Location: Bowdoin / Environmental Studies / Courses / Fall 2005

Environmental Studies

Related Sites

Courses

Fall 2005 Courses

Visit Bearings to search for courses by title, instructor, department, and more.
Login to Blackboard. Instructional materials are available on a course-by-course basis.

101. Introduction to Environmental Studies: A Freeman III Lawrence Simon Dharanija Vasudevan T 10:00 - 11:25, TH 10:00 - 11:25 Searles-315; An interdisciplinary introduction to the variety of environmental problems caused by humanity and confronting us today. Provides an overview of the state of scientific knowledge about major environmental problems and potential responses of governments and people, an exploration of environmental issues, both global and regional, and an exploration of why societies often have such difficulty in reaching consensus on effective and equitable policies within existing political and economic institutions. Preference given to first- and second-year students. Required for ES majors.
LAB: A Freeman III TH 1:00 - 1:55
LAB: Lawrence Simon F 9:30 - 10:25
LAB: Lawrence Simon F 10:30 - 11:25
LAB: Dharanija Vasudevan TH 2:00 - 2:55
LAB: A Freeman III TH 3:00 - 3:55
103. Marine Environmental Geology: Edward Laine M 8:00 - 9:25, W 8:00 - 9:25 Druckenmiller-004
An introduction to the aspects of marine geology and oceanography that affect the environment and marine resources. Topics include estuarine oceanography and sediments, eutrophication of coastal waters, primary productivity, waves and tides, sea level history, glacial geology of coastal Maine, and an introduction to plate tectonics. Weekly field trips and labs examine local environmental problems affecting Casco Bay and the Maine coast. Two one-day weekend field excursions are required.
LAB: Cathryn Field W 1:15 - 4:30
LAB: Cathryn Field TH 1:15 - 4:30
202. Environmental Policy and Politics: Anne Hayden M 1:00 - 2:25, W 1:00 - 2:25 Searles-215
Examines alternative ways to protect our environment. Analyzes environmental policies and the regulatory regime that has developed in the United States, as well as new approaches such as free-market environmentalism, civic environmentalism, environmental justice, sustainable development, and environmental policies and politics in other countries. Includes intensive study of specific local and global issues such as air and water pollution, land conservation, or the reduction and management of wastes.
215. Behavioral Ecology and Population Biology: Nathaniel Wheelwright T 8:30 - 9:55, TH 8:30 - 9:55 Druckenmiller-020; Study of the behavior of animals and plants, and the interactions between organisms and their environment. Topics include population growth and structure, and the influence of competition, predation, and other factors on the behavior, abundance, and distribution of plants and animals. Laboratory sessions, field trips, and research projects emphasize concepts in ecology, evolution and behavior, research techniques, and the natural history of local plants and animals. Optional field trip to the Bowdoin Scientific Station on Kent Island.
LAB: Nancy Olmstead M 1:00 - 4:55
LAB: Nancy Olmstead T 1:00 - 4:55
219. Biology of Marine Organisms: Amy Johnson T 10:00 - 11:25, TH 10:00 - 11:25 Druckenmiller-016; The study of the biology and ecology of marine mammals, seabirds, fish, intertidal and subtidal invertebrates, algae, and plankton. Also considers the biogeographic consequences of global and local ocean currents on the evolution and ecology of marine organisms. Laboratories, field trips, and research projects emphasize natural history, functional morphology, and ecology. Lectures and three hours of laboratory or field trip per week. One weekend field trip included.
LAB: David Guay T 1:00 - 4:55
LAB: David Guay W 1:00 - 4:55
220. Underdevelopment and Strategies for Sustainable Development in Poor Countries: David Vail W 9:30 - 10:55, F 9:30 - 10:55 Hubbard-22; The major economic features of underdevelopment are investigated, with stress on uneven development and the interrelated problems of poverty, population growth, inequality, urban bias, and environmental degradation. The assessment of development strategies emphasizes key policy choices, such as export promotion versus import substitution, agriculture versus industry, plan versus market, and capital versus labor-intensive technologies. Topics include global economic integration and environmental sustainability.
222. Introduction to Human Population: Nancy Riley M 8:00 - 9:25, W 8:00 - 9:25 Sills-117; An introduction to the major issues in the study of population. Focuses on the social aspects of the demographic processes of fertility, mortality, and migration. Also examines population change in Western Europe historically, recent demographic changes in Third World countries, population policy, and the social and environmental causes and implications of changes in births, deaths, and migration.
225. Community and Ecosystem Ecology: John Lichter M 10:30 - 11:25, W 10:30 - 11:25, F 10:30 - 11:25 Druckenmiller-110; Community ecology is the study of the dynamic patterns in the distribution and abundance of organisms. Ecosystem ecology is the study of the flow of energy and cycling of matter through ecological communities across multiple spatial scales. Explores the multitude of interactions among populations of plants, animals, and microbes, and between those populations and the physical and chemical environment. Topics include the creation and function of biodiversity, the complexity of species interactions in food webs, the role of disturbance in ecosystem processes, the relative magnitude of top-down versus bottom-up controls in ecosystems, and much more. Laboratory sessions consist of local field trips, team research exercises, and independent field research projects. Time is also set aside for discussions of current and classic scientific literature.
LAB: Jaret Reblin W 1:00 - 4:55
LAB: Jaret Reblin TH 1:00 - 4:55
227. City and Landscape in Modern Europe: London, Paris, Vienna, Berlin: Jill Pearlman T 1:00 - 2:25, TH 1:00 - 2:25 Druckenmiller-020; Evolution of the built environment in four European cities from the mid-eighteenth century to the present. A variety of factors — geography, natural resources, politics, industrialization, transportation, planning, and architectural design — are considered as determinants of city form. Topics include the shaping of capital cities, housing parks, public spaces, boulevards and streets, urban infrastructure, and environmental problems.
231. Native Peoples and Cultures of Arctic America: Anne Henshaw T 11:30 - 12:55, TH 11:30 - 12:55 Searles-113; For thousands of years, Eskimos (Inuit), Indian, and Aleut peoples lived in the Arctic regions of North America as hunters, gatherers, and fishermen. Their clothing, shelter, food, and implements were derived from resources recovered from the sea, rivers, and the land. The characteristics of Arctic ecosystems are examined. The social, economic, political, and religious lives of various Arctic-dwelling peoples are explored in an effort to understand how people have adapted to harsh northern environments.
235. Green Injustice: Environment and Equity in North American History: Matthew Klingle M 2:30 - 3:55, W 2:30 - 3:55 Adams-103; Seminar. Examines the historical foundations of environmental racism and environmental justice in North America. Students investigate how tensions between inclusion and exclusion through time have blurred the boundaries between nature and culture. Explores such topics as the expulsion of Native Americans from public lands; agriculture and antebellum slavery; immigration, disease, and the rise of public health and urban planning; the impact of weeds and invasive species upon community relations in the West; the role of science and technology in defining environmental and social problems; class conflict and conservation policy; and the transnational dimensions of pollution.
240. Environmental Law: Conrad Schneider M 8:00 - 9:25, W 8:00 - 9:25 Adams-103; Examines critically some of the most important American environmental laws and applies them to environmental problems that affect the United States and the world. Students learn what the law currently requires and how it is administered by federal and state agencies, and are encouraged to examine the effectiveness of current law and consider alternative approaches.
241. Principles of Land-Use Planning: Kristina Ford T 11:30 - 12:55, TH 11:30 - 12:55 Druckenmiller-004; Land-how it is used, who controls it, the tension between private and public rights to it-is central to today's enviromental debate. Land-use planning is inevitably part of that debate. It is a bridge between the physical enviroment (the land) and the social, economic, and political forces affecting that enviroment. The course exposes students to the physical principles of land-use planning and the legal and socioeconomic principles that underlie it.
243. Modern Architecture: 1750 to 2000: Jill Pearlman M 1:00 - 2:25, W 1:00 - 2:25 VAC-Beam Classroom; The course examines major buildings, architects, architectural theories and debates during the modern period, with a strong emphasis on Europe through 1900, and both the U.S. and Europe in the twentieth century. Central issues of concern include: architecture as an important carrier of historical, social, and political meaning; changing ideas of history and progress in built form; and the varied architectural responses to industrialization. While exploring these and other issues, the course also attempts to develop students’ visual acuity and ability to interpret architectural form. Not open to students who have previously enrolled in Environmental Studies 245.
255. Physical Oceanography: Mark Battle M 9:30 - 10:25, W 9:30 - 10:25, F 9:30 - 10:25 Searles-313; An introduction to physical oceanography, including tides, ocean currents, seawater properties, and wave motion. Some attention is given to the problems of instrumentation and the techniques of measurement.
261. Romanticism, Lyricism, and Nature: David Collings T 10:00 - 11:25, TH 10:00 - 11:25 Sills-109; Examines English romantic poetry about nature, with particular emphasis on the way such poetry finds a lyric impulse already present in nature. Considers such subjects as the interplay of nature and transcendence, the supernatural dimension of nature, the boundary between the human and the natural, the contrast of urban and rural life, and the value of traditional landed society. Authors may include Clare, Coleridge, Keats, Shelley, and Wordsworth.
305. Investigations in the Maine Landscape: Carol Wilson F 9:00 - 11:55 Adams-104; The setting for this course is the Coastal Studies Center on Orr's Island. We will investigate the fundamental characteristics of place including climate, topography, solar patterns and tides as well as the cultural and experiential aspects of this site. We will put together a pictorial analysis of the landscape, through mapping, drawing, photographs and collage in an attempt to describe the interrelationships between the site ecologies and to dispel the myth of our culture that the world is divided into the sciences and technology on one side and the artistic, spiritual and emotional on the other. There will be readings, site exploration, student visual presentations of research, and discussions with guest scholars. The culmination and focus of this studio/seminar will be a built response demonstrating not only our understanding of the nature of the site, but also the 'culture' of the constructors with all of its implied meanings and expression: physical, spatial and experiential.
318. Environmental and Resource Economics: Guillermo Herrera M 2:30 - 3:55, W 2:30 - 3:55 Searles-314; Seminar. Analysis of externalities and market failure; models of optimum control of pollution and efficient management of renewable and nonrenewable natural resources such as fisheries, forests, and minerals; benefit-cost analysis, risk-benefit assessment, and the techniques for measuring benefits and costs of policies. Not open to students who have taken Economics 218 or 228 except by permission of the instructor.
380. Environmental Fate of Organic Chemicals: Dharanija Vasudevan M 9:30 - 10:25, W 9:30 - 10:25, F 9:30 - 10:25 Kanbar Hall - 109; Over 100,000 synthetic chemicals are currently in daily use. In order to determine the risk posed to humans and ecosystems, we need to understand and anticipate the extent and routes of chemical exposure. This course addresses the fate to organic chemicals following their intentional or unintentional release into the environment - why these chemicals either persist or breakdown and how are they distributed between surface water, ground water, soil, sediments, biota and air. Analysis of chemical structure is used to gain insight into the molecular interactions that determine the various chemical transfer and transformation processes, while emphasizing the quantitative description of these processes.
394. The Ecology and Environmental History of Merrymeeting Bay: John Lichter F 1:30 - 4:25 Druckenmiller-224; Merrymeeting Bay, a globally rare, inland freshwater river delta and estuary that supports productive and diverse biological communities, is home to numerous rare and endangered species and is critical habitat for migratory and resident waterfowl, as well as anadromous fish. This seminar explores the ecology and environmental history of Merrymeeting Bay in order to understand how its rare natural habitats might best be managed. Students participate in a thorough review of the scientific and historical literature related to Merrymeeting Bay, and help plan, conduct, and analyze a group study investigating some aspect of the ecology and/or environmental history of the bay, with the intent of submitting a manuscript for publication in an appropriate scientific journal.