Debra is director of the IPE program at OU. A IPE (Interdisciplinary Perspectives on the Environment) minor and a major is available through OU. I took the minor while getting my BSED degree, and I would recommend it as a way to get a broader and more indepth view of the environment.
Here are the courses I took for my IPE minor:
1013 Consumption and the Environment. An introduction to the interdisciplinary aspects of human consumption and the environment. Aspect of the production and consumption of food, energy, transportation, and housing are considered for their contributions to global climate change, air and water pollution, and habitat alteration, as well as other relevant topics regarding the environment. Students wil learn how complex interactions between natural processes and human activities shape aspects of the global, regional and local environment. (F, Sp) [III-SS]
It is really hard to roll all the issues of environment into one class. However, this class was a great overview.
3113 Native American Philosophy. Prerequisite: junior standing or permission of instructor. A survey of systems of understanding and explaining the relationships between human beings and the natural world in Native American cultures including; concepts of power, spirituality, and ceremonialism; ethical systems; and culturally based ways of knowing. (F) [IV-NW]
NAP was a great class with a great instructor-Geary Hobson. It was a laid back class and easy to breeze through. My world view did change after finishing the class, and I left with a lot more appreciation for my native fellow man's world view. Go into this class wanting to take something out. Mr. Hobson is a great resource.
3563 Geography of Natural Resources. Definition and evaluation of mineral, agricultural, forest, and water resources, including their variation over time, between cultures, and as affected by technological innovation. Emphasis is placed on the distribution, technologies, institutions, and landscapes of natural resources in modern economies. (F, Sp)
Sally Gros is the professor. I highly recommend this class. She packs more into this one class than you think is possible. She lays the info on the table and lets you develop your own ethical and moral standing. She details the raw numbers of our consumption, and at the same time she is not afraid to tell you that she is not giving up her suburban. Great class--take it!
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OU is "the" meteorology school. This is no normal 1000 level class. Expect a challenge, expect to work, and expect to learn. Both instructors of this class are great, and the graduate assistants are serious about their work. I recommend this class.
4003 Practicum on Environmental Issues. Prerequisite: Permission of IPE coordinator. Students work in small groups on an environmental problem facing central Oklahoma. A variety of skills and concepts will be applied to cooperatively propose a solution that incorporates the perspectives of the sciences, social sciences, and the humanities. (Sp)
This is Debra Dalton's class. She is too easy. This is a class that requires self-motivation. Debra is candid and opinionated. She is also "the" link to local environmental concerns.
Debra Dalton is a designer of the Canyon Garden on the west side of Bizzell libray. She has more work attributed to her in the area, and I know that she has collaborated with other designers. She also made OU history as noted in the college history.
It was nice to see one of our own in the pages of landscape architecture.
jlw
