Transfer Student Courses in EnvironmentConsult the new Course Guide at: http://www.lsa.umich.edu/lsa/cg_subjectlist/0,2030,8,00.html?show=20&termArray=f_04_1510&cgtype=ug This page was created at 12:33 PM on Wed, May 5, 2004. Fall Academic Term, 2004 (September 7 - December 23)ENVIRON 201. Ecological Issues.
Section 001.Instructor(s): James Stephen DianaPrerequisites & Distribution: (4). (NS). (BS). May not be repeated for credit. Credits: (4). Course Homepage: No homepage submitted. A course involving lectures and discussions on ecological principles and concepts underlying the management and use of natural resources, with consideration of socioeconomic factors and institutional roles. Throughout the course, emphasis is placed on the importance of interdisciplinary approaches to matters concerning the allocation of natural resources and the quality of our environment. Topics covered include biodiversity, endangered species, exploitation practices, tropical deforestation, agriculture, air and water pollution, energy production and use, waste disposal, and the role of politics and economics in environmental issues.
ENVIRON 270 / NRE 270. Our Common Future: Ecology, Economics & Ethics of Sustainable Development.
Section 001.Instructor(s):Prerequisites & Distribution: (4). (Excl). May not be repeated for credit. Credits: (4). Course Homepage: No homepage submitted. An interdisciplinary foundation of the concepts and strategies of sustainability from an ecological, economic, and sociopolitical perspective. The quest for sustainable development is the most critical, yet challenging, issue of our times. Defining what sustainable development is and how it ought to be accomplished is profoundly influencing government, academics, business, science, and people's culture and livelihoods at the local, national, and global scale. The disciplines of ecology, economics, sociology, and politics are experiencing major paradigm shifts that seek to re-address our proper role and influence on the planet and its resources.
Through readings, discussions, and assignments, we will explore the discourse, perspectives, methodologies, and limitations of interrelated disciplines — all essential for charting a new common future. Full (book) case studies in environmental and natural resource issues from three major professional perspectives are presented as real working examples of how environmental policies and outcomes are shaped in practice. The aim is to foster critical thinking and to evaluate what we all can contribute to the pursuit of a sustainable biosphere.
ENVIRON 302. Topics in Environmental Social Science.
Section 001 — North American Integration and the Environment. [3 credits]. Meets with POLSCI 389.003.Instructor(s): Debora VanNijnattenPrerequisites & Distribution: (1-4). (Excl). May be elected twice for credit. May be elected more than once in the same term. Credits: (1-4). Course Homepage: No homepage submitted. It has been almost a decade since the North American Free Trade Agreement was signed, and the debate concerning the environmental impacts of NAFTA — e.g., the creation of pollution havens and a "race-to-the-bottom" in domestic environmental regulations due to competitive pressures associated with trade liberalization — continues unabated. Yet, discussions about environmental protection in North America are increasingly being situated within a broader dialogue concerning "continental integration." Here, emphasis is placed not only on economic interactions among the three countries of North America — the United States, Canada, and Mexico — and the impacts of these interactions on domestic political agendas and policy choices, but also on the possibility of political and even cultural forces as a potential drivers of political and policy convergence. The first task of the course will be to familiarize ourselves with the nature of environmental "spillovers" in North America. To what extent are environmental problems transboundary? Which problems are truly continental and which are primarily bilateral (Canadian-American, American-Mexican) in nature? In addition, we need to have a working knowledge of the environmental regulatory frameworks and policy capacity in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. With regard to the latter, we will briefly compare the situation in Canada and Mexico with that in the United States. Second, although one might instinctively agree that the three countries sharing the North American continent — the United States, Canada and Mexico — seem to have ever closer ties, there is much that requires closer examination here. In order to frame our discussion of environmental protection in the North American context, we will engage in some discussion of what the term "North American integration" actually means. What, exactly, is integrating? What are the drivers of integration, i.e., are they only economic, or are there political and cultural forces at work? How might these various forces interact? What is the scholarly consensus with regards to the current and projected pace of integration? Finally, what are the perspectives of Canadian, American, and Mexican policy actors with respect to "the integration project"? We will then turn to a more detailed examination of economic, political, and cultural integration in terms of their potential impact on the dynamics of environmental cooperation across borders as well as on domestic decision-making. With respect to economic integration, we need to understand the debates about and most recent evidence with respect to the trade-environment nexus more broadly, but also the impacts of specific provisions in NAFTA (e.g., Chapter 11 on investment). Further, to what extent has political integration, in terms of both the development of shared decision-making mechanisms and a weakening of environmental policy autonomy, occurred? And, is there evidence that the development of shared cultural values may be impacting environmental decision-making in North America? An interesting question here is whether these drivers of integration are operating more forcefully and in different ways at the sub-national level, e.g., states and provinces. In the final section of the course, each student will apply what we have learned with regard to integration to a chosen environmental case study (such as air quality, water quality, waste management, species protection, toxics or climate change) and present their research findings to the class. Three questions will guide student presentations of their research efforts: First, to what degree and in what way are economic, political and cultural drivers impacting this policy issue? Second, is there evidence that integration is occurring in this case? Third, does integration (to the extent that it is occurring) appear to be taking a different path at the sub-national level?
ENVIRON 302. Topics in Environmental Social Science.
Section 002 — Crossnational Environmental Politics & Policy. [3 credits]. Meets with POLSCI 389.004.Instructor(s): Walter A Rosenbaum, Debora VanNijnattenPrerequisites & Distribution: (1-4). (Excl). May be elected twice for credit. May be elected more than once in the same term. Credits: (1-4). Course Homepage: No homepage submitted. This course concerns different national styles of environmental policymaking and the reasons for the difference. The course focuses upon the internal political forces shaping national and regional responses to environmental issues, the substantive policies that result, and the impact of global politics upon both political process and policy in different national settings. Students taking this course should have at least an introductory college course in American government, comparative government international relations or closely related fields. Class discussion, reading, and lectures will be supplemented with films/videos and, if possible, with guest lecturers.
ENVIRON 304. Topics in Culture and Environment.
Section 001 — Environmental Journalism: Reporting about Science, Policy, and Public Health. [3 credits].Instructor(s): Emilia Shirin Askari, Julie L HalpertPrerequisites & Distribution: (1-4). (Excl). May be elected twice for credit.
Credits: (1-4). Course Homepage: No homepage submitted. Objective: To introduce students to basic researching and writing skills needed to cover current and emerging environmental issues and to learn how to critique environmental journalism. The course will feature:
ENVIRON 317 / NRE 317. Conservation of Biological Diversity.
Section 001 — Meets with NRE 517.001 and EHS 580.001.Instructor(s): Johannes Foufopoulos (jfoufop@umich.edu)Prerequisites & Distribution: (3). (Excl). (BS). May not be repeated for credit. Credits: (3). Course Homepage: No homepage submitted. Overview of historic and present-day causes of species extinction, and of biological principles central to species conservation and sustainable management of ecosystems. Topics covered include: episodes of extinction and diversification over earth history; geographic distribution strategies; and sustainable use of ecosystems. Weekly discussions deal with material from lectures, assigned readings, and films; and performing computer and gaming simulations.
ENVIRON 328. Wetlands: Ecosystems, Public Policy, and Societal Values.
Section 001.Instructor(s): Brian J KlattPrerequisites & Distribution: An introductory interdisciplinary course in ENVIRON; BIOLOGY 100 or 162; and ENVIRON 210. (4). (ID). May not be repeated for credit. Credits: (4). Course Homepage: No homepage submitted. Through lectures, readings, fieldtrips, and laboratory exercises, the physical, chemical, and biological processes that operate to form wetland ecosystems, and the ecological processes inherent within those systems, will be examined using a multidisciplinary approach involving hydrology; soils; plant biology; and plant and animal community ecology. Students will be provided with a comprehensive understanding of current regulatory protection of wetlands (Federal, state and local agency authority, dredge and fill permits, wetland mitigation and mitigation banking, etc.) and how those regulations grew out of a changing societal perception of wetlands as waste-places and "dismal miasma" in need of "improvement" by humans, to recognition of the functions and values provided by this class of natural resource. Thus, students would also be instructed not only in a broad range of aspects of wetland ecology, but would also examine the interplay of science and societal values in the development of government regulations, as related to a central environmental issue.
ENVIRON 336 / CAAS 332 / NRE 336. Environment and Inequality.
Instructor(s): Dorceta Taylor (dorceta@umich.edu)Prerequisites & Distribution: (4). (SS). (R&E). May not be repeated for credit.
Credits: (4). Course Homepage: No homepage submitted. This course explores the relationship between environment and social inequality. It focuses on American urban environments. The course examines how educational experiences impact occupational and social class outcomes. It also examines how the economic transformations of the city (globalization, shift from manufacturing to service sector jobs, urban renewal and gentrification, zoning, and location of jobs to suburbs) affect urban residents and exacerbate inequalities. The course also examines the relationship between race, class, gender, and the processes by which environmental inequalities arise. Designed for undergraduates interested in exploring the link between environment and inequality. Three take home exams; one term paper.
ENVIRON 337 / EEB 355 / NRE 337. Woody Plants I: Biology and Identification.
Section 001 — Meets with NRE 437.001.Instructor(s): Burton V Barnes (bvb@umich.edu), Melanie Elizabet GunnPrerequisites & Distribution: BIOLOGY 162. (4). (Excl). (BS). May not be repeated for credit. Laboratory fee ($75) required. Credits: (4). Lab Fee: Laboratory fee ($75) required. Course Homepage: No homepage submitted. Ecology, biology, and identification of trees, shrubs, and vines are studied in weekly field trips. Woody plants are studied in their natural ecosystems — including upland (oak-hickory, beech-sugar maple, lake plain), wetland (swamp, bog), and floodplain forests. Non-native species and ornamental plants are taught in the Nichols Arboretum, Saginaw Forest, and Main Campus. Lecture topics include vegetative and reproductive morphology; woody plant biology, ecology, and diversity; variation and genetics; systematics of woody plants; ornamental plants; and forest ecosystems of eastern and western North America.
ENVIRON 360 / PSYCH 384 / NRE 360. Behavior and Environment.
Section 001 — Meets with NRE 560.001 and UP 560.001.Instructor(s):Prerequisites & Distribution: (3). (Excl). May not be repeated for credit. Credits: (3). Course Homepage: No homepage submitted. This course deals with two central themes: First, environmental problems are people problems, requiring an understanding of how people think, what they care about, what motivated them, and the conditions under which they behave most reasonably and creatively. Second, human behavior makes the most sense when studied in the context of the environment both present and evolutionary. This course builds a model of human nature based upon research in the field of environmental psychology. The course will explore such topics as environmental perception and knowledge; preferred environments and coping with the failure of preference; and mental attention fatigue and restoration. It then applies this model to such issues as common property resource management and the psychology of sustainability. The course is cross-disciplinary both in emphasis and student population with the disciplines of: natural resource policy, planning, and management; environmental education and communication; conservation behavior and conservation psychology; landscape architecture and urban planning; and green and sustainable business typically represented.
ENVIRON 370 / NRE 370 / ARCH 423 / UP 423. Introduction to Urban and Environmental Planning.
Section 001.Instructor(s): Richard Kenvin NortonPrerequisites & Distribution: (3). (Excl). May not be repeated for credit. Credits: (3). Course Homepage: No homepage submitted. A comprehensive introductory course. Methods and processes in governmental planning and development of human activity systems requiring space, capital, and management components in the metropolitan environment. Major topics include: space and location planning, zoning and subdivision regulations, urban form and design, new town planning, housing urban renewal, transportation, metropolitan intergovernmental relations, comprehensive urban developmental planning, population and economic planning studies, planning techniques and methods. Emphasis is placed on recent developments and emerging problems.
ENVIRON 411 / NRE 411. Fluvial Ecosystems.
Section 001.Instructor(s): J David Allan (dallan@umich.edu)Prerequisites & Distribution: ENVIRON 311, and an upper-level aquatic ecology or hydrology course. (4). (Excl). May not be repeated for credit. Laboratory fee ($70) required. Credits: (4). Lab Fee: Laboratory fee ($70) required. Course Homepage: No homepage submitted. Introduces key concepts and theory pertinent to understanding and managing fluvial ecosystems (rivers and streams). Emphasis on rivers as large-scale physical and biological systems; properties and processes. Laboratory includes intensive comparative field study of distinctive types of Michigan rivers.
ENVIRON 415 / NRE 415. Behavioral Ecology and Conservation Biology.
Section 001.Instructor(s): Bobbi S Low (bobbilow@umich.edu)Prerequisites & Distribution: BIOLOGY 162. (4). (Excl). (BS). May not be repeated for credit. Credits: (4). Course Homepage: No homepage submitted. Environments shape the behavior and life histories of animals, and animals' behaviors and life histories affect how we can act successfully to conserve and manage wildlife species. How can we use this knowledge? Because environments pose constraints, in any given environment, behaviors have "better" (more effective, less costly) and "worse" impacts on an organism's survival and reproduction. Understanding this complex problem requires that we generate testable hypotheses to understand the functional significance of the behaviors we see. We must consider hypotheses in at least six basic areas: the basics of selection, how the basics play out in different environments, how environments shape life history, life history strategies-mating effort, life history strategies-parental effort, and how life histories affect what conservation strategies will work.
ENVIRON 416 / NRE 416. Field Skills in Wildlife Behavior.
Instructor(s): Bobbi S Low (bobbilow@umich.edu)Prerequisites & Distribution: Concurrent enrollment in ENVIRON 415. (2). (Excl). May not be repeated for credit. Laboratory fee ($40) required. Credits: (2). Lab Fee: Laboratory fee ($40) required. Course Homepage: No homepage submitted. In this course, we use field observations and experiments in concert with NRE 415 lectures to examine the problem of how environmental factors influence the ways in which organisms live and behave (natural selection theory). We integrate observation and theory, always in the context of hypothesis testing. In observing organisms, you will deal with two (2) major problems: (1) How can you decipher exactly what you are seeing, quantify it, and communicate it to others so that they can repeat and expand your observations; and (2) How can you determine the functional significance of each behavior, distinguishing between proximate and ultimate causes, and testing between alternate hypotheses in a rigorous way? In this course, we will be doing animal ethograms to help answer these questions as well as graphing and statistical analyses of data.
ENVIRON 422 / EEB 440 / NRE 422. Biology of Fishes.
Section 001.Instructor(s): William L Fink (wfink@umich.edu)Prerequisites & Distribution: BIOLOGY 162 and one additional biology course. (3). (Excl). (BS). May not be repeated for credit. Credits: (3). Course Homepage: No homepage submitted. Lectures cover many aspects of the biology of lower vertebrates known as fishes, including evolution, physiology, functional morphology, phylogeny, bio geography, ecology, and reproduction. The systematic position of fish among vertebrates is discussed and exemplary assemblages examined. Special attention is given to the effect of the physical properties of water on form, function and mode of life of fishes. Discussions examine current papers in the primary literature.
ENVIRON 423 / EEB 441 / NRE 423. The Biology of Fishes Laboratory.
Instructor(s): Kevin WehrlyPrerequisites & Distribution: BIOLOGY 162 and one additional biology course. (1). (Excl). (BS). May not be repeated for credit. Laboratory fee ($50) required. Credits: (1). Lab Fee: Laboratory fee ($50) required. Course Homepage: No homepage submitted. Optional laboratory course accompanying ENVIRON 422, providing an introduction to the field methods used in fish biology and fisheries, and examining the diversity of the Michigan ichthyofauna and major groups of world fishes.
ENVIRON 430 / EEB 489 / NRE 430. Soil Properties and Processes.
Section 001.Instructor(s): Donald R Zak (drzak@umich.edu)Prerequisites & Distribution: BIOLOGY 162 and chemistry. Concurrent enrollment in ENVIRON 337 and 435 highly recommended. (3). (Excl). (BS). May not be repeated for credit. Laboratory fee ($30) required. Credits: (3). Lab Fee: Laboratory fee ($30) required. Course Homepage: No homepage submitted. Soils as central components of terrestrial ecosystems. Major emphasis is placed on physical, chemical, and biological properties and their relationships to plant growth and ecosystem processes. Understanding is developed using a combination of lectures, field- and laboratory-based exercises, and individual research. The function of soils in forested ecosystems is the primary focus; however, examples are drawn from a wide range of terrestrial ecosystems. This course centers on the overlap of soil science, forest ecology, and ecosystem ecology. Our goal is to understand:
In the field portion of the course, we will sample and describe soils of four forest ecosystems and observe first-hand how differences in landform, topography, climate, and biota influence soil development. In the laboratory we will analyze our soil samples for a number of physical, chemical, and biological properties. Using these data in conjunction with field data, each student will select two of the four ecosystems for detailed comparison in a term paper. Although we will focus our attention on local forest ecosystems of Michigan, skills learned in this course may be broadly applied within a variety of terrestrial ecosystem types in other geographic regions. Prerequisites: Students are expected to have a background in chemistry and biology. In particular, a working knowledge of chemical equilibria, ionic solution chemistry, pH, and oxidation-reduction reactions is highly recommended. Students without such background should consult with the instructor before enrolling. Also useful (although not required) is familiarity with biochemistry, plant physiology, microbiology, geology, and local flora. You will find it very helpful if you have had, or are currently enrolled in, Woody Plants (ENVIRON 337). The lectures and laboratory exercises in Soil Properties and Processes have been designed to complement Forest Ecology (ENVIRON 435), and we highly recommend that you enroll in these courses concurrently!
ENVIRON 433 / EEB 433 / NRE 433. Ornithology.
Section 001.Instructor(s): Robert B Payne (rbpayne@umich.edu)Prerequisites & Distribution: BIOLOGY 162. (4). (Excl). (BS). May not be repeated for credit. Laboratory fee ($75) required. Credits: (4). Lab Fee: Laboratory fee ($75) required. Course Homepage: No homepage submitted. Introduction to the biology of birds. Lectures on behavior, migration, breeding biology, population ecology, and relationships. Laboratory and field work on identification of local birds and their behavior and ecology.
ENVIRON 475 / NRE 475 / EHS 588. Environmental Law.
Section 001.Instructor(s): Sally Jo Churchill, Robert H AbramsPrerequisites & Distribution: (3). (Excl). May not be repeated for credit. Credits: (3). Course Homepage: No homepage submitted. Introduces students to environmental law and the impact of the legal process on decisions that affect the environment. Topics include common law tort actions, toxic tort actions, statutory controls of pollution and other environmentally harmful activities. Additional areas include administrative agency structure and performance, constitutional rights to environmental quality and more.
ENVIRON 482 / CAAS 482 / NRE 482. Environmental Justice: Theoretical Approaches.
Section 001.Instructor(s): Dorceta E TaylorPrerequisites & Distribution: (3). (Excl). May not be repeated for credit. Credits: (3). Course Homepage: No homepage submitted. This course examines theoretical approaches that are either currently being used or could be applicable to environmental justice research. Students will study several theories including: race relations theories, power elite theory, social movement theories — relative deprivation, rational choice, political opportunity, resource mobilization, microstructural recruitment, identity theories — and organizational theory. The course provides students interested in environmental justice research, advocacy, policymaking, or community organizing an opportunity to see how the aforementioned theorectical frameworks can help them understand environmental justice cases that arise. The course will help students organize information they glean from observations of community groups contending with environmental justice issues, from reading case studies, or from working in the environmental field. A sound understanding of these theoretical approaches will enhance the student's understanding of how and why communities organize around environmental justice issues, why some people participate and not others, why some communities succeed and not others, why the environmental justice discourse differs from the mainstream environmental discourse, and how movements are maintained. Undergraduate/graduate students interested in environmental justice. Students will write essay questions in their two class exams and a term paper.
ENVIRON 492 / NRE 492 / UP 492. Environmental Justice: Domestic and International.
Section 001.Instructor(s): Bunyan I Bryant Jr (bbryant@umich.edu)Prerequisites & Distribution: (3). (Excl). May not be repeated for credit.
Credits: (3). Course Homepage: No homepage submitted. This is primarily a lecture course. Information in the course includes:
Both domestic and international examples will be used in the course to enhance teaching and learning. Students will be required to: (1) take a midterm and a final examination, and (2) develop case studies on environmental justice.
Consult the new Course Guide at: http://www.lsa.umich.edu/lsa/cg_subjectlist/0,2030,8,00.html?show=20&termArray=f_04_1510&cgtype=ug This page was created at 12:33 PM on Wed, May 5, 2004.
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