Spring 2024 Courses

Exciting Environmental Graduate Courses Offered Spring 2024 @ Rowan University

The Department of Geography, Planning, & Sustainability

Our Department offers a welcoming and supportive environment for graduate students in our programs, those from across the University seeking electives, and undergraduates seeking senior privilege courses. 

If you have any questions about the courses below, please do not hesitate to contact the department at gps@rowan.edu.

Sustainability Commerce | ENST 94501 | Offered fully online | CRN = 24326
No prerequisite.

Students will examine the historical and philosophical origins of sustainability and competing/related concepts like sustainable development, resilience, ecological modernization, de-growth, the pollution-as-externality concept, and environmental justice. These critiques of market capitalism are examined as an entry point for understanding not only environmental problems themselves, but also the positive contributions to sustainability that business and commerce can make, if properly structured. The impacts of "green" industries, products, and business practices are also examined. This course may be offered online.

Environmental Regulations, Policy, and Law | ENST 94503 | Tuesday evenings 5:30 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. | face-to-face | CRN = 23591
No prerequisite.

Students will engage in an intensive overview of state, federal, and international environmental policies, regulatory structures, and laws. Students will learn the history of environmental law and policy in the US and around the world, as well as the environmental regulatory toolkit and how it relates to commercial activity. Topics will include command-and-control regulation, market-based incentives, consumer education, and 'nudges' towards behavioral change.

Selected Topics: Study Abroad Urban Spaces | GEOG 16550.01 | Selected Wednesday afternoons 2:00 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. | Remote | CRN = 23541
Prerequisite: Permission of Instructor.

This course is reserved for graduate students participating in the Great Urban Spaces 2024 Study Abroad offered by Dr. Keenan.  This study abroad course will meet 4 times on the following Wednesdays via zoom: 2/14, 2/28, 3/27, 4/24. The meetings will be held on zoom from 2:00 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. Potential departure for this trip is May 13, 2024 and potential return is on May 22, 2024. More information will be provided during the spring semester.  Contact Dr. Keenan for more information. 

Selected Topics: Grant Research & Writing | GEOG 16550.02 | Thursday evenings 5:30 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. | face-to-face | CRN = 23543
No prerequisite.

Billions of dollars in grant funding is available through government programs and foundations, annually. Obtaining and managing these funds in programs and projects requires a specific set of skills. This course will explore the various sources of funding from private, nonprofit and public sources. Students will learn the process of applying for grants, writing winning proposals, project planning and design, budgeting, and monitoring. 

Digital Earth: Mapping and Geographic Information Science | GEOG 16560.01 | Tuesday evenings 5:30 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. | face-to-face | CRN = 23680
No prerequisite.

Digital Earth: Mapping and Geographic Information Science | GEOG 16560.02 | Offered fully online | CRN = 23527
No prerequisite.

This course provides the student with the conceptual tools required for intelligent and critical use, interpretation, and analysis of maps. In addition, the course furnishes the student with an introduction to and overview of the mapping sciences. Students learn the concepts, methods, and techniques common to the several branches of the mapping sciences and are introduced to cartography, satellite remote sensing, computer-assisted cartography, and geographic information systems. This course is targeted toward graduate students and serves as a prerequisite for Fundamentals of Geographic Information Systems or another program elective.

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Topics and Applications | GEOG 16565 | Monday and Wednesday afternoons 12:30 p.m. to 1:45 p.m. | face-to-face | CRN = 23699
No prerequisite.

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Topics and Applications provides an extended exploration into geospatial science and analysis at the graduate level. Students develop advanced GIS skills through a project-based approach culminating in a final project and presentation. The course deepens the understanding of raster and vector data structures as well as the ability to work with computational algorithms used in GIS analysis. Students learn through lectures, demonstrations, computer laboratory sessions and a project paper and presentation.

Remote Sensing of Environment | GEOG 16575 | Friday mornings 9:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. | face-to-face | CRN = 23707
Prerequisite: GEOG 31660

This course emphasizes the integration of remotely sensed data into geographic information systems (GIS). It includes applications of advanced remote sensing techniques and data processing for use in environmental planning and land resource management. This course may not be offered annually. This course is targeted toward graduate students.

Fundamentals of GIS | GEOG 31660.01 | Monday & Wednesday afternoons: 2:00 to 4:45 p.m. | face-to-face | CRN = 23550
Prerequisite: GEOG 16560 or Permission of Instructor; Prior GIS experience required.

Fundamentals of GIS | GEOG 31660.02 | Offered fully online  | CRN = 23551
Prerequisite: GEOG 16560 or Permission of Instructor; Prior GIS experience required.

This course introduces students to the concepts and applications associated with creating, maintaining, analyzing, displaying, and interpreting geospatial data. Through the completion of activities and assignments, students gain experience with the fundamental tools for geospatial analysis, coupled with the knowledge of how best to apply them to real-world issues in the natural and human landscapes. This course is suitable for planners, geographers, and relevant professionals.

Environmental & Sustainability Planning | PLAN 31589 | Offered fully online | CRN = 23693
Prerequisite: PLAN 31580 or Permission of Instructor.

This course offers a broad understanding of sustainability and environmental factors in planning from a local to global perspective. It explores environmental, economic, and social/political factors that contribute to sustainable communities and investigates the role of planning processes in the creation of sustainable futures. The course examines planning’s implications on individual and community health within the built environment. Course materials also discuss key issues in equity, diversity, and social justice that emphasize the planner’s role in expanding choice and opportunity for all.

Research Methods in Planning | PLAN 31590 | Thursday evenings: 5:30 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. | face-to-face | CRN = 23525
No prerequisite.

This course introduces quantitative and qualitative methods and modeling tools, and their applications to planning research and planning practice, including forecasting, policy analysis, and design of projects and plans. Students learn how to pose clear and researchable questions relevant to urban and regional planning, collect and process data, analyze data using quantitative or qualitative research tools, and present results using clear, accurate, and compelling text, graphics, and maps to a variety of audiences, including other planners, citizens, and public or elected officials. They also learn tools for assembling and analyzing ideas and information from prior practice and scholarship.

Planning Practice, Law, and Ethics | PLAN 31685 | Tuesday evenings: 5:30 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. | face-to-face | CRN = 24801
Prerequisite(s): PLAN 31580

This three-module course prepares students for the professional planning field by introducing topics related to planning, practice, planning law, and planning ethics. The first module is focused on the roles of officials, stakeholders, and community members in planned change. It also introduces economic, infrastructure, social, and cultural factors to urban and regional growth and change. The second module provides legal and institutional contexts within which planning occurs.  The final module presents key issues of planning ethics and related questions of the ethics of public decision-making, research, and client representation.

Planning Studio | PLAN 31695 | Monday and Wednesday evenings: 5:30 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. | face-to-face | CRN = 23695
Prerequisite(s): PLAN 31580 and PLAN 31590 and PLAN 31593 and GEOG 31660 and PLAN 31589 and PLAN 31685 and PLAN 31686

Graduate planning students produce their capstone projects in this studio. Under direct supervision of planning faculty, students undertake a planning project in cooperation with a local, regional, national, or international client. Students apply their relevant knowledge and skills gained from all required as well as elective courses in this project. They work in small groups focusing on different aspects of planning. Whenever appropriate, students get engaged with community stakeholders and assess their interests. The final product of this studio is a professional-level plan or a policy report.