Over the generations, Indigenous identities, lifeways, and worldviews have shaped and been shaped by deep connections to ancestral territories, traditions and homes. These connections are expressed through language, song, ritual, stories, systems of governance and management, and are visible in the archaeological record and modified ecosystems.

Through the lens of Indigenous ways of knowing and being with the land, this course will explore how Indigenous peoples (with emphasis on Coast Salish) specifically and from other parts of the country and world understand and interact with their environments. Our explorations will be embedded in current social-ecological contexts, which on the one hand threaten these age-old knowledges and practices, but on the other, speak to the urgent need to learn from and adapt these knowledges and practices today. Concepts of deep time, kinship, stewardship, restoration and place will be considered. Learning will take place in university classrooms, traditional territories of Coast Salish peoples and invite knowledge keepers and Elders into these spaces and will weave in dialogic and land-based learning practices.

Cities—their bright lights, spectacular buildings, jarring contrasts, and changing landscapes—have sparked our imaginations for centuries.  They are places of possibility and danger, of hope and disappointment, of power and powerlessness, of glamour and destitution, of production and consumption. They are often seen as different or special. They are frequently places where new innovations emerge and places that epitomize new forms of social organization. If you are interested in cities, if you are excited about living in one and by the opportunity to learn more about them, if you are interested in urban change, then this course is for you.

The course is an introduction to geographical perspectives on urbanized and urbanizing places, spaces, landscapes, and environments. The course focuses on the dynamism that characterizes cities and urban regions. Using a geographical social science approach, it provides an overview of how cities are shaped by humans and how we are shaped by cities.

River restoration is both a science and social experiment. This course focuses on the science, and explores the social aspects when the connection is clear.

Learn the basic science philosophy, and how restoration fits in with setting up goals and objectives which link to clear rationale basis. The course will also provide an overview of watersheds, hydrology and rivers and review river restoration practice from technical analysis to monitoring and adaptation. 

Explore the sustainability of the transportation sector in Canada and globally, including greenhouse gas emissions, air quality, and social impacts. This course examines past trends in motor vehicle use and technology development to better understand present and likely future impacts. 

Gain a broad understanding of transportation issues, electric mobility, biofuels, hydrogen, automated vehicles, and car-sharing and develop and analyze strategies for improving sustainability in the transportation sector.