UMASS
BIOLOGY 105 Biology of Social Issues Betsy Dumont, Judith Goodenough, and Patricia Wadsworth
For non-science majors; not for Biology major credit. Designed to provide non-science majors with the basic scientific knowledge that an informed citizen requires to develop thoughtful positions on sometimes controversial questions related to medical ethics, environmental degradation, cloning, biotechnology, STDs, and education.(Gen.Ed. BS)
CE-ENGIN 370 Environmental Engineering Principles Sharon Long
Introduction to environmental engineering with a focus on physical, chemical, and biological principles. Topics include environmental standards and legislation, material balances, reaction kinetics, environmental chemistry and microbiology, biogeochemical cycles, water quality, water resources, air quality, and solid and hazardous wastes. Prerequisite: MATH 331. Corequisite: CE-ENGIN 357.
CE-ENGIN 579 Air Quality Sarina Ergas
The course examines the sources, fate, transport, and control of the major categories of air pollutants. Topics include: sources and characteristics of air pollutants; atmospheric chemistry and physics; effects of air pollutants on human health and the environment; global climate change; atmospheric dispersion modeling; and design of systems for the control of gaseous and particulate air pollutants. Prerequisite: CE-ENGIN 371.
ECON 308 Political Economy of the Environment Ceren Ozselcuk
Application of the theories of political economy to environmental problems and issues. Topics include regulatory and market approaches to pollution and natural resource depletion; cost-benefit analysis and its economic and political foundations; and case studies of specific environmental problems such as acid rain, deforestation, and global warming. Prerequisites: any two of ECON 103, 105, 203, and 305.
ENV-HLTH 565 Environmental Health Practices TBA
Concepts of control methods used by environmental health and engineering practitioners. Topics include water, wastewater, solid wastes, food sanitation, vector control, housing, and accident control measures.
ENVIRSCI 101 Intro Environmental Biology Stephen Simkins
For non-majors only. Introduction to the biology of environmental pollution. Examples of air, water, and land degradation will be studied using case histories. Strategies to restore damaged ecosystems and current approaches to achieve sustainable environments will be discussed. (Gen.Ed. BS) (Planned for Fall)
ENVIRSCI 112 Fundamentals of the Environment Kathleen Arcaro or Guy Lanza
For majors only. Introduction to the physical, chemical, and biological components of the biosphere with emphasis on principles of ecology, soils, water, and air. Case studies and discussions of regional, national, and global environmental issues integrated throughout the course. Prerequisite: high school chemistry. (Planned for Fall)
ENVISCI504 Air Pollution Biology William Manning
Focus on the biological effects of known air pollutants, such as ozone, sulfur dioxide, fluoride, heavy metals, organics, particulates, pesticides and endocrine disrupters. Includes methods of study and use of bioindicators and biomarkers. Contemporary concerns, such as increased ultraviolet B radiation from atmospheric ozone depletion, increasing carbon dioxide levels, and the "greenhouse effect" also considered. Prerequisites: BIOLOGY 100, 101 and a course in basic chemistry.
GEO-SCI 530 Population & Environment James Hafner
Population-resource relationships in context of social science theory and debates over sustainability, theories of population change, political economy of resource degradation, institutional factors in resource management, and carrying capacity concepts applied to conditions in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
POLISCI 252 Globalization, Governance & World Order Peter Haas
Reviews the multiple dimensions of globalization and their impact on international politics and human life. Studies the multiple state and non-state actors involved in international governance. Analyzes efforts to steer globalization and the implications for security, prosperity, justice, and ecological integrity. No prerequisites.
POLISCI 382 Environmental Policy Craig Thomas
Analysis of domestic and international environmental policies, including air and water pollution, endangered species, wilderness preservation, toxic and hazardous wastes, pesticides, global warming, stratospheric ozone depletion, and others. Political, economic, legal, and ecological implications of various environmental policy measures, with emphasis on analyzing and improving public policy. In-class environmental policy debates.
Mt Holyoke College
GEOL 101 Environmental Geology Al Werner
Our existence is greatly affected by changing environmental conditions. Some of these changes are "natural" (floods, earthquakes), but many directly result from human mismanagement (groundwater contamination, acid rain, the greenhouse effect). Although some of these problems are of local concern, an increasing number are of global scale. In this course, students develop an appreciation for the way the Earth's environment affects our lives. In the laboratory, students learn techniques to recognize and interpret environmental hazards and develop strategies to address environmental problems.
ENVST 200 Environmental Science Beth Hooker
Most of our society's environmental problems are complex and interdisciplinary in nature. Environmental science is a course designed to teach integrative thinking, the "scientific method," and problem solving. Lectures will be drawn from a variety of scientific fields including ecology, hydrology, chemistry, geology, and biology with an emphasis on ecosystems and biogeochemical cycles. The course will use case studies of regional environmental problems, practical hands-on problem solving, and landscape analysis. Training in field and laboratory techniques is an integral part of the course. Priority given to environmental studies majors.
PHIL 240 Environmental Ethics: Nature/Culture/Values Julie Inness
A fundamental problem we face as humans is how we should relate to the natural world. Why not turn Yosemite into a parking lot? Is nature to be controlled through applying technological expertise? Or is Thoreau correct in his suggestion that we must immerse ourselves in nature to discover who we truly are? Might the value of nature extend beyond its utility for humans? Students have the opportunity to explore these questions, challenging widespread assumptions about nature, culture, and values.
Smith College
PHIL 238 Environmental Ethics Jeffry Ramsey
The goal of this course is to prepare students to understand and critically evaluate various ethical perspectives on human being’s interactions with nature and these perspective’s applications to environmental issues. The principal ethical perspectives studied are: anthropocentrism, biocentric individualism, environmental holism and environmental pragmatism. We will study representative descriptions and defenses of these perspectives and will examine in particular whether they can validly and effectively help us resolve environmental problems. We will study controversies about biodiversity, wilderness protection, global climate change, and pollution. Enrollment limited to 40.
SOC 233 Environment and Society Leslie King
This class will explore the relationship between people and their natural environments. Using sociological theories, we will examine how environmental issues are constructed and how they are contested. In examining a series of particular environmental problems, we will consider how social, political and economic structures are related to environmental degradation.
Hampshire College
NS 0106-1 (124992) Earth Resources Steven Roof
Are humans currently "living dangerously"? Are we destroying our nest? In the past few years, scientists have begun to view Earth as a holistic system of interacting components. In this course students will investigate how the natural world operates and examine how society interacts with Earth. Class discussions and weekly projects will introduce the major concepts and techniques of earth science (geology), environmental sciences, and resource management. This course will emphasize a hands-on, field- and lab-oriented approach to earth and environmental science in which students will learn to observe, pose questions, build hypotheses, and develop answers. Through local field trips, students will explore the history of our planet, and earth-shaping processes such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and erosion. By learning how our planet evolves, students can then evaluate the current state of Earth and solutions to environmental ills. PRJ PRS QUA REA WRI
NS-0195-1 (125023) Pollution and Our Environment Dulasiri Amarasiriwardena
This course will explore environmental pollution problems covering four major areas: the atmosphere, the hydrosphere, the biosphere, and energy issues. Several controversial topics, including acid rain, automobile emission, ozone layer depletion, mercury, lead and cadmium poisoning, pesticides, solid waste disposal, and problems of noise and thermal pollution will be addressed. We will emphasize some of the environmental issues affecting our immediate community, as well as those in developing nations. We will also do several project-based labs, gain understanding of scientific methodology, and learn how to write scientific research reports. Students are expected to engage in scientific inquiry and to view their investigations in broader context, gain a clear sense of scientific process, and to develop quantitative, oral and written communication skills. Class participation, satisfactory work on the required class projects, literature critiques, and laboratory/field reports are required for evaluation. REA, WRI, QUA, PRS, PRJ
NS-0255-1 (125255) Watershed Ecology Christina Cianfrani
This course will explore how water moves through the landscape and through streams and rivers. Students will explore topics in freshwater ecology, hydrology, and watershed management. Areas of focus will include hydrologic cycle/water budgets, watershed characteristics, surface runoff, aquatic ecosystems, and urban hydrology. In addition to gaining an understanding of hydrologic processes, students will collect and analyze hydrologic data from a local watershed and develop a comprehensive watershed management plan.
SS-0207-1 (125140) Environmental Policy in America Robert Rakoff, Stanley Warner
This is a core, introductory course for Division II students in environmental studies, American politics, and political economy. We will examine the history and political economy of environmental policy in America, focusing this semester on water-related policies. We will analyze the ways in which political and economic institutions shape the definition of both environmental problems and policy approaches, and we will evaluate the impacts of national and local policies. The role of social movements and non-governmental organizations such as business groups and environmental advocates in policymaking will be considered. We will critically assess competing ideological approaches to environmental policy as well as cost-benefit analysis and other methodologies. Collaborative student research on specific water issues will form the main current of the course. This course satisfies Division I distribution requirements. PRJ, PRS, REA, WRI
