Breadcrumb
Our certificate program offers a unique regional studies curriculum for CU Boulder undergraduate students with a passion for the American West. Our multi-disciplinary format allows an exploration of the region’s characteristic and evolving issues: from its flora and fauna to its history and literature; from the political, social, cultural, economic, and environmental concerns facing Westerners to the landscapes and ecosystems that they inhabit.
This 18-credit hour program includes an introductory course and a capstone course, and allows students to choose the remaining 4 classes from a variety of academic areas.
Enrollment Form Program Requirements
The following courses are acceptable for credit toward the certificate. Other courses not on this list may be relevant for the program; please contact us at academics@centerwest.org to request a review of any course not on this list for possible inclusion.
The following courses are acceptable for credit toward the certificate. Other courses not on this list may be relevant for the program, and will be reviewed for possible inclusion upon request.
Required Courses
CAMW 2001 The American West (introductory course)
CAMW 4840 Independent Study (capstone course)
Social Sciences (3 credit hours required)
Anthropology
- ANTH 1120 Exploring a Non-Western Culture: Pueblos Indians of the Southwest
- ANTH 4210 Southwest Archaeology
- ANTH 4270 Plains Archaeology
Economics
- ECON 3535 Natural Resources Economics
- ECON 3545 Environmental Economics
Environmental Design
- ENVD 4023 Environmental Impact Assessment
- ENVD 4311 Housing Policies and Practices Seminar
- ENVD 4346 Conservation and Recreation in the American West
- ENVD 4364-201 Urban Geography Field Course: A Cultural History of Boulder and its Environs
- ENVD 4764 Special Topics – this section only: Introduction to Sustainable Development
Environmental Studies
- ENVS 3140 Environmental Ethics
- ENVS 3621 Energy Policy and Society
American Indian Studies (Ethnic Studies)
- ETHN 1023 Introduction to Native American and Indigenous Studies
- ETHN 2013 Critical Issues of Native American North America
- ETHN / CINE 2203 American Indians in Film
- ETHN 2703 American Indian Religious Traditions (same as RLST 2700)
- ETHN 2713 Native American Literature (same as ENGL 2717)
- ETHN 3023 Selected Topics in American Indian Studies
- ETHN 3103 Selected Topics in American Indian Studies
- ETHN 3133 North American Indians: Traditional Cultures (same as ANTH 3130)
- ETHN 3213 American Indian Women (same as WMST 3210)
- ETHN 3403 Indian/Government Conflicts
- ETHN 4213 Indigenous Futurisms: Speculative Genres and Native Tomorrows
- ETHN 4233 Native American and Indigenous Environmental Issues
- ETHN 4553 Indigenous Representations in the United States
- ETHN 4563 North American Indian Acculturation (same as ANTH 4560)
Asian American Studies (Ethnic Studies)
- ETHN 3015 Asian/Pacific American Communities
- ETHN 3575 Japanese-American Internment
Chicano Studies (Ethnic Studies)
- ETHN 1016 Introduction to Chicano Studies
- ETHN 2536 Chicano History and Culture (same as HIST 2537)
- ETHN 2546 Chicana/o Fine Arts and Humanities
- ETHN 2746 Survey of Mexican American Literature
- ETHN 3026 Women of Color: Chicanas in U.S. Society
- ETHN 4006 Hispanic and Native American Culture of the Southwest
- ETHN 4136 Latinos and the U.S. Political System
- ETHN 4306 The Chicano and the U.S. Social Systems
Geography
- GEOG 3251 Mountain Geography
- GEOG 4002 Topics in Human and Environment/Society Geography– this section only: Boulder’s Open Space
- GEOG 4501 Water Resources and Management of the Western U.S. (same as GEOG 5501)
Linguistics
- LING 3220 American Indian Languages in their Social and Cultural Contexts
Political Science
- PSCI 3201 The Environment and Public Policy
- PSCI 3206 The Environment and Public Policy
- PSCI 4131 Latinos and U.S. Political System (same as ETHN 4136)
Humanities (3 credit hours required)
Art and Art History
- ARTS 3004/4004 Land and Environmental Art
- ARTH 4439 Native North American Art
- ARTS 4444 Art and Rural Environments Field School
English
- ENGL 1800 American Ethnic Literature (same as ETHN 1800) ENGL 2115 American Frontiers
- ENGL 2717 Native American Literature (same as AIST 2713) ENGL 3226 Folklore – this section only:
- Buffalo in Folklore
- ENGL 3377 Multicultural Literature – these sections only:
- First Nations Film
- Native American Women: Tribal Feminisms
- ENGL 4717 Native American and Indigenous Studies Capstone Seminar
Film / Cinema Studies
- CINE / ETHN 2203 American Indians in Film
- FILM/CINE 3002 Major Film Movements – this section only:
- The Western
- CINE 3043: Topics in Critical Film Studies – this section only:
- The Western and its Contexts
History
- HIST 2117 History of Colorado
- HIST 2227 Special Topics- these sections only:
- History of The American Southwest
- Women of the American West
- The Mining West
- HIST 2537 Chicano History (same as ETHN 2536)
- HIST 3020 Historical Thinking and Writing – this section only:
- Rocky Mountain High: Designing Wilderness in Modern America
- HIST 3115 Seminar in Early American History – this section only:
- The Early West
- HIST 3317 Seminar in the American West
- HIST 4217 The American West in the Nineteenth Century
- HIST 4227 The American West in the Twentieth Century
- HIST 4235 Jacksonian America
- HIST 4416 Environmental History of North America
- HIST 4527 Mexican American History 1848 – Present
- HIST 4617 Native North American History I: Human Settlement to 1815
- HIST 4627 Native North American History II: 1815 to Present
- HIST 4717 Chinese-American History (same as AAST 4717)
Jewish Studies
- JWST 3130 Jews in the American West
Music
- MUEL 2742 Wild West Soundscapes
Philosophy
- PHIL 3140 Environmental Ethics (same as ENVS 3140)
Program for Writing and Rhetoric
- WRTG 3020 Topics in Writing – these sections only:
- Native American Topics
- Don’t Fence Me In
- Myths of the American West
- Composing Civic Life: Now and Then, the West
- On the Border: US and Mexico
Religious Studies
- RLST 2700 American Indian Religious Traditions (same as ETHN2703)
- RLST 4300 Topics in Native American Religions
Natural Sciences (3 credit hours required)
Ecology and Environmental Biology
- EBIO 2040 Principles of Ecology (lecture and lab)
- EBIO 3040 Conservation Biology (same as ENVS3040)
- EBIO 4100 Advanced Ecology – this section only:
- Lake and Stream Ecology
- EBIO 4175 The Scientific Basis for Ecosystem Management of Public Lands
- EBIO 4520 Plant Systematics (lecture AND lab)
- EBIO 4800 Critical Thinking in Biology – these sections only:
- Biodiversity
- Ecosystem Management
- Land Use / Sustainability
- Public Lands Management
Physics
- PHYS 3070 Energy and the Environment (same as ENVS 3070)
Environmental Studies
- ENVS 3040 Conservation Biology (same as EBIO3040)
- ENVS 3070 Energy and the Environment (same as PHYS 3070)
- ENVS 3140 Environmental Ethics (same as PHIL 3140)
- ENVS 3621 Energy Policy and Society
- ENVS 3525 Intermediate Environmental Problem Analysis: Topical Cornerstones – this section only:
- Natural Resources Management: Colorado and the West
- ENVS 4800 Critical Thinking in Environmental Studies – this section only:
- Mineral Development in the Rockies
Geography
- GEOG 1011 Environmental Systems 2: Landscapes and Water GEOG 3251 Mountain Geography
- GEOG 3511 Intro to Hydrology
- GEOG 3601 Principles of Climate
- GEOG 4001 Topics in Physical Geography – this section only:
- Water Research / Arid Western U.S.
- GEOG 4002 Topics in Human and Environment/Society Geography – this section only:
- Boulder’s Open Space
- GEOG 4291 Mountain Geomorphology (same as GEOG 5291)
- GEOG 4371 Forest Geography: Principles and Dynamics
- GEOG 4430 Seminar: Conservation Trends – this section only:
- Ecological and Landscape Impacts of Recent Climate Change in The Rocky Mountains
- GEOG 4501 Water Resources and Management of the Western U.S. (same as GEOG 5501)
Geoglogical Sciences
- GEOL 1010 AND GEOL 1030 Exploring Earth AND Intro Geology Lab I
- GEOL 1012 AND GEOL 1030 Exploring Earth for Scientists AND Intro Geology Lab I)
- GEOL 1020 AND GEOL 1030 (Dodos, Dinos, and Deinococcus: The History of a Habitable Planet AND Intro to Geology Lab I)
- GEOL 1040 Geology of Colorado
- GEOL 2100 Environmental Geology
- GEOL 4980 River Basin Hydrology (same as GEOL 5980)
The following courses are acceptable for credit toward the certificate. Other courses not on this list may be relevant for the program; please contact us at academics@centerwest.org to request a review of any course not on this list for possible inclusion.
Required Courses
CAMW 4840 Independent Study (capstone course)
Social Sciences (3 credit hours required)
Anthropology
- ANTH 4270 Plains Archaeology
Economics
- ECON 3535 Natural Resources Economics
- ECON 3545 Environmental Economics
Environmental Studies
- ENVS 3140 Environmental Ethics
- ENVS 3621 Energy Policy and Society
American Indian Studies (Ethnic Studies)
- ETHN / CINE 2203 American Indians in Film
- ETHN 2703 American Indian Religious Traditions (same as RLST 2700)
- ETHN 4233 Native American and Indigenous Environmental Issues
Chicano Studies (Ethnic Studies)
- ETHN 2536 Chicano History and Culture (same as HIST 2537)
Geography
- GEOG 4321 Snow Hydrology
Political Science
- PSCI 3206 The Environment and Public Policy
Humanities (3 credit hours required)
Art Studio and Non-Studio Arts
- ARTS 3004/4004 Land and Environmental Art
English
- ENGL 1800 American Ethnic Literature (same as ETHN 1800)
Film / Cinema Studies
- CINE / ETHN 2203 American Indians in Film
History
- HIST 4527 Mexican American History 1848 - Present
Philosophy
-
PHIL 3140 Environmental Ethics (same as ENVS 3140)
Program for Writing and Rhetoric
- WRTG 3020 Topics in Writing - these sections only:
- Section 069: Animals/American Indian Narratives (Catherine Kunce)
- Sections 060 and 067: Don't Fence Me In
Religious Studies
- RLST 2700 American Indian Religious Traditions (same as ETHN2703)
Natural Sciences (3 credit hours required)
Ecology and Environmental Biology
- EBIO 2040 Principles of Ecology (lecture and lab)
- EBIO 3040 Conservation Biology (same as ENVS3040)
Physics
- PHYS 3070 Energy and the Environment (same as ENVS 3070)
Environmental Studies
- ENVS 3040 Conservation Biology (same as EBIO3040)
- ENVS 3070 Energy and the Environment (same as PHYS 3070)
- ENVS 3140 Environmental Ethics (same as PHIL 3140)
- ENVS 3621 Energy Policy and Society
Geography
- GEOG 1011 Environmental Systems 2: Landscapes and Water
- GEOG 3601 Principles of Climate
Geological Sciences
- GEOL 1010 AND GEOL 1030 Exploring Earth AND Intro Geology Lab I
- GEOL 1012 AND GEOL 1030 Exploring Earth for Scientists AND Intro Geology Lab I)
- GEOL 1020 AND GEOL 1030 (Dodos, Dinos, and Deinococcus: The History of a Habitable Planet AND Intro to Geology Lab I)