Introduction to Conservation for college credit

Conservation

CNV 194 - Introduction to Conservation

Explore how people, wildlife, and the planet are connected through real-world conservation and sustainability solutions. From endangered species and climate change to Indigenous leadership, technology, and activism, this course introduces the ideas, careers, and changemakers shaping a more sustainable future.

Overview

Love animals? Worried about climate change? Curious how people around the world are protecting nature—and how you could be part of it? This course is your launchpad into the world of conservation through the lens of sustainability solutions. You’ll dive into real stories of endangered species, national parks and protected areas, Indigenous and inspired conservation leadership, and unexpected solutions using science, policy and law, technology, storytelling, and activism. Along the way, you’ll learn about nature’s ingenuity, meet changemakers, explore how your own values shape the environment, and discover surprising career paths that connect your interests—whether you’re into wildlife, tech, law, health, or just helping others. If you’re passionate about making a difference for the future of our planet, this course is your gateway to action. No hiking boots required (yet!)—just your curiosity and a willingness to explore how people and nature are connected in everything we do. Throughout the course, you will examine how sustainability concepts and practices in biodiversity conservation shape decisions in the past, present, and future.

Check out an article about this course: What is conservation? Definition, types and why it matters

Requirements

To be successful in this course, we recommend English language fluency and computer literacy. We also encourage you to make sure your laptop or desktop computer meets the technical requirements.

What you’ll learn

Analyze conservation challenges and solutions through the lens of diverse rights holders, values, and worldviews
Critically assess real-world conservation problems and their tradeoffs, and propose context-specific solutions that integrate local value using tools across multiple disciplines
Describe concepts of ecology, Earth systems, economics, ethics, education, culture, history, policy and law, and technology as they relate to biodiversity conservation
Describe the primary direct and indirect threats to biodiversity conservation, strategies to mitigate threats, and how these have changed through time
Reflect on personal and societal relationships with nature, and pathways to integrated human-nature wellbeing
Explore diverse career pathways in conservation, and reflect on the skills, values, and knowledge relevant to those roles
Utilize futures thinking methods to creatively design a positive conservation future for biodiversity, planetary health and human-nature sustainability

Transcript

This course appears on your transcript identically to how it appears on the transcript of an enrolled ASU student who has taken the course on one of ASU’s campuses. Course attendance dates will be listed on your transcript. An on-demand course will appear on your transcript in the session you complete the course.

This course satisfies 3 credit hours toward the SUST: Sustainability General Studies requirement for Arizona State University. It is strongly encouraged that you consult with your institution of choice to determine how these credits will be applied to their degree requirements prior to transferring your credit.

Faculty and course staff

Sharon Hall

President’s Professor,

School of Life Sciences

Arizona State University

Read bio

Andrea Balderrama

Online Course Manager,

Learning Enterprise