectures, multimedia presentations, group activities, and tide-pooling day trip.
Same as: ESS 8
EARTHSYS 9. Public Service Internship Preparation. 1 Unit.
Are you prepared for your internship this summer? This workshop series will help you make the most of your internship experience by setting learning goals in advance; negotiating and communicating clear roles and expectations; preparing for a professional role in a non-profit, government, or community setting; and reflecting with successful interns and community partners on how to prepare sufficiently ahead of time. You will read, discuss, and hear from guest speakers, as well as develop a learning plan specific to your summer or academic year internship placement. This course is primarily designed for students who have already identified an internship for summer or a later quarter. You are welcome to attend any and all workshops, but must attend the entire series and do the assignments for 1 unit of credit.
Same as: ARTSINST 40, EDUC 9, HUMBIO 9, PUBLPOL 74, URBANST 101
EARTHSYS 10. Introduction to Earth Systems. 4 Units.
For non-majors and prospective Earth Systems majors. Multidisciplinary approach using the principles of geology, biology, engineering, and economics to describe how the Earth operates as an interconnected, integrated system. Goal is to understand global change on all time scales. Focus is on sciences, technological principles, and sociopolitical approaches applied to solid earth, oceans, water, energy, and food and population. Case studies: environmental degradation, loss of biodiversity, and resource sustainability.
EARTHSYS 11. Introduction to Geology. 5 Units.
Why are earthquakes, volcanoes, and natural resources located at specific spots on the Earth surface? Why are there rolling hills to the west behind Stanford, and soaring granite walls to the east in Yosemite? What was the Earth like in the past, and what will it be like in the future? Lectures, hands-on laboratories, in-class activities, and one field trip will help you see the Earth through the eyes of a geologist. Topics include plate tectonics, the cycling and formation of different types of rocks, and how geologists use rocks to understand Earth's history.
Same as: GS 1
EARTHSYS 12SC. Environmental and Geological Field Studies in the Rocky Mountains. 2 Units.
The ecologically and geologically diverse Rocky Mountain area is being strongly impacted by changing land use patterns, global and regional environmental change, and societal demands for energy and natural resources. This field program emphasizes coupled environmental and geological problems in the Rocky Mountains, covering a broad range of topics including the geologic origin of the American West from three billion years ago to the present; paleoclimatology and the glacial history of this mountainous region; the long- and short-term carbon cycle and global climate change; and environmental issues in the American West related to changing land-use patterns and increased demand for its abundant natural resources. In addition to the science aspects of this course we will also investigate the unique western culture of the area particularly in regards to modern ranching and outfitting in the American West. These broad topics are integrated into a coherent field-study as we examine earth/ environmental science-related questions in three different settings: 1) the three-billion-year-old rocks and the modern glaciers of the Wind River Mountains of Wyoming; 2) the sediments in the adjacent Wind River basin that host abundant gas and oil reserves and also contain the long-term climate history of this region; and 3) the volcanic center of Yellowstone National Park and the mountainous region of Teton National Park. Students will complete six assignments based upon field exercises, working in small groups to analyze data and prepare reports and maps. Lectures will be held in the field prior to and after fieldwork. The students will read two required books prior to this course that will be discussed on the trip.nnNote: This course involves one week of backpacking in the Wind Rivers and hiking while staying in cabins near Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Students must arrive in Salt Lake City on Monday, September 4. (Hotel lodging will be provided for the night of September 4, and thereafter students will travel as a Sophomore College group.) We will return to campus on Friday, September 22.
Same as: ESS 12SC, GS 12SC
EARTHSYS 13SC. People, Land, and Water in the Heart of the West. 2 Units.
Salmon River. Sun Valley. Pioneer Mountains. The names speak of powerful forces and ideas in the American West. Central Idaho - a landscape embracing snow-capped mountains, raging rivers, sagebrush deserts, farms, ranches, and resort communities - is our classroom for this field-based seminar led by David Freyberg, professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and David Kennedy, professor emeritus of History. nnThis course focuses on the history and future of a broad range of natural resource management issues in the western United States. We will spend a week on campus preparing for a two-week field course in Idaho exploring working landscapes, private and public lands, water and fisheries, conservation, and the history and literature of the relationship between people and the land in the American West. After the first week spent on campus, we will drive to Idaho to begin the field portion of our seminar. In Idaho, we will spend time near Twin Falls, at Lava Lake Ranch near Craters of the Moon National Monument, in Custer County at the Upper Salmon River, and near Stanley in the Sawtooth National Forest. No prior camping experience is required, but students should be comfortable living outdoors in mobile base camps for periods of several days. Students will investigate specific issues in-depth and present their findings at the end of the course.
EARTHSYS 15. Gender, Land Rights, and Climate Change: An International Perspective. 1 Unit.
For decades, numerous and far-reaching consequences of anthropogenic climate change have disproportionately affected women, from poverty, food and water security, to land tenure and forced migration, to education and health. As a result, mitigating climate change has enormous implications for women's lives worldwide, yet too few national or international policies address this critical intersection. This weekly seminar will examine this dynamic in light of the Sustainable Development Goals and Paris Climate Treaty. The course will feature guest speakers, reading discussions, and communication exercises to spur policy reform and help students acquire relevant information for their future endeavors.
EARTHSYS 16SC. Water and Power in the Pacific Northwest: The Columbia River. 2 Units.
This seminar will explore the nature of and coupling between water and energy resources in the Pacific Northwest, using the Columbia River as our case study. We will explore the hydrologic, meteorologic, and geologic basis of water and energy resources, and the practical, social, environmental, economic, and political issues surrounding their development in the West. The Columbia River and its watershed provide a revealing prototype for examining these issues. A transnational, multi-state river with the largest residual populations of anadromous salmonids in the continental US, it provides a substantial fraction of the electrical energy produced in the Northwest (the Grand Coulee dam powerhouse on the Columbia is the largest-capacity hydropower facility in the US), it is a major bulk commodity transportation link to the interior West via its barge navigation system, it provides the water diversions supporting a large area of irrigated agriculture in Washington and Idaho, and its watershed is home to significant sources of solar and wind energy. We will use the Columbia to study water and energy resources, and especially their coupling, in the context of rapid climate change, ecosystem impacts, economics, and public policy. We will begin with a week of classroom study and discussion on campus, preparing for the field portion of the seminar. We will then travel to the Columbia basin, spending approximately 10 days visiting a number of water and energy facilities across the watershed, e.g., solar, wind, and natural gas power plants; dams and reservoirs with their powerhouses, fish passage facilities, navigation locks, and flood-mitigation systems; an irrigation project; operation centers; and offices of regulatory agencies. We will meet with relevant policy experts and public officials, along with some of the stakeholders in the basin. Over the summer students will be responsible for assigned readings from several sources, including monographs, online materials, and recent news articles. During the trip, students will work in small groups to analyze and assess one aspect of the coupling between water and energy resources in the Northwest. The seminar will culminate in presentations on these analyses. Travel expenses during the seminar will be provided (except incidentals) by the Bill Lane Center for the American West and Sophomore College.
Same as: CEE 17SC, ENERGY 12SC
EARTHSYS 16SI. Environmental Justice in the Bay Area. 2 Units.
Hands-on, discussion-based class that seeks to expose students to the intersectionality of social justice and environmental well being. Through student-led talks and field trips around the Bay, the course pushes participants to think about connections between issues of privilege, race, health, gender equality, and class in environmental issues. Students from all experiences and fields of study are encouraged to join to gain a sense of place, engage critically with complex challenges, and learn about environmental justice in and out of the classroom.
Same as: URBANST 16SI
EARTHSYS 18. Promoting Sustainability Behavior Change at Stanford. 2 Units.
Stanford Green Living Council training course. Strategies for designing and implementing effective behavior change programs for environmental sustainability on campus. Includes methods from community-based social marketing, psychology, behavioral economics, education, public health, social movements, and design. Students design a behavior change intervention project targeting a specific environmental sustainability-related behavior. Lectures online and weekly sections/workshops.
EARTHSYS 20. The Cuisine of Change: Promoting Child Health and Combating Food Insecurity. 1 Unit.
ASB Course. The course on nutrition, health and food insecurity is split into four projects: 1) Workshop a Story, in which students craft a personal narrative with input from the class, 2) Pose a Question, in which students in pairs attempt to educate the class on many sides of the same issue, 3) Create a Dish, in which students develop original dishes in support of local organizations, and 4) Teach a Class, in which students, in teams, develop a curriculum to be implemented in over the spring break trip. Furthermore, each section will expand the scope of the issue from the individual to the community and all the way up to national policies. The course will be a mix of some of the best lecturers and professors that we¿ve encountered in our time at Stanford as well as a smattering of community challenges. Come with a willingness to push your comfort zone, as some of the activities include creative presentations, taking a no added sugar challenge, get vulnerable, and developing an intelligent attitude toward healthy eating.
EARTHSYS 21. Peopling of the Globe: Changing Patterns of Land Use and Consumption Over the Last 50,000 Years. 3-5 Units.
Fossil, genetic and archaeological evidence suggest that modern humans began to disperse out of Africa about 50,000 years ago. Subsequently, humans have colonized every major landmass on earth. This class introduces students to the data and issues regarding human dispersal, migration and colonization of continents and islands around the world. We explore problems related to the timing and cause of colonizing events, and investigate questions about changing patterns of land use, demography and consumption. Students are introduced to critical relationships between prehistoric population changes and our contemporary environmental crisis.
Same as: ANTHRO 18, ARCHLGY 12, HUMBIO 182
EARTHSYS 24. Quick Capture and Questions: Practicing Natural History Through Watercolor. 1 Unit.
This course makes space to use art as an entry point for closer observation, deeper curiosity, and better understanding of natural systems. With a series of guest experts in art, science, and the practice of natural history, we will investigate the Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve through a number of lenses, microscopic to macroscopic. In each session, we will venture into the preserve to explore how field journaling, quick capture watercolor, and expressive language can mediate insight and sense of connection. Come build a community of practice with us! Apply at https://tinyurl.com/earthsys24 and direct further questions to Freya Chay (freyac@stanford.edu) and Hannah Black (hmcblack@stanford.edu).
EARTHSYS 36N. Life at the Extremes: From the Deep Sea to Deep Space. 3 Units.
Preference to freshmen. Microbial life is diverse and resilient on Earth; could it survive elsewhere in our solar system? This seminar will investigate the diversity of microbial life on earth, with an emphasis on extremophiles, and consider the potential for microbial life to exist and persist in extraterrestrial locales. Topics include microbial phylogenetic and physiological diversity, biochemical adaptations of extremophiles, ecology of extreme habitats, and apparent requirements and limits of life. Format includes lectures, discussions, lab-based activities and local field trips. Basics of microbiology, biochemistry, and astrobiology.
EARTHSYS 37N. Climate Change: Science & Society. 3 Units.
Preference to freshmen. How and why do greenhouse gases cause climate to change? How will a changing climate affect humans and natural ecosystems? What can be done to prevent climate change and better adapt to the climate change that does occur? Focus is on developing quantitative understanding of these issues rooted in both the physical and social sciences. Exercises based on simple quantitative observations and calculations; algebra only, no calculus.
EARTHSYS 38N. The Worst Journey in the World: The Science, Literature, and History of Polar Exploration. 3 Units.
This course examines the motivations and experiences of polar explorers under the harshest conditions on Earth, as well as the chronicles of their explorations and hardships, dating to the 1500s for the Arctic and the 1700s for the Antarctic. Materials include The Worst Journey in the World by Aspley Cherry-Garrard who in 1911 participated in a midwinter Antarctic sledging trip to recover emperor penguin eggs. Optional field trip into the high Sierra in March.
Same as: ESS 38N, GS 38N
EARTHSYS 41N. The Global Warming Paradox. 3 Units.
Preference to freshman. Focus is on the complex climate challenges posed by the substantial benefits of energy consumption, including the critical tension between the enormous global demand for increased human well-being and the negative climate consequences of large-scale emissions of carbon dioxide. Topics include: Earth¿s energy balance; detection and attribution of climate change; the climate response to enhanced greenhouse forcing; impacts of climate change on natural and human systems; and proposed methods for curbing further climate change. Sources include peer-reviewed scientific papers, current research results, and portrayal of scientific findings by the mass media and social networks.
EARTHSYS 42. The Global Warming Paradox II. 1 Unit.
Further discussion of the complex climate challenges posed by the substantial benefits of energy consumption, including the critical tension between the enormous global demand for increased human well-being and the negative climate consequences of large-scale emissions of carbon dioxide. Discussions of topics of student interest, including peer-reviewed scientific papers, current research results, and portrayal of scientific findings by the mass media and social networks. Focus is on student engagement in on-campus and off-campus activities. Prerequisite: EESS 41N or EARTHSYS 41N or consent of instructor.
Same as: ESS 42
EARTHSYS 44N. The Invisible Majority: The Microbial World That Sustains Our Planet. 3 Units.
Microbes are often viewed through the lens of infectious disease yet they play a much broader and underappreciated role in sustaining our Earth system. From introducing oxygen into the Earth¿s atmosphere over 2 billion years ago to consuming greenhouse gases today, microbial communities have had (and continue to have) a significant impact on our planet. In this seminar, students will learn how microbes transformed the ancient Earth environment into our modern planet, how they currently sustain our Earth¿s ecosystems, and how scientists study them both in the present and in the past. Students will be exposed to the fundamentals of microbiology, biogeochemistry, and Earth history.
EARTHSYS 46N. Exploring the Critical Interface between the Land and Monterey Bay: Elkhorn Slough. 3 Units.
Preference to freshmen. Field trips to sites in the Elkhorn Slough, a small agriculturally impacted estuary that opens into Monterey Bay, a model ecosystem for understanding the complexity of estuaries, and one of California's last remaining coastal wetlands. Readings include Jane Caffrey's Changes in a California Estuary: A Profile of Elkhorn Slough. Basics of biogeochemistry, microbiology, oceanography, ecology, pollution, and environmental management.
Same as: ESS 46N
EARTHSYS 46Q. Environmental Impact of Energy Systems: What are the Risks?. 3 Units.
In order to reduce CO2 emissions and meet growing energy demands during the 21st Century, the world can expect to experience major shifts in the types and proportions of energy-producing systems. These decisions will depend on considerations of cost per energy unit, resource availability, and unique national policy needs. Less often considered is the environmental impact of the different energy producing systems: fossil fuels, nuclear, wind, solar, and other alternatives. One of the challenges has been not only to evaluate the environmental impact but also to develop a systematic basis for comparison of environmental impact among the energy sources. The course will consider fossil fuels (natural gas, petroleum and coal), nuclear power, wind and solar and consider the impact of resource extraction, refining and production, transmission and utilization for each energy source.
Same as: GS 46Q
EARTHSYS 49N. Multi-Disciplinary Perspectives on a Large Urban Estuary: San Francisco Bay. 3 Units.
This course will be focused around San Francisco Bay, the largest estuary on the Pacific coasts of both North and South America as a model ecosystem for understanding the critical importance and complexity of estuaries. Despite its uniquely urban and industrial character, the Bay is of immense ecological value and encompasses over 90% of California's remaining coastal wetlands. Students will be exposed to the basics of estuarine biogeochemistry, microbiology, ecology, hydrodynamics, pollution, and ecosystem management/restoration issues through lectures, interactive discussions, and field trips. Knowledge of introductory biology and chemistry is recommended.
Same as: CEE 50N, ESS 49N
EARTHSYS 56Q. Changes in the Coastal Ocean: The View From Monterey and San Francisco Bays. 3 Units.
Preference to sophomores. Recent changes in the California current, using Monterey Bay as an example. Current literature introduces principles of oceanography. Visits from researchers from MBARI, Hopkins, and UCSC. Optional field trip to MBARI and Monterey Bay.
Same as: ESS 56Q
EARTHSYS 57Q. Climate Change from the Past to the Future. 3 Units.
Preference to sophomores. Numeric models to predict how climate responds to increase of greenhouse gases. Paleoclimate during times in Earth's history when greenhouse gas concentrations were elevated with respect to current concentrations. Predicted scenarios of climate models and how these models compare to known hyperthermal events in Earth history. Interactions and feedbacks among biosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and lithosphere. Topics include long- and short-term carbon cycle, coupled biogeochemical cycles affected by and controlling climate change, and how the biosphere responds to climate change. Possible remediation strategies.
Same as: ESS 57Q
EARTHSYS 61Q. Food and security. 3 Units.
The course will provide a broad overview of key policy issues concerning agricultural development and food security, and will assess how global governance is addressing the problem of food security. At the same time the course will provide an overview of the field of international security, and examine how governments and international institutions are beginning to include food in discussions of security.
Same as: ESS 61Q, INTNLREL 61Q
EARTHSYS 90. Introduction to Geochemistry. 3-4 Units.
The chemistry of the solid earth and its atmosphere and oceans, emphasizing the processes that control the distribution of the elements in the earth over geological time and at present, and on the conceptual and analytical tools needed to explore these questions. The basics of geochemical thermodynamics and isotope geochemistry. The formation of the elements, crust, atmosphere and oceans, global geochemical cycles, and the interaction of geochemistry, biological evolution, and climate. Recommended: introductory chemistry.
Same as: GS 90
EARTHSYS 91. Earth Systems Writers Collective. 1 Unit.
Come join a community of environmental writers, publish your work, and get course credit at the same time! Are you currently working on an article, an op-ed, translating your class projects into publishable pieces or pursuing a new writing project? Are you interested in publishing your work in the quarterly Earth Systems newsletter and the annual Earth Systems magazine? In this weekly seminar, you will collaborate with others and get constructive feedback from a community of peer writers. You can enroll in the Earth Systems Writers Collective for 1 or 2 units, or just join without signing up for course credit. May be repeat for credit.
EARTHSYS 95. Liberation Through Land: Organic Gardening and Racial Justice. 2 Units.
Through field trips, practical work and readings, this course provides students with the tools to begin cultivating a relationship to land that focuses on direct engagement with sustainable gardening, from seed to harvest. The course will take place on the O'Donohue Family Stanford Educational Farm, where students will be given the opportunity to learn how to sow seeds, prepare garden beds, amend soils, build compost, and take care of plants. The history of forced farm labor in the U.S., from slavery to low-wage migrant labor, means that many people of color encounter agricultural spaces as sites of trauma and oppression. In this course we will explore the potential for revisiting a narrative of peaceful relation to land and crop that existed long before the trauma occurred, acknowledging the beautiful history of POC coexistence with land. Since this is a practical course, there will be a strong emphasis on participation. Application available at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScdKKp7mtTNzS0-qc-La97LPj9w8SsWNZ5xrAYVjiKTR86F6Q/viewform?usp=sf_link; deadline to apply is September 19, 2017, at midnight. The course is co-sponsored by the Institute for Diversity in the Arts (IDA) and the Earth Systems Program.
Same as: CSRE 95
EARTHSYS 100. Environmental and Geological Field Studies in the Rocky Mountains. 3 Units.
Three-week, field-based program in the Greater Yellowstone/Teton and Wind River Mountains of Wyoming. Field-based exercises covering topics including: basics of structural geology and petrology; glacial geology; western cordillera geology; paleoclimatology; chemical weathering; aqueous geochemistry; and environmental issues such as acid mine drainage and changing land-use patterns.
Same as: ESS 101
EARTHSYS 101. Energy and the Environment. 3 Units.
Energy use in modern society and the consequences of current and future energy use patterns. Case studies illustrate resource estimation, engineering analysis of energy systems, and options for managing carbon emissions. Focus is on energy definitions, use patterns, resource estimation, pollution. Recommended: MATH 21 or 42.
Same as: ENERGY 101
EARTHSYS 102. Fundamentals of Renewable Power. 3 Units.
Do you want a much better understanding of renewable power technologies? Did you know that wind and solar are the fastest growing forms of electricity generation? Are you interested in hearing about the most recent, and future, designs for green power? Do you want to understand what limits power extraction from renewable resources and how current designs could be improved? This course dives deep into these and related issues for wind, solar, biomass, geothermal, tidal and wave power technologies. We welcome all student, from non-majors to MBAs and grad students. If you are potentially interested in an energy or environmental related major, this course is particularly useful. Recommended: MATH 21 or 42.
Same as: ENERGY 102
EARTHSYS 103. Understanding Energy. 3-5 Units.
Energy is a fundamental driver of human development and opportunity. At the same time, our energy system has significant consequences for our society, political system, economy, and environment. For example, energy production and use is the number one source of greenhouse gas emissions. In taking this course, students will not only understand the fundamentals of each energy resource -- including significance and potential, conversion processes and technologies, drivers and barriers, policy and regulation, and social, economic, and environmental impacts -- students will also be able to put this in the context of the broader energy system and think critically about how and why society has chosen particular energy resources. Both depletable and renewable energy resources are covered, including oil, natural gas, coal, nuclear, biomass and biofuel, hydroelectric, wind, solar thermal and photovoltaics (PV), geothermal, and ocean energy, with cross-cutting topics including electricity, storage, climate change, sustainability, green buildings, energy efficiency, transportation, and the developing world. The course is 4 units, which includes lecture and in-class discussion, readings and videos, assignments, and two off-site field trips. Enroll for 5 units to also attend the Workshop, an interactive discussion section on cross-cutting topics that meets once per week for 80 minutes (timing TBD based on student schedules). The 3-unit option requires instructor approval - please contact Diana Ginnebaugh. Website: http://web.stanford.edu/class/cee207a/ Course was formerly called Energy Resources.nPrerequisites: Algebra. May not be taken for credit by students who have completed CEE 107S.
Same as: CEE 107A, CEE 207A
EARTHSYS 104. The Water Course. 3 Units.
The Central Valley of California provides a third of the produce grown in the U.S., but has a desert climate, thus raising concerns about both food and water security. The pathway that water takes rainfall to the irrigation of fields (the water course) determines the quantity and quality of the available water. Working with various data sources (remote sensing, gauges, wells) allows us to model the water budget in the valley and explore the way in which recent droughts and increasing demand are impacting freshwater supplies.
Same as: GEOPHYS 70
EARTHSYS 105. Food and Community: Food Security, Resilience and Equity. 2-3 Units.
What can communities do to bolster food security, resiliency, and equity in the face of climate change? This course aims to respond to this question, in three parts. In Part 1, we will explore the most current scientific findings on trends in anthropogenic climate forcing and the anticipated impacts on global and regional food systems. Specifically, Part I will review the anticipated impact of climate change on severe weather events, crop losses, and food price volatility and the influence of these impacts on global and regional food insecurity and hunger. In Part II, we will consider what communities can do to promote food security and equity in the face of these changes, by reviewing the emerging literature on food system resiliency. Finally, we will facilitate a conference in which multi-disciplinary teams from around the country will gather to initiate regional planning projects designed to enhance food system resilience and equity. Cardinal Course (certified by Haas Center). Limited enrollment. May be repeated for credit.
Same as: EARTHSYS 205
EARTHSYS 105A. Ecology and Natural History of Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve. 4 Units.
Formerly 96A - Jasper Ridge Docent Training. First of two-quarter sequence training program to join the Jasper Ridge education/docent program. The scientific basis of ecological research in the context of a field station, hands-on field research, field ecology and the natural history of plants and animals, species interactions, archaeology, geology, hydrology, land management, multidisciplinary environmental education; and research projects, as well as management challenges of the preserve presented by faculty, local experts, and staff. Participants lead research-focused educational tours, assist with classes and research, and attend continuing education classes available to members of the JRBP community after the course.
Same as: BIO 105A
EARTHSYS 105B. Ecology and Natural History of Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve. 4 Units.
Formerly 96B - Jasper Ridge Docent Training. First of two-quarter sequence training program to join the Jasper Ridge education/docent program. The scientific basis of ecological research in the context of a field station, hands-on field research, field ecology and the natural history of plants and animals, species interactions, archaeology, geology, hydrology, land management, multidisciplinary environmental education; and research projects, as well as management challenges of the preserve presented by faculty, local experts, and staff. Participants lead research-focused educational tours, assist with classes and research, and attend continuing education classes available to members of the JRBP community after the course.
Same as: BIO 105B
EARTHSYS 106. World Food Economy. 5 Units.
The economics of food production, consumption, and trade. The micro- and macro- determinants of food supply and demand, including the interrelationship among food, income, population, and public-sector decision making. Emphasis on the role of agriculture in poverty alleviation, economic development, and environmental outcomes. (graduate students enroll in 206).
Same as: EARTHSYS 206, ECON 106, ECON 206, ESS 106, ESS 206
EARTHSYS 106C. CROP GENETIC IMPROVEMENT: Scientific Facts vs. Fiction. 2 Units.
This lecture and discussion course will review the scientific evidence on the use and impacts of genetic engineering in global food and agricultural systems. The class will cover the history and details of crop genetic improvement, ranging from primitive domestication to CRISPR technologies. We will examine the risks and benefits of crop genetic technologies in agriculture with regards to productivity, farm incomes, food safety, human health and nutrition, and environmental impacts. We will also discuss the current and future use of genetic engineering techniques for enhancing climate resilience and nutritional outcomes in agricultural systems worldwide. Finally, we will discuss the ethics of using modern genetic approaches for crop improvement, and the policy environment surrounding the use of these genetic techniques.nnOur expectation is that students enrolled in the course will attend all class sections and participate actively in the discussions. Students will be asked to identify peer-reviewed, scientific papers on the impacts of specific crop genetic improvements. Depending on the class size, students will also be asked to help lead class discussions. At the end of the course, students will work in groups to debate a selected topic on the use of genetic engineering in agriculture, to be announced during the course.nnPrerequisites: One course in biology and one course in economics are suggested. Completion of "Feeding Nine Billion" and "The World Food Economy" classes would also be helpful, as would a class in genetics, but there are no strict course requirements.
EARTHSYS 107. Control of Nature. 3 Units.
Think controlling the earth's climate is science fiction? It is when you watch Snowpiercer or Dune, but scientists are already devising geoengineering schemes to slow climate change. Will we ever resurrect the woolly mammoth or even a T. Rex (think Jurassic Park)? Based on current research, that day will come in your lifetime. Who gets to decide what species to save? And more generally, what scientific and ethical principles should guide our decisions to control nature? In this course, we will examine the science behind ways that people alter and engineer the earth, critically examining the positive and negative consequences. We'll explore these issues first through popular movies and books and then, more substantively, in scientific research.
Same as: ESS 107
EARTHSYS 108. U.S. Environmental Law in Transition. 1 Unit.
This course offers an accessible survey of timely topics in environmental law and policy as the United States transitions presidential administrations. Taught by two practicing lawyers, the class introduces students from any background to the interactions between local, state, and federal environmental law as they apply to prominent policy issues. We will analyze major changes in federal policy, providing historical context for the transformations now underway in the laws and institutions that help shape environmental outcomes in the United States.
Same as: EARTHSYS 208
EARTHSYS 110. Introduction to the foundations of contemporary geophysics. 3 Units.
Introduction to the foundations of contemporary geophysics. Topics drawn from broad themes in: whole Earth geodynamics, geohazards, natural resources, and enviroment. In each case the focus is on how the interpretation of a variety of geophysical measurements (e.g., gravity, seismology, heat flow, electromagnetics, and remote sensing) can be used to provide fundamental insight into the behavior of the Earth. Prerequisite: CME 100 or MA TH 51, or co-registration in either.
Same as: GEOPHYS 110
EARTHSYS 111. Biology and Global Change. 4 Units.
The biological causes and consequences of anthropogenic and natural changes in the atmosphere, oceans, and terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems. Topics: glacial cycles and marine circulation, greenhouse gases and climate change, tropical deforestation and species extinctions, and human population growth and resource use. Prerequisite: Biology or Human Biology core or graduate standing.
Same as: BIO 117, ESS 111
EARTHSYS 112. Human Society and Environmental Change. 4 Units.
Interdisciplinary approaches to understanding human-environment interactions with a focus on economics, policy, culture, history, and the role of the state. Prerequisite: ECON 1.
Same as: EARTHSYS 212, ESS 112, HISTORY 103D
EARTHSYS 113. Earthquakes and Volcanoes. 3 Units.
Is the "Big One" overdue in California? What kind of damage would that cause? What can we do to reduce the impact of such hazards in urban environments? Does "fracking" cause earthquakes and are we at risk? Is the United States vulnerable to a giant tsunami? The geologic record contains evidence of volcanic super eruptions throughout Earth's history. What causes these gigantic explosive eruptions, and can they be predicted in the future? This course will address these and related issues. For non-majors and potential Earth scientists. No prerequisites. More information at: https://stanford.box.com/s/zr8ar28efmuo5wtlj6gj2jbxle76r4lu.
Same as: GEOPHYS 90
EARTHSYS 114. Environmental Change and Emerging Infectious Diseases. 4-5 Units.
The changing epidemiological environment. How human-induced environmental changes, such as global warming, deforestation and land-use conversion, urbanization, international commerce, and human migration, are altering the ecology of infectious disease transmission, and promoting their re-emergence as a global public health threat. Case studies of malaria, cholera, hantavirus, plague, and HIV.
Same as: ANTHRO 177, ANTHRO 277, EARTHSYS 214, HUMBIO 114
EARTHSYS 115. Wetlands Ecology of the Pantanal Prefield Seminar. 2-3 Units.
This seminar will prepare students for their overseas field experience in the Pantanal, Brazil, the largest wetland in the world, studying wetlands ecology and conservation in situ. Students will give presentations on specific aspects of the Pantanal and lay the groundwork for the presentations they will be giving during the field seminar where access to the internet and to other scholarly resources will be quite limited. Additional topics include: logistics, health and safety, cultural sensitivity, geography and politics, and basic language skills; also, post-field issues such as reverse culture shock, and ways in which participants can consolidate and build up their abroad experiences after they return to campus. Students will have the opportunity to participate in a pilot study aimed at developing a series of innovative online curriculum based upon their field experience.
EARTHSYS 115N. Desert Biogeography of Namibia Prefield Seminar. 3 Units.
Desert environments make up a third of the land areas on Earth, ranging from the hottest to the coldest environments. Aridity leads to the development of unique adaptations among the organisms that inhabit them. Climate change and other processes of desertification as well as increasing human demand for habitable and cultivatable areas have resulting in increasing need to better understand these systems. Namibia is a model system for studying these processes and includes the Sossuvlei (Sand Sea) World Heritable Site. This seminar will prepare students for their overseas field experience in Namibia. The seminar will provide an introduction to desert biogeography and culture, using Namibia as a case study. During the seminar, students will each give two presentations on aspects of desert biogeography and ecology, specific organisms and their adaptations to arid environments, cultural adaptations of indigenous peoples and immigrants, ecological threats and conservation efforts, and/or national and international policy towards deserts. Additional assignments include a comprehensive dossier and a final exam. Students will also carry out background research for the presentations they will be giving during the field seminar where access to the internet and to other scholarly resources will be limited. In addition, we will cover logistics, health and safety, cultural sensitivity, geography, and politics. We will deal with post-field issues such as reverse culture shock, and ways in which participants can consolidate and build up their abroad experiences after they return to campus.
Same as: AFRICAST 114N
EARTHSYS 115T. Island Biogeography of Tasmania Prefield Seminar. 3 Units.
Islands are natural laboratories for studying a wide variety of subjects including biological diversity, cultural diversity, epidemiology, geology, climate change, conservation, and evolution. This field seminar focuses on Island Biogeography in one of the most extraordinary and well-preserved ecosystems in the world: Tasmania. Tasmanian devils, wombats, and wallabies ¿ the names conjure up images of an exotic faraway place, a place to appreciate the incredibly diversity of life and how such striking forms of life came to be. This course will prepare students for their overseas seminar in Tasmania. Students will give presentations on specific aspects of the Tasmania and will lay the groundwork for the presentations they will be giving during the field seminar where access to the internet and to other scholarly resources will be quite limited. Additional topics to be addressed include: logistics, health and safety, group dynamics, cultural sensitivity, history, and politics. We will also address post-field issues such as reverse culture shock, and ways to consolidate and build up abroad experiences after students return to campus.
EARTHSYS 116. Ecology of the Hawaiian Islands. 4 Units.
Terrestrial and marine ecology and conservation biology of the Hawaiian Archipelago. Taught in the field in Hawaii as part of quarter-long sequence of courses including Earth Sciences and Anthropology. Topics include ecological succession, plant-soil interactions, conservation biology, biological invasions and ecosystem consequences, and coral reef ecology. Restricted to students accepted into the Earth Systems of Hawaii Program.
Same as: BIO 116
EARTHSYS 117. Earth Sciences of the Hawaiian Islands. 4 Units.
Progression from volcanic processes through rock weathering and soil-ecosystem development to landscape evolution. The course starts with an investigation of volcanic processes, including the volcano structure, origin of magmas, physical-chemical factors of eruptions. Factors controlling rock weathering and soil development, including depth and nutrient levels impacting plant ecosystems, are explored next. Geomorphic processes of landscape evolution including erosion rates, tectonic/volcanic activity, and hillslope stability conclude the course. Methods for monitoring and predicting eruptions, defining spatial changes in landform, landform stability, soil production rates, and measuring biogeochemical processes are covered throughout the course. This course is restricted to students accepted into the Earth Systems of Hawaii Program.
Same as: EARTH 117, ESS 117
EARTHSYS 118. Heritage, Environment, and Sovereignty in Hawaii. 4 Units.
This course explores the cultural, political economic, and environmental status of contemporary Hawaiians. What sorts of sustainable economic and environmental systems did Hawaiians use in prehistory? How was colonization of the Hawaiian Islands informed and shaped by American economic interests and the nascent imperialsm of the early 20th centrury? How was sovereignty and Native Hawaiian identity been shaped by these forces? How has tourism and the leisure industry affected the natural environment? This course uses archaeological methods, ethnohistorical sources, and historical analysis in an exploration of contemporary Hawaiian social economic and political life.
Same as: ANTHRO 118
EARTHSYS 119. Will Work for Food. 1 Unit.
This is a speaker series class featuring highly successful innovators in the food system. Featured speakers will talk in an intimate, conversational manner about their current work, as well as about their successes, failures, and learnings along the way. Additional information can be found here: http://feedcollaborative.org/speaker-series/.
Same as: EARTHSYS 219
EARTHSYS 120. Social Science Field Research Methods and Applications. 5 Units.
Fundamentals of the design, implementation and interpretation of social science field research. Building on a basic knowledge of statistical methods and economics, the course introduces observational field research and compares it with experimental field research. Significant attention devoted to explaining the details of research design as well as what can and cannot be learned through each type of field research. Emphasis placed on the theory of the design and analysis of statistical experiments. Topics include: sample size selection, power and size of statistical hypothesis tests, partial compliance, sample selection bias and methods for accounting for it. Development of critical reading skills emphasized through class discussions of academic journal articles and popular media accounts of field research. Examples of best practice field research studies presented as well as examples of commonly committed errors; students are expected to articulate and challenge or defend underlying assumptions and the extent to which real-world research matches up with concepts covered in lecture. Practical aspects of field work, including efficient and cost-effective data collection, teamwork, field team supervision, budget management, and common ethical considerations. Grading based on weekly problem sets that focus on developing data analysis skills using statistical software, a midterm examination, and a final project in which students write a detailed research proposal. Students can also apply to participate in a course project designing a field research project and implementing it in a developing country context during four weeks of the summer. Prerequisites: either ECON 1 and either STATS 60 or ECON 102A or equivalent.
Same as: ECON 121, PUBLPOL 120, PUBLPOL 220
EARTHSYS 121. Building a Sustainable Society: New Approaches for Integrating Human and Environmental Priorities. 3 Units.
"Building a Sustainable Society: New approaches for integrating human and environmental priorities" draws on economics, natural resources management, sociology and leadership science to examine theoretical frameworks and diverse case studies that illustrate challenges as well as effective strategies in building a sustainable society where human beings and the natural environment thrive. Themes include collaborative consumption, the sharing economy, worker-owned cooperatives, community-corporate partnerships, cradle to cradle design, social entrepreneurship, impact investing, "beyond GDP", and transformative leadership. Critical perspectives, lectures and student-led discussions guide analysis of innovations within public, private and civic sectors globally. Students explore their personal values and motivations and develop their potential to become transformative leaders.
EARTHSYS 122. Evolution of Marine Ecosystems. 3-4 Units.
Life originally evolved in the ocean. When, why, and how did the major transitions occur in the history of marine life? What triggered the rapid evolution and diversification of animals in the Cambrian, after more than 3.5 billion years of Earth's history? What caused Earth's major mass extinction events? How do ancient extinction events compare to current threats to marine ecosystems? How has the evolution of primary producers impacted animals, and how has animal evolution impacted primary producers? In this course, we will review the latest evidence regarding these major questions in the history of marine ecosystems. We will develop familiarity with the most common groups of marine animal fossils. We will also conduct original analyses of paleontological data, developing skills both in the framing and testing of scientific hypotheses and in data analysis and presentation.
Same as: BIO 119, GS 123, GS 223B
EARTHSYS 123. Asian Americans and Environmental Justice. 3-5 Units.
One central tenet of the environmental justice movement is centering the leadership of frontline communities. Unfortunately, the struggles of Asian Americans on the frontlines of corporate environmental pollution and extraction are less visible and less well-known. In this course, we will explore the Asian American voices that have contributed to the development of the environmental justice movement and the leadership that is shaping the future of this movement.nThis course is designed to provide students with education about the history of the environmental justice movement, the future being envisioned, and the strategies that are needed to get to the vision. It will draw on lectures, readings, guest presentations, case studies, and the instructor's more than 15 years of experience with organizing and social justice campaigns. Students will learn about the principles guiding the environmental justice movement; the vision and framework of how we achieve a just transition to a regenerative economy; the process of organizing and campaign work to advance a community agenda; and skills in collecting, analyzing, and communicating information.
Same as: ASNAMST 123
EARTHSYS 124. Measurements in Earth Systems. 3-4 Units.
A classroom, laboratory, and field class designed to provide students familiarity with techniques and instrumentation used to track biological, chemical, and physical processes operating in earth systems, encompassing upland, aquatic, estuarine, and marine environments. Topics include gas and water flux measurement, nutrient and isotopic analysis, soil and water chemistry determination. Students will develop and test hypotheses, provide scientific evidence and analysis, culminating in a final presentation.
Same as: ESS 212
EARTHSYS 125. Shades of Green: Redesigning and Rethinking the Environmental Justice Movements. 3-5 Units.
Historically, discussions of race, ethnicity, culture, and equity in the environment have been relegated to the environmental justice movement, which often focuses on urban environmental degradation and remains separated from other environmental movements. This course will seek to break out of this limiting discussion. We will explore access to outdoor spaces, definitions of wilderness, who is and isn't included in environmental organizations, gender and the outdoors, how colonialism has influenced ways of knowing, and the future of climate change. The course will also have a design thinking community partnership project. Students will work with partner organizations to problem-solve around issues of access and diversity. We value a diversity of experiences and epistemological beliefs, and therefore undergraduates and graduate students from all disciplines are welcome.
Same as: CSRE 125E, EARTHSYS 225, URBANST 125
EARTHSYS 128. Evolution of Terrestrial Ecosystems. 4 Units.
The what, when, where, and how do we know it regarding life on land through time. Fossil plants, fungi, invertebrates, and vertebrates (yes, dinosaurs) are all covered, including how all of those components interact with each other and with changing climates, continental drift, atmospheric composition, and environmental perturbations like glaciation and mass extinction. The course involves both lecture and lab components. Graduate students registering at the 200-level are expected to write a term paper, but can opt out of some labs where appropriate.
Same as: GS 128, GS 228
EARTHSYS 129. Geographic Impacts of Global Change: Mapping the Stories. 4 Units.
Forces of global change (eg., climate disruption, biodiversity loss, disease) impart wide-ranging political, socioeconomic, and ecological impacts, creating an urgent need for science communication. Students will collect data for a region of the US using sources ranging from academic journals to popular media and create an interactive Story Map (http://stanford.maps.arcgis.com/apps/StorytellingTextLegend/index.html?appid=dafe2393fd2e4acc8b0a4e6e71d0b6d5) that merges the scientific and human dimensions of global change. Students will interview stakeholders as part of a community-engaged learning experience and present the Map to national policy-makers. Our 2014 Map is being used by the CA Office of Planning & Research.
EARTHSYS 131. Pathways in Sustainability Careers. 1 Unit.
Interactive, seminar-style sessions expose students to diverse career pathways in sustainability. Professionals from a variety of careers discuss their work, their career development and decision-points in their career pathways, as well as life style aspects of their choices.
Same as: EARTH 131
EARTHSYS 132. Evolution of Earth Systems. 4 Units.
This course examines biogeochemical cycles and how they developed through the interaction between the atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and lithosphere. Emphasis is on the long-term carbon cycle and how it is connected to other biogeochemical cycles on Earth. The course consists of lectures, discussion of research papers, and quantitative modeling of biogeochemical cycles. Students produce a model on some aspect of the cycles discussed in this course. Grades based on class interaction, student presentations, and the modeling project.
Same as: EARTHSYS 232, ESS 132, ESS 232
EARTHSYS 133. Social Entrepreneurship Collaboratory. 4 Units.
Interdisciplinary student teams create and develop U.S. and international social entrepreneurship initiatives. Proposed initiatives may be new entities, or innovative projects, partnerships, and/or strategies impacting existing organizations and social issues in the U.S. and internationally. Focus is on each team¿s research and on planning documents to further project development. Project development varies with the quarter and the skill set of each team, but should include: issue and needs identification; market research; design and development of an innovative and feasible solution; and drafting of planning documents. In advanced cases, solicitation of funding and implementation of a pilot project. Enrollment limited to 20. May be repeated for credit.
Same as: URBANST 133
EARTHSYS 136. The Ethics of Stewardship. 2-3 Units.
What responsibilities do humans have to nonhuman nature and future generations? How are human communities and individuals shaped by their relationships with the natural world? What are the social, political, and moral ramifications of drawing sustenance and wealth from natural resources? Whether we realize it or not, we grapple with such questions every time we turn on the tap, fuel up cars, or eat meals -and they are key to addressing issues like global climate change and environmental justice. In this class, we consider several perspectives on this ethical question of stewardship: the role of humans in the global environment. In addition to reading written work and speaking with land stewards, we will practice stewardship at the Stanford Educational Farm. This course must be taken for a minimum of 3 units and a letter grade to be eligible for Ways credit.
Same as: EARTHSYS 236
EARTHSYS 138. International Urbanization Seminar: Cross-Cultural Collaboration for Sustainable Urban Development. 4-5 Units.
Comparative approach to sustainable cities, with focus on international practices and applicability to China. Tradeoffs regarding land use, infrastructure, energy and water, and the need to balance economic vitality, environmental quality, cultural heritage, and social equity. Student teams collaborate with Chinese faculty and students partners to support urban sustainability projects. Limited enrollment via application; see internationalurbanization.org for details. Prerequisites: consent of the instructor(s).
Same as: CEE 126, IPS 274, URBANST 145
EARTHSYS 139. Ecosystem Services: Frontiers in the Science of Valuing Nature. 3 Units.
This advanced course explores the science of valuing nature, beginning with its historical origins, and then its recent development in natural (especially ecological), economic, psychological, and other social sciences. We will use the ecosystem services framework (characterizing benefits from ecosystems to people) to define the state of knowledge, core methods of analysis, and research frontiers, such as at the interface with biodiversity, resilience, human health, and human development. Intended for diverse students, with a focus on research and real-world cases. To apply, please email the instructor (gdaily@stanford.edu) with a brief description of your background and research interests.
Same as: BIO 138, BIO 238, EARTHSYS 239
EARTHSYS 140. The Energy-Water Nexus. 3 Units.
Energy, water, and food are our most vital resources constituting a tightly intertwined network: energy production requires water, transporting and treating water needs energy, producing food requires both energy and water. The course is an introduction to learn specifically about the links between energy and water. Students will look first at the use of water for energy production, then at the role of energy in water projects, and finally at the challenge in figuring out how to keep this relationship as sustainable as possible. Students will explore case examples and are encouraged to contribute examples of concerns for discussion as well as suggest a portfolio of sustainable energy options.
Same as: GEOPHYS 80
EARTHSYS 141. Remote Sensing of the Oceans. 3-4 Units.
How to observe and interpret physical and biological changes in the oceans using satellite technologies. Topics: principles of satellite remote sensing, classes of satellite remote sensors, converting radiometric data into biological and physical quantities, sensor calibration and validation, interpreting large-scale oceanographic features.
Same as: EARTHSYS 241, ESS 141, ESS 241, GEOPHYS 141
EARTHSYS 142. Remote Sensing of Land. 4 Units.
The use of satellite remote sensing to monitor land use and land cover, with emphasis on terrestrial changes. Topics include pre-processing data, biophysical properties of vegetation observable by satellite, accuracy assessment of maps derived from remote sensing, and methodologies to detect changes such as urbanization, deforestation, vegetation health, and wildfires.
Same as: EARTHSYS 242, ESS 162, ESS 262
EARTHSYS 143. Molecular Geomicrobiology Laboratory. 4 Units.
In this course, students will be studying the biosynthesis of cyclic lipid biomarkers, molecules that are produced by modern microbes that can be preserved in rocks that are over a billion years old and which geologist use as molecular fossils. Students will be tasked with identifying potential biomarker lipid synthesis genes in environmental genomic databases, expressing those genes in a model bacterial expression system in the lab, and then analyzing the lipid products that are produced. The overall goal is for students to experience the scientific research process including generating hypotheses, testing these hypotheses in laboratory experiments, and communicating their results through a publication style paper. Prerequisites: BIO83 and CHEM35 or permission of the instructor.
Same as: BIO 142, ESS 143, ESS 243
EARTHSYS 144. Fundamentals of Geographic Information Science (GIS). 3-4 Units.
Survey of geographic information including maps, satellite imagery, and census data, approaches to spatial data, and tools for integrating and examining spatially-explicit data. Emphasis is on fundamental concepts of geographic information science and associated technologies. Topics include geographic data structure, cartography, remotely sensed data, statistical analysis of geographic data, spatial analysis, map design, and geographic information system software. Computer lab assignments. All students are required to attend a weekly lab session.
Same as: ESS 164
EARTHSYS 146A. Atmosphere, Ocean, and Climate Dynamics: The Atmospheric Circulation. 3 Units.
Introduction to the physics governing the circulation of the atmosphere and ocean and their control on climate with emphasis on the atmospheric circulation. Topics include the global energy balance, the greenhouse effect, the vertical and meridional structure of the atmosphere, dry and moist convection, the equations of motion for the atmosphere and ocean, including the effects of rotation, and the poleward transport of heat by the large-scale atmospheric circulation and storm systems. Prerequisites: MATH 51 or CME100 and PHYSICS 41.
Same as: CEE 161I, CEE 261I, ESS 246A
EARTHSYS 146B. Atmosphere, Ocean, and Climate Dynamics: the Ocean Circulation. 3 Units.
Introduction to the physics governing the circulation of the atmosphere and ocean and their control on climate with emphasis on the large-scale ocean circulation. This course will give an overview of the structure and dynamics of the major ocean current systems that contribute to the meridional overturning circulation, the transport of heat, salt, and biogeochemical tracers, and the regulation of climate. Topics include the tropical ocean circulation, the wind-driven gyres and western boundary currents, the thermohaline circulation, the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, water mass formation, atmosphere-ocean coupling, and climate variability. Prerequisites: MATH 51 or CME100; and PHYSICS 41; and CEE 162A or CEE 101B or a graduate class in fluid dynamics or consent of the instructor.
Same as: CEE 162I, CEE 262I, ESS 246B
EARTHSYS 148. Grow it, Cook it, Eat it. An Experiential Exploration of How and Why We Eat What We Eat. 3 Units.
This course provides an introductory exploration of the social, cultural, and economic forces that influence contemporary human diets. Through the combination of interrelated lectures by expert practitioners and hands-on experience planting, tending, harvesting, cooking, and eating food from Stanford's dining hall gardens, students will learn to think critically about modern agricultural practices and the relationship between cuisine and human and ecological health outcomes. Students will also learn and apply basic practices of human-centered design to develop simple frameworks for understanding various eating behaviors in Stanford¿s dining halls and to develop and test hypotheses for how R&DE Stanford Dining might influence eating behaviors to effect better health outcomes for people and the planet. This class, which is offered through the FEED Collaborative in the School of Earth, Energy and Environmental Sciences, requires an application. For more information about the FEED Collaborative, application procedures and deadlines, and other classes we teach, please visit our website at http://feedcollaborative.org.
EARTHSYS 149. Wild Writing. 3 Units.
What is wilderness and why does it matter? In this course we will interrogate answers to this question articulated by influential and diverse American environmental thinkers of the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries, who through their writing transformed public perceptions of wilderness and inspired such actions as the founding of the National Park System, the passage of the Wilderness Act and the Clean Air and Water Acts, the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency, and the birth of the environmental and climate justice movements. Students will also develop their own responses to the question of what is wilderness and why it matters through a series of writing exercises that integrate personal narrative, wilderness experience, and environmental scholarship, culminating in a ~3000 word narrative nonfiction essay. This course will provide students with knowledge, tools, experience, and skills that will empower them to become more persuasive environmental storytellers and advocates.nnIf you are interested in signing up for the course, complete this pre-registration form https://stanforduniversity.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9XqZeZs036WIvop.
Same as: EARTHSYS 249
EARTHSYS 151. Biological Oceanography. 3-4 Units.
Required for Earth Systems students in the oceans track. Interdisciplinary look at how oceanic environments control the form and function of marine life. Topics include distributions of planktonic production and abundance, nutrient cycling, the role of ocean biology in the climate system, expected effects of climate changes on ocean biology. Local weekend field trips. Designed to be taken concurrently with Marine Chemistry (ESS/EARTHSYS 152/252). Prerequisites: BIO 43 and ESS 8 or equivalent.
Same as: EARTHSYS 251, ESS 151, ESS 251
EARTHSYS 152. Marine Chemistry. 3-4 Units.
Introduction to the interdisciplinary knowledge and skills required to critically evaluate problems in marine chemistry and related disciplines. Physical, chemical, and biological processes that determine the chemical composition of seawater. Air-sea gas exchange, carbonate chemistry, and chemical equilibria, nutrient and trace element cycling, particle reactivity, sediment chemistry, and diagenesis. Examination of chemical tracers of mixing and circulation and feedbacks of ocean processes on atmospheric chemistry and climate. Designed to be taken concurrently with Biological Oceanography (ESS/EARTHSYS 151/251).
Same as: EARTHSYS 252, ESS 152, ESS 252
EARTHSYS 154. Intermediate Writing: Communicating Climate Change: Navigating the Stories from the Frontlines. 4 Units.
In the next two decades floods, droughts and famine caused by climate change will displace more than 250 million people around the world. In this course students will develop an increased understanding of how different stakeholders including scientists, aid organizations, locals, policy makers, activists, and media professionals communicate the climate change crisis. They will select a site experiencing the devastating effects and research the voices telling the stories of those sites and the audiences who are (or are not) listening. Students might want to investigate drought-ridden areas such as the Central Valley of California or Darfur, Sudan; Alpine glaciers melting in the Alps or in Alaska; the increasingly flooded Pacific islands; the hurricane ravaged Gulf Coast, among many others. Data from various stakeholders will be analyzed and synthesized for a magazine length article designed to bring attention to a region and/or issue that has previously been neglected. Students will write and submit their article for publication.nnFor students who have completed the first two levels of the writing requirement and want further work in developing writing abilities, especially within discipline-specific contexts and nonfiction genres. Individual conferences with instructor and peer workshops. Prerequisite: first two levels of the writing requirement or equivalent transfer credit. For more information, see https://undergrad.stanford.edu/programs/pwr/explore/notation-science-writing.
Same as: PWR 91EP
EARTHSYS 155. Science of Soils. 3-4 Units.
Physical, chemical, and biological processes within soil systems. Emphasis is on factors governing nutrient availability, plant growth and production, land-resource management, and pollution within soils. How to classify soils and assess nutrient cycling and contaminant fate. Recommended: introductory chemistry and biology.
Same as: ESS 155
EARTHSYS 158. Geomicrobiology. 3 Units.
How microorganisms shape the geochemistry of the Earth's crust including oceans, lakes, estuaries, subsurface environments, sediments, soils, mineral deposits, and rocks. Topics include mineral formation and dissolution; biogeochemical cycling of elements (carbon, nitrogen, sulfur, and metals); geochemical and mineralogical controls on microbial activity, diversity, and evolution; life in extreme environments; and the application of new techniques to geomicrobial systems. Recommended: introductory chemistry and microbiology such as CEE 274A.
Same as: EARTHSYS 258, ESS 158, ESS 258
EARTHSYS 159. Economic, Legal, and Political Analysis of Climate-Change Policy. 5 Units.
This course will advance students understanding of economic, legal, and political approaches to avoiding or managing the problem of global climate change. Theoretical contributions as well as empirical analyses will be considered. It will address economic issues, legal constraints, and political challenges associated with various emissions-reduction strategies, and it will consider policy efforts at the local, national, and international levels. Specific topics include: interactions among overlapping climate policies, the strengths and weaknesses of alternative policy instruments, trade-offs among alternative policy objectives, and decision making under uncertainty. Prerequisites: ECON 50 or its equivalent.
Same as: ECON 159, ECON 209, PUBLPOL 159
EARTHSYS 160. Sustainable Cities. 4-5 Units.
Service-learning course that exposes students to sustainability concepts and urban planning as a tool for determining sustainable outcomes in the Bay Area. Focus will be on the relationship of land use and transportation planning to housing and employment patterns, mobility, public health, and social equity. Topics will include government initiatives to counteract urban sprawl and promote smart growth and livability, political realities of organizing and building coalitions around sustainability goals, and increasing opportunities for low-income and communities of color to achieve sustainability outcomes. Students will participate in team-based projects in collaboration with local community partners and take part in significant off-site fieldwork. Prerequisites: consent of the instructor. (Cardinal Course certified by the Haas Center.).
Same as: URBANST 164
EARTHSYS 162. Data for Sustainable Development. 3-5 Units.
The sustainable development goals (SDGs) encompass many important aspects of human and ecosystem well-being that are traditionally difficult to measure. This project-based course will focus on ways to use inexpensive, unconventional data streams to measure outcomes relevant to SDGs, including poverty, hunger, health, governance, and economic activity. Students will apply machine learning techniques to various projects outlined at the beginning of the quarter. The main learning goals are to gain experience conducting and communicating original research. Prior knowledge of machine learning techniques, such as from CS 221, CS 229, CS 231N, STATS 202, or STATS 216 is required. Open to both undergraduate and graduate students. Enrollment limited to 24. Students must apply for the class by filling out the form at https://goo.gl/forms/9LSZF7lPkHadix5D3. A permission code will be given to admitted students to register for the class.
Same as: CS 325B, EARTHSYS 262
EARTHSYS 164. Introduction to Physical Oceanography. 4 Units.
Formerly CEE 164. The dynamic basis of oceanography. Topics: physical environment; conservation equations for salt, heat, and momentum; geostrophic flows; wind-driven flows; the Gulf Stream; equatorial dynamics and ENSO; thermohaline circulation of the deep oceans; and tides. Prerequisite: PHYSICS 41 (formerly 53).
Same as: CEE 162D, CEE 262D, ESS 148
EARTHSYS 170. Environmental Geochemistry. 4 Units.
Solid, aqueous, and gaseous phases comprising the environment, their natural compositional variations, and chemical interactions. Contrast between natural sources of hazardous elements and compounds and types and sources of anthropogenic contaminants and pollutants. Chemical and physical processes of weathering and soil formation. Chemical factors that affect the stability of solids and aqueous species under earth surface conditions. The release, mobility, and fate of contaminants in natural waters and the roles that water and dissolved substances play in the physical behavior of rocks and soils. The impact of contaminants and design of remediation strategies. Case studies. Prerequisite: 90 or consent of instructor.
Same as: GS 170, GS 270
EARTHSYS 172. Australian Ecosystems: Human Dimensions and Environmental Dynamics. 3 Units.
This cross-disciplinary course surveys the history and prehistory of human ecological dynamics in Australia, drawing on geology, climatology, archaeology, geography, ecology and anthropology to understand the mutual dynamic relationships between the continent and its inhabitants. Topics include anthropogenic fire and fire ecology, animal extinctions, aridity and climate variability, colonization and spread of Homo sapiens, invasive species interactions, changes in human subsistence and mobility throughout the Pleistocene and Holocene as read through the archaeological record, the totemic geography and social organization of Aboriginal people at the time of European contact, the ecological and geographical aspects of the "Dreamtime", and contemporary issues of policy relative to Aboriginal land tenure and management.
Same as: ANTHRO 170, ANTHRO 270
EARTHSYS 176. Open Space Management Practicum. 4-5 Units.
The unique patchwork of urban-to-rural land uses, property ownership, and ecosystems in our region poses numerous challenges and opportunities for regional conservation and environmental stewardship. Students in this class will address a particular challenge through a faculty-mentored research project engaged with the Peninsula Open Space Trust, Acterra, or the Amah Mutsun Land Trust that focuses on open space management. By focusing on a project driven by the needs of these organizations and carried out through engagement with the community, and with thorough reflection, study, and discussion about the roles of scientific, economic, and policy research in local-scale environmental decision-making, students will explore the underlying challenges and complexities of what it means to actually do community-engaged research for conservation and open space preservation in the real world. As such, this course will provide students with skills and experience in research design in conservation biology and ecology, community and stakeholder engagement, land use policy and planning, and the practical aspects of land and environmental management.
Same as: EARTHSYS 276
EARTHSYS 176A. Open Space Practicum Independent Study. 1-2 Unit.
Additional practicum units for students intent on continuing their projects from EARTHSYS 176. Students who enroll in 176A must have completed EARTHSYS 176: Open Space Management Practicum, or have consent of the instructors.
EARTHSYS 177C. Specialized Writing and Reporting: Environmental and Food System Journalism. 4-5 Units.
Advanced reporting and writing course in the specific practices and standards of food journalism. This course begins with the assumption that students are familiar with the basics of reporting and research in journalism. We'll take those skills and apply them to the wide territory of food journalism, from farmer's markets to food waste, from travel and cultural writing to stories about agriculture and climate change. We will read a range of the best food journalism and students will be charged with writing both long form narrative essays and short magazine style pieces. We'll talk about how to hone in on the truly interesting idea, how to get more out of the reporting process and how to turn the raw materials of research and interviews into polished, engaging prose. Admission by application only, available from vvc1@stanford.edu. Deadline December 4.
Same as: COMM 177C, COMM 277C, EARTHSYS 277C
EARTHSYS 179S. Seminar: Issues in Environmental Science, Technology and Sustainability. 1-2 Unit.
Invited faculty, researchers and professionals share their insights and perspectives on a broad range of environmental and sustainability issues. Students critique seminar presentations and associated readings.
Same as: CEE 179S, CEE 279S, ESS 179S
EARTHSYS 180. Principles and Practices of Sustainable Agriculture. 3-4 Units.
Field-based training in ecologically sound agricultural practices at the Stanford Community Farm. Weekly lessons, field work, and group projects. Field trips to educational farms in the area. Topics include: soils, composting, irrigation techniques, IPM, basic plant anatomy and physiology, weeds, greenhouse management, and marketing. Application required. Deadline: March 14 nnApplication: https://stanforduniversity.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bdBA34jEZxifdjf.
Same as: ESS 280
EARTHSYS 181. Urban Agriculture in the Developing World. 3-4 Units.
In this advanced undergraduate course, students will learn about some of the key social and environmental challenges faced by cities in the developing world, and the current and potential role that urban agriculture plays in meeting (or exacerbating) those challenges. This is a service-learning course, and student teams will have the opportunity to partner with real partner organizations in a major developing world city to define and execute a project focused on urban development, and the current or potential role of urban agriculture. Service-learning projects will employ primarily the student's analytical skills such as synthesis of existing research findings, interdisciplinary experimental design, quantitative data analysis and visualization, GIS, and qualitative data collection through interviews and textual analysis. Previous coursework in the aforementioned analytical skills is preferred, but not required. Admission is by application.
Same as: EARTHSYS 281, ESS 181, ESS 281, URBANST 181
EARTHSYS 182A. Ecological Farm Systems. 1-2 Unit.
A project-based course emphasizing `ways of doing¿ in sustainable agricultural systems based at the Stanford Educational Farm. Students will work individually and in small groups on projects at the Stanford Educational Farm. This winter the course will include orchard establishment and educational garden design in addition to other topics. Instructor consent required. nnBy Application Only (Due January 9th): https://stanforduniversity.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_77i4hyXJoRWGhOl.
EARTHSYS 185. Feeding Nine Billion. 4-5 Units.
Feeding a growing and wealthier population is a huge task, and one with implications for many aspects of society and the environment. There are many tough choices to be made- on fertilizers, groundwater pumping, pesticide use, organics, genetic modification, etc. Unfortunately, many people form strong opinions about these issues before understanding some of the basics of how food is grown, such as how most farmers currently manage their fields, and their reasons for doing so. The goal of this class is to present an overview of global agriculture, and the tradeoffs involved with different practices. Students will develop two key knowledge bases: basic principles of crop ecology and agronomy, and familiarity with the scale of the global food system. The last few weeks of the course will be devoted to building on this knowledge base to evaluate different future directions for agriculture.
EARTHSYS 186. Farm and Garden Environmental Education Practicum. 2 Units.
Farms and gardens provide excellent settings for place-based environmental education that emphasize human ecological relationships and experiential learning. The O'Donohue Family Stanford Educational Farm is the setting to explore the principles and practices of farm and garden-based education in conjunction with the farm's new field trip program for local youth. The course includes readings and reflections on environmental education and emphasis on learning by doing, engaging students in the practice of team teaching. Application required. Deadline: March 14.nnApplication: https://stanforduniversity.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9SPufdULCh93rbT.
Same as: EARTHSYS 286
EARTHSYS 187. FEED the Change: Redesigning Food Systems. 2-3 Units.
FEED the Change is a project-based course focused on solving real problems in the food system. Targeted at upper-class undergraduates, this course provides an opportunity for students to meet and work with thought-leading innovators, to gain meaningful field experience, and to develop connections with faculty, students, and others working to create impact in the food system. Students in the course will develop creative confidence by learning and using the basic principles and methodologies of human-centered design, storytelling, and media design. Students will also learn basic tools for working effectively in teams and for analyzing complex social systems. FEED the Change is taught at the d.school and is offered through the FEED Collaborative in the School of Earth. This class requires an application. For application information and more information about our work and about past class projects, please visit our website at http://feedcollaborative.org/classes/.
EARTHSYS 188. Social and Environmental Tradeoffs in Climate Decision-Making. 1-2 Unit.
How can we ensure that measures taken to mitigate global climate change don't create larger social and environmental problems? What metrics should be used to compare potential climate solutions beyond cost and technical feasibility, and how should these metrics be weighed against each other? How can modeling efforts and stakeholder engagement be best integrated into climate decision making? What information are we still missing to make fully informed decisions between technologies and policies? Exploration of these questions, alongside other issues related to potential negative externalities of emerging climate solutions. Evaluation of energy, land use, and geoengineering approaches in an integrated context, culminating in a climate stabilization group project.
Same as: EARTHSYS 288
EARTHSYS 190. The Multimedia Story. 2-3 Units.
Stories are how we understand ourselves and the world. This course will teach how to plan, research, report and produce a long-form, rich-media science/environment feature story. Students will work in groups or individually to master the blending of text with data visualization, photos, audio, and video. Teachers are experienced digital journalists at leading national and international publications with a close eye on trends and innovations in online, investigative, and data journalism.nnUsing the landmark New York Times story Snow Fall (http://nyti.ms/1eTyf2Y) as a departure point, the course will examine the questions: how do we engage and inform the public around critical environmental topics? How do we explain complex and sometimes hidden factors shaping the future of our world? nnStudents are asked to express interest through this form: http://bit.ly/2odHWo7.
EARTHSYS 191. Concepts in Environmental Communication. 3 Units.
Introduction to the history, development, and current state of communication of environmental science and policy to non-specialist audiences. Includes fundamental principles, core competencies, and major challenges of effective environmental communication in the public and policy realms and an overview of the current scope of research and practice in environmental communication. Intended for graduate students and advanced undergraduates, with a background in environmental science and/or policy studies. Prerequisite: Earth Systems core (EARTHSYS 111 and EARTHSYS 112) or equivalent. (Meets Earth Systems WIM requirement.).
Same as: EARTHSYS 291
EARTHSYS 196. Implementing Climate Solutions at Scale. 3 Units.
Climate change is the biggest problem humanity has ever faced, and this course will teach students about the means and complexity of solving it. The instructors will guide the students in the application of key data and analysis tools for their final project, which will involve developing integrated plans for eliminating greenhouse gas emissions (100% reductions) by 2050 for a country, state, province, sector, or industry.
Same as: EARTHSYS 296
EARTHSYS 199. Honors Program in Earth Systems. 1-9 Unit.
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EARTHSYS 200. Environmental Communication in Action: The SAGE Project. 3 Units.
This course is focused on writing about sustainability for a public audience through an ongoing project, SAGE (Sound Advice for a Green Earth), that is published by Stanford Magazine. Students contribute to SAGE, an eco advice column, by choosing, researching, and answering questions about sustainable living submitted by Stanford alumni and the general public. (Meets Earth Systems WIM requirement).
EARTHSYS 201. Editing for Publication. 2 Units.
Most student writing experiences end with a "final" written draft, but that leaves out crucial steps in the publication process. In this course, advanced students take responsibility for final editing and publication of the environmental advice column SAGE, starting with answers researched and written by students in EARTHSYS 200. Topics include developmental editing and project management for the SAGE project, structural editing for overall organization and impact of individual pieces, line editing for clarity and style, and fact checking and copy editing for accuracy and consistency.
EARTHSYS 205. Food and Community: Food Security, Resilience and Equity. 2-3 Units.
What can communities do to bolster food security, resiliency, and equity in the face of climate change? This course aims to respond to this question, in three parts. In Part 1, we will explore the most current scientific findings on trends in anthropogenic climate forcing and the anticipated impacts on global and regional food systems. Specifically, Part I will review the anticipated impact of climate change on severe weather events, crop losses, and food price volatility and the influence of these impacts on global and regional food insecurity and hunger. In Part II, we will consider what communities can do to promote food security and equity in the face of these changes, by reviewing the emerging literature on food system resiliency. Finally, we will facilitate a conference in which multi-disciplinary teams from around the country will gather to initiate regional planning projects designed to enhance food system resilience and equity. Cardinal Course (certified by Haas Center). Limited enrollment. May be repeated for credit.
Same as: EARTHSYS 105
EARTHSYS 206. World Food Economy. 5 Units.
The economics of food production, consumption, and trade. The micro- and macro- determinants of food supply and demand, including the interrelationship among food, income, population, and public-sector decision making. Emphasis on the role of agriculture in poverty alleviation, economic development, and environmental outcomes. (graduate students enroll in 206).
Same as: EARTHSYS 106, ECON 106, ECON 206, ESS 106, ESS 206
EARTHSYS 207. Spanish in Science/Science in Spanish. 2 Units.
For graduate and undergraduate students interested in the natural sciences and the Spanish language. Students will acquire the ability to communicate in Spanish using scientific language and will enhance their ability to read scientific literature written in Spanish. Emphasis on the development of science in Spanish-speaking countries or regions. Course is conducted in Spanish and intended for students pursuing degrees in the sciences, particularly disciplines such as ecology, environmental science, sustainability, resource management, anthropology, and archeology.
Same as: BIO 208
EARTHSYS 208. U.S. Environmental Law in Transition. 1 Unit.
This course offers an accessible survey of timely topics in environmental law and policy as the United States transitions presidential administrations. Taught by two practicing lawyers, the class introduces students from any background to the interactions between local, state, and federal environmental law as they apply to prominent policy issues. We will analyze major changes in federal policy, providing historical context for the transformations now underway in the laws and institutions that help shape environmental outcomes in the United States.
Same as: EARTHSYS 108
EARTHSYS 210A. Senior Capstone and Reflection. 3 Units.
The Earth Systems Senior Capstone and Reflection, required of all seniors, provides students with opportunities to synthesize and reflect on their learning in the major. Students participate in guided career development and planning activities and initiate work on an independent or group capstone project related to an Earth Systems problem or question of interest. In addition, students learn and apply principles of effective oral communication through developing and giving a formal presentation on their internship. Students must also take EARTHSYS 210P, Earth Systems Capstone Project, in the quarter following the Senior Capstone and Reflection Course. Prerequisite: Completion of an approved Earth Systems internship (EARTHSYS 260).
EARTHSYS 210B. Senior Capstone and Reflection. 3 Units.
The Earth Systems Senior Capstone and Reflection, required of all seniors, provides students with opportunities to synthesize and reflect on their learning in the major. Students participate in guided career development and planning activities and initiate work on an independent or group capstone project related to an Earth Systems problem or question of interest. In addition, students learn and apply principles of effective oral communication through developing and giving a formal presentation on their internship. Students must also take EARTHSYS 210P, Earth Systems Capstone Project, in the quarter following the Senior Capstone and Reflection Course. Prerequisite: Completion of an approved Earth Systems internship (EARTHSYS 260).
EARTHSYS 210P. Earth Systems Capstone Project. 2 Units.
Students work independently or in groups to complete their Senior Capstone Projects. They will participate in regular advising meetings with the instructor(s), and will give a final presentation on their projects at the end of the quarter in a special Earth Systems symposium. Prerequisite: EARTHSYS 210A, B, or C.
EARTHSYS 211. Fundamentals of Modeling. 3-5 Units.
Simulation models are a powerful tool for environmental research, if used properly. The major concepts and techniques for building and evaluating models. Topics include model calibration, model selection, uncertainty and sensitivity analysis, and Monte Carlo and bootstrap methods. Emphasis is on gaining hands-on experience using the R programming language. Prerequisite: Basic knowledge of statistics.
Same as: ESS 211
EARTHSYS 212. Human Society and Environmental Change. 4 Units.
Interdisciplinary approaches to understanding human-environment interactions with a focus on economics, policy, culture, history, and the role of the state. Prerequisite: ECON 1.
Same as: EARTHSYS 112, ESS 112, HISTORY 103D
EARTHSYS 214. Environmental Change and Emerging Infectious Diseases. 4-5 Units.
The changing epidemiological environment. How human-induced environmental changes, such as global warming, deforestation and land-use conversion, urbanization, international commerce, and human migration, are altering the ecology of infectious disease transmission, and promoting their re-emergence as a global public health threat. Case studies of malaria, cholera, hantavirus, plague, and HIV.
Same as: ANTHRO 177, ANTHRO 277, EARTHSYS 114, HUMBIO 114
EARTHSYS 219. Will Work for Food. 1 Unit.
This is a speaker series class featuring highly successful innovators in the food system. Featured speakers will talk in an intimate, conversational manner about their current work, as well as about their successes, failures, and learnings along the way. Additional information can be found here: http://feedcollaborative.org/speaker-series/.
Same as: EARTHSYS 119
EARTHSYS 225. Shades of Green: Redesigning and Rethinking the Environmental Justice Movements. 3-5 Units.
Historically, discussions of race, ethnicity, culture, and equity in the environment have been relegated to the environmental justice movement, which often focuses on urban environmental degradation and remains separated from other environmental movements. This course will seek to break out of this limiting discussion. We will explore access to outdoor spaces, definitions of wilderness, who is and isn't included in environmental organizations, gender and the outdoors, how colonialism has influenced ways of knowing, and the future of climate change. The course will also have a design thinking community partnership project. Students will work with partner organizations to problem-solve around issues of access and diversity. We value a diversity of experiences and epistemological beliefs, and therefore undergraduates and graduate students from all disciplines are welcome.
Same as: CSRE 125E, EARTHSYS 125, URBANST 125
EARTHSYS 232. Evolution of Earth Systems. 4 Units.
This course examines biogeochemical cycles and how they developed through the interaction between the atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and lithosphere. Emphasis is on the long-term carbon cycle and how it is connected to other biogeochemical cycles on Earth. The course consists of lectures, discussion of research papers, and quantitative modeling of biogeochemical cycles. Students produce a model on some aspect of the cycles discussed in this course. Grades based on class interaction, student presentations, and the modeling project.
Same as: EARTHSYS 132, ESS 132, ESS 232
EARTHSYS 235. Podcasting the Anthropocene. 3 Units.
The Anthropocene refers to the proposed geologic age defined by the global footprint of humankind. It's an acknowledgement of the tremendous influence people and societies exert on Earth systems. Students taking the course will identify a subject expert, workshop story ideas with fellow students and instructors, conduct interviews, iteratively write audio scripts, and learn the skills necessary to produce final audio podcast as their final project. Our expectation is that the final projects will be published on the award-winning Generation Anthropocene podcast, with possible opportunities to cross post in collaboration with external media partners. Students taking EARTHSYS 135/235 are strongly encouraged to take EARTHSYS 135A/235A beforehand. Meets Earth Systems WIM requirement. (Cardinal Course certified by the Haas Center).
EARTHSYS 236. The Ethics of Stewardship. 2-3 Units.
What responsibilities do humans have to nonhuman nature and future generations? How are human communities and individuals shaped by their relationships with the natural world? What are the social, political, and moral ramifications of drawing sustenance and wealth from natural resources? Whether we realize it or not, we grapple with such questions every time we turn on the tap, fuel up cars, or eat meals -and they are key to addressing issues like global climate change and environmental justice. In this class, we consider several perspectives on this ethical question of stewardship: the role of humans in the global environment. In addition to reading written work and speaking with land stewards, we will practice stewardship at the Stanford Educational Farm. This course must be taken for a minimum of 3 units and a letter grade to be eligible for Ways credit.
Same as: EARTHSYS 136
EARTHSYS 238. Land Use Law. 3 Units.
(Same as LAW 2505.) This course focuses on the pragmatic (more than theoretical) aspects of contemporary land use law and policy, including: the tools and legal foundation of modern land use law; the process of land development; vested property rights, development agreements, and takings; growth control, sprawl, and housing density; and direct democracy over land use. We explore how land use decisions affect environmental quality and how land use decision-making addresses environmental impacts. Special Instructions: All graduate students from other departments are encouraged to enroll, and no pre-requisites apply. Student participation is essential. Roughly two-thirds of the class time will involve a combination of lecture and classroom discussion. The remaining time will engage students in case studies based on actual land use issues and disputes. Elements used in grading: Attendance, class participation, writing assignments, and final exam. Elements used in grading: Attendance, Class Participation, Final Exam.
EARTHSYS 239. Ecosystem Services: Frontiers in the Science of Valuing Nature. 3 Units.
This advanced course explores the science of valuing nature, beginning with its historical origins, and then its recent development in natural (especially ecological), economic, psychological, and other social sciences. We will use the ecosystem services framework (characterizing benefits from ecosystems to people) to define the state of knowledge, core methods of analysis, and research frontiers, such as at the interface with biodiversity, resilience, human health, and human development. Intended for diverse students, with a focus on research and real-world cases. To apply, please email the instructor (gdaily@stanford.edu) with a brief description of your background and research interests.
Same as: BIO 138, BIO 238, EARTHSYS 139
EARTHSYS 241. Remote Sensing of the Oceans. 3-4 Units.
How to observe and interpret physical and biological changes in the oceans using satellite technologies. Topics: principles of satellite remote sensing, classes of satellite remote sensors, converting radiometric data into biological and physical quantities, sensor calibration and validation, interpreting large-scale oceanographic features.
Same as: EARTHSYS 141, ESS 141, ESS 241, GEOPHYS 141
EARTHSYS 242. Remote Sensing of Land. 4 Units.
The use of satellite remote sensing to monitor land use and land cover, with emphasis on terrestrial changes. Topics include pre-processing data, biophysical properties of vegetation observable by satellite, accuracy assessment of maps derived from remote sensing, and methodologies to detect changes such as urbanization, deforestation, vegetation health, and wildfires.
Same as: EARTHSYS 142, ESS 162, ESS 262
EARTHSYS 243. Environmental Advocacy and Policy Communication. 3 Units.
Although environmental science suggests that coordinated policy action is critically necessary to address a host of pressing issues - from global climate change to marine pollution to freshwater depletion - governments have been slow to act. This course focuses on the translation of environmental science to public discourse and public policy, with an emphasis on the causes of our current knowledge-to-action gap and policy-sphere strategies to address it. We will read classic works of environmental advocacy, map our political system and the public relations and lobbying industries that attempt to influence it, grapple with analytical perspectives on effective and ethical environmental policy communication, engage with working professionals in the field, learn effective strategies for written and oral communication with policymakers, and write and workshop op-eds.
EARTHSYS 249. Wild Writing. 3 Units.
What is wilderness and why does it matter? In this course we will interrogate answers to this question articulated by influential and diverse American environmental thinkers of the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries, who through their writing transformed public perceptions of wilderness and inspired such actions as the founding of the National Park System, the passage of the Wilderness Act and the Clean Air and Water Acts, the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency, and the birth of the environmental and climate justice movements. Students will also develop their own responses to the question of what is wilderness and why it matters through a series of writing exercises that integrate personal narrative, wilderness experience, and environmental scholarship, culminating in a ~3000 word narrative nonfiction essay. This course will provide students with knowledge, tools, experience, and skills that will empower them to become more persuasive environmental storytellers and advocates.nnIf you are interested in signing up for the course, complete this pre-registration form https://stanforduniversity.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9XqZeZs036WIvop.
Same as: EARTHSYS 149
EARTHSYS 250. Directed Research. 1-9 Unit.
Independent research. Student develops own project with faculty supervision. May be repeated for credit.
EARTHSYS 251. Biological Oceanography. 3-4 Units.
Required for Earth Systems students in the oceans track. Interdisciplinary look at how oceanic environments control the form and function of marine life. Topics include distributions of planktonic production and abundance, nutrient cycling, the role of ocean biology in the climate system, expected effects of climate changes on ocean biology. Local weekend field trips. Designed to be taken concurrently with Marine Chemistry (ESS/EARTHSYS 152/252). Prerequisites: BIO 43 and ESS 8 or equivalent.
Same as: EARTHSYS 151, ESS 151, ESS 251
EARTHSYS 252. Marine Chemistry. 3-4 Units.
Introduction to the interdisciplinary knowledge and skills required to critically evaluate problems in marine chemistry and related disciplines. Physical, chemical, and biological processes that determine the chemical composition of seawater. Air-sea gas exchange, carbonate chemistry, and chemical equilibria, nutrient and trace element cycling, particle reactivity, sediment chemistry, and diagenesis. Examination of chemical tracers of mixing and circulation and feedbacks of ocean processes on atmospheric chemistry and climate. Designed to be taken concurrently with Biological Oceanography (ESS/EARTHSYS 151/251).
Same as: EARTHSYS 152, ESS 152, ESS 252
EARTHSYS 255. Microbial Physiology. 3 Units.
Introduction to the physiology of microbes including cellular structure, transcription and translation, growth and metabolism, mechanisms for stress resistance and the formation of microbial communities. These topics will be covered in relation to the evolution of early life on Earth, ancient ecosystems, and the interpretation of the rock record. Recommended: introductory biology and chemistry.
Same as: BIO 180, ESS 255, GS 233A
EARTHSYS 256. Soil and Water Chemistry. 3 Units.
(Graduate students register for 256.) Practical and quantitative treatment of soil processes affecting chemical reactivity, transformation, retention, and bioavailability. Principles of primary areas of soil chemistry: inorganic and organic soil components, complex equilibria in soil solutions, and adsorption phenomena at the solid-water interface. Processes and remediation of acid, saline, and wetland soils. Recommended: soil science and introductory chemistry and microbiology.
Same as: ESS 256
EARTHSYS 258. Geomicrobiology. 3 Units.
How microorganisms shape the geochemistry of the Earth's crust including oceans, lakes, estuaries, subsurface environments, sediments, soils, mineral deposits, and rocks. Topics include mineral formation and dissolution; biogeochemical cycling of elements (carbon, nitrogen, sulfur, and metals); geochemical and mineralogical controls on microbial activity, diversity, and evolution; life in extreme environments; and the application of new techniques to geomicrobial systems. Recommended: introductory chemistry and microbiology such as CEE 274A.
Same as: EARTHSYS 158, ESS 158, ESS 258
EARTHSYS 260. Internship. 1 Unit.
Supervised field, lab, or private sector project. May consist of directed research under the supervision of a Stanford faculty member, participation in one of several off campus Stanford programs, or an approved non-Stanford program relevant to the student's Earth Systems studies. Required of and restricted to declared Earth Systems majors. Includes 15-page technical summary research paper that is subject to iterative revision.
EARTHSYS 262. Data for Sustainable Development. 3-5 Units.
The sustainable development goals (SDGs) encompass many important aspects of human and ecosystem well-being that are traditionally difficult to measure. This project-based course will focus on ways to use inexpensive, unconventional data streams to measure outcomes relevant to SDGs, including poverty, hunger, health, governance, and economic activity. Students will apply machine learning techniques to various projects outlined at the beginning of the quarter. The main learning goals are to gain experience conducting and communicating original research. Prior knowledge of machine learning techniques, such as from CS 221, CS 229, CS 231N, STATS 202, or STATS 216 is required. Open to both undergraduate and graduate students. Enrollment limited to 24. Students must apply for the class by filling out the form at https://goo.gl/forms/9LSZF7lPkHadix5D3. A permission code will be given to admitted students to register for the class.
Same as: CS 325B, EARTHSYS 162
EARTHSYS 263F. Groundwork for COP21. 1 Unit.
This course will prepare undergraduate and coterm students to observe the climate change negotiations (COP 21) in Paris in November/December 2015. Students will develop individual projects to be carried out before and during the negotiation session and be paired with mentors. Please note: Along with EARTHSYS 163E/CEE 163E, this course is part of the required two-course-set in which undergraduate and co-terminal masters degree students must enroll to receive accreditation to the climate negotiations.
EARTHSYS 272. Antarctic Marine Geology. 3 Units.
For upper-division undergraduates and graduate students. Intermediate and advanced topics in marine geology and geophysics, focusing on examples from the Antarctic continental margin and adjacent Southern Ocean. Topics: glaciers, icebergs, and sea ice as geologic agents (glacial and glacial marine sedimentology, Southern Ocean current systems and deep ocean sedimentation), Antarctic biostratigraphy and chronostratigraphy (continental margin evolution). Students interpret seismic lines and sediment core/well log data. Examples from a recent scientific drilling expedition to Prydz Bay, Antarctica. Up to two students may have an opportunity to study at sea in Antarctica during Winter Quarter.
Same as: ESS 242
EARTHSYS 276. Open Space Management Practicum. 4-5 Units.
The unique patchwork of urban-to-rural land uses, property ownership, and ecosystems in our region poses numerous challenges and opportunities for regional conservation and environmental stewardship. Students in this class will address a particular challenge through a faculty-mentored research project engaged with the Peninsula Open Space Trust, Acterra, or the Amah Mutsun Land Trust that focuses on open space management. By focusing on a project driven by the needs of these organizations and carried out through engagement with the community, and with thorough reflection, study, and discussion about the roles of scientific, economic, and policy research in local-scale environmental decision-making, students will explore the underlying challenges and complexities of what it means to actually do community-engaged research for conservation and open space preservation in the real world. As such, this course will provide students with skills and experience in research design in conservation biology and ecology, community and stakeholder engagement, land use policy and planning, and the practical aspects of land and environmental management.
Same as: EARTHSYS 176
EARTHSYS 276A. Open Space Practicum Independent Study. 1-2 Unit.
Additional practicum units for students intent on continuing their projects from EARTHSYS 276. Students who enroll in 276A must have completed EARTHSYS 276: Open Space Management Practicum, or have consent of the instructors.
EARTHSYS 277C. Specialized Writing and Reporting: Environmental and Food System Journalism. 4-5 Units.
Advanced reporting and writing course in the specific practices and standards of food journalism. This course begins with the assumption that students are familiar with the basics of reporting and research in journalism. We'll take those skills and apply them to the wide territory of food journalism, from farmer's markets to food waste, from travel and cultural writing to stories about agriculture and climate change. We will read a range of the best food journalism and students will be charged with writing both long form narrative essays and short magazine style pieces. We'll talk about how to hone in on the truly interesting idea, how to get more out of the reporting process and how to turn the raw materials of research and interviews into polished, engaging prose. Admission by application only, available from vvc1@stanford.edu. Deadline December 4.
Same as: COMM 177C, COMM 277C, EARTHSYS 177C
EARTHSYS 281. Urban Agriculture in the Developing World. 3-4 Units.
In this advanced undergraduate course, students will learn about some of the key social and environmental challenges faced by cities in the developing world, and the current and potential role that urban agriculture plays in meeting (or exacerbating) those challenges. This is a service-learning course, and student teams will have the opportunity to partner with real partner organizations in a major developing world city to define and execute a project focused on urban development, and the current or potential role of urban agriculture. Service-learning projects will employ primarily the student's analytical skills such as synthesis of existing research findings, interdisciplinary experimental design, quantitative data analysis and visualization, GIS, and qualitative data collection through interviews and textual analysis. Previous coursework in the aforementioned analytical skills is preferred, but not required. Admission is by application.
Same as: EARTHSYS 181, ESS 181, ESS 281, URBANST 181
EARTHSYS 286. Farm and Garden Environmental Education Practicum. 2 Units.
Farms and gardens provide excellent settings for place-based environmental education that emphasize human ecological relationships and experiential learning. The O'Donohue Family Stanford Educational Farm is the setting to explore the principles and practices of farm and garden-based education in conjunction with the farm's new field trip program for local youth. The course includes readings and reflections on environmental education and emphasis on learning by doing, engaging students in the practice of team teaching. Application required. Deadline: March 14.nnApplication: https://stanforduniversity.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9SPufdULCh93rbT.
Same as: EARTHSYS 186
EARTHSYS 288. Social and Environmental Tradeoffs in Climate Decision-Making. 1-2 Unit.
How can we ensure that measures taken to mitigate global climate change don't create larger social and environmental problems? What metrics should be used to compare potential climate solutions beyond cost and technical feasibility, and how should these metrics be weighed against each other? How can modeling efforts and stakeholder engagement be best integrated into climate decision making? What information are we still missing to make fully informed decisions between technologies and policies? Exploration of these questions, alongside other issues related to potential negative externalities of emerging climate solutions. Evaluation of energy, land use, and geoengineering approaches in an integrated context, culminating in a climate stabilization group project.
Same as: EARTHSYS 188
EARTHSYS 289A. FEED Lab: Food System Design & Innovation. 3-4 Units.
FEED Lab is a 3-4 unit introductory course in design thinking and food system innovation offered through the FEED Collaborative. Targeted at graduate students interested in food and the food system, this course provides a series of diverse, primarily hands-on experiences (design projects with industry-leading thinkers, field work, and collaborative leadership development) in which students both learn and apply the process of human-centered design to projects of real consequence in the food system. The intent of this course is to develop students' creative confidence, collaborative leadership ability, and skills in systems thinking to prepare them to be more effective as innovators and leaders in the food system. This course is mandatory for any student wishing to qualify for the FEED Collaborative's summer Leadership and Innovation Program, in which select students participate in full-time, paid, externship roles with collaborating thought-leaders in the industry. Admission is by application: http://feedcollaborative.org/classes/.
EARTHSYS 289B. FEED Lab: Food System Design & Innovation. 3-4 Units.
Primarily a follow-on course to EARTHSYS 289A, this course is an experiential education platform that enables students already experienced in design thinking to collaborate with faculty and industry thought-leaders on projects of real consequence in the local food system. A select cohort of students will work in small, diverse teams and will interact closely with the teaching team in an intentionally creative and informal classroom setting. Students will deepen their skills in design thinking and social entrepreneurship by working on projects sponsored by leading innovators in the FEED Collaborative's network. Some projects may turn into summer internships or research projects for students interested in continuing their work. Admission is by application: http://feedcollaborative.org/classes/.
EARTHSYS 290. Master's Seminar. 2 Units.
Required of and open only to Earth Systems master's students. Reflection on the Earth Systems coterm experience and development of skills to clearly articulate interdisciplinary expertise to potential employers, graduate or professional schools, colleagues, business partners, etc. Hands-on projects to take students through a series of guided reflection activities. Individual and small group exercises. Required, self-chosen final project encapsulates each student's MS expertise in a form relevant to his or her future goals (ie. a personal statement, research poster, portfolio, etc.).
EARTHSYS 291. Concepts in Environmental Communication. 3 Units.
Introduction to the history, development, and current state of communication of environmental science and policy to non-specialist audiences. Includes fundamental principles, core competencies, and major challenges of effective environmental communication in the public and policy realms and an overview of the current scope of research and practice in environmental communication. Intended for graduate students and advanced undergraduates, with a background in environmental science and/or policy studies. Prerequisite: Earth Systems core (EARTHSYS 111 and EARTHSYS 112) or equivalent. (Meets Earth Systems WIM requirement.).
Same as: EARTHSYS 191
EARTHSYS 292. Multimedia Environmental Communication. 3 Units.
Introductory theory and practice of effective, accurate and engaging use of photography and web video production in communicating environmental science and policy concepts to the public. Emphasis on fundamental technique and process more than gear. Includes group project work, instructor and peer critiquing of work, and substantial out-of-class project work. Limited class size, preference to Earth Systems Master's students. No previous photography or video experience necessary.
EARTHSYS 293. Environmental Communication Practicum. 1-5 Unit.
Students complete an internship or similar practical experience in a professional environmental communication setting. Potential placements include environmental publications, NGOs, government agencies, on-campus entities, and science centers and museums. Restricted to students enrolled in the Environmental Communication Master of Arts in Earth Systems. Can be completed in any quarter.
EARTHSYS 294. Environmental Communication Capstone. 1-5 Unit.
The Earth Systems Master of Arts, Environmental Communication capstone project provides students with an opportunity to complete an ambitious independent project demonstrating mastery of an area of environmental communication. Capstone projects are most often applied communication projects such as writing, photography, or video projects; expressive or artistic works; or student-initiated courses, workshops, or curriculum materials. Projects focused on academic scholarship or communication theory research may also be considered. Restricted to students enrolled in the Earth Systems Master of Arts, Environmental Communication Program.
EARTHSYS 296. Implementing Climate Solutions at Scale. 3 Units.
Climate change is the biggest problem humanity has ever faced, and this course will teach students about the means and complexity of solving it. The instructors will guide the students in the application of key data and analysis tools for their final project, which will involve developing integrated plans for eliminating greenhouse gas emissions (100% reductions) by 2050 for a country, state, province, sector, or industry.
Same as: EARTHSYS 196
EARTHSYS 297. Directed Individual Study in Earth Systems. 1-9 Unit.
Under supervision of an Earth Systems faculty member on a subject of mutual interest.
EARTHSYS 298. Earth Systems Book Review. 2 Units.
For Earth Systems master's students and advanced undergraduates only. Analysis and discussion of selected literary nonfiction books relevant to Earth systems topics. Examples of previous topics include political presentations of environmental change in the popular press, review of the collected works of Aldo Leopold, disaster literature, and global warming.
EARTHSYS 299. M.S. Thesis. 1-9 Unit.
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EARTHSYS 323. Stanford at Sea. 16 Units.
(Graduate students register for 323H.) Five weeks of marine science including oceanography, marine physiology, policy, maritime studies, conservation, and nautical science at Hopkins Marine Station, followed by five weeks at sea aboard a sailing research vessel in the Pacific Ocean. Shore component comprised of three multidisciplinary courses meeting daily and continuing aboard ship. Students develop an independent research project plan while ashore, and carry out the research at sea. In collaboration with the Sea Education Association of Woods Hole, MA. Only 6 units may count towards the Biology major.
Same as: BIOHOPK 182H, BIOHOPK 323H, ESS 323
EARTHSYS 332. Theory and Practice of Environmental Education. 3 Units.
Foundational understanding of the history, theoretical underpinnings, and practice of environmental education as a tool for addressing today's pressing environmental issues. The purpose, design, and implementation of environmental education in formal and nonformal settings with youth and adult audiences. Field trip and community-based project offer opportunities for experiencing and engaging with environmental education initiatives.
Same as: EDUC 332
EARTHSYS 801. TGR Project. 0 Units.
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