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Earth & Environment

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  • CAS EE 347: Water Resources and the Environment
    Examines global water resource systems, with emphasis on questions of culture, development, gender, social inequality, politics. Analyzes social relations and historical legacies that shape water infrastructure, distribution, and meaning. Cases from Africa, Middle East, South Asia, East Asia, South America. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Social Inquiry II, Critical Thinking.
    • Critical Thinking
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
    • Social Inquiry II
  • CAS EE 351: Paleoclimatology and Paleoceanography
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: ES/EE 105 or ES/EE 107 or ES/EE 142 or ES/EE 144. GE/EE 101 recommended. - Examines causes and effects of climate change throughout Earth's history. Topics include ice age climates and glaciations; oceanic history; linkages between Arctic and Antarctic ice sheets; tectonic effects; ice-core, coral, and marine sediment records; El Nino; terrestrial extinctions. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Quantitative Reasoning II, Research and Information Literacy.
    • Historical Consciousness
    • Quantitative Reasoning II
    • Research and Information Literacy
  • CAS EE 360: Introduction to Physical Oceanography
    This introduction to physical oceanography course introduces concepts, terminology and topics on the physical properties and dynamics of the ocean. Topics include observations, modelling and theory of ocean circulation and how it impacts the Earth's climate system. Effective Spring 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Quantitative Reasoning II, Scientific Inquiry II.
    • Quantitative Reasoning II
    • Scientific Inquiry II
  • CAS EE 365: An Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: MA 115 or EC 203 or equivalent. - Practical hands-on computing experience using GIS for analyzing data from maps and other sources. Analytical functions unique to GIS are emphasized, as are applications in archaeology, land use planning, environmental monitoring, and other fields. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Quantitative Reasoning I, Scientific Inquiry II.
    • Quantitative Reasoning I
    • Scientific Inquiry II
  • CAS EE 371: Introduction to Geochemistry
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: CAS ES/EE 105 or ES/EE 107 or ES/EE 142 or ES/EE 144; and CH 101 or CH 111 or CH171 or CH131; or equivalent - Chemical features of Earth and the solar system; geochemical cycles, reactions among solids, liquids, and gases; radioactivity and isotope fractionation; water chemistry; origins of ore deposits; applications of geochemistry to regional and global problems. Effective Spring 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Scientific Inquiry I, Oral and/or Signed Communication, Research and Information Literacy.
    • Oral and/or Signed Communication
    • Research and Information Literacy
    • Scientific Inquiry I
  • CAS EE 375: Introduction to Quantitative Environmental Modeling
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: CAS EE 270 or MA 115 or MA 213; or equivalent. - Introduces students to quantitative models of environmental systems. Emphasizes application of quantitative models to environmental problem solving. Includes computer exercises with examples from current environmental issues such as population growth, pollution transport, and biodiversity. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Quantitative Reasoning II.
    • Digital/Multimedia Expression
    • Quantitative Reasoning II
  • CAS EE 394: Environmental History of Africa
    Focus on the African environment and ecological systems over the past 150 years. Topics include climatic change, hydrography, agriculture, deforestation, soil erosion, disease, conservation, famine, and the role of colonialism and government policy in environmental change. Also offered as CAS HI 351. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Scientific Inquiry II, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Research and Information Literacy.
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
    • Research and Information Literacy
    • Scientific Inquiry II
  • CAS EE 396: Sustainability Science: Earth House Practicum 2
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: sophomore standing, residency in Earth House, and CAS EE 395; or consent of instructor. - This seminar-style course is designed for residents of BU's Earth House. The course is intended to enrich student residents' living/learning experience through exploring the theory and practice of sustainability, with 7 Buswell Street serving as the principle object of inquiry. Through guided discussions and student-led research, we will examine the three pillars of sustainability - social, environmental, economic - across four resource domains of food, water, energy, and materials, and consider how these multiple pillars and domains overlap and interact as a nexus. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Ethical Reasoning.
    • Ethical Reasoning
  • CAS EE 400: Environment and Development: A Political Ecology Approach
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: senior standing - Theory and practice of development with an explicit focus on environmental issues. Introduces history of development and the environment; explores select themes in development and environmental studies (e.g. rural livelihoods, conservation, urbanization, and climate change); and considers alternative development paradigms.
  • CAS EE 422: Aquatic Optics & Remote Sensing
    An introduction to the use of optical measurements and remote sensing to study the biogeochemistry and water quality of aquatic environments. Covers fundamental concepts and measurements in optics/remote sensing and provides hands-on experience with real data. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Quantitative Reasoning II, Research and Information Literacy.
    • Oral and/or Signed Communication
    • Quantitative Reasoning II
    • Research and Information Literacy
  • CAS EE 423: Marine Biogeochemistry
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: CH 101 and 102, admission to BUMP or ES/EE 144, or consent of instruct or. - Oceanic nutrient and biogeochemical cycling in the context of the marine response to global change. Links between local and global scales are emphasized. Topics include oceanic productivity, iron limitation, oceanic glacial carbon dioxide budget, biogenic particle fluxes, oceanic glacial- interglacial biogeochemistry. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Scientific Inquiry II, Research and Information Literacy.
    • Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
    • Research and Information Literacy
    • Scientific Inquiry II
  • CAS EE 443: Terrestrial Biogeochemistry
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: BI 107 or ES/EE 105 or ES/EE 107 and CH 101/102, or consent of instructor - The patterns and processes controlling carbon and nutrient cycling in terrestrial ecosystems. Links between local and global scales are emphasized. Topics include net primary production, nutrient use efficiency, and biogeochemical transformation. Also offered as BI 443. Meets with CAS EE 643.
  • CAS EE 444: Digital Image Processing - Remote Sensing
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: CAS GE/EE 302 or equivalent - At least introductory statistics (and preferably multivariate statistics) recommended. This course pursues both the algorithms involved in processing remote sensing images and their application. Topics include preprocessing, image transformations, image classification and segmentation, spectral mixture analysis, and change detection. Examples cover a wide range of environmental applications of remote sensing. Students do a project. Meets with CAS EE 644.
  • CAS EE 445: Physical Models in Remote Sensing
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: CAS GE/EE 302 or equivalent - Devoted to understanding the physical processes involved in remote sensing. Emphasis based on topics of radiative transfer in the atmosphere, at the surface, and in sensors. Reflectance modeling, advanced sensor systems, and geometric effects. Meets with CAS EE 645.
  • CAS EE 446: Remote Sensing of the Lower Atmosphere
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: GE/EE 302 and GE/EE 310 or consent of instructor - Remote sensing has transformed the study of Earth's atmosphere. Learn the principles of retrieving meteorological parameters (humidity, temperature, precipitation) and key atmospheric constituents (clouds, greenhouse gases, aerosol) from satellite observations. Explore applications to climate change, disaster monitoring, and public health. Meets with CAS EE 646. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Quantitative Reasoning II.
    • Quantitative Reasoning II
  • CAS EE 460: Resource Economics and Policy
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: CAS MA 121 or MA 123 or MA 124, or equivalent; EC 101 or equivalent; or consent of instructor. - Economic and policy analysis of food, energy, and water, and the management of food, energy, water and land resources. Introduces resource economics and static and dynamic optimization as analytical frameworks for understanding the optimal management of scarcity, externalities, and impacts of environmental change on, and adaptation/vulnerability of resource use.
  • CAS EE 475: Urban Ecology
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASEE100 OR CASEE101) and one of the following: CAS BI 306, CAS BI 443 or GRS BI 643, CAS EE 456 or GRS EE 656, or CAS BI 530 or CAS EE 530; or consent of instructor. - This course explores the biophysical environments and ecology of urban settlements. Key topics covered include the physical environment (particularly climate & water), patterns in human population growth and development, ecosystem structure and function (net primary productivity, soils, nutrients cycling, organismal populations), global change (urban growth, disturbance, climate change), urban environment pollution and management (air and water quality), and sustainable urban development policies and regulations. Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Scientific Inquiry II, Teamwork/Collaboration.
    • Historical Consciousness
    • Scientific Inquiry II
    • Teamwork/Collaboration
  • CAS EE 483: Environmental and Geophysical Fluid Dynamics
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: CASPY211 & (CASMA123 OR CASMA127 OR CASMA129) or consent of instructor . - Large- and small-scale phenomena in oceanic, atmospheric, and landsurface fluids. Properties of gases and liquids; surface body forces; statics; flow analysis; continuity and momentum conservation. Darcy's Law; potential, open channel, and geostrophic flow; dimensional analysis; diffusion, turbulence. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Quantitative Reasoning II, Scientific Inquiry II, Critical Thinking.
    • Critical Thinking
    • Quantitative Reasoning II
    • Scientific Inquiry II
  • CAS EE 501: Advanced Topics in Remote Sensing
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: GE/EE 302 - Examines advanced concepts in radiative transfer and information extraction relevant to remote sensing. Emphasis on applications of digital image processing to remote sensing problems.
  • CAS EE 503: Micrometeorology: Energy and Mass Transfer at the Earth's Surface
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: CAS GE/EE 310, MA 121, and PY 211. - Modern theories and techniques for measurement and analysis of physical processes occurring at the Earth's surface: radiation regimes; energy and mass exchange; agricultural and forest micrometeorology, remote sensing and modeling of land surface properties and processes.

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