2024-2025

View all course descriptions here.

2024-2025 Course Descriptions 

201 – Earth: A Habitable Planet

This course provides an overview of the physical processes governing environmental systems, from the Earth's lithosphere to hydrosphere to atmosphere. We will cover internal and external sources of energy to the Earth system; the processes from tectonic to atmospheric that are driven by that energy; and some human impacts on the resulting environmental systems. Students will gain physical science perspectives on current debates about environmental issues, such as those over water resources, energy, and climate change.

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202 – Health of the Biosphere

This course studies the growth of populations and their interactions in ecological communities. Topics include: the ecological niche; projections of population growth, including the history of human growth, harvesting populations, and population viability analysis of endangered species; interactions among species, including competition, predation, and disease transmission; measuring the diversity of ecological communities; the effects of diversity on energy flow. More advanced topics will also be addressed, including the biodiversity-stability relationship, the economic values of biodiversity and ecosystem function, and the biology and management of metapopulations in fragmented habitats.

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203 – Humans and the Environment

Environmental science is the interdisciplinary study of how humans interact with the living and nonliving parts of their environment. In this course, we will examine current environmental challenges, such as climate change, the conservation of biodiversity, the sustainable production of energy, and the implications of human population growth. A case study approach will be used bringing in dimensions of ethics, justice, law, economics, policy, culture, and more, in compliment to the understanding of the geosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and atmosphere functions and condition. 

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390 – Geographic Information Systems (GIS) - Vector Focused

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is a powerful analytical tool for spatial datasets with a very wide range of interdisciplinary applications. This is a first course for students with no or little knowledge in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and spatial theory. We will apply GIS methods and tools by working with vector data types, that represent the real-world objects as point, lines and polygons. This class will provide students with both theoretical and technical GIS skills through hands on learning and lab assignments, with a final real-world problem-solving mini project and a lot of fun.

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390 – Geographic Information Systems (GIS) - Raster and Remote Sensing

We will focus on the raster GIS environment, which is the core analytical GIS data structure used for natural resource modeling and environmental analysis. Students will learn the raster structure and its advantages and limitations; will learn tools and techniques used to display, process, and analyze remotely sensed data, including appropriate raster data management and procedures; raster surface modeling and image interpretation; map-algebra concepts using ArcGIS Spatial Analyst; proximity and dispersion modeling. Student will be assessed on in-class exercises, homework assignments, weekly labs, a final exam, and a final project in which students will demonstrate their ability to apply new skills to a real-world situation of academic interest by preparing and presenting a research poster.

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390 – Environmental Site Assessment

TBD

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