Courses

This intensive experiential course is an exploration of climate justice definitions, theory, case studies, and implications for policy and activism. It is organized around field visits and discussions with practitioners involved in various equity-related aspects of climate mitigation and adaptation, the history and evolution of fossil and post-fossil energy, global and local sacrifice zones, the renewable energy transition, and climate justice activism. Integrated ENVS 4350. Exclusion: Students who already took ENVS 4350. [Previously ENVS 6101; approved MES Program Dec 14, 2022, GPASA Jan 19, 2023, EUC Council Feb 16, 2023, York Senate March 03, 2023] This course was previously offered as EU/ENVS 5055.

This course is an introduction to environmental philosophy with an emphasis on major ethical traditions including environmental ethics, concepts of Nature, power, the body and animal/human relations. There is a special focus on the ethical dimensions of various religious and spiritual traditions. This course was previously offered as EU/ENVS 5191.

This course explores the geographies of inequalities, state policies and civil society. We will review a variety of theoretical and methodological approaches that uncover the contested meaning of social policy and interrogate the nature of power in the city. Critical race theory, post-colonialism, and the legacies of imperial systems in the production of urban space are explored.

Grounded in three interrelated foundations-dialectical materialist philosophy, historical materialist social theory, and political economy-Marxist theory forms an organic and coherent theoretical whole. This course provides an introduction to key ideas within the Marxist tradition. It is of interest to students in geography, environmental studies, sociology, political thought, international development, and other cognate fields. Crosslisted with GEOG 5375. This course was previously offered as EU/ENVS 5475.

This course examines the relationships between people and their environments from the mid-nineteenth century to the early twenty-first century. It considers the global ecological consequences of industrialization and the growing human footprint on Earth from a historical perspective, drawing from the field of environmental history. Crosslisted HIST 5543. This course was previously offered as EU/ENVS 5543.

This course assists students in the transition from MES II to MES III, with emphasis on the design of the substantive and integrative experiences to be undertaken in MES III (including expectations of the Major Project, Major Paper, or Thesis) and the ways that students may demonstrate “mastery” of the subject matter. This course was previously offered as EU/ENVS 6102.

Examines the relationship between sustainable communities and sustainable energy systems. In the context of climate change, environmental, ethical, and social concerns, the course considers the flexibility and adaptability of landscape, communities and city-building processes, and integrated and multi-scalar responses and approaches to policy-making and implementation. This course was previously offered as EU/ENVS 6121.

Introduction to planning for urban centres and regions. Emphasis is on the history of urban regional planning thought and practice, key planning models and concepts, the planning process, and plan implementation. This course was previously offered as EU/ENVS 6124.

This course examines community planning as a relational, activist practice that mobilizes 'bottom-up' initiatives to advance equity in housing, social services, and infrastructure. The course also explores housing policy design and implementation, the role of planners in mediating state-market dynamics, and the challenges of affordable and safe housing provision amid rising inequalities, governance constraints, and shifting policy landscapes. This course was previously offered as EU/ENVS 6126.

This course focuses on the strategic relationships between land use planning, the environment, economy and transportation planning policies, principles and practices. The course focuses on the interaction of key actors, institutions, policy processes, strategies and techniques relating to transportation planning. Topics include reducing auto dependence, the role of public transit and alternatives modes of transportation in the Canadian transportation planning approach. This course was previously offered as EU/ENVS 6128.

This course examines and critiques Western colonial research and provides an overview of Indigenous paradigms, concepts and approaches to research. Students will be introduced to various ontological, ethical, epistemological, methodological, political, and practical issues associated with engaging diverse Indigenous nations and stakeholders in knowledge (co-) production. This course was previously offered as EU/ENVS 6152.

Critical analysis of theories of 'development' in historical perspective and from both 'Western' and 'Global South' positions. Examination of established theories (liberal, neomarxist), more recent perspectives (participatory development, postmodernism, postcolonialism, decoloniality) and themes (gender, ecology, racialization, Indigeneity, imperialism, cultural politics). This course was previously offered as EU/ENVS 6156.

Examination of law relating to planning and development, with emphasis on the Canadian context. Topics include land use, real estate, urban and regional planning. This course was previously offered as EU/ENVS 6165.

Planning and politics are considered along a number of dimensions: the ideologies of planning; the role of planning as a selective filter of values and interests in civil society and the local state; planning as a mediator of conflicts between concepts of urban places as ‘economic space' and ‘community space'; planning as the mediating agency of urban growth and decline. This course was previously offered as EU/ENVS 6173.

This course introduces students to the topic of sustainable waste management, specifically examining the role of waste as a resource, and the importance of waste management in promoting a sustainable future. Students will be introduced to concepts such as the waste management hierarchy, circular economy, zero waste, and product design for the environment.

The application of analytics including optimization, simulation, regression, and time series analysis, to problems in environmental studies such as food systems, political change, emergency response systems, and homeless shelter policy. Solutions will be implemented in spreadsheets and statistical software (Excel and R). This course was previously offered as EU/ENVS 6182.

Examination of the various phases of carrying out research in the field: planning the research project; choosing appropriate methods for data collection; analyzing data and communicating results of research. Emphasis is on analysis and reporting of questionnaire and qualitative data. This course was previously offered as EU/ENVS 6183

This course introduces students to debates and perspectives on Latin American and Caribbean studies and links theory with practice in the field. Supported by numerous CERLAC Fellows from a range of disciplines, students from different graduate programs and areas of study will collaborate together in teams on applied research projects to work on their own research. This core course will provide an opportunity for deeper student engagement in CERLAC and a strong relationship with the work of the researchers and scholars at the Centre. This course was previously offered as EU/ENVS 6300.

This course examines natural disasters from an interdisciplinary point of view, particularly considering why there seem to be more natural disasters, and how and why decisions made by people create vulnerable communities. This course was previously offered as EU/ENVS 6401.

Individual study activities in subject areas not addressed in current Environmental Studies course offerings, devised and carried out under the supervision of a faculty member and arranged to suit the requirements of the student's individual Plan of Study. Normally intended for students at the MES II level. Maximum 18 credits per program. This course was previously offered as EU/ENVS 6599 6.0.

Individual study activities in subject areas not addressed in current Environmental Studies course offerings, devised and carried out under the supervision of a faculty member and arranged to suit the requirements of the student's individual Plan of Study. Normally intended for students at the MES II level. Maximum 18 credits per program. This course was previously offered as EU/ENVS 6699 9.0.

Approved research toward the submission of Major Paper, Major Project, Portfolio, arranged and conducted under the supervision of a faculty Supervisor. MES students take the course for 0 credit. Only MES/JD students take the course for (transfer) credits (normally 12). This course was previously offered as EU/ENVS 7899 0.0.

Approved research toward the submission of Major Paper, Major Project, Portfolio, arranged and conducted under the supervision of a faculty Supervisor. MES students take the course for 0 credit. Only MES/JD students take the course for (transfer) credits (normally 12). This course was previously offered as EU/ENVS 7999 0.0.

This course is designed to support PhD students in Environmental Studies as they conceive and develop their PhD dissertation proposals. While it is not a methods course per se, we will discuss, review or workshop particular approaches, methodological issues, and methods based on the interests and needs of those enrolled. Class activities and assignments are directed at students developing, writing (or refining in the case of those with a draft already written) and completing their dissertation proposals and preparing themselves for the dissertation research/writing process. This course was previously offered as EU/ENVS 8103.

Individual research activities in subject areas not addressed in current Environmental Studies course offerings, devised and carried out under the supervision of a faculty member and arranged to suit the requirements of the student's individual PhD Program Plan. This course was previously offered as EU/ENVS 8599 3.0.