The course provides students with an exploration of citizen science approaches and tools for various aspects of environmental justice, planning policy creation and environmental management while highlighting how the use of authoritative approaches have been influencing policy decisions. The course critically explores missed opportunities due to a lack of local participation, indigenous voices and volunteer scientists along with the criticisms related to the potential for uncertainty in the citizen science-based data. The value of local contributions towards public health solutions, climate change, environmental monitoring and advocacy, urban and regional policy creation are discussed. The course also explores technological solutions along with the fundamental principles of citizen science. The lectures explore theories and frameworks including origin, principles, criticism, threats and opportunities, while the labs engage students in existing citizen science projects and teach them how to create new projects using a mobile development kit without needing to write any code.

Prerequisite: Third-year or fourth- year standing or by permission of the instructor.