Enviro-Course Reviews

As class registration drew to an end this past week, next semester is on everyone's mind. Whether you got the classes you wanted or are waitlisted for a few, there is still time to change up your schedule! Across the UEU members and board members, we have a couple environmentally-focused classes we have reviewed for you. Please feel free to reach out to the people listed below and ask more questions!

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Course Reviewers

1. Yujin Kim

   1. Freshman, intended Environmental Sciences (BS) major

   2. Member of the Undergraduate Environmental Union (UEU)

   3. Member of Environmental Alliance (EA)

2. Anya Dias-Hawkins

   1. Freshman, intended Civil/Environmental Engineering major

   2. Member of the Undergraduate Environmental Union (UEU)

3. Leah Roffman

   1. Junior, Public Policy major

   2. Co-president of Environmental Alliance (EA)

ENVIRON 102 - Introduction to Environmental Science and Policy

Student: Yujin Kim (class of 2025)

Session: Fall 2021

Instructor: Dr. Rebecca Vidra

A prerequisite for both the Environmental Sciences BS and BA major, this class is a broad survey course of some basic principles in environmental sciences, and an introduction to some environmental movements in the United States. The policy component of this course is specific to the US. This segues into a brief introduction on climate justice and environmental justice. I really appreciated learning about environmental justice issues related to North Carolina’s hog farms. It was a meaningful opportunity to apply the environmental justice framework in real life and learn more about issues close to Duke. Note: the course covers a lot of ground and you won’t be spending too long on a given topic. If you’ve taken AP environmental sciences, IB ESS, or a similar course, you’ll find a lot of familiar topics but some will definitely be new.

Exams for this class were based largely on lectures and readings, and they should be pretty manageable if you take the time to go through those sources and pay attention to lectures. The final project of the course involved developing a potential solution to an environmental issue of choice as a group. There’s no implementation component involved in this, which can have pros and cons. You might lament the opportunity to get more hands-on action using the concepts you learned in class, or you might enjoy the greater freedom it gives you to fully explore creative and outrageous solutions.

Please feel free to contact Yujin Kim at yk231@duke.edu if you have any further questions about my experience with the course.

ENVIRON 231 - Energy and the Environment

Student: Anya Dias-Hawkins (class of 2025)

Session: Fall 2021

Instructor: Prof. Lincoln Pratson

This is the introductory course to the Energy and the Environment Certificate that both students in Pratt and Trinity can complete. There are no prerequisites listed for this class, so you are able to take it whenever, even if you are not interested in the certificate. Energy and the Environment is a class that takes an in-depth look at different types of renewables, energy efficiency, and the feasibility of shifting away from the oil/gas industry. The class will describe the process involved in extracting energy from that specific source, as well as some engineering feats pertaining to energy production. It will then go into who uses what and how much is used, and describes the importance of that kind of energy in different areas of the US and some parts of the world. From there, you will get to learn about calculations for energy efficiency and be able to quantitatively see the advantages/disadvantages of using specific energies in certain areas.

There are 3 total exams for this class and no final. The exams are based very heavily on the lectures. The structure is 10 or so free-response questions (worth 50%) and 5 calculation questions about energy efficiency and distribution across an area (worth 50%). There is one homework assignment that uses the En-Roads simulation model to create a scenario to mitigate global climate change to under 2 degrees Celcius. I expected the class to be more focused on how energy ties into climate change, but it was more focused on quantitative look at renewables. That being said, I really enjoyed learning about how each type of renewable worked and how it can be compared to the energy output of oil/gas.

Please feel free to reach out to me at axd2@duke.edu for more information/questions about this course!

HOUSECS 59-04 - Climate Justice & Global Intersectionality

Student: Leah Roffman (class of 2023)

Session: Fall 2020/Fall 2021

Instructor: Student Instructor (varies)

I first took this house course as a Sophomore in Fall of 2020. The course was a source of meaningful learning experiences and community in the context of a very heavy semester. Throughout the course, we engaged in readings and discussions around topics such as the unequal health impacts of hog farming in North Carolina and the intersection of queer identity and environmental resilience. In addition, we heard from guest speakers ranging from Duke professors to activists to experts on North Carolina environmental justice. By far, the most memorable aspect of the course for me was getting to hear so many perspectives from outside of Duke. Overall, the course brought me closer to the environmental community at Duke and helped foster new interests and investment in environmental issues.

For full disclosure, I have stayed involved with the house course as a member of the planning team and a co-instructor for Fall 2021. In the 2021 house course, we were able to take the community aspect further with in-person classes and a field trip to the Duke Campus Farm. In addition, we brought in all-new guest speakers from countries across the world and covered global issues. The workload for the course was flexible, with the most time and effort going to student final projects that included songs, paintings, and infographics on environmental justice issues.

While I am obviously biased, I also have the inside perspective to say that the Fall 2022 installment of this house course will have all this in store and more, with a new focus on climate justice! Please reach out to me at leah.roffman@duke.edu if you have any questions about next year’s environmental justice house course!