EAS
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Background: Pfirman and the NSF Advisory Committee for Environmental Research and Education (2003) recently described the need for a new emphasis on interdisciplinary synthesis in order to address the complex environmental problems of the coming decade. "Complex" in this context recognizes that the environment represents an amalgam of relationships among nature and humans, and many biological, chemical, physical, and technological transformations. Perhaps nowhere is this more exhibited than in metropolitan areas. Urban and urbanizing areas, by conjoining people, nature, and engineered systems into a single conglomeration, exemplify complexity. The individual parts that collectively constitute a metropolitan system are the subject of many different disciplines, span many different spatial and temporal scales, and share many different linkages. From microbes that interact at the cellular and human scales, to transportation systems that extend across regions and generations, to climate systems that reach global and geologic proportions, the fate of urban environments and the humans that choose to inhabit them depend on varied, yet connected subsystems. In order to sustain metropolitan systems, the natural and man-made service and capital components must be integrated tightly into a functional whole. Unfortunately, there is no single discipline or academic unit that has the necessary intellectual breadth needed to understand urban systems comprehensively and holistically. Whereas it is unreasonable to expect that this deficiency could be remedied with one strategic course (or even a series of courses), one course can introduce students to the concepts of complexity, teach students to recognize complexity, and provide them with a few basic tools by which they can begin to explore complexity individually and as part of multi-disciplinary teams. These are the goals of the course proposed herein. This course supplements and complements the existing graduate curricula by providing a medium for synthesizing many different themes, ideas, and concepts across a broad spectrum of disciplines into a cohesive and meaningful whole that enhances the educational experience of graduate students. By engaging other faculty and outside guest lecturers (as described below), it also strengthens the relationships between these individuals, encourages collaboration, and leads to personal professional development for those involved. EAS 8803 is being taught Spring 2004 under a grant from the Georgia Tech Teaching Fellows Program.
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