Sustainability-related courses explore social, economic and environmental dimensions of sustainability challenges and solutions. The courses vary in the degree to which sustainability is a focus of study and are classified into two categories. Sustainability Investigations courses (SINV) engage students in a deep and focused study of problems with sustainability as a major emphasis of the course. Sustainability Connections courses (SCON) engage students in making connections between the main topic of the course and sustainability. Sustainability is related to but is not a major focus of SCON courses. Beginning with the Class of 2019, all students must complete a sustainability course as a graduation requirement.
Sustainability Course Search
Sustainability Courses
in Spring 2026
American Studies
| Course Number/Term | Title/Instructor/Description | Designation |
|---|---|---|
|
AMST-200 Spring 2026 |
Indigenous Futurism in Contemporary Culture Lone Fight, Darren In the field of what scholar Grace Dillon calls "Indigenous Futurism," Native artists from the visual to the literary have found a profoundly ripe stage for the exploration of Indigenous representation and artistic exploration. Following historically on other alternative-futurist projects such as Afrofuturism and Queer Futurism, Indigenous Futurism shares certain sensibilities with these related aesthetic forms, perhaps most strikingly as a strategy of decolonial clapback against the white-washing tendencies of the majority of popular speculative art throughout the 20th and into the 21st century. Nevertheless, Indigenous Futurism marshals the field of SF/Futurism in critically different ways unique to the history and relationship of Native America to popular culture. Indeed, this emerging field has a particular strategic advantage due to its temporal and pop-cultural orientation, allowing such art to function as a laboratory of resistance to the colonial project. This course examines Native authors, filmmakers, and visual/multimedia artists in order to evolve an understanding of the character of the field of Indigenous Futurism and why it operates as a critical strategic negotiation site for the representation of Native people in contemporary American culture. |
SCON |
Anthropology
| Course Number/Term | Title/Instructor/Description | Designation |
|---|---|---|
|
ANTH-101 Spring 2026 |
Introduction to Cultural Anthropology Ellison, James STAFF, ANTH This course is a comprehensive introduction to how cultural anthropologists study culture and society in diverse contexts. We will use ethnographic case studies from across the world to examine the ways people experience and transform social relationships and culture in areas including families, gender, ethnicity, health, religion, exchange, science, and even what it means to be a person. We will examine how culture and society are embedded within, shape, and are shaped by forces of economics, politics, and environment. Offered every semester. |
SCON |
|
ANTH-260 Spring 2026 |
Environmental Archaeology Biwer, Matthew The study of the human past requires knowledge of the biological and geophysical systems in which cultures developed and changed. This course explores past environments and the methods and evidence used to reconstruct them. Emphasis is on the integration of geological, botanical, zoological, and bioarchaeological data used to reconstruct Quaternary climates and environments. This course is cross-listed as ARCH 260. Offered every two years. |
SCON |
|
ANTH-331 Spring 2026 |
Human Evolution Weinstein, Karen This course offers an intensive examination of the evolution of the human family, from our earliest ancestors to the origin and dispersal of modern humans. We use skeletal biology, geology, and archaeology to understand the human evolutionary record. Prerequisite: Any of the following: ANTH 100, 101, 110, 225, 227, 229, or BIOL 100-level course Offered every spring. |
SCON |
|
ANTH-345 Spring 2026 |
Life in the Anthropocene Ellison, James Increased attention to human influences on Earth's climates and geology has given rise to a much-discussed Anthropocene epoch. Whether we locate the start of the epoch thousands of years ago with the origins of agriculture, with the industrial revolution, or more recently with nuclear bomb technologies, we can understand the label through rapid successions of record high temperatures and severe weather events, polar ice melts and rising sea levels, and astonishing numbers of extinctions, all of which play out in disparate ways across the globe. These changes call for new ways to understand how humans live in the world. In this course we examine what it means to be human in these times, and how people live in mutual and dynamic relationships with technologies, environments, and other species in ways that shape these processes and that are shaped by them. Our organizing frame will be ethnography, with examples drawn from throughout the world. Sustainability will be a persistent question during the semester. |
SINV |
|
ANTH-345 Spring 2026 |
Stuff! The Material World of Global Inequality Dufton, Andrew A social system dividing haves and have-nots, those with the power to acquire more 'stuff' and those without, is not a modern phenomenon. As a discipline dedicated both to the study of materials and understanding long-term cultural change, archaeology makes a unique contribution to these debates. This class considers social injustice across time and on a global scale, examining the ways in which the material world of objects, buildings, landscapes, and resources is created by-and creates-social divisions. |
SCON |
Archaeology
| Course Number/Term | Title/Instructor/Description | Designation |
|---|---|---|
|
ARCH-218 Spring 2026 |
Geographic Information Systems Naliaka, Amina Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is a powerful technology for managing, analyzing, and visualizing spatial data and geographically-referenced information. It is used in a wide variety of fields including archaeology, agriculture, business, defense and intelligence, education, government, health care, natural resource management, public safety, transportation, and utility management. This course provides a fundamental foundation of theoretical and applied skills in GIS technology that will enable students to investigate and make reasoned decisions regarding spatial issues. Utilizing GIS software applications from Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI), students work on a progression of tasks and assignments focused on GIS data collection, manipulation, analysis, output, and presentation. The course will culminate in a final, independent project in which the students design and prepare a GIS analysis application of their own choosing. Three hours per week. This course is cross-listed as ENST 218 , GEOS 218 and GISP 218. |
SCON |
|
ARCH-260 Spring 2026 |
Environmental Archaeology Biwer, Matthew The study of the human past requires knowledge of the biological and geophysical systems in which cultures developed and changed. This course explores past environments and the methods and evidence used to reconstruct them. Emphasis is on the integration of geological, botanical, zoological, and bioarchaeological data used to reconstruct Quaternary climates and environments. This course is cross-listed as ANTH 260. Offered every two years. |
SCON |
|
ARCH-318 Spring 2026 |
Advanced Applications in GIS Naliaka, Amina The course is intended as a continuation of the introductory course on Geographic Information Systems, 218, and will concentrate on more advanced discussions and techniques related to spatial analysis and GIS project design. The main focus of the course will be on using higher-level GIS methods to investigate and analyze spatial problems of varying complexity; however, the specific project and topical applications will vary depending on student interests. Students will be required to develop and complete an individual spatial analysis project that incorporates advanced GIS techniques. Prerequisite: 218 or ENST 218 or GEOS 21 8 or GISP 218 or equivalent GIS experience. Three hours of classroom per week. This course is cross-listed as ENST 318, GEOS 318 & GISP 318. Offered every two years. |
SCON |
|
ARCH-331 Spring 2026 |
Human Evolution Weinstein, Karen This course offers an intensive examination of the evolution of the human family, from our earliest ancestors to the origin and dispersal of modern humans. We use skeletal biology, geology, and archaeology to understand the human evolutionary record. Prerequisite: Any of the following: ANTH 100, 101, 110, 225, 227, 229, or BIOL 100-level course Offered every spring. |
SCON |
|
ARCH-345 Spring 2026 |
Life in the Anthropocene Ellison, James Increased attention to human influences on Earth's climates and geology has given rise to a much-discussed Anthropocene epoch. Whether we locate the start of the epoch thousands of years ago with the origins of agriculture, with the industrial revolution, or more recently with nuclear bomb technologies, we can understand the label through rapid successions of record high temperatures and severe weather events, polar ice melts and rising sea levels, and astonishing numbers of extinctions, all of which play out in disparate ways across the globe. These changes call for new ways to understand how humans live in the world. In this course we examine what it means to be human in these times, and how people live in mutual and dynamic relationships with technologies, environments, and other species in ways that shape these processes and that are shaped by them. Our organizing frame will be ethnography, with examples drawn from throughout the world. Sustainability will be a persistent question during the semester. |
SINV |
|
ARCH-345 Spring 2026 |
Stuff! The Material World of Global Inequality Dufton, Andrew A social system dividing haves and have-nots, those with the power to acquire more 'stuff' and those without, is not a modern phenomenon. As a discipline dedicated both to the study of materials and understanding long-term cultural change, archaeology makes a unique contribution to these debates. This class considers social injustice across time and on a global scale, examining the ways in which the material world of objects, buildings, landscapes, and resources is created by-and creates-social divisions. |
SCON |
Art & Art History
| Course Number/Term | Title/Instructor/Description | Designation |
|---|---|---|
|
ARTH-160 Spring 2026 |
Clay and Community Eng, Rachel We will examine the ways artworks made of clay connect to a rich global history and how contemporaries continue to build community with the material through functional and sculptural approaches. Projects will include claymation, installation, sculptures, and bowls. |
SCON |
|
ARTH-160 Spring 2026 |
Clay and Community Eng, Rachel We will examine the ways artworks made of clay connect to a rich global history and how contemporaries continue to build community with the material through functional and sculptural approaches. Projects will include claymation, installation, sculptures, and bowls. |
SCON |
|
ARTH-160 Spring 2026 |
Polar Impressions: Creative Practice in the Arctic Cervino, Anthony Permission of Instructor Required. Part of the Arctic Art & Science Mosaic. Through a variety of art materials and processes, students will develop hands-on skills and conceptual approaches to experience and respond to the Arctic as a subject of creative study. This course intertwines individual student experiences with additional focus on the broader social and political environment of the region. In response to site visits in Norway and additional research based on individual interests, students will create artworks that investigate the current geo-political and ecological state of the Norwegian Arctic while also responding to its striking landscape, rich history, and vibrant cultures. Enrollment in this course is restricted to students participating in the Spring 2026 Arctic Art and Science Mosaic. |
SCON |
|
ARTH-204 Spring 2026 |
American Art: Power, Place, Identity Lee, Elizabeth This course begins with the earliest depictions of indigenous people by European explorers and expands to consider how artists responded to the colonization and domestication of North American land. It considers how tensions around slavery in nineteenth-century American imagery played out differently across audience, medium and context and how slaves resisted narratives of white dominance and oppression. It also examines the impact of urbanization, immigration and the rise of consumer culture on the content and circulation of art, concluding with the social dislocation of the 1930s Depression and the onset of WW2. Students can expect to leave the course with a more complex understanding of American identity and cultural politics, while also developing crucial skills in critical reading, writing and visual analysis across a range of artifacts and media.< |
SCON |
|
ARTH-260 Spring 2026 |
Contemporary Landscapes Lehman, Emily The lie of idealized landscapes - Embedded with plastics, landfills becoming rolling hills, power lines mimicking trees... What does it mean to depict a landscape in the midst of an ecological crisis? What responsibility does the artist have in documenting the reality of the world they inhabit? This course will call upon students to investigate non-idealized aspects of our landscape, as a way to better understand our impact on the earth. Further, it will establish a process of thoughtful questioning and observation. This course will focus on local landscapes and include several class trips (students should be prepared to work in the elements). Fundamental drawing skills will lay the groundwork for composing works and building an individual voice. As the semester progresses, watercolor, collage and additional mixed media will be used to further develop works. |
SCON |
Biology
| Course Number/Term | Title/Instructor/Description | Designation |
|---|---|---|
|
BIOL-131 Spring 2026 |
Introduction to Organisms, Populations, and Ecosystems: Topics in Ocean Ecology Potthoff, Michael This introductory course spans levels of biological organization from basic multicellular microanatomy to organismal physiology and ecology, as understood through the lens of evolution. Course content will be focused around a specific theme determined by the instructor, and will include evolutionary principles of variation, selection, competition and cooperation, and how their operation at different levels of organization accounts for form and function of organisms, communities, and ecosystems. We will investigate homeostasis, reproduction and development as physiological processes that take place within organisms, and as ecological processes that interact with the environment and generate diversity of form over evolutionary time. Finally we will take stock of the existing forms and levels of biological organization and ask how their relationships establish the biosphere in which we live. Three hours classroom and three hours laboratory a week. This is one of two courses required of all Biology majors before entering the upper level. It is complementary to BIOL 132 – Introduction to Molecules, Genes, and Cells, and the courses may be taken in either order. |
SINV |
|
BIOL-301 Spring 2026 |
Wildlife Ecology Wingert, Harold Wildlife Ecology is designed for majors in both Environmental Science and Biology. This course approaches ecology from the aspect of focusing on individual organisms and the role they play in their environment. Students will visit various habitats in Pennsylvania and view wildlife first hand. The texts are both place based focusing on Northeastern forests and Northeastern vernal ponds. These two ecosystems are intimately linked and the health of one influences the other. Students will have hands on labs with living organisms and investigate the roles each of these organisms play in the forest and vernal pool environment. A focus of the course will be how we must manage these ecosystems if they are to be enjoyed by our grandchildren. Both of these ecosystems are being changed by human ignorance and global climate change. We are at a “squeak point” in our ability to sustain these ecosystems. Only a complete understanding of their ecology and rapid action will sustain them for future generations. |
SINV |
Chemistry
| Course Number/Term | Title/Instructor/Description | Designation |
|---|---|---|
|
CHEM-132 Spring 2026 |
General Chemistry II with Lab Barker, Kathryn A continuation of Chemistry 131. Topics covered in the second semester will include: kinetics, equilibrium, acids, bases, and buffers, thermodynamics, electrochemistry, nuclear chemistry, and transition metal chemistry. Three hours of classroom and three hours of laboratory per week. Prerequisite: 131. |
SCON |
|
CHEM-342 Spring 2026 |
Structure and Function of Biomolecules w/Lab Connor, Rebecca Metro, Jarek This course is an introductory biochemistry course focused on the chemistry of the major molecules that compose living matter. The structure and function of the major classes of biomolecules (nucleic acids, proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates) are addressed along with other topics including bioenergetics, enzyme catalysis, and information transfer at the molecular level. The laboratory portion of the course focuses on methods used to study the properties and behavior of biological molecules and their functions in the cell. Three hours lecture and four hours of laboratory per week. Prerequisite 242; an introductory biology course is highly recommended. |
SCON |
East Asian Studies
| Course Number/Term | Title/Instructor/Description | Designation |
|---|---|---|
|
EASN-206 Spring 2026 |
Food and Culture in Japan Bender, Shawn It may seem surprising that before the sushi craze swept over the United States in the 1980s, Japanese cuisine was not well known outside of Asia or diasporic ethnic communities abroad. Today, Japan has not only become a food destination, and Japanese cuisine ranks among the most revered and prestigious food cultures in the world. This course examines the cultural dimensions of Japanese cuisine. We explore the historical development of focal dishes and beverages, the diversity of the Japanese diet and approach to food, the relationship between food and national identity, the environmental impact of food production and food consumption in Japan, the gendered dimensions of domestic and professional cooking, and the impact of globalization on Japanese foodways. Students will read historical and anthropological works in area studies and food studies, analyze representations of food in literature and film, and engage with Japanese food through practical learning activities. |
SCON |
Economics
| Course Number/Term | Title/Instructor/Description | Designation |
|---|---|---|
|
ECON-278 Spring 2026 |
Intermediate Microeconomic Theory Jiang, Ye Neoclassical theory of relative prices of commodities and productive services under perfect and imperfect competition. The role of prices in the allocation and distribution of resources and commodities. Economic behavior of individual economic units like consumers, firms, and resource owners. Prerequisite: 111 and MATH 170. |
SCON |
|
ECON-332 Spring 2026 |
Economics of Natural Resource Sustainability Tynan, Nicola This course uses microeconomics to analyze the use and conservation of natural resources, including energy, minerals, fisheries, forests, and water resources, among others. Broad themes include the roles of property rights, intergenerational equity, and sustainable development in an economy based on resource exploitation. Prerequisite: 278. For ENST, ENSC and INST majors, prerequisite is ECON 222. |
SINV |
|
ECON-496 Spring 2026 |
Political Economy of Health Kongar, Mesude Permission of Instructor Required. In a world of unprecedented wealth, the average life-expectancy in some parts of the world is as low as 53 years. About a thousand children die each day because they lack access to clean water and adequate sanitation and hygiene. Globally, 100 million women are not alive today due to unequal access to nutrition, care and economic resources. In the United States, infant mortality rates are significantly higher among African-Americans. What are the political and economic conditions which lead to these differences in well-being across and within nations? In this course, students will examine the relationships between health and political and economic conditions world populations face today. The emphasis throughout the course will be on how socioeconomic inequalities based on gender, race, class, sexual orientation, nationality and other characteristics affect health and well-being outcomes. |
SCON |
Environmental Studies
| Course Number/Term | Title/Instructor/Description | Designation |
|---|---|---|
|
ENST-162 Spring 2026 |
Integrative Environmental Science Decker, Allyssa Sterner, Sarah This course is an introduction to interdisciplinary environmental science. Students will learn to draw upon a variety of natural sciences to identify and address environmental challenges. Students will examine environmental issues analytically, learn to evaluate existing data, and begin to develop skills for acquiring new knowledge via the scientific method. They will be exposed to basic techniques for assessing environmental problems in lectures, laboratory exercises, and fieldwork. Three hours classroom and three hours laboratory a week. Prerequisite: 161 |
SINV |
|
ENST-218 Spring 2026 |
Geographic Information Systems Naliaka, Amina Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is a powerful technology for managing, analyzing, and visualizing spatial data and geographically-referenced information. It is used in a wide variety of fields including archaeology, agriculture, business, defense and intelligence, education, government, health care, natural resource management, public safety, transportation, and utility management. This course provides a fundamental foundation of theoretical and applied skills in GIS technology that will enable students to investigate and make reasoned decisions regarding spatial issues. Utilizing GIS software applications from Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI), students work on a progression of tasks and assignments focused on GIS data collection, manipulation, analysis, output, and presentation. The course will culminate in a final, independent project in which the students design and prepare a GIS analysis application of their own choosing. Three hours per week. This course is cross-listed as ARCH 218, GEOS 218 and GISP 218. |
SCON |
|
ENST-305 Spring 2026 |
Environmental Epidemiology in Practice Benka-Coker, Akinwande This course explores how environmental exposures shape human health, with a focus on applying scientific tools and methods to real-world challenges. Students will learn the core principles of environmental epidemiology, including study design, exposure assessment, and data analysis, and will apply these skills through project-based, place-based research. A substantial component of the course involves hands-on work with advanced air quality monitoring systems and community-scale sensor networks, enabling students to investigate how pollutants vary across landscapes and populations. Case studies and fieldwork will emphasize the health impacts of air pollution in rural and agricultural contexts, while also considering broader issues of environmental justice and policy. By the end of the semester, students will be able to integrate field data, epidemiological methods, and public health perspectives to evaluate human-environment interactions and propose science-based solutions. |
SCON |
|
ENST-305 Spring 2026 |
Ornithology Van Fleet, Pamela The class room component of this course emphasizes the evolution, morphology, physiology, ecology and conservation biology of birds. Students will have numerous opportunities both in and outside of the classroom to examine conservation issues and actions as they relate to the functioning of natural ecosystems, the consequences of anthropocentric impacts to those environments and learn how sustainability practices influence many bird species, populations and communities. The lab portion of this course will focus on hands-on learning through a variety of tools, mechanisms and field experiences including but not limited to use of study skins and skeletons, field guides, optics and field-monitoring techniques. Students will be regularly immersed in living labs during field trips both local and regional including visits to a bird banding station, state wildlife management areas and research study sites. In addition students will learn how to identify birds through specific behaviors, visual field marks, songs and calls. There will be a least one day-long field trip during a weekend and one extended lab field trip to a waterfowl stopover habitat during spring migration. Each student will also complete a research paper on selected ornithological topics. |
SCON |
|
ENST-318 Spring 2026 |
Advanced Applications in GIS Naliaka, Amina The course is intended as a continuation of the introductory course on Geographic Information Systems, 218, and will concentrate on more advanced discussions and techniques related to spatial analysis and GIS project design. The main focus of the course will be on using higher-level GIS methods to investigate and analyze spatial problems of varying complexity; however, the specific project and topical applications will vary depending on student interests. Students will be required to develop and complete an individual spatial analysis project that incorporates advanced GIS techniques. Prerequisite: 218 or GEOS 218 or ARCH 218 or GISP 218 or equivalent GIS experience. Three hours classroom per week. This course is cross-listed as GEOS 318, ARCH 318 and GISP 318. Offered every two years. |
SCON |
|
ENST-325 Spring 2026 |
Environmental Data Analysis in Practice Douglas, Margaret Realms of environmental study as different as climate change, land/water management, environmental health, environmental justice, and many others share something in common: they often involve collecting, analyzing, and interpreting numerical data. This course will introduce students to data analysis as it is used to answer environmental questions. Lecture will include activities to understand data organization and statistical concepts, and to critique environmental data as it is presented and interpreted in scholarly and popular sources. During lab, students will learn to write code in the R statistical language to import, wrangle, visualize, and analyze data. These skills will be applied to a real-world project in collaboration with a campus or community partner, culminating in a final product that is shaped by the needs of the partner. No previous coding experience is expected or required. Three hours classroom and three hours laboratory a week. Prerequisite: 162, BIOL 131 or ARCH/ENST/GEOS/GISP 218. |
SCON |
|
ENST-330 Spring 2026 |
Environmental Policy Beevers, Michael This course examines the effect of environmental policies on environmental quality, human health and/or the use of natural resources at local, national and international levels. It considers the ways scientific knowledge, economic incentives and social values merge to determine how environmental problems and solutions are defined, how risks are assessed and how and why decisions are made. The course examines a range of tools, processes and patterns inherent in public policy responses and covers issues ranging from air and water pollution and toxic and solid waste management to energy use, climate change and biodiversity protection. A combination of lectures, case studies, and field trips will be used. Prerequisite: 161 and 162, or permission of instructor. |
SINV |
|
ENST-406 Spring 2026 |
Air Quality and Beyond: Integrated Environmental Problem-Solving Benka-Coker, Akinwande This senior seminar uses air pollution as a lens to develop sustainable responses to contemporary environmental challenges. Students will develop a deep understanding of the scientific, policy, and social dimensions of air quality while considering how environmental problems interconnect across systems and scales. The course emphasizes practical skills, including environmental assessment, community engagement, policy analysis, stakeholder mapping, collaborative research methods, and effective science communication. Learning takes place through lectures, discussions, case studies, fieldwork, and data analysis exercises that highlight the role of evidence in guiding decisions. Students will practice translating complex findings into clear and compelling narratives for diverse audiences, while also gaining experience in navigating ethical dilemmas and conflicting values that shape environmental decision-making. By the end of the seminar, students will be prepared to apply integrated, interdisciplinary approaches to real-world environmental problems and to design sustainable, actionable solutions in partnership with community and global stakeholders. |
SCON |
Food Studies
| Course Number/Term | Title/Instructor/Description | Designation |
|---|---|---|
|
FDST-401 Spring 2026 |
Capstone Seminar Halpin, Jennifer This capstone seminar builds on the introductory Food Studies course (FDST 201). It requires students to reflect, synthesize, and apply knowledge gained through their academic coursework and experiential learning experiences. A substantive, reflective piece which could take many forms will be required. Students will work collaboratively to organize a symposium, performance, event, or other public presentation of their work. In order to register for FDST 401, students must have completed FDST 201 and at least 3 of the four electives, along with the experiential learning component. The latter may be taken simultaneously with FDST 401.Prerequisite: FDST 201, at least three of the four electives, and the experiential component which can be take simultaneously with FDST 401. |
SINV |
Geosciences
| Course Number/Term | Title/Instructor/Description | Designation |
|---|---|---|
|
GEOS-142 Spring 2026 |
Earth's Changing Climate Key, Marcus An overview of our understanding of climate processes and their interaction with the atmosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere based on studies of ancient climates, which inform our understanding of climate change now and into the future. Topics include drivers of climate change at different time scales, evidence for climate change, and major climate events such as ice ages. Emphasis will be placed on the last 1 million years of earth history as a prelude to discussing potential anthropogenic impacts on the climate. Case studies of major climate “players” such as the US and China will be contrasted with those most vulnerable, Africa and SE Asia to determine mitigation and adaptation strategies. The lab component will use historic climate data, field experiences, and climate modeling to interpret climate change processes. Three hours classroom and three hours laboratory a week. |
SINV |
|
GEOS-151 Spring 2026 |
Foundations of Earth Sciences Edwards, Benjamin How do mountains and oceans form? Why do the positions of continents shift? Can rocks bend or flow? What is the history of life on our planet? This course explores the materials that make up the Earth and the processes that shape it, both at and below the surface. Students will take field trips around the Carlisle area as well as complete analytical and computer laboratory activities in order to acquire basic field, laboratory, and computer modelling skills. This course serves as a gateway to the Earth Sciences major, but is also appropriate for non-majors. Three hours of lecture and three hours of lab per week. |
SCON |
|
GEOS-218 Spring 2026 |
Geographic Information Systems Naliaka, Amina Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is a powerful technology for managing, analyzing, and visualizing spatial data and geographically-referenced information. It is used in a wide variety of fields including archaeology, agriculture, business, defense and intelligence, education, government, health care, natural resource management, public safety, transportation, and utility management. This course provides a fundamental foundation of theoretical and applied skills in GIS technology that will enable students to investigate and make reasoned decisions regarding spatial issues. Utilizing GIS software applications from Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI), students work on a progression of tasks and assignments focused on GIS data collection, manipulation, analysis, output, and presentation. The course will culminate in a final, independent project in which the students design and prepare a GIS analysis application of their own choosing. Three hours per week. This course is cross-listed as ARCH 218, ENST 218 and GISP 218. |
SCON |
|
GEOS-318 Spring 2026 |
Advanced Applications in GIS Naliaka, Amina The course is intended as a continuation of the introductory course on Geographic Information Systems, 218, and will concentrate on more advanced discussions and techniques related to spatial analysis and GIS project design. The main focus of the course will be on using higher-level GIS methods to investigate and analyze spatial problems of varying complexity; however, the specific project and topical applications will vary depending on student interests. Students will be required to develop and complete an individual spatial analysis project that incorporates advanced GIS techniques. Prerequisite: 218 or ENST 218 or ARCH 218 or GISP 218 or equivalent GIS experience. Three hours classroom per week. This course is cross-listed as ARCH 318, ENST 318 and GISP 318. Offered every two years. |
SCON |
|
GEOS-333 Spring 2026 |
Environmental Geophysics Hayes, Jorden Geophysics combines geological knowledge with fundamental principles from physics, mathematics, and computer science to indirectly image and elucidate Earth’s subsurface structure. This course focuses on understanding geophysical methods commonly applied to Earth’s shallow subsurface (less than 200 m) to solve environmental, geological, archaeological, and civil engineering problems. This course will include physical theory, field methodology (e.g., survey design and data collection), data analysis and interpretation. Course topics include refraction and reflection seismology, ground penetrating radar, electrical resistivity and conductivity, magnetism and magnetic surveying, nuclear magnetic resonance, and gravity. This course will involve collecting and integrating datasets from multiple geophysical surveys and culminate in a final project. Lectures, discussions, laboratories, and field trips. Three hours classroom and three hours laboratory a week. Prerequisite: 151. |
SCON |
Geographic Info Systems Prog
| Course Number/Term | Title/Instructor/Description | Designation |
|---|---|---|
|
GISP-218 Spring 2026 |
Geographic Information Systems Naliaka, Amina Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is a powerful technology for managing, analyzing, and visualizing spatial data and geographically-referenced information. It is used in a wide variety of fields including archaeology, agriculture, business, defense and intelligence, education, government, health care, natural resource management, public safety, transportation, and utility management. This course provides a fundamental foundation of theoretical and applied skills in GIS technology that will enable students to investigate and make reasoned decisions regarding spatial issues. Utilizing GIS software applications from Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI), students work on a progression of tasks and assignments focused on GIS data collection, manipulation, analysis, output, and presentation. The course will culminate in a final, independent project in which the students design and prepare a GIS analysis application of their own choosing. Three hours per week. This course is cross-listed as ARCH 218, ENST 218 and GEOS 218. |
SCON |
|
GISP-318 Spring 2026 |
Advanced Applications in GIS Naliaka, Amina The course is intended as a continuation of the introductory course on Geographic Information Systems, 218, and will concentrate on more advanced discussions and techniques related to spatial analysis and GIS project design. The main focus of the course will be on using higher-level GIS methods to investigate and analyze spatial problems of varying complexity; however, the specific project and topical applications will vary depending on student interests. Students will be required to develop and complete an individual spatial analysis project that incorporates advanced GIS techniques. Prerequisite: 218 or ENST 218 or GEOS 218 or ARCH 218 or equivalent GIS experience. Three hours classroom per week. This course is cross-listed as ARCH 318, ENST 318 and GEOS 318. Offered every two years. |
SCON |
History
| Course Number/Term | Title/Instructor/Description | Designation |
|---|---|---|
|
HIST-206 Spring 2026 |
American Environmental History Pawley, Emily Examines the interaction between humans and the natural environment in the history of North America. Explores the problem of sustainable human uses of the North America environment form the pre-colonial period to the present. Also serves as an introduction to the subfield of environmental history, which integrates evidence from various scientific disciplines with traditional documentary and oral sources. Topics include: American Indian uses of the environment, colonial frontiers, agricultural change, industrialization, urbanization, westward expansion, the Progressive-Era conservation movement, changes in lifestyle and consumption including their increasingly global impact, shifts in environmental policy, and the rise of the post-World War II environmental movement. |
SINV |
|
HIST-219 Spring 2026 |
From Abraham to Al-Qaeda: Jews, Christians, and Muslims from their Origins to the Present Schadler, Peter Part of the Sicily Mosaic.This course will survey relations between Jews, Christians, and Muslims, from their origins up to the present day, with heavy attention to the premodern period, and to those areas under the political control of Muslims. We will, however, also consider the relations between these three in the modern period, and how the beliefs of these three groups have coincided and collided to generate specific tensions between them. |
SCON |
Intl Business & Management
| Course Number/Term | Title/Instructor/Description | Designation |
|---|---|---|
|
INBM-100 Spring 2026 |
Fundamentals of Business Riccio, Steven Wang, Xiaolu This course features an introductory focus on a wide range of business subjects including the following: business in a global environment; forms of business ownership including small businesses, partnerships, multinational and domestic corporations, joint ventures, and franchises; management decision making; ethics; marketing; accounting; management information systems; human resources; finance; business law; taxation; uses of the internet in business; and how all of the above are integrated into running a successful business. You will learn how a company gets ideas, develops products, raises money, makes its products, sells them and accounts for the money earned and spent. This course will not fulfill a distribution requirement. |
SCON |
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INBM-290 Spring 2026 |
Global Business: Theory and Context Watson, Forrest This course explores the “macro-contextual” factors that confront managers of a business organization, the possible implications of those factors for organizational performance, and the choices managers make within that context. The macro-context for any firm consists of a combination of political, economic, social, technological, environmental, and legal factors. In the current era, awareness of context is increasingly important for students and practitioners alike. Topics in the course include climate change; the revolution in information technology; global population dynamics; regional and global economic integration; international trade and investment; exchange rate dynamics; and collaboration among businesses and other organizations. In keeping with Dickinson’s evolving educational priorities, the course also includes conversation about the ethical, social, and ecological responsibilities of a global enterprise. The course builds on the knowledge gained in other 200-level INBM courses and provides a bridge between those courses and the INBM Senior Seminar. Prerequisites: ECON 111, 112; INBM 100; and three of the following courses: INBM 220, 230, 240 and 250. |
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INBM-343 Spring 2026 |
New Product Development Mansell, Wade This course provides an in-depth, non-technical overview of the new product development process. It is recommended for students that are considering careers in research and development, project management, engineering, marketing, or industrial design. Topics covered include idea generation, concept development, problem-solving, marketing research for new products, new product marketing strategy, business models for new products, and management of products post-launch. We will discuss theories on the diffusion of innovation, models of the new product development process, and exemplary cases of successful innovation in recent history. Throughout the semester, students will work in teams to design a hypothetical new product. This course is designed to be accessible to a general student audience, with no technical proficiencies needed. Prerequisite: INBM 100 and 240 are recommended but not required. |
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INBM-391 Spring 2026 |
Marketing for Social Impact Watson, Forrest Private, public, and third sector firms increasingly use marketing strategies to create social impact among their stakeholders. In this course, students will learn how social marketing techniques are used to influence individuals or groups to change their behavior in ways that benefit society. We will address global issues that impact society (e.g., environmental sustainability, health behaviors, racial inequalities, etc.), consider the complexity of systemic problems, and debate the ethics of behavior change. We will also consider corporate social initiatives to engage their customers in social good. Students will develop a real-world social marketing plan to benefit the community. |
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Italian
| Course Number/Term | Title/Instructor/Description | Designation |
|---|---|---|
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ITAL-201 Spring 2026 |
Intermediate Italian Lanzilotta, Luca Intensive introduction to conversation and composition, with special attention to grammar review and refinement. Essays, fiction and theater, as well as Italian television and films, provide opportunities to improve familiarity with contemporary Italian language and civilization. Prerequisite: 102 or the equivalent. This course fulfills the language graduation requirement. |
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Judaic Studies
| Course Number/Term | Title/Instructor/Description | Designation |
|---|---|---|
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JDST-215 Spring 2026 |
Jewish Environmental Ethics Lieber, Andrea Since the 1960's many writers on environmental issues have blamed our contemporary environmental crises in part on a so-called "Judeo-Christian" worldview, rooted in the Hebrew Bible. Such writers assert that the biblical heritage shared by these two religious traditions, advocates an unhealthy relationship between humanity and nature, one in which human beings are destined to conquer the earth and master it. In this course we will explore Jewish perspectives on nature and the natural world through close readings of biblical and other classical Jewish theology, history and ritual practice, we will also examine the ways in which this motif is re-conceptualized in modern secular contexts (ie, Zionism, and the kibbutz movement). We will conclude by studying contemporary varieties of Jewish environmental advocacy. In addition to texts focused specifically on Judeo-Christian traditions, the syllabus will include other classic works of Environmental ethics foundational to the field of Environmental studies. Offered every three years in rotation with the offering of ENST 111. This course is cross-listed as RELG 215. |
SINV |
Lat Am/Latinx/Caribbean Stdies
| Course Number/Term | Title/Instructor/Description | Designation |
|---|---|---|
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LALC-239 Spring 2026 |
Spanish for the Health Professions Lesman, Julie This course prepares students to use Spanish meaningfully in real-world health contexts by combining classroom learning with direct service. This is a space where linguistic, cultural, ethical, and social knowledge come together. Through reflection, reading, and a sustained partnership with the Beacon Clinic, students build the vocabulary, cultural awareness, and interpersonal skills required to serve Spanish-speaking communities with empathy and clarity. By applying Spanish in healthcare settings, students confront the complexities of power, equity, and responsibility, especially in the context of migration, labor, and structural inequality. Prerequisite: SPAN 202 or above, or permission of instructor. This course is cross-listed as SPAN 239. |
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Middle East Studies
| Course Number/Term | Title/Instructor/Description | Designation |
|---|---|---|
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MEST-200 Spring 2026 |
From Abraham to Al-Qaeda: Jews, Christians, and Muslims from their Origins to the Present Schadler, Peter Part of the Sicily Mosaic. This course will survey relations between Jews, Christians, and Muslims, from their origins up to the present day, with heavy attention to the premodern period, and to those areas under the political control of Muslims. We will, however, also consider the relations between these three in the modern period, and how the beliefs of these three groups have coincided and collided to generate specific tensions between them. |
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Music-Academic
| Course Number/Term | Title/Instructor/Description | Designation |
|---|---|---|
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MUAC-357 Spring 2026 |
Ear to the Earth Gray, Lila Ellen What might we learn about our relationships to the environment by orienting our ears to the earth? From the sounds of melting glaciers in the Antarctic to indigenous sound worlds in the rainforest of Papua New Guinea, where a gifted composer might have once collaborated with sounds of waterfalls and birds--- what can learn about our environment by listening to it? What perspectives might tuning into sound lend to thinking about climate change and resilience? This interdisciplinary seminar introduces students to a diverse range of approaches to using sound and music as modalities through which to understand human relationships to the natural world and the environment, from diverse historical moments, cultural contexts, and geographies. Our explorations will include: environmental sound recordings and soundscape compositions, documentary films and ethnographic accounts, and emerging work at the intersection of acoustic ecology, the arts, the humanities, and the social sciences. Students will conduct local place-based observations in select outdoor environments. Guided writing assignments on sound recordings, site observations, readings, and viewings, will assist students in developing skills in description, analysis, and reflection. No musical note reading skills are necessary. Prerequisites: MUAC 209, 210, 211, or 212 OR ENST 161 (for ENST/ENSC majors) OR permission of instructor |
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Philosophy
| Course Number/Term | Title/Instructor/Description | Designation |
|---|---|---|
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PHIL-261 Spring 2026 |
Environmental Ethics McKiernan, Amy Examination of specific problem, author, text, or movement.Prerequisites: Two prior courses in philosophy. |
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Religion
| Course Number/Term | Title/Instructor/Description | Designation |
|---|---|---|
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RELG-111 Spring 2026 |
From Abraham to Al-Qaeda: Jews, Christians, and Muslims from their Origins to the Present Schadler, Peter Part of the Sicily Mosaic. This course will survey relations between Jews, Christians, and Muslims, from their origins up to the present day, with heavy attention to the premodern period, and to those areas under the political control of Muslims. We will, however, also consider the relations between these three in the modern period, and how the beliefs of these three groups have coincided and collided to generate specific tensions between them. |
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RELG-116 Spring 2026 |
Religion, Nature, and the Environment Vann, Jodie This course explores how various religious and spiritual traditions have understood, conceptualized, and interacted with the natural world. Incorporating from both conventional religions (such as Catholicism, Judaism, and Buddhism) as well as newer spiritual forms (like Contemporary Paganism), the course provides a comparative survey of the relationships between religiosity and nature. Themes under examination include notions of human dominion, stewardship, panentheism, and naturalism. Students will consider how religious ideologies have shaped conceptions of nature, and how changing understandings of the natural world have challenged religious ideas. |
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RELG-215 Spring 2026 |
Jewish Environmental Ethics Lieber, Andrea Since the 1960's many writers on environmental issues have blamed our contemporary environmental crises in part on a so-called "Judeo-Christian" worldview, rooted in the Hebrew Bible. Such writers assert that the biblical heritage shared by these two religious traditions advocates an unhealthy relationship between humanity and nature, one in which human beings are destined to conquer the earth and master it. In this course we will explore Jewish perspectives on nature and the natural world through close readings of biblical and other classical Jewish theology, history and ritual practice, we will also examine the ways in which this motif is re-conceptualized in modern secular contexts (ie, Zionism, and the kibbutz movement). We will conclude by studying contemporary varieties of Jewish environmental advocacy. In addition to texts focused specifically on Judeo-Christian traditions, the syllabus will include other classic works of Environmental ethics foundational to the field of Environmental studies.Offered every three years in rotation with the offering of ENST 111. This course is cross-listed as JDST 215. |
SINV |
Spanish
| Course Number/Term | Title/Instructor/Description | Designation |
|---|---|---|
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SPAN-239 Spring 2026 |
Spanish for the Health Professions Lesman, Julie This course prepares students to use Spanish meaningfully in real-world health contexts by combining classroom learning with direct service. This is a space where linguistic, cultural, ethical, and social knowledge come together. Through reflection, reading, and a sustained partnership with the Beacon Clinic, students build the vocabulary, cultural awareness, and interpersonal skills required to serve Spanish-speaking communities with empathy and clarity. By applying Spanish in healthcare settings, students confront the complexities of power, equity, and responsibility, especially in the context of migration, labor, and structural inequality.Prerequisite: 202 or 205. This course is cross-listed as LALC 239. |
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Theatre & Dance
| Course Number/Term | Title/Instructor/Description | Designation |
|---|---|---|
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THDA-132 Spring 2026 |
Costume and Soft-Goods Construction Bounds, Julianne A hands-on course in the machine and hand stitching skills required for building costumes and other fabric items for stage, this is a project based course. Students will work on individual projects to build the skills needed to work on projects for stage in the department’s production program. Carries .5 academic credit. Two .5 academic credits of THDA 131-133 can be used to satisfy the Arts distribution requirement. |
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THDA-233 Spring 2026 |
Sustainable Light Design STAFF, THDA This class explores the artistry of light within a live performance context as well as the use of light design in film. Students will gain an introductory understanding of the basic tools and equipment used in film and on stage to create lighting designs, while studying both technique and theory associated with the art forms through the lens of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. This class is divided into theoretical exploration and hands-on studio work which stresses the conceptual and artistic elements of these abstract design forms while giving the student the basic technical skills required to create work with light while keeping an eye toward the environmental consequences, impacts, and benefits that light may have. Studio projects will fluctuate between conceptual work to gain a broader understanding and foundation of tools and techniques, to realized, large scale designs on the mainstage and for the camera. |
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Women's, Gender & Sexuality St
| Course Number/Term | Title/Instructor/Description | Designation |
|---|---|---|
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WGSS-100 Spring 2026 |
Introduction to Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies Rebeiz, Mireille This course offers an introduction to central concepts, questions and debates in gender and sexuality studies from US, Women of Color, queer and transnational perspectives. Throughout the semester we will explore the construction and maintenance of norms governing sex, gender, and sexuality, with an emphasis on how opportunity and inequality operate through categories of race, ethnicity, class, ability and nationality. After an introduction to some of the main concepts guiding scholarship in the field of feminist studies (the centrality of difference; social and political constructions of gender and sex; representation; privilege and power; intersectionality; globalization; transnationalism), we will consider how power inequalities attached to interlocking categories of difference shape key feminist areas of inquiry, including questions of: work, resource allocation, sexuality, queerness, reproduction, marriage, gendered violence, militarization, consumerism, resistance and community sustainability. |
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