Undergraduate courses

Introduction to the symptoms and sources of environmental problems and approaches to resolving them. Global and local food systems are used as a focal lens through which to view and understand human impacts on ecosystems (e.g. climate change, biodiversity loss, deforestation) and how those impacts can be best addressed.Prerequisites:

For more information please see ES 200 in the UVic calendar.

An introduction to the discipline of ecology with a focus on understanding biotic processes as they relate to contemporary environmental challenges. Laboratories emphasize methodologies for the generation, analysis and application of data.

Prerequisites: none.

For more information please see ES 240 in the UVic calendar.

Conducted in relation to work or volunteer activities with a host organization identified by the student and approved by the RNS academic administrator or the director of the School of Environmental Studies. Students will engage in experiential learning and assessment of methods in ecological restoration in an applied setting. Students will work with an instructor to identify issues to be explored and what course assessment methods will be used before the experiential learning opportunity begins. Must include at least 150 hours of work or volunteer activities. Assessment typically involves a reflective journal and final paper. Students are responsible for proposing an internship and arranging for a supervising instructor.

Prerequisites: none

For more information please see ES 250 in the UVic calendar.

This course introduces the various socio-political and philosophical issues associated with the concept of a sustainable society. Emphasis is placed on the analysis of the complex relationships between social and biophysical systems.

In turn, this course will examine how communities and environments are being impacted by the globalization of economies and cultures, technologies and ideologies, as well as responses from a variety of local, non-governmental and international agencies.

Prerequisites: ES 200 or 300A.

For more information please see ES 301 in the UVic calendar.

Examines how the global capitalist economy is transforming ecosystems and how social and environmental challenges are in turn beginning to transform capitalism. Economic alternatives will be examined in local and global contexts (e.g., the social economy, steady state economies and Indigenous economic practices).

Prerequisites: ES 200.

For more information please see ES 302 in the UVic calendar.

An introduction to the economic analysis of environmental problems. In particular, an examination of policy interventions in cases where market activities result in socially undesirable impacts on the environment.

Topics typically include:

• externalities
• pollution control policy
• climate change
• public goods
• time, uncertainty and the environment
• trade and the environment

Prerequisites: ECON 103 or ECON 103c or ECON 180.

For more information please see ES 312 in the UVic calendar.

A philosophical investigation of the moral and conceptual dimensions of environmental problems. Different philosophies of the relation between humans and nature will be compared.

Some of the topics to be examined are:

• human wants and human satisfactions
• nature and spiritual values
• community
• human obligations to other animals
• defining quality of life

Prerequisites: Third or fourth-year standing; or permission of the instructor.

For more information please see ES 314 in the UVic calendar.

Diversity of organisms, functioning of ecosystems and the impact of human activities on these.

Topics include:

• the nature of biological diversity
• extinction and its causes
• habitat alteration and fragmentation
• effects of exotic species
• economic and ethical considerations
• practical applications and analytical tools
• legal frameworks for conserving species and habitats

Prerequisites: 
For biology majors: completion of biology core including STAT corequisites.
For other majors: BIOL 190A (or 210), 215, 230 and STAT 255 or 260.

For more information, please see ES 320 in the UVic calendar.

Environmental knowledge systems of Indigenous and other local peoples are increasingly recognized as having relevance in understanding and documenting biological diversity and conservation and in undertaking ecological restoration.

The different aspects of local and traditional ecological knowledge and their relationships to western academic knowledge are reviewed and the issues and requirements for applying local knowledge in environmental sustainability are explored.

Prerequisites: ES 200 or 300A.

For more information please see ES 321 in the UVic calendar.

This course examines how effective restoration depends on both ecological and cultural awareness, including:

• the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of ecosystems from local to global scales
• the impacts of human-induced change
• the philosophical and ethical context for good restoration
• the need for and significance of community involvement
• the legal and policy frameworks that direct and influence restoration activities
• the importance of understanding essential ecosystem characteristics in restoration

Prerequisites: ES 240 or BIOL 215; and 200 or 300A.

For more information please see ES 341 in the UVic calendar.

From surf culture to saving the whales, dominant views of the ocean have evolved over time. Investigates values that societies have associated with the ocean over time, the origin of these values, and issues of power and exclusion from ocean spaces. Material spans the time period 14,000 BCE to present, with a focus on the development of 20th-century perspectives on ocean sustainability, such as marine mammal conservation, fisheries management and ecosystem recovery.​

Prerequisites: Third-year standing; or permission of the school.

For more information please see ES 345 in the UVic calendar.

Examines how food decisions, from the personal to the global, influence human and planetary health. Students develop a food literacy that extends beyond simple nutrition and incorporates cultural, ecological and socio-economic dimensions. A central question examined is: what constitutes "good" food?

Note: Credit will be granted for only one of ES 347 or ES 382 (if taken in the same topic).

Prerequisites: ES 200.

For more information please see ES 347 in the UVic calendar.

Study of biological organisms and ecosystems with particular reference to mechanisms of change and human impacts on the environment. Our focus will be on:

• biodiversity (definition, assessment methods, loss and evaluation)
• population biology (concepts and research methods)
• habitat loss
• species extinction
• exotic species and their impacts
• possibilities for human intervention in alleviating trends in species loss and ecosystem degradation

Prerequisites: BIOL 190A and 190B or equivalent; and ES 200 or 300A.

For more information please see ES 348 in the UVic calendar.

This course trains students in trauma-informed storytelling to report on environmental disasters with empathy and ethical journalism. As part of the Climate Disaster Project, students interview survivors and create publishable “as told to” profiles. It explores climate change, social justice and the role of journalism in amplifying marginalized voices.

Prerequisites: second year standing; or permission of the school.

Note: Credit will be granted for only one of ES 354, ES 380 (if offered in the same topic), WRIT 344.

This course trains students in trauma-informed storytelling to report on environmental disasters with empathy and ethical journalism. As part of the Climate Disaster Project, students interview survivors and create publishable “as told to” profiles. It explores climate change, social justice and the role of journalism in amplifying marginalized voices.

Prerequisites: ES 354 or WRIT 344; and second year standing; or permission of the school.

Note: Credit will be granted for only one of ES 355, ES 381 (if offered in the same topic), WRIT 345. Students who took WRIT 345 in January to April 2022 may repeat the course with permission of instructor.

An overview of British Columbia's globally significant biodiversity. We will examine species distribution patterns, use and conservation, including academic and government research and management. Lectures and field trips will include synthesis of patterns of biodiversity, management success and failure, and future biodiversity conservation and use in BC. Course goals include developing a deep understanding of the patterns of biodiversity in BC, explaining the reasons for these patterns and identifying numerous species and their importance.

Prerequisites: ES 200; and ES 240 or BIOL 215.

For more information please see ES 361 in the UVic calendar.

A survey of the climate system and its interaction with past, present and future societies. Topics include:

• climate change and the onset of agriculture/domestication
• climate change and the rise and fall of early civilizations
• the anthropocene and global warming
• the interplay between science, media, public relations and public policy will also be addressed  

Note: Credit will be granted for only one of ES 365 and EOS 365.

Prerequisites: 200 or 300A; and at least third year standing. If taken as EOS 365, at least third-year standing.

For more information please see ES 365 in the UVic calendar.

Travel to Angers, France, to explore the intricacies of terroir-driven food systems. Visit farms, businesses and experts in regional and sustainable food production. This course is offered in collaboration with École Supériure d’Agricultures in Angers, France.

Prerequisites: second year standing.

For more information please see ES 371 in the UVic calendar or visit our field school info page.

An in-depth systematic examination of specific environmental areas through seminars and projects, including:

• the development of appropriate responses to questions and problems within the selected areas
• modes of interaction and communication with professional and community groups
• application of theory to practice
• qualitative vs. quantitative research methods

This course will be conducted as a seminar and may include a field trip for which a fee will be charged.

Example topics: Cultivating Alternatives to the Dominant Order

Prerequisites: ES 200 or 300A.

For more information please see ES 380 in the UVic calendar or visit our field school info page.

An in-depth systematic examination of specific environmental areas through seminars and projects, including:

• the development of appropriate responses to questions and problems within the selected areas
• modes of interaction and communication with professional and community groups
• application of theory to practice
• qualitative vs. quantitative research methods

This course will be conducted as a seminar and may include a field trip for which a fee will be charged.

Example topics: W'SANEC Ethnoecology

Note: Credit will be granted for only one of 381, 300B unless approved by the director. May be taken more than once for credit in different topics to a maximum of 3 units. 

Formerly: 300B

Prerequisites: ES 200 or 300A.

For more information please see ES 381 in the UVic calendar.

An in-depth systematic examination of specific environmental areas through seminars and projects, including:

• the development of appropriate responses to questions and problems within the selected areas
• modes of interaction and communication with professional and community groups
• application of theory to practice
• qualitative vs. quantitative research methods

This course will be conducted as a seminar and may include a field trip for which a fee will be charged.

Example topics: Science Communication and Leadership in Ecological Restoration

Prerequisites: ES 200 or 300A.

For more information please see ES 382 in the UVic calendar.

Examines how mindfulness training, particularly meditation, is being integrated into contemporary environmental and social change efforts. Current research on the physical, psychological, ecological and social benefits of mindfulness training will be examined. Students will be introduced to a variety of meditative practices as part of the course.

Note: Credit will be granted for only one of ES 407 or 480 (if taken in the same topic).

For more information please see ES 407 in the UVic calendar.

Focuses on coastlines, seabeds, river banks, flood plains and other spaces where water and earth meet. Course material will draw from cross-disciplinary scholarship in Indigenous geography, law, politics, ecologies and philosophies, as well as non-scholarly representations of Indigenous cultural practices, histories and resurgent struggles situated at the shore.

Prerequisites: Third-year standing.

For more information please see ES 413 in the UVic calendar.

Explores how environmental politics is shaped by and seek to challenge relations of oppression.

Prerequisites: ES 200 and 301.

For more information please see ES 417 in the UVic calendar.

The role of traditional ecological knowledge in the understanding and documentation of the biodiversity of natural systems and their restoration. Examination of how restoration strategies can benefit from the close relationship of Indigenous Peoples to their local environments, and from their knowledge of plants and animals, their habitats and ecological interrelationships, as well as from traditional land and resource management strategies.

Prerequisites: ES 200 or 300A; and 321.

For more information please see ES 423 in the UVic calendar or visit our field school info page.

A survey of flowering plants, including:

• morphological diversity and adaptations
• plant evolution and species concepts
• modern classification
• nomenclature
• identification and keys
• experimental approaches to the study of plant diversity

Lab projects include at least 1 collection of 10 properly prepared and identified plants, preferably made during the previous summer. Contact instructor for details and collecting equipment.

Notes: Credit will be granted for only one of ES 425, BIOL 449 or 318.

BIOL 324 recommended.

Prerequisites: BIOL 190A and 190B; and third-or fourth-year standing.

For more information please see ES 425 in the UVic calendar.

Cultural understandings of ecosystems and knowledge of interactions between human activities and human habitats in urban settings. Explores the ways city dwellers understand and interact with urban and peri-urban habitats. Surveys the intersections between people and place in cities from an ethnoecological perspective to inform and contribute to initiatives to create sustainable cities.

Prerequisites: ES 200; and minimum third-year standing.

For more information please see ES 429 in the UVic calendar or visit our field school info page.

Documents the evolution of human civilization through the lens of wine, and chronicles the transition from mysticism to industrial global commoditization. Workshops examine terroir, varietal, age, price, quality and value of viticulture and oenological traditions from around the world, and what "sustainability" means in this context.

Prerequisites: ES 200; and minimum third-year standing; or permission of the school.

For more information please see ES 431 in the UVic calendar.

The origins, theory and design methods of permaculture. Examines foundational texts that have influenced the development of permaculture, as well as contemporary permaculture texts. Critical examination of a range of designs and applications, including food systems, water systems, energy systems, appropriate technologies, place making and the built environment.

Prerequisites: ES 200; and minimum third-year standing; or permission of the school.

For more information please see ES 433 in the UVic calendar.

Discusses responsible intervention in ecosystems undergoing rapid change, covering a wide range of contemporary issues from barcoding biodiversity to rewilding, all with the aim of pushing against boundaries of received knowledge about preservation, conservation and restoration of nature.

Prerequisites: ES 200 and 341.

For more information please see ES 445 in the UVic calendar.

An introduction to the objectives, philosophy, concepts, methods and social implications of environmental impact assessment (E.I.A.). A critical examination of E.I.A. as an analytical tool in the context of resource management and public policy is undertaken.

Prerequisites: ES 200 or 300A; and one of ES 301, 321 or 341.

For more information please see ES 461 in the UVic calendar.

Advanced field-based study of environmental problems and solutions. Intended to be a more self-directed course where the student identifies a problem and designs the process to implement solutions.

Typically offered in a compressed format. Additional fees may be necessary to support field expenses.

Note: May be repeated once for credit.

Prerequisites: ES 200 or 300A; and one of ES 301, 321 or 341.

For more information please see ES 470 in the UVic calendar.

Compressed format field study focused on regenerative and restorative designs for ecological and social resilience. Offered in partnership with the Galiano Conservancy Association with field portion based on Galiano Island. Additional fees are necessary to support field expenses.

Prerequisites:

• if taken as ES 471: ES 200 and ES 341; or permission of the school.
• if taken as ER 412: ER 311; and admission to certificate or diploma program in Restoration of Natural Systems; or permission of the program.

For more information please see ES 471 in the UVic calendar or visit our field school info page.

A focused, in-depth systematic examination of specific environmental areas through seminars and projects, including:

• the development of appropriate responses to questions and problems within the selected areas
• modes of interaction and communication with professional and community groups
• application of theory to practice
• qualitative vs. quantitative research methods

These courses will be conducted as seminars and may include a field trip for which a fee will be charged.

Example topics: Land Use Agreements and First Nations Stewardship, Radical Responses to the Climate Crisis, Environmental Communications for Real-World Solutions, Art Ecologies

Prerequisites: 200 or 300A; and 301.

For more information please see ES 480 in the UVic calendar.

A focused, in-depth systematic examination of specific environmental areas through seminars and projects, including:

• the development of appropriate responses to questions and problems within the selected areas
• modes of interaction and communication with professional and community groups
• application of theory to practice
• qualitative vs. quantitative research methods

These courses will be conducted as seminars and may include a field trip for which a fee will be charged.

Example topics: The Tl’ches Ethnoecology Field School

Prerequisites: 200 or 300A; and 321.

For more information please see ES 481 in the UVic calendar.

A focused, in-depth systematic examination of specific environmental areas through seminars and projects, including:

• the development of appropriate responses to questions and problems within the selected areas
• modes of interaction and communication with professional and community groups
• application of theory to practice
• qualitative vs. quantitative research methods

These courses will be conducted as seminars and may include a field trip for which a fee will be charged.

Example topics: Foundations of Ecology, Salmon Production, Ecology and Conservation on Vancouver Island, Analyzing Data for Boreal Mammal Ecology

Prerequisites: 200 or 300A; and 341.

For more information please see ES 482 in the UVic calendar or visit our field school info page.

Individual studies on approved environmental topics undertaken by students in consultation with faculty members.

Projects will be supervised by one or more faculty members designated by the director.

Note: Restricted to students taking a major or minor in environmental studies. May be taken more than once for credit to a maximum of 3 credits.

Prerequisites: 200 or 300A; fourth-year standing with a sessional grade point average of 6.5; and permission of the director.

For more information please see ES 490 in the UVic calendar.

An introduction to the statistical analysis of biological data, experimental design and sampling design. Laboratories emphasize computer-based analysis of selected data sets as well as a major research project.

Prerequisites: STAT 255 or 260.

Further field-based study of environmental problems and solutions, such as integrating watershed scale analysis and enhancements. Typically offered in a compressed format. Additional fees may be necessary to support field expenses.

Prerequisites: ES 200 or 300A; and 270.

Builds the skills necessary to lead effective change in community-engaged settings. Emphasis on personal and group communication skills, decision-making techniques, presentation and facilitation skills, ethics and self-awareness for leadership. Includes case studies, examinations of theories of leadership and social movements, and practical experience.

Prerequisites: ES 200.

Enables each participant to grasp the fundamental principles of systems theory, and provides a foundation for further exploration and application of systems concepts. Examines concepts such as cybernetics, holism, boundaries, negative and positive feedback, self-organization and transformation.

Students will learn to apply these principles to both natural and social systems.

Note: Credit will be granted for only one of 384, 414, 400D (if 400D taken prior to 1989-90).

Formerly: 414

Prerequisites: ES 200 or 300A; and one of ES 301, 321 or 341.

Builds the skills necessary to critically assess environmental issues and research. Emphasis will be placed on critical assessment of evidence of all kinds, grounded in an understanding of quantitative and qualitative methodological considerations. Students will evaluate a wide variety of approaches to understanding and addressing real-world environmental challenges, and work towards producing their own compelling and comprehensive analysis of these challenges.

Prerequisites: ES 200; ES 240; and third year standing.

Analyzes the structure of law, policy and sustainability in a particular geographic region. Review of overlapping jurisdictional and governance systems that shape a region.

Note: Credit will be granted for only one of ES 403, LAW 384, LAW 343 if taken in the same topic.

Focuses on developing the knowledge and skills necessary to evaluate how we might reshape energy systems to address the dual challenges of climate change and sustainability.

Note: Credit will be granted for only one of 405, 480 (if 480 taken Spring 2005, Spring 2006, Fall 2008.

Prerequisites: ES 200 and 301.

A consideration of the many forms of economic activity that go on outside competitive, profit-maximizing markets. The concept of 'social enterprise' is examined, with ways that communities, and not just individuals, develop their economies with goals of community benefit and social justice as well as material improvement. 'The economy' is treated as a landscape of different practices that may be obscured by concentrating just on market transactions.

Prerequisites: ES 200 and 301.

Explores the terrain of visual media that inform environmental studies in B.C. and internationally, including:

• environmental movements and media campaigns
• the visuality of place
• art and activism
• Indigenous new media
• representations and relations with non-human animals
• critically examines the politics of looking

Prerequisites: ES 200 and 301.

Develops and puts into action student skills towards a current environmental issue. Training in working with the media, First Nations and non-governmental organizations. Analyzes the role and impact of environmental policy actors.

Prerequisites: ES 200 and 301.

Partnering with the Environmental Law Centre, the course will draw on current ELC projects, students, clients and approaches. The cumulative work throughout the term is on a specific project for a community organization with direct support from the instructor.

Prerequisite: ES 301

Note: Credit will be granted for only one of ES 411, ES 480 (if taken in the same topic).

The history and philosophy of integral systems theory and its application at the individual and community level. Recent trends in light of panarchy theory and integral ecology.

Prerequisites: ES 200 and 301; and 384 or 414.

A seminar that critically investigates the foundations of environmental law and policy; most of the evaluation will be paper-based, and the course will require active ongoing participation.

Open to upper year students in the Faculty of Law and students with at least fourth-year standing in the environmental studies program.

Prerequisites for ES students: ES 200 or 300A; and 301.

An introduction to the study of the relationship between plants and human cultures, with a focus on the Indigenous peoples and environments of northwestern North America.

Use of plants as foods, materials and medicines, plant nomenclature and folk classification, and the role of plants in religion and mythology are topics covered. There will be one or more field trips.

Prerequisites: ES 200 or 300A; and 321.

Introduces students to the essential concepts and methods used by historians, archaeologists, anthropologists, geographers and others to analyze environmental change from prehistoric to modern times.

Explores how cultural encounters between Euro-American and the Indigenous peoples of British Columbia played out on the physical landscape, focusing on the processes of dispossession and repossession that led to the creation of the space that became British Columbia.

Note: Credit will be granted for only one of 427, 481 (if 481 taken in Spring 2005, Spring 2006, Fall 2007, Fall 2009, Fall 2010.

Prerequisites: ES 200 and 321.

An advanced investigation into the meaning, limits, and significance of ecological restoration, including:

• how restoration is defined and why clear definitions are important
• the role of historical knowledge in restoration
• the changing character of restoration in a technological culture
• ethical issues in restoration practice
• participation and political process
• cultural inclusion and the significance of restoration as a cultural mode
• the international scope of restoration
• the paradox of design

Prerequisites: ES 341 and ER 311; or permission of the School.

Discusses the physical science behind climate change and examines the challenges a changing climate poses for ecology and conservation biology research and management, including ecological restoration.

Attention will be given to reading scientific papers that describe the mechanisms of global climate change, future climate scenarios and effects on populations and communities of species in Canada and around the globe.

Note: Credit will be granted for only one of 443, 482 (if 482 taken in Spring 2010).

Prerequisites: ES 200 and 240; and 341.

A practical examination of sustainable fisheries from a variety of interdisciplinary perspectives.

Examines sustainability issues for fisheries and aquaculture through an integrated study of fish biology/ecology, oceanography, hydrology, environmental impact assessment, natural resource management and environment and land use planning.

Prerequisites: ES 200 or 300A; and one of ES 321 or 341.

For more information please see ES 446 in the UVic calendar.

An advanced practical study of permaculture principles in an intensive field-based setting. Focus on implementing concepts and practising skills introduced in ES 433.

Prerequisites: ES 433; and permission of the school.