Ecology in Action

Offered at:

Course Description:
Urban ecology is the study of interactions within environments that are heavily human-dominated. This course considers how urban ecology studies can be conducted in order to address scientific questions that relate to environmental justice. Through an engagement with the New York City ecosystem, students will learn to hear the environmental justice concerns of their neighbors and design scientific studies that address those concerns. Working collaboratively, students will collect data, analyze that data, and share what they have discovered.

Course Credits:
Upon successful completion, this course is worth 3 credits and fulfills the Post-CORE general education requirement. This course can be counted towards Pratt’s Minor in Sustainability Studies.

Who Might Be Interested In This Course?
This is a course for students who want to put what they learn into action. The tools of science can be a potent force for good if they are employed in the pursuit of social justice, and this course allows you to better understand the role that science can play in achieving environmental justice. You’ll learn about how scientific inquiry has been used to uncover environmental injustices in the past and get the chance to ask your neighbors about their current-day environmental concerns. Based on this understanding of community needs and your own social justice values, you’ll work with your classmates to come up with a project with the potential to shed light on an environmental justice issue in New York City. Designed as a “science studio”, this class will empower you to use research to advocate for change. If you are interested in ecology and sustainability — and value social justice — this might be the course for you!

What Background Should I Have Before I Take This Course?
This course assumes that you have a basic understanding of ecology/environmental science and strong understanding of high school-level biology. It is advised (though not required) that you take MSWI-270C (Ecology, Environment, and the Anthropocene) or an equivalent course before taking this course.

This course maintains an Open Information Environment.