Environment

Program Overview

The Stage II Environment program at SFU provides a foundation for students interested in environmental studies. It offers a range of courses in geography, environmental science, and Indigenous studies, preparing students for careers in environmental management, conservation, and related fields. The program also includes elective courses in humanities and social sciences, broadening students' perspectives and critical thinking skills.

Program Outline

Outline:

Stage II Environment:

• Focus on first-year courses and the necessary foundational material for entry into the second year of the Environment faculty at SFU.
• Provides multiple career alternatives in Canada and abroad, reflecting the growing awareness of environmental issues.

Required Courses:

• ARCH100 - Ancient Peoples and Places:
A broad examination of human cultural development from late Palaeolithic/Palaeo Indian times (ca 40,000 yrs) to the emergence of civilizations and empires in the Old and New Worlds.
• GEOG100 - Our World: Introducing Human Geography:
An exploration of how humans influence and are influenced by the world around them. Themes include culture, economics, environmental change, globalization, politics, population, resources, and urbanization.
• GEOG104 - Climate Change, Water, and Society:
Examines climate change, its interaction with water accessibility, and how humans respond to changing conditions.
• INDG101 - Introduction to Indigenous Studies:
Presents the nature and objectives of Indigenous Studies as an academic discipline, concentrating on First Peoples' cultures and homelands.
• PHIL105 - Critical Thinking:
Introduces students to the evaluation of arguments as they occur in everyday life. It emphasizes developing critical thinking and reasoning abilities by understanding how arguments function and distinguishing those valid from those that are not.
• REM100 - Global Change:
Provides an overview of global environmental change and its causes from a social science perspective. Examines population growth, ecological footprint, ideology, social organization, economics, and technology shifts. Also considers new scientific and social science thinking on issues such as land, soil, and food; energy, raw materials, and solid waste; air pollution and transportation; water, oceans, and fisheries; climate change; forestry and biodiversity; urbanization; and alternative futures.

Choose one course from the following list:

• ARCH131 - Human Origins:
A non-technical survey of the primate lineage of humans, fossil primates, and fossil humans, as well as the associated evidence of cultural evolution. Provides an introduction to physical anthropology.
• EVSC100 - Introduction to Environmental Science:
Introduces students to the study of environmental science. Lecture content spans contributing disciplines, emphasizing the integration of diverse concepts to understand environmental problems. Tutorials focus on developing core academic skills within an environmental science context.

Choose one Writing course from the following list:

• ENGL112 - Literature Now:
Introduces students to contemporary literature in English and approaches to literary interpretation. May concentrate on one or several genres. Includes a focus on writing skills.
• ENGL113 - Literature and Performance:
Introduces students to plays and performance works created and adapted for the stage, as well as the performative elements of other literary forms. May be organized historically, generically, or thematically. It can also explore connections between literary and performance theory and emphasizes writing skills.
• ENGL115 - Literature and Culture:
Introduces the study of literature in a broader cultural context, emphasizing contemporary issues across genres and media.
• PSYC109 - Brain, Mind, and Society:
Introduces students to psychology by examining research on brain and behavior and its implications for individuals and society. Begins with neurons and explores the progression to human experience.
• WL101 - Writing in World Literature:
Examines literary texts from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds while introducing students to the fundamentals of comparative literary analysis and critical writing. May explore cross-cultural interactions or compare texts thematically.

Elective Courses:

Choose one Breadth-Humanities course from the following list:

• CA135 - Introduction to Cinema:
Introduces film technique, style, and form to develop analytical skills for various film genres. Covers the social, aesthetic, and technical evolution of motion pictures, presenting tools for formal analysis. Considers documentary, avant-garde, and dramatic films. Involves screening and discussing feature films, shorts, and excerpts.
• ENGL112 - Literature Now:
Introduces students to contemporary literature in English and approaches to literary interpretation. May concentrate on one or several genres. Includes a focus on writing skills.
• ENGL113 - Literature and Performance:
Introduces students to plays and performance works created and adapted for the stage, as well as the performative elements of other literary forms. May be organized historically, generically, or thematically. It can also explore connections between literary and performance theory and emphasizes writing skills.
• ENGL115 - Literature and Culture:
Introduces the study of literature in a broader cultural context, emphasizing contemporary issues across genres and media.
• ENSC100 - Engineering, Science, and Society:
Reviews the various modes of thought characteristic of science, engineering, and computing. Examines the histories and major current research issues in these fields. Considers the ethical and social duties of engineering and computing work.
• HIST102 - Canada Since Confederation:
Surveys Canadian history from 1867 onward.
• HIST204 - The Social History of Canada:
Surveys significant themes in Canadian social history from the arrival of Europeans to the present day. Emphasizes the impact of gender, race, and class on the Canadian experience over time.
• IAT110 - Visual Communication Design:
Teaches visual communication principles for digital media. Covers digital raster and vector image creation, design principles, typography, and color theory as they apply to digital media. Includes core projects in digital photography, magazine layout, and kinetic typography.
• INDG101 - Introduction to Indigenous Studies:
Presents the nature and objectives of Indigenous Studies as an academic discipline, concentrating on First Peoples' cultures and homelands.
• IS101 - Global Challenges of the 21st Century: An Introduction to International Studies:
Introduces the interdisciplinary area of International Studies, covering global challenges such as poverty, inequality, environmental degradation, nationalism, civil war, and armed conflict. Explores the complexities of global governance and global citizenship.
• WL201 - East/West:
Explores the relationship between Eastern and Western narratives. May focus on the mutual influence of Eastern and Western cultural traditions and modernity's impact. Examines the construction of the 'East' in the West and the 'West' in the East, theories of Orientalism and Occidentalism, and forms of East/West syncretism. Students should also select at least one additional transferable course from the FIC's available offerings.

Careers:

Potential Career Paths:

• Aboriginal liaison
• Avalanche specialist
• Cartographer
• Ecotourism operator
• Fisheries manager
• Food safety inspector
• Forensic investigator
• Forester
• Geoscientist
• GIS programmer
• Health and safety inspector
• Heritage consultant
• Land use planner
• Landscape architect
• Meteorologist
• Museum curator
• Park ranger
• Real estate developer
• Urban planner
• Water quality inspector