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Earth & Environment

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  • CAS EE 509: Applied Environmental Statistics
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: Introductory statistics (CAS MA 115/116 or MA 213/124 or equivalent), Calculus I (CAS MA 121 or CAS MA 123 or equivalent), and First-Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120. - Survey of modern probability-based statistical methods in environmental science. Core concepts in likelihood and Bayesian approaches are used to address spatial, time-series, and latent variable models and non-Gaussian, non-linear, heterogeneous, and missing data. Project-based course focused on applications to data. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Writing-Intensive Course.
    • Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
    • Writing-Intensive Course
  • CAS EE 510: Physical Principles of the Environment
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: GE/EE 310; 2 semesters of calculus (MA 123 and 124, or 127, or 129), 1 semester of statistics (MA 213, or GE/EE 270, or equivalent), 1 semester of physics (PY 211 or 251); or consent of instructor. - Principles and concepts underlying the physical and ecological forces that cause environmental change. Topics include soil erosion, acid rain, thermal pollution, greenhouse effect, stratospheric ozone depletion, and loss of biodiversity.
  • CAS EE 511: Introduction to the Atmospheric Boundary Layer
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: CASEE 310, 2 semesters of calculus (CASMA 123 & 124, or 127, or 129), 1 semester of statistics (CASMA 213 or CASEE 270, or equivalent), 1 semester of physics (CASPY 211 or 251); or instructor consent. - Covers the basic dynamics of the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL), with a focus on the ABL processes and modeling. Introduces statistical descriptions of turbulent flows in the atmosphere and the connection between the ABL and other environment/climate system processes. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Quantitative Reasoning II, Scientific Inquiry II, Research and Information Literacy.
    • Quantitative Reasoning II
    • Research and Information Literacy
    • Scientific Inquiry II
  • CAS EE 512: Urban Climate
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: one semester of physics (PY 211, 212 or 251) is required, one semester of calculus (MA 123 or 124, or 127, or 129) is recommended, prior coding experience is strongly encouraged, or consent of instructor - Introduction to urban microclimate within the context of global climate change. Basic climate processes in urban systems; urban heat islands; mixing and dispersion; modeling and observational techniques; anthropogenic emissions; climate change impacts on cities; mitigation and adaptation. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Scientific Inquiry I, Research and Information Literacy.
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
    • Research and Information Literacy
    • Scientific Inquiry I
  • CAS EE 514: Dynamic Landsurface Hydrology
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: MA 121 or MA 123 or MA 127 and one of: CH 101, CH 111, CH 131, CH 171, or PY 105, PY 211, PY 251. - Land surface hydrology with emphasis on the unsaturated zone. Development and applications of physics governing transport of water, vapor, and heat in soils and the near surface atmosphere. Effects of vegetation, topography, and water table on runoff, evapotranspiration, and recharge.
  • CAS EE 516: Multivariate Analysis for Geographers
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: CASEE 270 or CASMA 214 or equivalent, and CASEE 375, or consent of instructor. - Applications of multivariate techniques to problems in spatial context, emphasizing interpretation. Review of regression and analysis of variance. Introduction to topics including canonical correlation, factor analysis, discriminant and clustering analyses
  • CAS EE 518: Environmental Risk Governance and Society
    Drawing on insights from across the social and environmental sciences, this course explores the relationships between risk, governance and society in a variety of international contexts (USA, Europe, and China especially) and policy domains.
  • CAS EE 519: Energy, Society, and the Environment
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: CASEE 309 or equivalent. - Examination of the role of energy in meeting human needs and environmental change. Topics include the history of energy, climate change, energy and climate justice, energy and the economy, and sustainable development.
  • CAS EE 521: Law for Sustainability
    Survey of the major features of environmental law and relevant procedural and constitutional issues. Comparison of practical realities (political, economic, social, geographic, biological) with the ideal context for what should be. Projects include legal research and mock advocacy.
  • CAS EE 522: The Development of Sustainable Environmental Responsibility
    In-depth look at environmental policy and decision-making: how society addresses environmental problems. Includes discussion of the environmental movement, law, science, technology, economics, and international relations. Examines new issues facing environmental professionals and approaches to creating a sustainable world. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Historical Consciousness, Creativity/Innovation.
    • Creativity/Innovation
    • Historical Consciousness
    • The Individual in Community
  • CAS EE 524: Environmental Justice
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: junior standing or consent of instructor; First Year Writing Seminar ( e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - Exploration of the origins of and current trends in environmental justice activism and scholarship. Introduces empirical evidence of environmental (in)justice, links contemporary environmental problems to historical and broader political-economic processes, and explores a range of responses to environmental injustice. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, The Individual in Community, Social Inquiry II.
    • The Individual in Community
    • Social Inquiry II
    • Writing-Intensive Course
  • CAS EE 525: Plant Physiological Ecology
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: BI 303 or BI 306 or BI 305, and CH 101, PY 211, or equivalent - In-depth treatment of eco-physiological responses of plants and communities to environmental factors and climate change, as well as plant and community level impacts on the environment as manifested primarily in hydrologic, energy, and carbon cycles.
  • CAS EE 526: Global Energy Justice
    How can justice help people make meaningful decisions about energy and climate change' This course connects the discussion of energy security, climate action, and technology with long-standing notions of virtue, utility, happiness, welfare, freedom, distributive justice, and procedural justice.
  • CAS EE 528: US Environmental Policy
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120); CAS EE 100 or equivalent; EE 309 or equivalent; or consent of instructor. - Survey and historical overview of key environmental policies and regulations in the United States. Emphasis on policy development, including formulation and implementation of federal pollution control regulations since the National Environmental Policy Act of 1970. Considers possible future policy needs. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Social Inquiry II, Research and Information Literacy.
    • Research and Information Literacy
    • Social Inquiry II
    • Writing-Intensive Course
  • CAS EE 529: Modeling and Monitoring Terrestrial Ecosystems Processes
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: CASEE 302; and CASBI 303 or CASBI 306. - Concepts and problems at the interface of ecosystem process modeling and satellite remote sensing; current methods and challenges in modeling terrestrial primary production at regional-to-global scales; capabilities, limitations, and prospects of satellite remote sensing as a tool for collecting biotic and abiotic data in ecosystem process studies.
  • CAS EE 533: Quantitative Geomorphology
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASMA121 OR CASMA123 OR CASMA127 OR CASMA129) - Quantitative analyses of surface processes that lead to landform evolution and landscape change. Emphasizes study of analytical techniques in understanding specific depositional and erosional processes; models of global landscape change; tectonic and climatic geomorphology. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Quantitative Reasoning II, Oral and/or Signed Communication, Creativity/Innovation.
    • Creativity/Innovation
    • Oral and/or Signed Communication
    • Quantitative Reasoning II
  • CAS EE 538: Research for Environmental Agencies and Organizations 2
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: junior standing or consent of instructor. - Students gain professional experience by working in teams on research projects that assist environmental and public health officials in achieving the missions of their agencies. Research areas may include solar energy, environmental justice, toxics, water quality, and lead poisoning. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following Hub areas: Social Inquiry II, Teamwork/Collaboration, The Individual in Community.
    • The Individual in Community
    • Social Inquiry II
    • Teamwork/Collaboration
  • CAS EE 540: Atmospheric Chemistry and Global Change
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: CASCH 101 or CH 109 or CH 111 or CH 171; CASMA 123 or MA 127 or MA 129; CASEE 270 or equivalent statistics course. - An introduction to the chemistry and physics of atmospheric pollution, and the impacts of air pollution on human welfare and the environment. Highlights the interactions between air quality, the biosphere, climate, and sustainable development. Effective Fall 2020, 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 542: Coastal Ecosystems: Adaptation and Resilience to Environmental Change
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: enrollment in the Marine Semester. - Focuses on saltmarsh, seagrass, and intertidal mudflats. Topics include: biology, ecology and geology; key flora/fauna; ecological/economic importance; natural/anthropogenic threats; and strategies to protect, restore, enhance, and assess resilience. Offered as part of the Marine Semester.
  • CAS EE 543: Estuaries and Nearshore Systems
    Physical and ecological processes interacting in estuarine and nearshore environments, including salt marshes, beaches, lagoons, deltas, and in wave- and tide-dominated regimes. Lectures complemented by extensive field work oriented toward individual and group research projects.

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