Suffolk Reporter

Stony Brook University is offering a new one-credit online course titled "Climate Change and You" for the upcoming spring semester. This asynchronous course aims to provide students with an understanding of climate change from multiple perspectives, including science, politics, and ethics. The course has been designed by leading university climate experts and will be available to all students, from freshmen to seniors.

Kevin Reed, associate provost for climate and sustainability programming at Stony Brook University, emphasized the importance of this initiative: “Young people will inherit a warmer, more extreme climate. Stony Brook faculty are engaged in every area of climate change, and we owe it to our current and future students to help them begin to know how to confront the choices they will have to make because of climate change’s far-reaching impact.” He described the course as "an innovative pilot that will get us out of our academic homes and into an environment where we can better serve and support our community."

The course is officially listed as CIS 101, Pop-Up: Climate Change and You, and it will commence on March 24, 2025. It features seven different themes each led by a different faculty member. In addition to traditional learning materials, the course includes episodes from "C4E Presents," a podcast hosted by Heather Lynch that discusses interdisciplinary efforts in response to climate change.

Rose Tirotta-Esposito from the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching highlighted the unique nature of these theme-based classes: “These theme-based classes about climate change, AI and someday other timely and critical issues offer a different way of learning.”

Carl W. Lejuez, provost at Stony Brook University stated: “This course represents a truly interdisciplinary approach to a complex challenge we must all face together.” He noted that it provides students with insights into health, communication, science, and engineering aspects related to climate change.

Enrollment is open until February 7 for full-time students who wish to take advantage of this opportunity without additional cost.