Course Listings

The course guides students through the process of developing an individualized research project in close partnership with their faculty advisor. We focus on writing a research proposal, which prepares students to apply for competitive research funding and is required of all MESc/MFS students. In doing so, we cover critical reading of the literature, narrowing a broad topic of interest to a feasible research project, proposal writing, and a high-level introduction to the philosophy of science. Students engage in peer review throughout the course and present their completed proposals to the class at the end of the semester.

One of the most important aspects of scientific research involves the communication of research findings to the wider scientific community. Therefore, second-year M.E.Sc. and M.F.S. students are required to present the results of their faculty-supervised research as participants in the Master’s Student Research Conference, a daylong event held near the end of the spring term. Student contributors participate by delivering a fifteen-minute oral presentation to the YSE faculty and student body or by presenting a research poster in a session open to the YSE community. Students receive a score of satisfactory completion for this effort.

This workshop in audiovisual scholarship explores ways to present research through the moving image. Students work within a Public Humanities framework to make a documentary that draws on their disciplinary fields of study. Designed to fulfill requirements for the M.A. with a concentration in Public Humanities.

First class begins Sept 4, 2:30pm-5:20pm

A workshop that explores the current state and future outlook of remote sensing with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs or drones) for environmental monitoring. UAV-based remote sensing is a rapidly developing field in environmental science and technology. Versatile and inexpensive, it has the potential to offer solutions in a wide range of applications, such as forestry inventory, precision agriculture, flood hazard assessment, pollution monitoring, and land surveys. The class meets once a week for three hours. The workshop is divided into three parts: (1) reviewing the state of the technology on UAV types, sensor configurations, and data acquisition methods; (2) exploring GIS and remote-sensing software tools for analyzing super-high-resolution spectral data acquired by fixed-wing drones; (3) cross-validating drone products against Lidar data and satellite imagery. Students may also have the opportunity to participate in drone flight missions. Data analysis/presentation/literature critique/field trips.

This is a practical writing course meant to develop your skills as a writer. But its real subject is perception and the writer’s authority—the relationship between what you notice in the world around you and what, culturally speaking, you’re allowed to notice. What you write during the semester is driven entirely by your own interest and attention. How you write is the question at hand. We’ll be exploring the overlapping habitats of language—present and past—and the natural environment. And, to a lesser extent, we’ll be exploring the character of  persuasion in environmental themes. Every member of the class will write every week, and we will all read what everyone writes every week. It makes no difference whether you’re a would-be journalist, scientist, environmental advocate or policy-maker. The goal is to rework your writing and sharpen your perceptions, both sensory and intellectual. Application for interested students will be avaiable in August.

People have constantly moved throughout history in response to changing climates, natural disasters, and environmental degradation, usually leading to the formation of new states, the expansion of territories, and the creation of diverse economies. These migrations have historically been a way to adapt to changing environments and embrace new opportunities for growth and survival. The reality of climatic change today is of a different magnitude and consequence, occurring in a politically, economically, and socially labyrinthine and polarized world. This intensive seminar is for students from diverse disciplines and will offer students an option for summer field work to allow for a deeper understanding of climate migration. This course explores the complex relationship between climate change and migration, focusing on the attribution of environmental/climate change drivers, the experiences of migrants, the responses of host communities, and the rise of a far-right negative narrative on climate migration. Legal frameworks and human rights perspectives will be central to understanding the challenges and opportunities for climate migrants.

This 1.5-credit graduate-level course delves into the literature in philosophy, welfare economics and integrated assessment modeling to provide students with an overview of how climate change has been viewed as a moral phenomenon that raises claims for differentiating action while acknowledging the common threat to humanity. The course will examine philosophical principles, modeling studies that examine countries’ obligations under different principles, and their treatment in international agreements and politics. Students will learn primarily through writing assignments, class discussions, and simple manipulation of models in problem sets. Basic knowledge of climate science is expected.

This seminar is based on outside speakers and internal student/faculty presentations oriented toward original research in the field of environmental and natural resource economics and policy. Presentations are aimed at the doctoral level, but interested master’s students may enroll with permission of the instructors.

This course provides the foundation for doctoral study at the School of Forestry & Environmental Studies. As a major part of the course, students will learn what it means to do scholarly research as well as become adept with philosophy of science and research methodology and proposal writing, as a basis for exploring diverse approaches to formulating and addressing research questions. Students will work with their advisers to put these concepts and principles into practice to develop the basis for their dissertation research (including building bibliography, identifying and crafting research questions, formulating research hypotheses and drafting a research proposal).  Students will further learn about funding opportunities and procedures for submitting grants. The course will also cover professional ethics and responsible conduct of research, including ethical approaches to inquiry and measurement, data acquisition and management, authorship and publication, peer review, conflicts of interest, mentoring, collaborative research, and animal and human subjects research.  Finally, the course will explore ethical ways to advocate for the application of scholarly knowledge in the interest of environmental problem solving.  Weekly assigned readings will support concepts and issues addressed in class. Students will present their embryonic research ideas in class and use feedback from the group to further develop their ideas

1 course credit/credit/fail. A biweekly seminar for Dove doctoral advisees and students in the combined YSE/Anthropology doctoral program. Presentation and discussion of grant proposals, dissertation prospectuses, and dissertation chapters; trial runs of conference presentations and job talks; discussion of comprehensive exams, grantsmanship, fieldwork, data analysis, writing and publishing, and the job search; and collaborative writing and publishing projects.

This course is designed to bring doctoral students up to speed on the latest developments in the literature on environmental and energy economics. Key papers are presented, and associated mathematical and empirical methods are covered. Topics to be covered include uncertainty and climate change policy, estimating energy demand, electricity markets, and behavioral economics and the environment. A focus is on identifying areas that deserve future research attention. Open to advanced master’s students with permission of the instructor.

What is EPC:

The EPC offers an interdisciplinary experience that brings together law students and students from the Yale School of the Environment to work on cutting-edge environmental issues in collaboration with the Natural Resources Defense Council and other public interest organizations. This year's clinic will also include projects that were previously in the Climate, Animal, Food, and Environment Law and Policy Lab (CAFE). 

The EPC is a project-based clinic, in that EPC students are assigned to work on a specific project for the semester based on their interests. You can find descriptions of our projects in the project guide. There are opportunities to work on matters addressing environmental justice, energy justice, climate change, international development, tribal rights and sovereignty, and more. The projects also cover a wide range of advocacy approaches, including litigation support, legislative and regulatory advocacy, and direct community engagement. 

How should YSE Students apply:

We encourage you to apply to EPC! This is a great opportunity to gain exposure to an unexplored field or to hone previous experience. 

To apply, complete the EPC bidding form by July 11, 4:30 p.m. ET. On the bidding form, we ask you to rank the projects you are interested in working on. More information on the application process is included in the project guide.

Zoom Office Hours

The EPC teaching team will be holding two drop-in Zoom sessions to answer questions about the clinic, our projects, or the bidding process:

·                     Thursday 6/27, 4-5 pm ET: Zoom link

·                     Tuesday 7/9, 4-5 pm ET: Zoom link

You should also feel free to email Rebecca Ramirez ([email protected]) and/or me ([email protected]) with any questions or to set up a time to talk.  

Warmly,

Stephanie