Integral Ecology First Studies Program: Climate Change
** available as of 04/01/2026
** available as of 04/01/2026
This course covers the science of climate change including the physical and chemical underpinnings of fossil fuels and greenhouse gases and their impact on trapping solar infrared radiation within the Earth's atmosphere and causing subsequent warming of the land and oceans. Warming of the planet increases the frequency and intensity of storms like hurricanes, cyclones, typhoons, it melts glaciers and causes sea levels to rise. Climate change is modifying the planetary distribution of precipitation which can produce water scarcity in some parts of the world, and leads to flooding and poor water quality in other locations. This course will study the scientific drivers of climate change, and the social and ethical ramifications of how the marginalized are disproportionately impacted. It will touch on environmental justice, water, land and food insecurity, and solutions to the climate crisis in first world countries as well as in developing countries.
The course is intended for Jesuit men in formation in the First Studies Program, and is limited to them. No prerequisites are required.
Outcomes: Understand the chemical composition of the three main classes of fossil fuels and connect the chemistry to greenhouse gases and the greenhouse effect; Explore the many ways in which climate change is impacting the planets' hydrologic cycle, the melting of polar ice caps and glaciers, rising sea levels, increased frequency and intensity of droughts, floods, wildfires and storm events worldwide; Understand the benefits and challenges of clean energy technologies, and where solar, geothermal, wind, biofuels and hydro are good solutions, and the geopolitical environment around clean energy technologies; Analyze key ethical challenges arising from climate change that human beings are confronting with in the world today and understand the moral principles, goals, and virtues important for guiding decisions about making a just transition to a clean energy economy; Discover ways in which spirituality has influenced the human understanding and use of fossil fuels, and recognize the importance of spirituality for responding constructively to today's climate crisis.
The course is intended for Jesuit men in formation in the First Studies Program, and is limited to them. No prerequisites are required.
Outcomes: Understand the chemical composition of the three main classes of fossil fuels and connect the chemistry to greenhouse gases and the greenhouse effect; Explore the many ways in which climate change is impacting the planets' hydrologic cycle, the melting of polar ice caps and glaciers, rising sea levels, increased frequency and intensity of droughts, floods, wildfires and storm events worldwide; Understand the benefits and challenges of clean energy technologies, and where solar, geothermal, wind, biofuels and hydro are good solutions, and the geopolitical environment around clean energy technologies; Analyze key ethical challenges arising from climate change that human beings are confronting with in the world today and understand the moral principles, goals, and virtues important for guiding decisions about making a just transition to a clean energy economy; Discover ways in which spirituality has influenced the human understanding and use of fossil fuels, and recognize the importance of spirituality for responding constructively to today's climate crisis.