Ecology is a flipped course where students work on applied problems, including those associated with climate change, invasive species, overexploitation etc. The focus is on the ecological concepts, looking at either sustainability or community, with reference to the other, through units, labs, assignments, and activities.
If you have wondered why American cities today are simultaneously sites of hyper-investment (New York) and radical disinvestment (Detroit); why European cities privilege public spaces and life lived in public spaces (Barcelona); why Asian cities (Hong Kong) appear to have addressed the Coronavirus public health emergency better than others . . . Three basic questions provide the framework for this course: What makes a great city – its physical form or the life it affords its inhabitants? How do cities come to be – how do they start? How do they develop?
Proficiency-based introduction to selected socio-cultural aspects of France with a focus on sustainability-related issues and initiatives in France and the francophone world (green transportation, renewable sources of energy, ecovillages, zero plastic initiatives, social entrepreneurship etc.); incorporates grammar review. Conducted in French.
This course explores the interplay between energy security, environmental stewardship, and society acceptance. For this reason, it is important to understand the environmental consequences of energy policy choices (and vice versa) as well as the necessity of Community and societal buy-in if sustainability is to be realized. We explore this interplay in the range of policy approaches pursued in various countries, including the United Sates, Japan, China, and the European Union.
Fundmentals of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is a course designed to introduce students to the powerful world of geospatial information and technologies. Almost everything we do in life has a spatial element and this course will provide students with the necessary knowledge and skills to utilize GIS in any discipline of their choosing. In this course, students will learn how to make digital, interactive maps and applications that can be used to help communities make informed decisions based in science.
This course surveys the main theories of comparative politics and introduces the comparative method, a tool for explaining why and how broadly similar polities employ different approaches in seeking to solve common problems. Although we will examine a variety of issues in this course, we will focus intensively on the complex interplay of factors that produces cross-national variation in policy responses to the challenges of sustainable development, which is the theme of Georgia Tech’s current Quality Enhancement Plan.
Today is the perfect time to learn about macroeconomics! Current media discussions are exceptionally pointed and centered on many macro-economic policy issues. They range from various paths of economic recovery from the negative impacts of COVID, taxation and inequities, costs vs. benefits of environmental protection, trade wars, technology-driven job destruction vs. creation, welfare debates and the list goes on.
This course asks how selected educational theories can inform tangible media design to support informed action on environmental challenges. We will ask how to use such approaches to support creativity, engagement, and education on issues such as pollution, waste, and recycling. The goal is to combine physical computing and material design as applied educational technologies to educate and activate response to specific environmental challenges. We will focus on challenges on the Georgia Tech campus and problems we face every day as students or staff.
Students will not only learn about the ethical dilemmas in our community, but develop measures and actions to alleviate such. They could make a lasting impact on the community and learn the values of life long service.
