Arizona International College: Sustainable Development, Courses Summer 2000

Summer 2000 Course Descriptions
Key to Course Descriptions

Courses listed below are approved UA courses as of Summer 2000. Not all approved courses will be offered during this term. For course offerings/availability during a specific term, see the Schedule of Classes. Each course number below links to the Schedule of Classes.

Arizona International College: Sustainable Development (AISD) College Info

AISD 300 Advanced Writing and Sustainability (3) I II This course enables students to develop advanced writing skills pertinent to the Sustainable Development Academic House, such as grant writing, journalism, writing for the public sector, etc. P, consent of instructor for non-AIC students.

AISD 302 Multinational and Transnational Corporations and the Environment (3) II The role of multinational corporations in the degradation and potential restoration of the global environment will be explored. Students will compare and evaluate public policy development by various nations with respect to environmental issues within and across their borders. P, consent of instructor for non-AIC students.

AISD 303 Global Health Issues (3-30) I II Health and its impact on people around the world are explored from the perspective of the environment, development, and economics. This course uses epidemiological studies and looks at the disparities in medical care within and between nations, effects on biodiversity, public resources and the changing population demographics. P, consent of instructor for non-AIC students.

AISD 304 Human Factors and Environmental Design (3) I II Students will systematically apply relevant information about human capacities and characteristics to the design of things that people use and environments in which they use them. Students will study the history and critical issues of public (versus private) space for their final project. P, consent of instructor for non-AIC students.

AISD 305 Environmental Art (3) I This course critically examines social, ecological, and environmental art. Visual and performing arts around the globe will be considered, with an emphasis on the twentieth century. Students will research global environmental art and work to create their own art that reflects their experiences with the environment. P, consent of instructor for non-AIC students or lower than 2nd-year standing.

AISD 306 Education and Sustainability (3) I II This class is designed to help prepare planners and educators in constructing schools and learning situations that can begin to address how we might live well and sustainably on the earth. Students will look at our core beliefs and values and research how the major socio-cultural forces may be undermining them. P, consent of instructor for non-AIC students.

AISD 308 Environmental Photojournalism (3) I Students will explore issues in sustainability by first researching an area (such as environmental justice, toxic waste, or environmental racism) and begin to formulate a position. Students will document this issue using photography and written journals, producing a final project, which can be in the form of a pamphlet, magazine, or book. P, consent of instructor for non-AIC students.

AISD 309 Economic Development and Sustainability (3) II This course will explore several economic issues including the use of cost-benefit analysis to resolve environmental decisions, how to deal with future costs and benefits, the impact of world trade on the degrading of natural environments, and market versus centrally planned economies. P, consent of instructor for non-AIC students.

AISD 310 Cultural Ecology (3) I II This course is a survey of the relationships among socio-cultural systems and diverse world environments and life-zones, including tropical forests, savannas, semi-arid steppes, deserts, mountains, and circumpolar zones. Ecological theories concerning human behavior will be evaluated in light of several case studies. P, consent of instructor for non-AIC students.

AISD 311 Advanced Statistics and Global Issues (3) I II This course provides the tools necessary to research many of today's global issues, which are complex and involve data from a multitude of sources. These quantitative tools, including various multivariate statistical approaches, are then used to explore global problems such as population growth and its potential effect on water quality. P, consent of instructor for non-AIC students.

AISD 312 Environmental Impact Assessment (3) I II This course will review the federal and state regulatory procedures used in controlling development and managing public and private resources. Students will learn to conduct environmental assessment and study such issues as residual management, land use, harvesting, reclamation, and restoration. P, consent of instructor for non-AIC students.

AISD 314 Molecular Genetics in a Social Context (3) I II This course is intended to provide 300-level students with an integrated understanding of the genetics, biochemistry, molecular genetics and molecular biology that form the basis of the biological revolution caused by genetic engineering. The historical and scientific contexts that allowed each discovery to be made will be examined. P, consent of instructor for non-AIC students.

AISD 315 Politics and Appropriate Technology (3) I II This course explores the origins and consequences of the changes that are occurring due to the current revolution in computers and information technology. Legal and ethical issues are discussed, such as privacy, intellectual property, and civility. Comparison will be made of the effects of the revolution on a variety of global regions. P, consent of instructor for non-AIC students.

AISD 378A Directed Studies in Cultural and Natural History: Silver Lake Project (3) [Rpt./ 9 units] S This course is a multi-year field research project focused on the exploration, description, and interpretation of cultural and natural features associated with Silver Lake, an alpine environment and historic mine site in the San Juan Mts. of southwestern Colorado. P, consent of instructor for non-AIC students.

AISD 400 Advanced Studies in Ecology (3) I II Students learn about the biological complexity of communities, species richness, diversity, equitability, alpha and beta diversity, as well as fundamentals of evolution, extinction, and the geographical distribution of life on the planet. Students will use hands-on experiences including field, laboratory, and computer exercises. P, consent of instructor for non-AIC students.

AISD 401A Advanced Studies in Community and Conflict Resolution (3) I II This course provides in-depth analysis of resource and land use planning policies at various levels of the government and within the community. Students will review various mediation and dispute resolution models, how they are organized, who they serve, and how they facilitate the development of public policy and mediate policy disputes. P, consent of instructor for non-AIC students.

AISD 402A Advanced Studies in Environmental Politics and Policy (3-5) I This course is an in-depth exploration of a specific example, historic or current, of how environmental policies have been shaped by politics and the dynamics between the two. P, writing skills at senior level or above; consent of instructor for non-AIC students

AISD 403A Advanced Studies in Culture and Environment (3) I This course uses art and culture as a means to explore the relationship between humans and the natural environment, and the connections that exist between social and natural systems. It examines cultural conflicts over land, water, food, wildlife, and pollution on a global scale.

AISD 404A Advanced Studies in Human Behavior (3-5) I II This course will explore political, social, and economic systems and their impact on the ecosystem, focusing on how cultural differences affect attitudes, values, and communication in human/environment interactions. In this framework, students will study the ethical implications underlying attitudes and choices of human beings. P, consent of the instructor for non-AIC students.

AISD 405A Advanced Studies in a Global Ethos and Sustainability (3-5) I II While sustainable development is a global consideration, its definitions, ramifications and manifestations vary greatly from region to region, country to country. This course explores a global ethos as the means by which leaders and proponents of sustainable development can bridge and maintain difference in a creative exploration of solutions to major global issues affecting sustainability. P, consent of instructor for non-AIC students.

Page last updated: May 20, 2013