HDNR Curriculum

Courses Taught By HDNR Faculty

The following courses are taught by Human Dimensions of Natural Resources faculty. Refer to the CSU General Catalog for additional information and course descriptions.

NR CoursesCourse Description
NR 120 Environmental ConservationStudents will become informed and critical thinkers regarding environmental change, human society, and the sustainability of natural resources from local to global sources.
NR 220 Natural Resource Ecology and Measurements Ecology of Rocky Mountains ecosystems. Basic measurements and integrated management of natural resources.
NR 310 Ecosystem Services and Human Well-Being Life-supporting and life-fulfilling benefits that nature provides to humans; theory, case studies, and policy.
NR 377 Pre-InternshipNR 377 is the first half of two-part internship experience for students majoring in Natural Resource Tourism and Human Dimensions of Natural Resources at Colorado State University. It is designed to prepare you for the experiential learning you will do with an employer as your actual internship for credit in NRRT 487. Your internship, NRRT 487, will be a 5- credit, 400-hour work experience during which you will learn about a specific profession and decide whether you want to pursue it as the first stage in your career.
NR 382B Travel Abroad: Social-Ecological Field Methods in BelizeSocial and ecological field methods commonly used in natural resource management.
NR 400: Public Communications in Natural ResourcesThis course examines how communication shapes public opinion and understanding of natural resource issues.
NR 440 Applications in Conservation PlanningConservation planning method applications that integrate natural resources by conservation organizations and government agencies.
NR 510 Ecosystem Services: Theory and Practice Theory and application of ecosystem services drawing upon ecological, economic, and institutional analysis.
NR 541 Conservation GovernanceOverview of conservation policy, finance and governance issues at the local, national, and international levels.
NR 543B Catalyzing Change: Collaborative Conservation Collaborative communication theories, methods and tools to effectively create change in the field of conservation.
NR 544D Conservation Methods: Spatial Information
NR 544E Conservation Methods: Integrative Field Work
NR 545 Multilevel Views of Society and EnvironmentMyriad and often opposing views of societal and environmental problems across cultures and across scales.
NR 549A Conservation and Systems LeadershipConservation leadership development by exposure to leadership models, theories, case studies, assessments and trainings.
NR 549B Conservation and Systems Leadership: FieldEffective environmental leadership across cultures through exposure to leadership models, theories, case studies, assessments and trainings.
NR 562 Ecosystem Services in a Changing World Understanding of ecosystem services and global change.
NR 564 Systems Thinking and Biodiversity Social-ecological systems and the implication of social-ecological systems thinking for biological diversity conservation efforts.
NR 569 Conservation Communication FundamentalsThis course introduces students to communications for conservation and examines communications concepts and theories as they relate to conservation issues and professionals. Roles for communicators in conservation organizations are also examined. Behavior change theories and audience research and analysis, including the topic of diversity in conservation planning and management, are emphasized for achieving goals in conservation communications.
NR 570 – Conservation Managers – Media CommunicationConservation media literacy and media activities and practices are examined and analyzed. Students learn techniques and practices for developing written and visual media and gaining earned media attention. New directions and strategies in conservation communications are analyzed.
NR 571 New Media Communications for ConservationThis course contributes to the specialized body of knowledge pertaining to new media, including social and digital media communications, strategies and engagement, and the roles of media tools for conservation and environmental management organizations and professionals. Fundamental and emerging social and digital media applications and practices will be taught to familiarize students and enable them to develop and implement new-media products and strategies and to critically evaluate use of these media by conservation and environmental management organizations and professionals, as well as the mass media.
NR 572 Strategic Communications for ConservationThis course holistically teaches students concepts and practices for strategic communications planning and messaging for conservation organizations, programs, and campaigns. Students learn and apply frameworks for communications planning for educational, informational, and advocacy campaigns as well as other strategic programs. The course also explores concepts and practices for messaging directed toward conservation audiences. Through course topics and assignments, students will learn and develop conservation communications strategies, tactics, messages, media materials, and evaluations.
NR 573 – Conservation Crisis CommunicationsExamining and developing appropriate conservation communication strategies for conservation/environmental crisis response and recovery. Media, personal and other communications during near- and long-term planning scenarios are examined. Conservation management organizations’ and practitioners’ use of different messages and media platforms are also analyzed.
NR 574: Advanced Communications for ConservationThis course instructs students on a variety of applied approaches and practices for conservation engagement and planning and leadership communications. Content and assignments will provide knowledge and tools for learning about and developing conservation marketing programs, and strategies and skills for engaging in government and executive communications, including public speaking, presentations, and personal communications, and collaborative conservation programs. This course builds on practices and applications of theory and concepts introduced in NR 569. Students can take this course concurrently, learning about the relevant theories and concepts in NR 569 and then applying them in NR 574.

NRRT Courses

NRRT CoursesCourse Description
NRRT 193 New to the Major Seminar Introduces students new to the Human Dimensions of Natural Resources and Natural Resource Tourism majors to faculty, department, college and university resources, careers, research, outreach, advising resources, and other students.
NRRT 231 Principles-Parks/Protected Area Management Tools and strategies used by managers in parks and protected areas.
NRRT 262 Principles of Environmental CommunicationPrinciples of environmental communication, education, and interpretation for managing natural and cultural resources.
NRRT 270 Principles of Natural Resource Tourism Tourism and private commercial outdoor recreation industry in America.
NRRT320 – International Issues in Recreation and TourismHistory, development, and preservation of international parks, preserves, tourist and historical sites.
NRRT 321 Travel Abroad-Marine Ecotourism-Bahamas Environmental and socio-cultural aspects of marine ecotourism in the Bahamas.
NRRT 330 Social Aspects of Natural Resource Management Conceptual frameworks of human dimension research and its application to resource management decisions.
NRRT 340 Principles in Conservation Planning and ManagementSocial, economic, legal, and ecological concepts that shape planning and management frameworks within conservation.
NRRT 350 Wilderness Leadership Practical and philosophical aspects of wilderness usage including safety, group dynamics, and backcountry skills.
NRRT 351 Wilderness Instructors Preparation to safely lead and instruct groups in outdoor wilderness programs; further refine skills including judgement and leadership.
NRRT 368 Biodiversity Conservation, Culture, & Business This course provides an introduction to biological and cultural diversity. We will explore how culture and cultural diversity shape conservation across space and time.
NRRT 362 Environmental Conflict Management Theoretical, critical and practical approaches to negotiation, mediation and conflict management strategies related to natural resources.
NRRT 372 Tourism PromotionPlanning, development, and implementation of marketing programs specifically applied to the recreation, travel, and tourism industries.
NRRT 376 Human Dimensions Research and AnalysisApplication of human dimensions (recreation) research and analysis techniques to natural resource issues.
NRRT 384 Supervised College Teaching
NRRT 400 Environmental Governance Theory and practice of prevalent environmental governance approaches in diverse social and environmental contexts.
NRRT 402 Cultural and Political Ecology Political ecology research focuses on natural resource access and control, and decision-making about resources, based upon gender, race, social status, class, religion, etc.
NRRT 442 Tourism PlanningPlanning for regional tourism resources and programs.
NRRT 460 Event and Conference PlanningFoundation in planning, organizing, and producing special events and conferences. Functions and strategies necessary for effective event management.
NRRT 463 Non-Profit Administration in ConservationRole of NGOs in protected-area management and conservation education; models for development, including grant writing, in conservation.
NRRT 470 Tourism ImpactsSocial, cultural, physical, and economic impacts of tourism; techniques for assessing impacts.
NRRT 471 Starting and Managing Tourism EnterpriseAspects of starting and managing a tourism enterprise.
NRRT 475 Leadership for Conservation ActionThis course is the capstone learning experience for HDNR majors. It is focused on students developing knowledge and skills important for leading others to achieve positive outcomes in conservation. Topics in the course include fundamental leadership and systems-thinking principles. We emphasize application of content to analyze case studies in conservation and to determine courses of action that positively affect conservation. Through building self-awareness, exploring leadership strategies, and systems-thinking, students gain skills to make a difference for people and our planet.
NRRT 487 InternshipInternship Guide
NRRT 495A Independent Study: Administration
NRRT 495B Independent Study:Management
NRRT 495C Independent Study:Interpretation
NRRT 505 Environmental Education History and Theory
History and theories, planning and instruction; outcomes, historical events; ecological literacy; experiential learning models.
NRRT 534 Applications in the Outdoor Product Industry This course examines the outdoor products industry and the various steps involved in developing an outdoor product and bringing it to market.
NRRT 550 Ecotourism Concept of ecotourism, impacts associated with ecotourism, and role of education/interpretation in mitigating these impacts.
NRRT 565 Research-Human Dimensions Natural Resources
Theory, research, literature review, hypothesis development, scientific writing, proposal development.
NRRT 600 Tourism Industry Concepts and Practices Primary conceptual issues on contemporary tourism important to comprehend the practice of tourism.
NRRT 601 Tourism Quantitative Analysis I Statistical techniques used by researchers to inform and support tourism decision-making.
NRRT 602 Tourism Quantitative Analysis II Explores the domestic and international sources of data and their applications for decision-making in tourism.
NRRT 605 Human Dimensions of Natural Resources Theory Application of theories and conceptual approaches from social sciences to study of recreation behavior and natural resource issues.
NRRT 610 Natural Resource Management and Tourism Connection between the management of tourism resources and the changing conditions of the natural world.
NRRT 615 Sustainable Tourism Development Foundation Theory, practice, history, terminology, and issues surrounding sustainable tourism development.
NRRT 620 Organizational Management in TourismConcepts of organizational management in the context of tourism.
NRRT 625 Communication/Conflict Management in Tourism Negotiation tools for effective organizational communication/conflict management in tourism.
NRRT 650 Financial Management in TourismConcepts in financial management applied to travel and tourism organizations.
NRRT 655 Tourism Marketing Concepts and Applications Marketing processes as they apply to travel and tourism.
NRRT 660 Law and Legal Liability in Tourism Concepts in legal liability and business law in the context of travel and tourism.
NRRT 662 Global Tourism Policy Major global policies, trends, and challenges facing the travel and tourism industry.
NRRT 665 Survey Research and Analysis Survey research, design, and analysis in human dimensions of natural resources.
NRRT 666 Qualitative Research
Qualitative approaches to tourism research and techniques from a range of disciplinary backgrounds; methodological aspects.
NRRT 671 Strategic Management for Travel and Tourism Factors, tools, and techniques for strategic management of a travel and tourism business or organization.
NRRT 679A Current Topics in Nature Based Tourism Current topics in nature-based travel and tourism.
NRRT 679B Current Topics in Nature Based Tourism Current topics in nature-based travel and tourism.
NRRT 608 Nature, Outdoor Recreation and Human Well-Being This course investigates the importance of spending time outdoors in nature for human well- being. This course is designed to help students understand the scientifically proven physical, cognitive, emotional, and social benefits that result from time spent in nature, as well as the variety of ways people can spend time in nature to achieve these benefits.
NRRT 680A2 Seminar in Cultural and Political Ecology This course is an advanced seminar of Cultural and Political Ecology (CAPE). Political ecology research focuses on natural resource access and control, and decision-making about resources, based upon gender, race, social status, class, religion, etc.
NRRT 678- Tourism Leadership Introduction to the fundamentals of leadership theory and different
leadership styles. Apply this knowledge at an individual, organizational, and community level within
a tourism context. The role of leadership in service excellence, crisis and change management, and
sustainability is examined, with a focus on providing the necessary skills to develop resilient tourism
industry leaders.
NRRT 695A Independent Study: Administration
NRRT 695B Independent Study: Management
NRRT 695C Independent Study: Interpretation
NRRT 698 Research
NRRT 699 Thesis
NRRT 765 Applied Multivariate AnalysisApplication and interpretation of multivariate statistics to human dimensions in natural resources, recreation, and tourism.
NRRT 784 Supervised College Teaching
NRRT 798 Research