ENST390

The descriptions and topics of this course change from semester-to-semester, as well as from instructor-to-instructor. Look for specific descriptions of the individual offerings. Topics courses may serve as electives or fulfill other requirements, but cannot be double-counted within the Environmental Studies major. Prerequisite: varies with the topic offered.

ENST 390 NATIVE PLANT LANDSCAPES. Native Plant Landscapes is a sustainable horticulture course that features the use of native plants in both the landscape industry and in the habitat restoration/re-vegetation ecosystems; with a new emerging discipline in the horticultural industry that involves sustainable techniques. There will be a review of permaculture, native plant gardens, low maintenance turf, use of meadows, rain gardens, wetland construction and restoration, invasive plants, re-vegetation of degraded sites, and habitat restoration. The course will follow the principles of right plant/right place with the use of native plants.

ENST 390 CLIMATE CHANGE: An introduction to the issues of science, history, and national and international public policy that influence climate change, and an examination of its consequences.

ENST 390 WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT: An introduction to the theories and techniques of conserving and managing viable populations of game, non-game, and endangered species.

ENST 390 EDIBLE LANDSCAPE: Edible Landscapes is about transforming to a resilient and productive perennial landscape. The course will review permaculture technique and how it improves ecosystems, emerging sustainable techniques in horticulture, and agoforestry and the incorporation of food crops into the average landscape. The course will follow the principles of right plant/right place with the use of edible plants, including trees, shrubs, brambles, perennials, and seasonal vegetables, emphasizing the necessary culture for success. A practical component will be growing a fall crop from conception, seed germination, and harvest.

ENST 390 NJ ENVIRONMENTAL POLITICS: An examination of the policies and politics that have made New Jersey a national environmental leader. From recycling to Superfund and energy conservation to renewables, New Jersey has played an outsized role in environmental policy and planning. Regarding environmental preservation, notable is the emphasis on protecting unique landscapes, from the Pinelands to the Highlands, the Meadowlands to the Great Swamp and from the Delaware Water Gap and Tock’s Island to Gateway National Recreation Area, New Jersey. The class will observe new areas of emerging leadership as well.

ENST 390 ENVIRONMENTAL ADVOCACY & ACTIVISM: How can citizens counter policies and projects that threaten community sustainability and environmental integrity? Using selected readings, case studies and conversations with and observations of environmental activists, this course examines the methods advocates for environmental causes can utilize within the American legal and political system to create policy change. Topics of study include: environmental interest groups, direct action protests, legislative and executive branch lobbying, permit intervention, federal environmental citizen suit litigation and local versus national scale action.

The Ecology of Place 390 Topics in Environmental Studies A multi disciplinary exploration of the place you live or love. Discover everything about this particular location: geology, biology and pattern of human habitation from the earliest paleo occupation to present. Final projects can be presented in a
report or an art form of your choice: such as poetry, prose, painting, sculpture,
dance. Get intimate with your place!

ENST390: ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND WRITING: This course provides a focus on research and writing about climate change, sustainability, pollution, health threats and other environmental issues. The class includes:



Researching a major environmental issue and describing what it means to readers and what’s being done about it. Using various formats for writing about various environmental topics, including essays, news reports, news releases, letters to the editor, blogs, poetry. Learning to concisely present an environmental story. Instructor Adjunct Prof. Jan Barry Crumb, under his pen name Jan Barry, is an award-winning journalist. Author of A Citizen’s Guide to Grassroots Campaigns, he was lead reporter on “Toxic Legacy,” an investigative series by The Record of North Jersey on industrial waste dumped near water supply streams. A graduate of Ramapo College, he’s taught communications courses at Rutgers University, New York University and St. Thomas Aquinas College.

New Jersey Government and Politics
According to the 2020 Census New Jersey is home to over 9.2 million residents. This course will focus on multiple levels of New Jersey, municipal, county and state government structures. The State contains 565 municipalities, 611 school districts, 21 counties, and the 18 state departments and numerous autonomous state and bi-state agencies.
New Jersey is a state of firsts! It was the first state to sign the Bill of Rights. New Jersey also was the place where the first baseball game, first college football game and first professional basketball game were played.
New Jersey is also the home of the first traffic circle, drive-in movie theater, first movie studio, first submarine, first brewery, boardwalk, National Historical Park and right here in Mahwah, the first electric guitar.
New Jersey has also been at the forefront of establishing programs creating new policies in the areas of fair housing, educational funding, the right to die and strong environmental oversight and protection. The New Jersey Supreme Court has also helped pave the way for the creation of these programs.
The course will explore the various types of local and county governments and the roles and functions that they play in developing policies and providing services. Students will learn how and why the government operates, and how to become a more active participant in policy development and political processes.
We will also focus on state government agencies and departments, discussing their programs and policies and how they have an impact on the lives of New Jersey residents. We will also hear from local and state officials, alumni, and social service agency advocates and providers.

According to the 2020 Census New Jersey is home to over 9.2 million residents. This course will focus on multiple levels of New Jersey, municipal, county and state government structures. The State contains 565 municipalities, 611 school districts, 21 counties, and the 18 state departments and numerous autonomous state and bi-state agencies.
New Jersey is a state of firsts! It was the first state to sign the Bill of Rights. New Jersey also was the place where the first baseball game, first college football game and first professional basketball game were played.
New Jersey is also the home of the first traffic circle, drive-in movie theater, first movie studio, first submarine, first brewery, boardwalk, National Historical Park and right here in Mahwah, the first electric guitar.
New Jersey has also been at the forefront of establishing programs creating new policies in the areas of fair housing, educational funding, the right to die and strong environmental oversight and protection. The New Jersey Supreme Court has also helped pave the way for the creation of these programs.
The course will explore the various types of local and county governments and the roles and functions that they play in developing policies and providing services. Students will learn how and why the government operates, and how to become a more active participant in policy development and political processes.
We will also focus on state government agencies and departments, discussing their programs and policies and how they have an impact on the lives