Student Opportunities

Featured Experiential Education Field Courses

Academic Year 2024-25 Field courses.  

(Active through Summer-Fall-Winter) 

Course code	Course Name	Course Description
ENVS 1100	The land we're on: Treaties, Art and Environment	This course introduces students to historical and current ideas about land, with an emphasis on Indigenous perspectives. Through analysis of art and media art, students will engage critical approaches by scholars, activists and creatives who challenge dominant modes of power. Students will gain an understanding of treaty relations across Canada, build media analysis skills, and communication skills
ENVS 2122	Community Arts for Social Change	An introduction to community-based creative approaches integral to social change in different historical and cultural contexts. These practices and methods are examined in terms of their form, content, production, and reception from interdisciplinary perspectives.
ENVS 3228	Doing Urban Research	This methods and skills-based course serves as a systematic introduction of common ways of research, learning and practice in cities, regions and planning. As a bridge between the substantive foundations courses of the second year and the specialized fourth year courses, Doing Urban Research is designed to introduce the method, methods and methodologies of urban research and practice.
ENVS 3230	Urban Habitats and Restoration Ecology	Explores the theoretical, biophysical and applied dimensions of restoration ecology. The course examines the circumstances surrounding policy, design and planning, and implementation of ecological restoration. It investigates many approaches (techniques and methods) enhancing the ecological integrity of degraded sites. The regional focus of the course is the Greater Toronto bioregion though lessons and experiences will relate to broader issues of ecological restoration. This course has extensive off campus field trips.
EU/ENVS 3800C	Digital Worlds, Urban Futures	This course critically examines cities and urban futures within the context of a digital world. Students engage with the concept of 'having the world at your fingertips' by problematizing platform urbanism and the digitization of everyday life. The course provides students an in-depth understanding the imaginary of the smart city as a strategy to improve the competitive positioning of cities in the digital age of city-building. The solutions couched in this techno-utopian imaginary are spatialized and packaged as edgy and ultra-connected visions that fuse the digital layer with urban development or as scientific tangible initiatives aligned with development goals of resilience, innovation, and sustainability. Students investigate different interventions that can contribute to more inclusive and just urban futures.
EU/GEOG 3280	On Location: Urban Placemaking and the Spatial Politics of Difference	Placemaking is an inherently political process that is never complete. Every day and across time, places are actively made and remade by people through cultural, discursive, and material practices of ingenuity, transformation, and maintenance. Placemaking also occurs in more formalized ways through urban policy and planning at different spatial scales from the neighbourhood to the district, to the municipality.
EU/GEOG 3540	Field Studies in Physical Geography	This course begins with lectures on field research methodology. The second phase concentrates on defining a field problem, leading to data collection in the field. The final part of the course deals with data analysis, and reviews methodological implications. Includes lectures, seminars and workshops, and a three to four day field trip.
EU/ENVS 4350	Climate Justice	This course is an exploration of climate justice definitions, theory, case studies, and policy implications. The course is organized around videos, speakers, and field trips (when possible) to provide experiential exposure to practitioners and organizations involved in various aspects of renewable energy development; fossil fuel finance, processing, transport, and policy; migrant resettlement; community-based organizing in marginalized communities and 'sacrifice zones'; and other forms of climate justice activism.
EU/ENVS 4400	Principles of Renewable Energy: Theory, Policy, and Practice	The course is designed to provide students with a critical understanding of key renewable energy options for electricity generation, heating and cooling of buildings and transportation. Students will be introduced to a critical analysis of renewable energy as a strategy for climate change mitigation, community empowerment, industrial development, and energy security.
EU/ENVS 4402	Climate Change Mitigation	This course expands on the concepts presented in EU/ENVS 3400 3.00 (Introduction to Climate Change Science and Policy) and examines in detail current and future options to reduce emissions at different government levels and prospects for multilateral and local collaborations. The course also critically analyzes the design, implementation and performance of domestic and international mitigation policy initiatives.
EU/ENVS 4810A	International Field Course: Conservation and Development for Social-Environmental Sustainability and Wellbeing in Costa Rica	Formally Titled: International Field Course: Ecology and Sustainability in Costa Rica. Advanced study, through thorough literature review and direct field observation, of the theory and principles of ecology as these apply to sustainable development in tropical environments, specifically in Costa Rica. Students Expectation in Costa Rica: 4-6 hours per day hiking in the rain forest, some days maybe longer hours, at times in steep and/or rough terrain, including, sometimes, slippery slopes covered in mud, while it is raining. Hiking boots along with some outdoor experience, or at least a degree of physical and psychological stamina, will be required. The reason for these relatively long walks is to observe natural ecosystems that have evolved away from urban areas.
EU/ENVS 4810B	International Field Course: Environmental Arts and Food Sovereignty in Costa Rica	This community-engaged workshop offers students the opportunity to experience environmental arts that are integral to struggles for food sovereignty and environmental justice in Costa Rica. It will be based out of the Las Nubes Eco-Campus in Costa Rica. Students will be introduced to a variety of local artists and growers. They will work collaboratively on creating and sharing environmental arts productions.

Maloca

The garden offers plenty of opportunities to attend workshops, learn about gardening, volunteer, plant, harvest, build relationships, give back to the community, and socialize. Visit the Maloca Community Garden Website for more information!

Peer Mentorship

Help incoming students achieve their personal and academic goals by becoming a Peer Mentor.  Peer mentors receive Peer Leader Training where you will learn valuable leadership-related skills and network with your peers. Attendance at PLT is added to your Co-Curricular Record. Visit the EUC Peer Mentor Website for more information!

For more information, contact the Student Success Mentor Lead.

Onboard Program

The Onboard Program offers students a unique opportunity to volunteer on a committee or board of their choice, gaining invaluable volunteer and professional experience. By participating, students develop leadership skills, network with industry professionals, and contribute to meaningful projects within their community.

Dean's Changemaker Program (DCM)

The Dean's Changemaker Program (DCM) was created to build a culture of changemakers working on real-world issues/grand challenges as part of the Faculty of Environment and Urban Change.

Students will have the chance to work with one of EUC’s 5 living labs:

• Ecological Footprint Initiative
• Las Nubes
• Eco Arts
• Maloca Community Garden
• WasteWIKI

For more information, contact the Experiential Education Coordinator.

C4 Classroom / ENVS 4003

Students can engage directly with an organization by collaborating on various activities, including research, outreach, advocacy, event assistance, and policy development. Visit the Cross-Campus Capstone Classroom (C4) Website for more information!

Placement  / ENVS 4001

Placements offer students the chance to gain valuable professional experience. By participating in placements, you'll work with industry professionals, expand your network, and gain insights into the environmental fields. Visit the Placements Webpage for more information.

RAY

Research at York (RAY) offers undergraduate students the opportunity to work on research projects with faculty and other students and gain hands-on experience. Visit the RAY Webpage for more information and eligibility.