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Course Criteria
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3.00 Credits
PQ: Prior introductory course in ecology or consent of instructor. This course provides an introduction into the physical, chemical, and biological forces controlling the function of marine ecosystems and how marine communities are organized. The structures of various types of marine ecosystems are described and contrasted, and the lectures highlight aspects of marine ecology relevant to applied issues such as conservation and harvesting. T. Wootton. Winter.
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3.00 Credits
PQ: Completion of the general education requirement in social sciences. This course provides analytical perspectives on citizen preference theory, public choice, group theory, bureaucrats and state-centered theory, coalition theory, elite theories, and political culture. These competing analytical perspectives are assessed in considering middle-range theories and empirical studies on central themes of political sociology. Local, national, and cross-national analyses are explored. T. Clark. Spring.
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3.00 Credits
This course examines human engagement with the natural world in what is now the United States. The promise of Edenic bounty, the threat of desolate wilderness, and the temptations of unprecedented affluence have each been seen as crucial to the formation of American identity. We explore the interaction of environmental change with human activities and ideologies that reflect broader themes in American culture. A.Gugliotta. Winter. Not offered 2009 C10; will be offered 201 0 -11.
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3.00 Credits
PQ: CHEM 11101-11201 or equivalent, and prior calculus course. The focus of this course is the fundamental science underlying issues of local and regional scale pollution. In particular, the lifetimes of important pollutants in the air, water, and soils are examined by considering the roles played by photochemistry, surface chemistry, biological processes, and dispersal into the surrounding environment. Specific topics include urban air quality, water quality, long-lived organic toxins, heavy metals, and indoor air pollution. Control measures are also considered. This course is offered in alternate years. D. Archer, A. Colman. Autumn. L.
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3.00 Credits
PQ: Third- or fourth-year standing required; background in environmental issues not required. This discussion course grapples with the "big problem" of sustainable development. We analyze problematical issues underlying population growth, resource use, environmental transformation, and the plight of developing nations through a consideration of economic, political, scientific, and cultural institutions and processes . Y. Fujita, G. Davis. Spring.
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3.00 Credits
Making environmental policy is a diverse and complex process. Environmental advocacy engages different governmental agencies, congressional committees, and courts, depending on the issue. This course examines how such differentiation has affected policy making over the last several decades. R. Lodato. Winter.
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3.00 Credits
PQ: Knowledge of physics or consent of instructor. This course covers the technologies by which humans appropriate energy for industrial and societal use, from steam turbines to internal combustion engines to photovoltaics. We also discuss the physics and economics of the resulting human energy system: fuel sources and relationship to energy flows in the Earth system; and modeling and simulation of energy production and use. Our goal is to provide a technical foundation for students interested in careers in the energy industry or in energy policy. Field trips to major energy converters (e.g., coal-fired and nuclear power plants, oil refinery, biogas digester) and users (e.g., steel, fertilizer production) required. E. Moyer. Winter.
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3.00 Credits
PQ: Completion of the general education requirement for the biological sciences and consent of instructor. This course focuses on the contribution of ecological theory to the understanding of current issues in conservation biology. We emphasize quantitative methods and their use for applied problems in ecology (e.g., design of natural reserves, risk of extinction, impact of harvesting, dynamics of species invasions, role of species interaction). Course material is drawn mostly from the current primary literature. One Saturday field trip and computer modeling labs required in addition to scheduled class time. C. Pfister, E. Larsen. Autumn. L.
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3.00 Credits
Although this course is concerned with Holocene vegetation history and the impact of humans on that vegetation, concepts and lab skills presented can be applied to a variety of disciplines. Initial lab exercises prepare students for the primary focus of the course: the collection, processing, analysis, and interpretation of a pollen core from a local wetland. We take one weekend field trip to collect the core and observe local vegetation. Students then analyze and interpret pollen from the core, culminating in an in-class research symposium. K. Morrison. Spring.
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3.00 Credits
PQ: Third- or fourth-year standing, or consent of instructor. This course draws on a ten-day field study of small, organic farms in the Berkshires to explore the environmental impact of modern industrial agriculture and realistic alternatives. Of interest are the roles of natural setting (i.e., geology, climate, meteorology); energy use and material flow; techniques of food production; dietary choices; and development and conservation strategies. Students are financially responsible for travel in December. A classroom component of lectures, readings, and exercises precedes the field trip. P. Martin. Autumn, Winter.
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