The global water and sanitation crisis kills over 4,000 children each day and represents one of the biggest health problems in the world. At the University of Pennsylvania school year 2010-2011 was declared the "Year of Water" in recognition of the many challenges that lie ahead as global increases in population and affluence and the influences of climate change will stress limited water resources. Each year the Stockholm International Water Institute convenes a Conference with experts from around the globe to exchange the latest water research findings and develop new networks. Students will attend the Conference, present research by presentations/posters, document a key issue, interview experts, and meet colleagues with common interests. They will also help other organizations at the Conference.

At the turn of the 21st century the United Nations established a series of goals to assist developing countries. These Millennium Development Goals [MDG] include targets for water and sanitation: " by the year 2015 to reduce by one half the percent of the world's population that does not have access to safe water and adequate sanitation". This course explores the policies and actions being taken by the world community, the United States, and NGOs to meet these targets. It will also address water governance issues such as financing, community leadership, and capacity building for water/sanitation in developing countries. Two mandatory full-day field trips are included [one to the United Nations in New York City; another to US Government leaders in Washington, DC].

This course is designed to survey the various sustainability tools currently available to evaluate business performance. We will concentrate on the Triple Bottom line views of sustainability. Emphasis will be on Data driven approaches to Life Cycle Assessment, Environmental Product Declarations, ISO standards, and Green Construction. Special sessions will review the business drivers and market pull for sustainable products and practices. We will focus on US Green Building Council LEED requirements as well as the expectations of retailers for environmental information with regard to consumer packaged goods.

This course will provide an introduction to environmental law and the legal process by which environmental laws are implemented and enforced. The course will examine the common law roots of environmental regulation in tort principles such as nuisance, negligence and trespass. We will examine important Constitutional principles in substantive and procedural law as well as significant environmental laws and approaches. Finally, we will examine emerging theories of citizen's rights and the government's role in environmental law and regulation. Students will learn how to read and analyze course decisions and apply some of the elements of legal thinking to actual cases and current problems.

Conservationists were long accused of ignoring the needs of human communities. often been thought of as protecting land from people. Now, the conservation movement is embracing a different viewprotecting land with and for people. As a result innovative programs have been developed that connect people to nature, thereby helping to facilitate land conservation. This interdisciplinary course will integrate concepts in scientific method, study design, ecology, and conservation with a focus on birds in order to foster an understanding of how research can inform management of wildlife populations and communities. Topics will include wildlife management, habitat restoration, geographical information systems (GIS), sustainable agriculture, integrated land-use management, and vegetation analysis. This course will also provide opportunities for field research and application of techniques learned in the classroom.

This course is an introduction to current and developing techniques for analyzing environmental contamination and for remediation of damaged environments. Knowledge of these options is important for students interested in public/law applications and environmental/landscape design and as a starting point for those pursuing a more science-oriented understanding. The first portion of this course will address bioindicators-the use of living systems to assess environmental contamination. These include systems ranging from biochemical assays to monitoring of whole organisms or ecosystems, as wellas techniques ranging from laboratory to field and satellite surveys. The second portion of the course will introduce technologies for bioremediation- the use of living systems to restore contaminated environments. The technologies scale from single-species systems to complex ecosystems such as constructed wetlands; case studies will be examined. Students will be expected to participate in field trips, as well as prepare a final paper examining a particular technology in detail.

A detailed, comprehensive investigation of selected environmental problems. This is the first course taken by students entering the Master of Environmental Studies Program.