This foundational seminar introduces students to interdisciplinary approaches in contemporary environmental issues. The seminar considers key environmental issues, bringing cultural, scientific, historical, political, social, and economic perspectives to bear on each. The course is arranged thematically, with units on topics such as tropical deforestation, global warming, energy use, and resource depletion. This course will also investigate local environmental issues, study relevant scientific findings, explore the interactions of human communities with non-human nature, and probe the ecological, cultural, and ethical implications of these interactions.