This course is designed to introduce students to critical methods for conducting research on environmental issues. Students will gain in-depth experience with methods and paradigms of inquiry from multiple lenses including arts, humanities, and social and natural sciences. In each offering the course will center on one critical environmental issue, such as global warming, invasive species, or food insecurity. Using the central topic as a teaching tool, students will learn and apply the four stages of scholarly research: (1) question formulation, (2) research design, (3) analysis, and (4) synthesis. Work in the course will include discussions, lectures, problem sets, essays, and group and individual projects. Students will leave the course prepared to undertake independent environmental research. |