Current EcoTAP Courses

Note: Course listings here are for illustrative purposes only; they may differ slightly from the current academic schedule. Use WebAdvisor as your primary source for all course information when registering.

Architecture
ARCHT-434-01 (739) Eco: Building Energy
Instructor: Nathaniel Brown and Stet Sanborn

ARCHT-434-02 (740) Eco: Building Energy
Instructor: Nathaniel Brown and Stet Sanborn

ARCHT-434-03 (741) Eco: Building Energy
Instructor: Nathaniel Brown and Stet Sanborn

This course provides a basic understanding of the dynamic thermal and visual environments created by the enclosure of space and of the phenomena that create these environments. This includes the basic principles of heat transfer and human comfort. Course content follows the traditional range of topics: heat transfer, human comfort, site concerns, solar geometry and shading, wind and ventilation, thermal behavior of materials, heating and cooling load analysis, climate design strategies, vernacular climate response, vision and light, natural light, and mechanical systems.

Architecture
ARCHT-580-02 (2253) Eco: UR: Hydro-Geographies
Instructor: Christopher Roach and Sandra Vivanco

The South America Project I : Hydro Geographies Trans-border Infrastructures + Diffuse Ecological Urbanism in the Guarani Aquifer Architects and Urban Designers are increasingly called upon to give form to alternative physical and experiential identities for the large-scale spatial transformations that are reshaping extra-urban territories under late capitalism. This kind of territorial reordering is occurring at an unprecedented scale in the rapidly developing economies of South America, where fast-paced modes of resource extraction and regional infrastructural integration are being proposed that will potentially reconfigure the fragile ecologies and cultures of the continental hinterland. More than 90 years ago ecologist Benton MacKaye conceived of such a mega-regional ordering device, when he proposed the Appalachian Trail as the backbone for a new economic reality and a perceptual framework for inverting the primacy of the concentric city and its infrastructural hierarchies. This Urban Design + Landscape research seminar will investigate the conceptual and form-giving potential of such a regional geographical unit: the Guarani Aquifer of South America, one of the largest fresh water reserves in the world, spanning southern Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and northern Argentina. Through an intensive semester of detailed mappings and research presentations, we will reposition the aquifer's subterranean geography and hydrological surfaces as the substrate for emergent forms of diffuse ecological urbanism and the organizing principle of a new transnational mega-regional entity that can adequately engage with the spatial politics of resource extraction, developmental pressures of ecotourism, and the territorial ambitions of recent proposals for economic and infrastructural integration on the continental scale. A Global Studio in the spring of 2013 will build directly upon the conclusions and strategies proposed by the seminar, accelerating the development of sophisticated and robust design proposals for a series of sites identified as typical and /or critical of the conditions of urbanization and infrastructural expansion within this mega-regional hydrological geography.

Architecture (graduate)
MARCH-634-01 (787) Eco: Building Energy
Instructor: Nathaniel Brown and Stet Sanborn

MARCH-634-02 (788) Eco: Building Energy
Instructor: Nathaniel Brown and Stet Sanborn

This course provides a basic understanding of the dynamic thermal and visual environments created by the enclosure of space and of the phenomena that create these environments. This includes the basic principles of heat transfer and human comfort. Course content follows the traditional range of topics: heat transfer, human comfort, site concerns, solar geometry and shading, wind and ventilation, thermal behavior of materials, heating and cooling load analysis, climate design strategies, vernacular climate response, vision and light, natural light, and mechanical systems.

Architecture (graduate)
MARCH-680-02 (2255) Eco: UR: Hydro-Geographies
Instructor: Christopher Roach and Sandra Vivanco

The South America Project I : Hydro Geographies Trans-border Infrastructures + Diffuse Ecological Urbanism in the Guarani Aquifer Architects and Urban Designers are increasingly called upon to give form to alternative physical and experiential identities for the large-scale spatial transformations that are reshaping extra-urban territories under late capitalism. This kind of territorial reordering is occurring at an unprecedented scale in the rapidly developing economies of South America, where fast-paced modes of resource extraction and regional infrastructural integration are being proposed that will potentially reconfigure the fragile ecologies and cultures of the continental hinterland. More than 90 years ago ecologist Benton MacKaye conceived of such a mega-regional ordering device, when he proposed the Appalachian Trail as the backbone for a new economic reality and a perceptual framework for inverting the primacy of the concentric city and its infrastructural hierarchies. This Urban Design + Landscape research seminar will investigate the conceptual and form-giving potential of such a regional geographical unit: the Guarani Aquifer of South America, one of the largest fresh water reserves in the world, spanning southern Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and northern Argentina. Through an intensive semester of detailed mappings and research presentations, we will reposition the aquifer's subterranean geography and hydrological surfaces as the substrate for emergent forms of diffuse ecological urbanism and the organizing principle of a new transnational mega-regional entity that can adequately engage with the spatial politics of resource extraction, developmental pressures of ecotourism, and the territorial ambitions of recent proposals for economic and infrastructural integration on the continental scale. A Global Studio in the spring of 2013 will build directly upon the conclusions and strategies proposed by the seminar, accelerating the development of sophisticated and robust design proposals for a series of sites identified as typical and /or critical of the conditions of urbanization and infrastructural expansion within this mega-regional hydrological geography. » Read more

Critical Studies
METHS-300-03 (871) Eco: Ecological Imagination
Instructor: Stuart Kendall

Ecology can be defined as a branch of biology that studies the interrelationships of living organisms and the environments in which they live. As a mode of systems based analysis ecology also describes an approach to our environment and often a mode of environmentalism. But ecological thinking isn't just for biologists. Designers across the design disciplines interested in sustainability ground their work in ecological thinking. And artists interested in environmentalism and environmental activism use ecological thought to inform both the form and content of their works. This course will study the ecological imagination as it appears in and informs ecological thought, design and art. We will read ecological and environmental philosophy as well as examining works of art and design that exemplify diverse approaches to the problems of ecological thinking and the necessities of sustainability. This will be a course in ecological philosophy, design and aesthetic activism and a study of the presentation of our environment and environmentalism in contemporary culture.

Science
SCNCE-200-01 (471) Eco: California & Environment
Instructor: Christine Metzger

The environment is dynamic, complex, and always changing, and the study of it requires perspectives from geology, biology, chemistry, and physics, in addition to sociology, policy, economics, politics, the arts, and design. Local and global environmental issues are some of the most urgent and relevant in our society, including biodiversity, global climate change, water scarcity, resource limitations, pollution, energy sources, and sustainable design, among others. California provides a rich backdrop to study environmental science, from its location in the drought-stricken West to its active tectonic history. In this class, we will examine the major Earth systems - the lithosphere (rock cycle), atmosphere, biosphere, and hydrosphere - as they create and interact with our local environment. We will also evaluate media coverage of environmental issues and identify any weaknesses or strengths in presented statements, claims, solutions, and technologies. » Read more

Science
SCNCE-200-05 (1632) Eco: Historical Ecology
Instructor: Carol Manahan

Historical and contemporary survey of geography, geology, climate, botany, zoology, and human ecology in California. Evolution, climate change, California Indians, human migration, colonization, use of resources, impact of agriculture and development. Lectures, reading, seminar discussion, field trips, essays, quizzes, and hands-on assignments. Focus on California's unique biogeography and native plant communities, including conservation and restoration efforts.
» Read more

Interdisciplinary Studio (undergraduate)
UDIST-300-09 Local Fiber Incubator (Fall 2012)
Instructor: Lynda Grose and Mimi Robinson

This class explores the range of local fibers found within a one and a half hour radius of San Francisco, and the processing of them into felt, yarn, knits and artifacts. This class bridges theory and practice, drawing on philosophies in the sustainable agriculture movement and applying them to fiber, and then processing the fiber into a form that engages the end user/viewer. The class is built on experience based learning, bringing students to work directly with ranchers and farmers and a local spinner as well as having instructional time and making in a studio environment. The course will develop primary research skills, mapping and documentation in hard copy, video and photographic form, as well as hands-on making at a variety of levels. By following and documenting fiber from its source through to final products, students will develop a strong sense of place as well as a 'globalocal' perspective by experiencing first hand the economic pressures of small farmers and ranchers and the community benefits of 'adding value' to local resources through design. Reflections on the life of a farmer/rancher during class and studio periods will help students to ruminate on larger economic systems, trade and commerce, sustainability and the shifting role of design. A number of local non-profit partners will be involved in the class, including The Sustainable Cotton Project, Community Alliance of Family Farmers, Slide Ranch, and local chapters of the Alpaca Breeders and Grower's Association. The class will provide a unique learning environment and rich experience for students by providing not only exposure to the while lifecycle of fiber and textiles, but also insights into the relationships between rural and urban, local and global, rancher/farmer and designer, and slow and fast cycles.

Interdisciplinary Studio (undergraduate)
UDIST-300-13 Nature in the City (Fall 2012)
Instructor: Amy Franceschini and Alison Sant

The class draws its name from Raymond William's 1973 book The Country and the City, which rejected the simplification of rural and urban as polar realities. The class will explore the complicated relationships between rural and urban, natural and man-made. Using the Presidio and other Bay Area sites as case studies, students will research the design and history of nature in the city and how they reflect our cultural concepts. What is the relationship between nature and our urban spaces? How do artists and designers intersect with and shape our natural urban spaces?

Visual Studies
VISST-300-04 (189) Eco: Trash-formations
Instructor: Celeste Connor

Trash-formations is an ECOTap (Ecological Theory & Practice) seminar that explores the new terrain mapped by interdisciplinary studies at the intersection where visual arts theory & practice meets contemporary ecological concerns. Students will study and write on both the rich history of visual artists who practice ReUse strategies and current theories of Sustainability and Repurposing. The fall 2012 iteration of Trash-formations will focus on the topic of "Waste" and will include a hard Science component to deepen its already transdisciplanary emphasis. A visiting scientist with a specialty in our topic will conduct several sessions. Students in this seminar are expected to participate in field trips, and to actively collaborate with the visiting scientist and the professor to create works for inclusion in an exhibition at College Avenue Gallery at the end of term. Video/audio experience a plus; this seminar has dedicated camera equipment to document class activities.

Writing and Literature
WRLIT-204-01 (408) W:Eco:Lit Forms Across Genres
Instructor: Opal Palmer Adisa

Lit Forms Across Genres: Exploring Nature. This course will blur as well as implode the lines of demarcation between poetry, prose, essay and plays. While exploring the theme of nature, students will read works by writers of this subject as well as write in all four genres. The course will interrogate these literary divides, investigating the main objective for each. Additionally, we will explore the role of nature in our lives and our response and responsibility to our natural world. Some classes will be held at different sites in nature, off campus, but accessible.