Environmental and
Sustainability Studies
(ESS)

In Freshman Seminar I, students will take a cross-cultural perspective on human existence in the context of the many worlds we all occupy: natural, social and existential. Students will explore human existence in the context of post-Darwinian understandings of what it means to be a human animal. Through exploring the work of both Confucian philosophers and evolutionary theories of ethics, they will ask what it means to be a social animal. And they will explore the rich traditions of existentialism to explore what it means to find ourselves here, evolved beings living in society with each other, conscious of our limitations, our freedom and our death. This Seminar I course will give students the ability to move between radically different frameworks of understanding to derive rich and complex insights into the human experience.

English Composition I focuses on the foundation skills of university-level writing. The course will take students through all the steps of the expository writing process, from pre-writing to revising and proofreading. Students will work through a series of expository essays, including narratives and descriptive pieces. The course will support them in acquiring appropriate critical reading skills, as well as following conventions of standard English in writing. Students will also be introduced to selecting, using, and correctly referencing sources.

This course is an introductory course for social studies. The course will cover what social inquiry is and its importance. The course will look at different methods of knowing, and making sense of the world. Then the course will focus on typical questions that are asked in social science, and specific approaches to answer these questions. Particularly, this course will demonstrate the importance of interdisciplinary approaches to answering questions in the field of social science. It will include a weeks-long in-depth study on climate change, a globally relevant phenomenon, by using selected readings from different social science disciplines (politics, economics, sociology, psychology, anthropology, etc.), so that students appreciate an interdisciplinary approach to addressing questions in social science. This course will also feature a brief introduction to scientific method, and critical assessment of other people’s works.

This course provides an introduction to the quantitative tools for monitoring, analyzing data, and evaluating data. Through practical and real-world applications, students learn statistical methods that can be used in quantitative analysis of real-world problems. This course focuses both on concepts underlying statistical methods as well as problem solving through the use of STATA, a popular statistical software package.

The Citizen Science program is offered to all first-year students, and is a science literacy foundation program that introduces students to use various approaches to scientifically analyze a chosen theme. While a focused theme may be different from year to year, the theme has the characteristics of general importance and relevance to society. The theme for the year 2024-2025 is “Digital Earth.”

In Freshman Seminar II, students will explore questions about human knowledge and understanding. This seminar course will build on Freshman Seminar I, to ask challenging questions about our knowledge of ourselves, each other and the world we inhabit. It will equip students to engage more deeply with questions of knowledge, its uses and its misuses. And it will develop student’s critical awareness of different ways of approaching the question of what it means to know.

English Composition II focuses on the process of argumentative writing, from initial development through drafting and revising to the final product. This course focuses on students' ability to use sources to form strong arguments in academic writing. In this course, students will design their own arguments using sources to write and present their ideas effectively.

This course is an introduction to Microeconomics from a very broad perspective. Microeconomics is the science of how people use resources. A large part is about decision making: Which is the best route for going to school, and should I walk or take the bus? Can I get a dog as a pet, should I buy vegetables in the market in the morning or in the afternoon, and why are the prices different in different cities? This course is a foundation course which is needed in order to follow higher level courses in the Economics module.

This course will introduce students to basic physical, chemical, biological, and ecological processes fundamental to climate science and environmental science.  Basic climate concepts and climate change principles will be considered. Students will be exposed to environmental science fundamentals related to ecosystems, biogeochemical cycles, biodiversity, the hydrological cycle, food systems, energy production, and waste management.

This fifteen-week workshop introduces students to the academic standards that are expected of them when studying at Parami. The goal is to equip students with the basic analytic and research skills needed for them to succeed in their studies. This goal is reached via a series of skill-focused seminars that involve reading target texts and viewing dedicated short videos.

The instructor will teach the course in synchronous learning sessions, at the same time, the students will be each assigned an academic advisor to guide them through their research proposal planning and writing.

In Sophomore Seminar 1, we will explore how difference is socially and historically constructed, what it can mean to us, and how it can act on us. We will also ask critical questions on what we already know about differences among humans in today’s world. The Seminar will start with exploring the concept of “the Other”, which is one aspect of difference. We will look into different views on “the Other” from different parts of the world.

Students will examine the intricate relationships between organisms and their environments, studying ecosystems, biodiversity, and the impacts of human activities on ecological systems.

The Ecological Systems and Biodiversity course provides students with a comprehensive understanding of ecosystems, their structure, function, and the importance of biodiversity within them. The course explores ecological principles, patterns, and processes, as well as the threats and conservation of biodiversity. Students will learn about the interconnections between organisms and their environment, the roles of ecological interactions, and the ecological services provided by ecosystems. Through lectures, fieldwork, laboratory exercises, and case studies, students will develop a strong foundation in ecological concepts and gain an appreciation for the importance of biodiversity conservation.

The Environmental Policy and Governance course provides students with an in-depth understanding of environmental policy development, implementation, and governance at various levels, including international, national, and local. The course explores the processes and challenges of formulating and implementing effective environmental policies, as well as the roles and responsibilities of different stakeholders. It covers topics such as policy analysis, environmental law, regulatory frameworks, stakeholder engagement, and policy evaluation. Through lectures, case studies, discussions, and practical exercises, students will develop the knowledge and skills necessary to critically analyze environmental policies and contribute to effective environmental governance.

The course is a broad introduction to the discipline of political science. Students will be introduced to subfields within the discipline: political theory, comparative politics, and international relations. Then, the bulk of the course examines major themes in comparative politics, including the formation of nation-states, political regimes, and political violence. We will also examine themes that cut across the subfields, including globalization, populism, and human rights.

Sophomore Seminar II introduces students to urgent contemporary questions about our shared human future. Drawing on both literature and theory, students will be challenged to imagine and reimagine the possibilities for our collective and individual futures. The seminar will begin by looking at notions of utopia and dystopia, placing these in the context of the present: in particular in the social and economic frameworks of capitalism. Students will explore the ways in which imagining the future throws light on our present concerns and dilemmas.

The environment poses a serious and deep problem for philosophical ethics. Are environmental problems soluble by applying the ethical theories already developed by philosophy? How well do those theories work? Or are environmental problems, and the environment more broadly, something that either does not qualify for ethical evaluation, or that evades the scope of philosophical ethics? If we cannot adequately apply current ethical theories to the environment, should we develop new ethical theories just for environmental issues, or should such theories replace prior ethical theories in general? Is it possible that the environment shows that philosophical ethics is simply inadequate or impossible in any way that would account for how we understand values (or ought to)?

This course is an introduction to programming with Python for students without any previous programming experience. Throughout the class, we will cover different data types, writing functions, using packages like Numpy and Python and creating data visualizations. We will also use version control with Git.

This course provides a comprehensive exploration of the built environment, encompassing the design, planning, and impact of human-made spaces. Students will examine the historical, social, and environmental aspects of the built environment, fostering a critical understanding of its influence on individuals, communities, and society in general.

This course explores environmental justice and injustice in relation to various environmental issues, including mining, urbanization, conservation, climate change, water resource utilization, and land reform. Rather than approaching these topics as technical or scientific problems, they are approached as social issues that are profoundly interwoven with colonialism, patriarchy, and racial capitalism. The course will reflect the praxis of environmental justice in its alternation between close and critical analysis of the dynamics and causes of environmental injustice and the social possibilities and movements for environmental justice.

In addition to required readings, the course will involve two film screenings and numerous short media texts that depict environmental issues.

This interdisciplinary course will provide students the historical background on the development of the contemporary food systems. It also provides a review of major debates about the future of the food system and alternative approaches for making changes to the current global food systems. Students will also explore what future approaches for food systems are being discussed within the context of Southeast Asia.

This course is an introduction to differential calculus and is designed to meet the needs of Statistics and Data Science students. Topics will cover functions, limits, derivatives and applications. Basic concept of integration is also included.

This course is an introduction to Macroeconomics from a very broad perspective. Macroeconomics analyzes topics such as economic growth, inflation and unemployment. How can the central bank influence the economy in times of crises? What should the government do in order to counteract environmental issues? Why do countries trade with each other? Though ultimately based on the actions of individuals and firms (which we will analyze in Microeconomics), Macroeconomics is concerned with developments on the aggregate level: countries as a whole, government spending, taxation and Central Bank policies. This course is a foundation course which is needed in order to follow higher level courses in the Economics module.

This interdisciplinary course will introduce students to a broad range of scientific, social, political, and economic issues related to energy consumption, energy generation, and climate change. The course examines climate change from past, present, and the future, in relation to approaches towards sustainable transformations in energy generation and consumption to address the climate crisis.

This course will introduce students with higher level statistical programming using R, data visualization with base graphics and ggplot2, reproducible reports with Markdown, and developing dashboards with Shiny.

This course is a continuation of Calculus I. The topics cover integration and its applications, series and sequences.

This course provides an in-depth exploration of disaster resilience and recovery strategies. Students will examine the complexities of disasters, their impact on communities, and the principles and practices essential for building resilience and facilitating effective recovery. The course integrates interdisciplinary perspectives, incorporating elements of environmental science, urban planning, public policy, and social resilience.

Senior Capstone is a year-long project-based/research-based course that all senior students have to take and complete. Senior Capstone I is taken in the first semester of their senior year and Capstone II is taken in the second semester of their senior year. Senior Capstone projects are always associated with student’s declared majors.

This interdisciplinary course explores the intersections of food, energy, and water systems with a focus on social and environmental justice. Students will critically examine the global challenges related to access, distribution, and sustainability of these essential resources, considering ethical implications and strategies for fostering more equitable systems.

In this course, students will explore the challenges of writing nonfiction in forms that go beyond the academic essay. In particular, they will explore the following:

1. The craft of memoir and the transformative power of personal storytelling

2. The art of literary reportage

3. The literary essay — bridging the personal and the political.

This course aims to take students from first steps in writing creative nonfiction to engaging with the global marketplace for creative nonfiction writing.

This course explores environmental humanities vis a vis media and philosophy. Students take a hands-on approach to both, producing their own multimedia texts as well as philosophical analysis. Communicating and thinking about the environment will be treated as a mutually reinforcing praxis with the potential to challenge our deepest conceptions about how human beings relate with “nature.” Topics of particular focus include environmental aesthetics, ecofeminism, seed stocks, and deep ecology.

In addition to required readings, the course will involve two film screenings and numerous short media texts that depict environmental issues.

Senior Capstone is a year-long project-based/research-based course that all senior students have to take and complete. Senior Capstone I is taken in the first semester of their senior year and Capstone II is taken in the second semester of their senior year. Senior Capstone projects are always associated with student’s declared majors.

This course explores the debates and contestations around theories of international development and sustainable development. The central trajectory of the course is a critical interrogation of the postulates, positionalities, discourses, and policies that coalesce under the rubric of “development.” Development will be analyzed as an instrument of authority by which populations are governed at a distance and, often, across the colonial difference. Particular attention to the modalities of oppression that are sustained by development discourse, including those related to gender, race, coloniality, neoliberalism, poverty, and capital.

This course is to provide students with a basic but critical understanding of major changes and developments throughout history from a design perspective, primarily architectural perspective. Discussion topics will include changes within architecture itself or other times by external forces. The readings and lectures investigate the interrelationship of architecture, design and broader cultural, social and political context. The course explores some of the significant moments of change in architecture that results from economic, technological, or institutional change in nature. Through a collection of historical precedents, we will learn about how change of course in history is often required and/or imposed by the demands of societal and technological pressures that challenge and disrupt the status-quo. Multiple viewpoints are explored and entertained in class to grasp the diverse nature of design and its impact on society.