Global Studies Coursework

My global studies coursework focused on the theme of sustainability and ecology. It was important to me to not only understand the science of climate change but to study how to use that science to craft wise and effective policy responses. As the effects of climate change are projected to increase in severity over time, it is critical that governments undertake policy changes now to mitigate and adapt to a changing climate.

Coursework Descriptions

PS 0550: Introduction to Global Studies

I began my global studies coursework with this introductory course in which we covered a range of global issues, including global health, politics, and societal trends, and environmental challenges. My professor emphasized the importance of viewing the world with an “x-ray lens” that examines global events and reveals the actors and motives behind them. Since taking Intro to Global Studies, I have kept this lesson at the forefront of my studies by applying it to environmental politics and policy.

ECON 1360: Environmental Economics

This course taught me about the benefits and limitations of using economics to protect the environment. My class studied various economics strategies to limit pollution such as cap and trade programs, carbon taxes, command and control, and voluntary initiatives. While economics can be a powerful driver of sustainability, policymakers must be careful to include equity goals in an economic program so that efforts to reduce pollution do not come at the expense of disadvantaged groups.

PS 1364: Climate Change Public Policy in Europe and the US

This was one of my favorite courses taken at Pitt because of the deep examination into the politics underlying climate change. My class and I examined how policymaking works and studied how various actors could support, shape, or kill a proposed policy. We investigated the role played by public opinion, political leaders, bureaucracies, scientists, and interest groups in shaping climate policy. We also examined actual policies like cap and trade, carbon taxes, technology subsidies, and geoengineering, and asked to what extent they could help solve climate change. I finished the class with a 20 page policy report that analyzed multiple policies as a memo to a US Senator.

PS 1681: Capstone Seminar: Environmental Policy Writing

As a result of taking this capstone seminar, I have developed strong written communication skills that allow me to describe environmental problems to groups with different levels of understanding. In the seminar, I learned how to write effective policy that accomplishes various goals, from presenting a problem to arguing for a policy’s adoption. Taking this course at the flagship campus of the University of Wyoming in the summer of 2018 allowed me to study environmental issues that affect Western states such as fossil fuel extraction, water rights, and endangered species protection. I finished the seminar with a 25 page environmental policy portfolio that highlights my written communication skills.

ENGLIT 0710: Contemporary Environmental Literature

In Environmental Literature, I studied how authors and writers present environmental issues to the general public in both fiction and non-fiction settings. Every month, I submitted an essay that analyzed and made an argument about a selected work of literature from class. I learned that how a problem is conveyed matters greatly when attempting to galvanize the public around environmental action.

GEOL 1030: The Atmosphere, Oceans, and Climate

This course provided a deep dive into the science, politics, and history of fossil fuel extraction. I learned how human extraction of fossil fuels has affected the natural environment and shaped the physical environment that we have today. I studied the relationship between carbon emissions and global temperatures and designed a simulation to predict the best combination of renewable energy, per capita energy usage, fossil fuel energy that would limit total global climate damages. In a connection to environmental economics, I learned how discounting affects the value of costs from pollution both in the present and in the future.

GEOL 0860: Environmental Geology

This course gave me an introduction to the science underlying environmental issues. We engaged with issues including, but not limited to, ecosystems, biogeochemical cycles, evolution, invasive species, biodiversity, population growth, soil, the water cycle, atmosphere and ozone, urbanization, waste management, and climate change. Throughout the course, I kept observation journal where I visited an outdoor site and tracked changes in the surrounding ecosystem.