In this course, students are introduced to the scope of environmental studies and the critical foundation for the higher-level, ENV courses. Students come away armed with some basic knowledge and skills that are key to this field. This course also instils in them the ethos of environmental stewardship, especially the notion that we must all take individual and collective action toward sustainability. In this way, this course is a good initiation to the BES programme. Students begin to understand the main environmental problems, and to appreciate their inherent complexity (involving many causes and stakeholders) and therefore why they can only be solved by taking an interdisciplinary approach. By imparting good academic practices and allowing students to practise different forms of assessment, ENV1101 prepares students for the rest of their programme. By participating in individual and collective activities that revolve around the theme of sustainability, students also come away with a spirit of belonging to a group of individuals all dedicated to a common purpose – caring for the planet.

ENV2302 Communications for Environmental Studies

This course is designed for undergraduate students pursuing the degree in the Bachelor of Environmental Studies with the aim of helping them to develop critical thinking, reading, writing and speaking skills that are relevant for communication with the academia and public. The curriculum is organised along three main interrelated areas: i) Communication with the public: Raising public awareness of environmental issues through science-based advocacy, ii) Communication with the academia: Developing skills in academic writing, iii) Argumentation within environmental studies: Examining environmental issues using the Precautionary Principle.

ENV2102 Environmental Law

This course will first introduce students to Environmental Law, particularly conservation and pollution laws, and how these are passed and implemented at the international, regional (ASEAN) and national (Singapore) levels. It will emphasise that laws alone will not help in ensuring the quality of a country’s environment and the health of its citizens. Laws must be enforced, and the rule of law respected. Good governance is therefore a necessary component of sound environmental management. This course will next examine what constitutes good environmental governance. It will explore environmental and economic policies and how best to resolve the tensions between conservation and development. It will study the setting up of effective administrative institutions, land use planning, the provision of environmental infrastructure (modern sanitation, water treatment plants, transport systems, etc). It will then critically examine the workings of the main administrative agencies that are responsible for environmental management in Singapore. It will also look into the work of local and international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) as well as multi-national corporations and corporate social responsibility in Singapore. Comparisons will be made with the administrative and legal systems in other jurisdictions. This course will be taught by staff members from the Law Faculty as well as the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.

ENV2103 The Environment and Public Health

Public Health is defined as “the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals.” Environmental health addresses all the physical, chemical, and biological factors external to a person, and all the related factors impacting behaviours. It encompasses the assessment and control of those environmental factors that can potentially affect health. It is targeted towards preventing disease and creating health-supportive environments.

This course provides an introduction to public health and environmental health, and the management of contemporary environmental health issues.

ENV3202A Environmental Studies Internship Programme (Elective)

ENV3202 is designed to help students gain working experience in the environmental industry during their degree programme and prepare them for employment after graduation. We believe that giving students the chance to (1) assimilate and translate what they have learned from the curriculum into performing valuable tasks in the workplace and (2) acquire hard-to-teach soft skills, gives them an edge when they eventually transition to the work force. Students complete a structured, supervised internship with a host organisation (in Singapore or overseas) during both Special Terms of their 2nd or 3rd year (summer holiday).  They get the chance to see what really goes on within an organisation whose work relates somehow to solving environmental challenges, try on for size a potential career or future employer and see the applicability of what they are learning in the BES programme. Of course, they also come away with some real work experience for their resumés. Ultimately, the overall aim is to make them more employable, thereby contributing to the ability of the BES programme to graduate qualified environmental professionals who can work competently in the field.

ENV4101 Environmental Management in Singapore

This course, the final in a series of integrated courses for this degree, will focus on Singapore and evaluate how the city-state has managed its environmental challenges and human-nature relationships intra-nationally and extra-nationally (regionally and internationally). The course is a final summation, overview and synthesis of what was discussed in the earlier four courses and where appropriate will evaluate environmental ideas, concepts, policies and case studies in terms of its applications to the Singapore situation. To facilitate this, the course is predicated on a platform of seminars and/or round-table discussions with pertinent senior corporate chieftains, government officials, and non-government organization (NGO) leaders.