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ICT-112Theory2 credits · L2NUES

Environmental Studies

Offered in Semester 2 for CSE, IT, ECE, CSE-AI, CSE-DS · Prerequisites: None

CSE · Sem 2IT · Sem 2ECE · Sem 2CSE-AI · Sem 2CSE-DS · Sem 2

01Syllabus (unit-wise)

Official topics from the 2025-26 syllabus, unit by unit.

IUnit I▸

Introduction to Environmental Studies, Scope and importance, Key environmental, Historical perspectives on human-environment interactions, Basic ecological principles and concepts, Levels of organization in ecology, Ecosystem components (biotic and abiotic), Energy flow in ecosystems, Biogeochemical cycles, Biodiversity and its conservation, Importance of biodiversity, Threats to biodiversity, Ecosystem services and their value.

IIUnit II▸

Renewable and non-renewable resources, Principles of sustainable resource use, Water resources and management, Global water distribution and availability, Water pollution, Challenges in water management, Land resources and degradation, Soil formation and types, Soil degradation processes, Land use patterns and their environmental impacts, Mineral resources and environmental consequences of extraction, Energy resources, Environmental impacts associated with different energy sources, Forests and wildlife resources, Importance of forests, Causes and effects of deforestation, Principles of wildlife conservation, Role of protected areas.

IIIUnit III▸

Air pollution, Water pollution, Soil pollution, Noise pollution, Marine pollution, Thermal pollution, Hazardous waste management (sources, effects, mitigation for different pollution type). Electronic Waste (E-Waste) Management, Environmental toxicology, Public health and environment, Climate change (greenhouse effect, greenhouse gases, evidence of global warming and its impacts), Ozone layer depletion, Acid rain, Smog, Environmental disasters (overview of major natural and man-made disasters).

IVUnit IV▸

Overview of environmental legislation and policies, Role of government agencies in environmental protection, Concept and purpose of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), Sustainable development, Environmental ethics and philosophy (anthropocentrism, biocentrism, ecocentrism, deep ecology), Population and environment Urbanization and its environmental challenges, Role of environmental movements and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), Importance of public participation in environmental decision-making, Case studies of environmental challenges and solutions, Individual actions for environmental protection and sustainability.

02Marking scheme

How this paper is evaluated

1. Teachers Continuous Evaluation: 100 marks 2. This is NUES, non-credit and qualifying Paper. All evaluations to be conducted by the concerned teacher.

03Course outcomes

What you should be able to do after this course

CO1

Understand Environment as a System of interconnected components

CO2

Understand environmental resources, renewable and non-renewable

CO3

Understand causes of different types of pollutions of the Environment and its effect on climate change

CO4

Understand regulations and policies related to environment

04Books

Prescribed textbooks and references

Textbooks

  1. 01Environmental Studies, Erach Bharucha, Orient Blackswan, 3rd edition, 2020.

References

  1. 01Environmental Science: Earth as a Living Planet, Daniel B. Botkin and Edward A. Keller, John Wiley & Sons, 11th
  2. 02edition, 2022.
  3. 03Silent Spring, Rachel Carson, Houghton Mifflin, 1st edition, 2002.
  4. 04Fundamentals of Ecology, Eugene P. Odum and Gary W. Barrett, Brooks Cole, 5th edition, 2005.
  5. 05Living in the Environment, G. Tyler Miller and Scott Spoolman, Cengage Learning, 21st edition, 2021.
  6. 06Environmental Science: Toward a Sustainable Future, Richard T. Wright and Dorothy F. Boorse, Pearson, 14th
  7. 07edition, 2021.
  8. 08Environment, Peter H. Raven, David M. Hassenzahl, and Linda R. Berg, John Wiley & Sons, 11th edition, 2023.
  9. 09The Human Impact on the Natural Environment, Andrew Goudie, Wiley Blackwell, 8th edition, 2018.
  10. 10Energy and Civilization: A History, Vaclav Smil, MIT Press, 1st edition, 2017.
  11. 11Environmental Chemistry, Colin Baird and Michael Cann, W. H. Freeman, 5th edition, 2012.
  12. 12Environmental Chemistry, Stanley E. Manahan, CRC Press, 10th edition, 2017.
  13. 13Environmental and Occupational Medicine, William N. Rom and Steven B. Markowitz (Eds.), Lippincott Williams &
  14. 14Wilkins, 5th edition, 2017.
  15. 15The Limits to Growth, Donella H. Meadows, Dennis L. Meadows, Jørgen Randers, and William W. Behrens III,
  16. 16Universe Books, 1st edition, 1972.
  17. 17Environmental Ethics, Kristin S. Shrader-Frechette, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 3rd edition, 2002.
  18. 18Environmental Geography, H. M. Saxena, Rawat Publications, 2nd edition, 2006.
  19. 19Ecology, Environmental Science and Conservation, J. S. Singh, S. P. Singh, and S. R. Gupta, S. Chand & Company, 1st
  20. 20edition, 2014.
  21. 21Environmental and Natural Resource Economics, Tom Tietenberg and Lynne Lewis, Pearson, 12th edition, 2022.
  22. 22Principles of Ecosystem Stewardship: Resilience, Self-Organization, and Adaptation in Social-Ecological Systems, F.
  23. 23Stuart Chapin III, Margaret A. Palmer, and Osvaldo E. Sala (Eds.), Springer, 1st edition, 2010.
  24. 24Studies and articles on the informal e-waste recycling sector in India.
  25. 25United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) publications on various environmental issues.
  26. 26United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) reports and official website.
  27. 27United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) publications on pollution control.
  28. 28World Health Organization (WHO) reports on environmental health.
  29. 29World Wildlife Fund (WWF) reports on forest and wildlife conservation.