Joe Arvai teaches three courses at Michigan State University. The first course, which is intended for junior and senior undergraduates, and graduate students is entitled "Risk & Decision Science for Environmental and Natural Resource Management (ESA 420). The objective of this course is to provide students with a very broad and applied introduction to the field of behavioral decision research. The course covers both normative and descriptive models of judgment and choice; the course winds up by providing students with hands on experience using prescriptive decision aiding tools.

ESA 420 Flyer
ESA 420 Syllabus

Joe's second course is intended for graduate students at both the M.S. and Ph.D. levels. In this course, entitled Buzzword Paradigms in Environmental and Natural Resource Management (ACR 812), students are asked to consider one of the troublesome byproducts of interdisciplinary research: The “buzzwordization” of science. The problem is as follows. When bringing different branches of knowledge together, important disciplinary details are often glossed over by some scientists and practitioners. In the worst cases, the intent or meaning of an important concept in one discipline is lost altogether when it is discussed or applied in another. Thus, these concepts—e.g., adaptive management, sustainability, values, ecosystem management, and the precautionary principle, among many others—have acquired “buzzword” status in that their intended meanings and appropriate usage are seldom questioned or well understood. The objective of this graduate seminar is for students and faculty to work together to develop a better understanding of the true meaning of these “buzzword paradigms” as they apply to natural resources management and environmental studies.

ACR 812 Flyer

The third course is intended for MSU students from any department or college and it is also open to the public. In conjunction with the Wilderness Medicine Institute and the National Outdoor Leadership School, the Skunkworks Lab organizes an annual Wilderness First Responder Course. This is a nationally recognized course that trains students to respond to emergencies in remote settings. The 80-hour curriculum includes standards for urban and extended care situations.

WFR Flyer