This course builds on foundational ecological principles (organism, population, community, ecosystem) to engage students with real-world sustainability challenges, emphasizing how humans use and manage resources at local and global scales. It applies key ecological concepts to critical environmental issues, including population growth, climate change, water resources, and energy.
Athena Title
Ecological Basis Environ Issue
Equivalent Courses
Not open to students with credit in ECOL 1000H, ECOL 1000E
Semester Course Offered
Offered fall and spring
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Student Learning Outcomes
Students will understand the scientific process, and describe how scientists reach consensus, and how our understanding of the natural world changes over time.
Students will define and understand basic ecological principles at different levels of complexity, including organisms, populations, communities, and ecosystems, and gain an understanding of the range of ecosystem services provided by the natural world.
Students will describe the complexity and interconnectedness of natural systems, and how the natural world simultaneously is impacted and supports humans.
Students will discuss historical drivers of the earth’s climate and gain an understanding of how the current climate is affected by natural processes and on-going anthropogenic change.
Students will understand how data are presented and interpreted, such as through maps, graphs and tables, and use these data to predict ecological, economic, and social outcomes relevant to human well-being.
Topical Outline
Introduction: Sustainability and complex problem solving
Population growth and demographic transitions
Ecological principles of energy flow (e.g., photosynthesis), trophic interactions, succession and disturbance
Biodiversity including evolution, ecosystem services, species invasions, infectious diseases, extinction and conservation
Natural resource use and sustainability, including forests, freshwater, agriculture and fisheries
Energy including non-renewable and renewable energy
The Earth’s climate and climate change: causes and consequences
Environmental issues and concerns including water scarcity, pesticide use, pollution, infectious diseases, and resource extraction
The interactions among ecological, economic, and social spheres that lead to decision making
Environmental justice, ethics, and policy
General Education Core
CORE II: Life Sciences
Institutional Competencies
Analytical Thinking
The ability to reason, interpret, analyze, and solve problems from a wide array of authentic contexts.
Social Awareness & Responsibility
The capacity to understand the interdependence of people, communities, and self in a global society.
