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Earth & Environment

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  • 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.
    • Social Inquiry II
    • Research and Information Literacy
    • Writing-Intensive Course
  • CAS EE 529: Modeling and Monitoring Terrestrial Ecosystems Processes
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: CAS GE/EE 302; AND (CASBI303 OR CASBI306)
    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 530: Forest Ecology
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: BI 107 and BI 303 or BI 306, or consent of instructor
    Prerequisites: CASBI107 and CASBI303 or CASBI306, or consent of instructor. The major biotic and abiotic factors influencing forest ecosystem composition, structure and function. Role of solar radiation, hydrology, soils, succession, and management of forest ecosystems. Includes New England case study. Three hours lecture plus discussion. Also meets with BI 530. Effective Spring 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Scientific Inquiry II, Research and Information Literacy.
    • Scientific Inquiry II
    • Oral and/or Signed Communication
    • Research and Information Literacy
  • CAS EE 533: Quantitative Geomorphology
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: CAS MA 121 or CAS MA 123 or CAS MA 127 or CAS MA 129.
    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.
    • Quantitative Reasoning II
    • Oral and/or Signed Communication
    • Creativity/Innovation
  • 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 539: Coral Reef Dynamics: Shallow Waters, Deep Time
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: Admission to BUMP
    Tropical reefs-- diverse, complex, and ancient-- exhibit lawful cycles of growth, degradation, and regeneration. Explore these through observations on the Belize Barrier Reef in fossil reef environments and through laboratory experiments. Insights are applied to reef conservation in today's changing world. Also offered as BI 539. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Scientific Inquiry II, Creativity/Innovation.
  • CAS EE 540: Atmospheric Chemistry and Global Change
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: CAS CH 101 or CH 109 or CH 111 or CH 171; MA 123 or MA 127 or MA 129;GE/EE 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.
    • Scientific Inquiry II
    • Quantitative Reasoning 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.
  • CAS EE 544: Coastal Sedimentology
    This course teaches sedimentological concepts so that students are able to interpret depositional environments and landforms. Learning is primarily achieved through field activities and firsthand exposure to diverse physical processes and coastal settings, from central Maine to Cape Cod. Global warming, sea-level rise, and increased storminess are preferentially impacting the coastal zone causing frequent flooding, wide scale erosion and shoreline recession, and storm induced damage. Information gained in this course informs decisions about managing coastal resources.
  • CAS EE 545: Methods of Environmental Policy Analysis
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: CAS MA 121 or MA 123 or MA 124, or equivalent; EC 101, or equivalent;or consent of instructor.
    A rigorous introduction to the economic analysis of environmental policy, and to the implications of the special character of environmental problems for public decision making. Introduces the tools available to environmental policy makers, and develops quantitative frameworks for analyzing their effectiveness, advantages, and disadvantages. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Quantitative Reasoning II, Social Inquiry II, Research and Information Literacy.
    • Quantitative Reasoning II
    • Social Inquiry II
    • Research and Information Literacy
  • CAS EE 552: Reconstructing Environmental Governance
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: CAS EE 521.
    Helps those who seek a future of participation in the reconstruction of systems and expectations for consumer, health, and environmental protection, that have been dismantled in recent years and can be restored to function better than before. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Social Inquiry II, Critical Thinking.
    • The Individual in Community
    • Social Inquiry II
    • Critical Thinking
  • CAS EE 555: World Oil Markets
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: EC 101 or another microeconomics course
    Cover the supply chains in international oil markets. For each stage of the supply chain, Kaufmann will describe the relevant theory from geology, economics, and politics and how they interact to generate real-world behavior.
  • CAS EE 557: Oceanography of Stellwagen Bank and Surrounding Waters
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: admission to BUMP, and ES/EE 144 and CH 101 and CH 102 (or CH 171 andCH 172); or consent of instructor
    Nutrient distribution and physical oceanography of Stellwagen Bank and adjacent waters. Bathymetric influences and effects of ocean currents of biogeochemical parameters. Includes day-long cruises on NOAA research vessel. Previosuly offered as CAS ES 557.
  • CAS EE 562: Tropical Seagrasses: Ecology and Conservation
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: admittance to the Marine Semester, which requires the student has taken at least one Marine Breadth class.
    This field course focuses on tropical seagrasses located in the Turneffe Atoll Marine Reserve Belize. Lecture topics include seagrass biology, ecology and conservation. Students gain proficiency in research and field assessment methods and carry out a group research project.
  • CAS EE 578: Marine Geographic Information Science
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: BI 260 and ES/EE 144; MA 213 is recommended
    Introduction to marine geographic information systems and spatial analysis for conservation, management, and marine landscape ecology. Comparative examples from Gulf of Maine and tropics. Solve problems in coastal zoning and marine park design, whale and coral reef conservation. Also offered as BI 578.
  • CAS EE 585: Ecological Forecasting and Informatics
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: BI 303 or BI 306; MA 121 or MA 123; MA 115 or MA 213 or GE/EE 375; orconsent of instructor.
    The statistics and informatics of model-data fusion and forecasting: data management, workflows, Bayesian statistics, uncertainty analysis, fusing multiple data sources, assessing model performance, scenario development, decision analysis, and data assimilation. Case studies highlight ecological forecasting across a range of subdisciplines. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Ethical Reasoning, Teamwork/Collaboration.
    • Ethical Reasoning
    • Oral and/or Signed Communication
    • Teamwork/Collaboration
  • CAS EE 591: Bio-Optical Oceanography
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: admission to BUMP
    This field- and lab-based course will explore how the optically active constituents in seawater affect the in-water light field, and in turn, how field optics and remote sensing can facilitate the study of marine biogeochemistry, biological oceanography and water quality.
  • CAS EE 593: Marine Physiology and Climate Change
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: BI 108
    Explores the range of physiological responses marine organisms exhibit in response to climate change. Investigates phenotypic plasticity exhibited across different organisms and how this plasticity can influence an organism's resilience to its changing environment.
  • CAS EE 594: Global Environmental Negotiation and Policy
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: junior standing or consent of instructor.
    Provides an overview of key actors, issues, and treaties in global environmental governance, paying particular attention to historical and contemporary differences in perspectives and interests of industrialized and developing countries. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, Social Inquiry II.
    • Ethical Reasoning
    • Social Inquiry II

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