Minnesota – Environmental Sustainability:
Science, Public Policy and Community Action
Fall Semester
In the land of lakes and rivers, Minneapolis and St. Paul are built within a rich natural landscape that is home to one of the most active networks of environmental organizations in the country. This semester program addresses key processes of ecosystem degradation and rehabilitation, the social and economic underpinnings of conflict over environmental change, and public policy and community –based strategies to achieve sustainability. It offers students an off-campus experience based in the Twin Cities, examining a set of contemporary natural resource and public policy case studies. Students also participate in internships and in a grant funded community based research project. This program takes an integrated approach to environmental issues, addressing the linkages between rural and urban concerns as well as the way local decisions relate to regional and global trends. Topics include sustainable agriculture, land use management and watershed protection, industrial pollution, energy projection and consumption, transportation, urbanization and suburban sprawl.
Environmental problems are commonly viewed as technical problems. However, the most difficult and enduring challenges are social and institutional. In addition to providing an introduction to the science behind key environmental issues, Environmental Sustainability provides tools for analyzing the human context of environmental conflict, as well as strategies for social change. This dynamic investigation unfolds within a complex urban setting where questions of equity, justice and sustainability lead students to discover careers, life directions and new ways of knowing.
Example Internship Placements
|
“This program truly engages every part of you. Between the field trips, internship, and research project, we had our hearts, minds and hands engaged in the community.” - Kristin, Gustavus Adolphus College |
- Sustainable agriculture
- Environmental Monitoring
- Ecological Restoration
- Policy & Research Development
- Community Organizing
- Urban Planning
- Environmental Education
Hands-On Experience
The program includes field experiences that focus on basic ecosystem evaluation. Short trips throughout the semester offer opportunities to integrate theory and practice. As part of the field methods course students carry out on-the-ground research as part of a community-based project. HECUA also designs an internship experience for all students that meets personal learning goals and connects program themes. Extraordinary mentors in the environmental arena lead students to participate in meaningful work during the internship portion of the program.
Community Based Research
Funded through a grant from the Mississippi Watershed Management Organization, in 2004, HECUA students in the Environmental Sustainability Program conducted a survey of the residents in the Longfellow and Seward neighborhoods of south Minneapolis. The class worked with a variety of interested stakeholders (MWMO, River Gorge Committee, the River Gorge Stewards, Friends of the Mississippi River) to create a survey that accurately and relevantly measured ecological knowledge, caring, and action in the neighborhood, and sought to understand more deeply the barriers and bridges integrating sustainable practices into daily life. The final findings are documented in a report entitled, "Connecting Knowledge, Attitudes and Behaviors Regarding Urban Water Quality." This report provides an overview of the development of the survey, a synthesis of the survey data, and ideas for further research. Included in the document are the results, survey instrument, final response frequencies, methodology, and volunteer instruction appendices. Below you can access the full 73 page report by downloading a PDF file. Click on “2004 MWMO Survey Final Report” to access it.
During fall 2005 we received funding for phase II of the project in which we have probed more deeply into the barriers and bridges to adopting environmental behaviors. Students conducted in depth interviews with a subset of respondents from the 2004 survey and shared their results through a public presentation held on December 12, 2005. Click below to access a copy of the 2005 MWMO Interview Final Report.
“This program changed the way I look at environmental issues and problems. I am now able to recognize how crucial the social, economic, and political aspects are in addressing environmental issues.” – Heidi, University of MN |
The fall 2006 class embarked on a new research project this semester supported by a grant from the Minnesota Communities Foundation and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency in which they worked with The Friends of the Mississippi River to evaluate the newly developed Stream Health Evaluation Program (SHEP). SHEP is modeled after the successful Wetland Health Evaluation Program (WHEP), active in the Vermillion River Watershed, and its mission is to train volunteers in stream monitoring techniques and invertebrate identification so the volunteers can monitor streams in the Rice Creek Watershed District and provide scientifically reliable data for use by decision makers. The students worked in three research groups and researched and evaluated the following through interviews, surveys, case studies and literature reviews: 1) volunteer experience, 2) monitoring techniques, and 3) ways in which the data could be used in a broader political context. On December 11th, 2006, the students presented their findings to the public and shared recommendations to the program leaders to enhance this successful and growing program. Click on “2006 SHEP Presentation” to access the PowerPoint document.
In 2007 we worked with the City of Minneapolis and the Seward and Longfellow neighborhoods to understand the barriers and bridges to behaviors that will help mitigate climate change. As Minneapolis works to reduce overall carbon emissions, they hope to develop a suite of effective tools and programs. Our research was based on a simple model in which Hungerford and Volk (1992) explore a number of factors that influence environmental behavior. We started by reviewing the science of climate change. We then begin our research by conducting a short survey of different sub-populations within Minneapolis about their basic knowledge, attitudes and behaviors related to CO2 emissions. After completing a quantitative analysis of those data we went back to a sub-section of the survey population and conduced in-depth interviews. Through this project students learned about behavior models, gained experience establishing a research plan, conducted quantitative and qualitative research, and presented the results in a public presentation. Below you can see the slide presentation that the students presented on December 10, 2007.
| 2004 MWMO Survey Final Report |
| 2005 MWMO Survey Final Report - 20 MB PDF |
| 2006 SHEP Presentation - 18 MB Powerpoint Presentation |
| 2007 Climate Change Presentation - 7.2 MB PDF |
Courses
Adaptive Ecosystem Management
Social Dimensions of Environmental Change
Internship & Integration Seminar
Field Research Methods and Investigation
The courses are taken as an integrated whole and provide the equivalent of a semester's worth of credit, i.e. 4 course credits, 16 semester hours or 27 trimester credits. This program is full-time with classes two days a week and the remaining three days are served at the internship. A few field trips are overnight experiences.
Faculty
Juila Nerbonne
For More Information
Think this program is just for science students? Think again! This program integrates natural and social sciences within a social justice framework and no course prerequisites are required.
If you would like to know more about the program fee, dates or other specific application information please visit the General Program Information page.
| Example Syllabus |
Check out the other USA programs:
| City Arts | Metro Urban Studies Term |
Writing for Social Change |
