ANTH 107
Introduction to Archaeology
Judith Zeitlin, Stephen Mrozowski, Stephen Silliman
This course examines the whole of human history and prehistory in the context of
environmental, economic, political, and social variables. Students are
encouraged to take lessons from the past (often in light of sustainability) and
apply them in the present and future. Archaeological evidence and methods are interdisciplinary in their fusion of social and natural sciences.
ANTH G224
Rise and Fall of the Maya
Lauren Sullivan
This course focuses specifically on the impact of economic,
political, environmental, and social factors on the appearance and disappearance
of classic "Maya" civilization in Mesoamerica. Archaeological evidence and
methods are interdisciplinary in their fusion of social and natural sciences.
ANTH 250
Hunter-Gatherer Cultures
Staff
This course explores the issue of hunting and gathering
people, past and present, in terms of how this kind of social organization and
subsistence pattern was sustained for millennia and how it relates to
colonialism and contemporary world economies. Discussion will center on the interplay of physical environment, politics, and social relations in understanding the change and continuity in hunter-gatherer people.
ANTH 363
Cultural Ecology
Takaki
This course systematically examines the theories,
approaches, and models by which anthropologists have understood and analyzed the
ecological interrelations among culture, society and environment, in the full
variety of settings ranging from hunter-gathering to post-industrial systems.
ANTH 451
Development Anthropology
Staff
This course examines the complex issue of economic
development from two interrelated perspectives: (1) Amartya Sen's "development
as freedom" in which fundamental human freedoms are seen as primary indicators
of economic development rather than per capita income and the rate of economic growth; (2) The spread of a global economy dominated by international banks and multinational corporations and their impact on the freedoms of a vast majority of human population. Issues of sustainability and its place in the calculation of development strategies and goals figure throughout the course.
BIOL 108
Intro to Nutrition
Staff
Maria Papuga: I teach Nutrition as biological resource use, not what"you should eat." It is much more "biology big picture" than the usual carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, vitamins and minerals. I cover plant roots and soil interactions, water quality, poverty and affordability of food in the world context (half of the world's people are subsistance farmers), the historical changes in diet due to the food processing industries and critical periods of human growth and development. Nothing is sustainable without food.
BIOL 109
Global Biological Change
Wilkes
Global change--its extent and its accelerating rate--is among the most pressing issues of the decade. This course explores ecology in the context of our endangered life support systems, atmosphere, climate, water, biodiversity, human population, agriculture, and energy use. It examines strategies which promote sustainable development for both developed and developing worlds. Background in the natural sciences is not required.
BIOL 639
Conservation Biology
Kamal Bawa
The course begins with an analysis of the distribution of biodiversity, proceed to examine the patterns of biodiversity loss at all levels, from genes to ecosystems and finish with a discussion of the causes, consequences and solutions to the crisis. Topics covered include assessment and monitoring of species diversity, conservation genetics, theory of island biogeography, habitat loss and forest fragmentation, human impact of biodiversity, design of nature reserves, economic valuation of biodiversity, and sustainable use of biodiversity.
BIOL 646
Pollutants in Marine Food Chains
Examination in depth of the entry of selected pollutants into the oceans, their movements, distribution and effects within marine organisms. Where possible, case studies from New England will be used.
COMCTR 415
Community Strategy and Proposal Development
CORCTR 340-1
Global Plague
Phyllis Freeman
This course is about the global tuberculosis crisis--the only disease to have been proclaimed a "global health emergency" by the World Health Organization. Among other aspects, students learn about the epidemiolgy of TB--how globally it is a disease of poverty, spread through the air in impoverished communities where many people live and work in overcrowded environments with insufficient possibilities for avoiding exposure. After HIV, it kills more working age people in the world than any other disease. (in the US it is primarily a disease affecting those living or working in homeless shelters, health facilities, nursing homes, and prisons.)
CRCRTH640
Environment, Science, and Society: Critical Thinking
Peter Taylor
Through current and historical cases this course explores the diverse influences that shape
environmental science and politics and their pedagogical, professional, social
and moral implications for educators, environmental professionals, and concerned
citizens. Can be taken by advanced undergraduates with permission of
instructor.
ECON 349
Economic Approaches to Environmental Problems
Tammy Barlow McDonald, David Terkla
This is an undergraduate course that covers many of the same themes as ECOS 670 (identification of the value of non-marketed environmental resources and how to give them a "voice" in public policy decisions and regulatory tools for internalizing environmental externalities) but in less depth and analytic sophistication.
ECOS 250
Today's Issues in Environmental Science
William Robinson
This is a science gen ed class for non-science majors. It backs into the science by first exploring the environmental
issues that people read about in the newspapers, magazines, etc, and then asking
'what type of information (data) do people need to unearth in order to understand and then act on these issues?' Sustainability is brought up repeatedly throughtout the course.
ECOS 670
Environmental Economics
David Terkla
There are several areas of this
course that relate to sustainability concerns -- identification of the value of
non-marketed environmental resources and how to give them a "voice" in public
policy decisions and regulatory tools for internalizing environmental externalities are two core areas of the course.
ECOS 675
Marine Resource Economics
David Terkla
Sustainability is
a core area of the course. Topics range from issues of how society chooses the rate to
harvest its depletable resources, such as oil, gas, minerals to how it manages
its renewable resources, such as the fisheries, to how it values
non-marketed marine resources, such as wetlands and various species (e.g. whales) to choices in how to allocate freshwater supplies.
ENVSTY 101
The Nature of Environmental Problems
Robert Beattie
This course investigates, among other things, the impact of humans on the Earth's life support systems. Topics include human population growth, food production, use of natural resources, pollution, loss of biodiversity, and conservation strategies.
ENVSTY L120/ECOS L120
Intro to Environmental Sciences
Bob Chen
This course has a somewhat central theme of limited resources and places to put waste.
ENVSTY 401
Environmental Problem Analysis and Policy Formulation
Robert Beattie
Capstone course for students in the Environmental Studies Program. It is a small seminar in which students analyze a particular environmental problem, often one directly associated with UMass Boston or its immediate community.
E&GSCI 101
The Global Environment
Gelpke
This course provides an analysis of the physical geographic environment. Positive and negative interaction of human beings with these aspects of the environment is examined.
E&GSCI 378
Resource Management
Gelpke
This course uses geographic concepts and tools to consider the environmental impact of development on the resource base.
PHIL 220
Environmental Ethics
Arthur Millman
POLSCI 123
Political Ideals of the 20th Century
Roger Feinstein
In past years, over half of this course has been devoted to sustainability using Worldwatch Institute's State of the World Annuals as a textbook.
POLSCI G260
Politics and the Environment (Intermediate Seminar)
Roger Feinstein
Students will be reading Ponting, A Green History of the World and one other text.
POLSCI 348
Science and Public Policy
Diane Paul
This course reflects a concern with sustainability issues, primarily in
its focus on issues of equity in respect to participation in decision-making and the distribution of costs and benefits of the products of science and technology.
SOCIOL 373
Population and Ecology
Courses with sustainability concerns a smaller component
ANTH 241
Archaeological Method and Theory
Staff
This course focuses
explicitly on the methods of archaeology, which by their nature and in their
practice use a strong mixture of social and natural sciences. Many issues in the
course hinge on the interrelationships between the physical environment,
political structures, and societal organization.
ANTH 334
North American Prehistory
Staff
This course focuses
on the ways that societies in ancient North America developed, changed, or
disappeared in the context of environmental, economic, political, and social
factors. Archaeological evidence and methods are interdisciplinary in their
fusion of social and natural sciences.
ANTH L336
Ancient Mesoamerica
Staff
This course focuses on
the ways that societies in ancient Mesoamerica developed, changed, or
disappeared in the context of environmental, economic, political, and social
factors. Archaeological evidence and methods are interdisciplinary in their
fusion of social and natural sciences.
ANTH L338
Ancient Peru
Staff
This course focuses on the
ways that societies in ancient South America developed, changed, or dissappeared
in the context of environmental, economic, political, and social factors.
Archaeological evidence and methods are interdisciplinary in their
fusion of social and natural sciences.
BIOL 101
The Basis of Life
BIO 102
Evolutionary Biology
Reviews what we know about the history of life and of human species and the ecological and evolutionary processes that have shaped our history. Current threats to the environment health and biodiversity loss are discussed in an evolutionary framework.
BIOL 105
Economic Botany
The origin, botanical relationships, domestication and history of plants useful to humans and of economic importance, emphasizing our dependence on cultivated plants, how plants have influenced diverse cultures over time, and our influence on the vegetation of the world. No background in the natural sciences is required.
BIOL 111
General Biology
BIOL 290
Population Biology
Brault
Applies principles about evolution and the growth of populations to such issues as preservation of genetic variation in domestic species, ecology of human pathogens, control of insect pests, and the organization of ecosystems.
BIOL 328/329
Plant Life
Wilkes
An advanced survey of plant diversity, the major groups, their organization and reproduction, the elements of taxonomy and economic botany of vascular plants, and the major issues of conservation biology. Note: Students who do not wish to take the laboratory portion of this course should register for Biol 329.
BIOL 628
Microbial Ecology
Shiaris
Microorganisms in the environment, emphasizing biogeochemical cycling of elements. An in-depth review paper on a special topic is required.
BIOL 638
Advanced Ecology
Concepts of population and community ecology. Emphasis changes from year to year. Particular emphasis is placed on the relationship between theoretical and empirical ecology. A weekly tutorial provides the opportunity for greater discussion of material covered in lecture.
BIOL 641/644
Introduction to Population Models
Brault
Fundamentals of mathematical models of population dynamics. Lectures, discussions, and hands-on model development.
BIOL 642
Biogeography
Rex
Includes historical and descriptive aspects of the distributions of organisms. Independent research by students is presented to the class in seminar form.
BIOL 645
Ecological and Evolutionary Aspects of Plant-Animal Interactions
Bawa
Coevolution of plants and animals is examined in an ecological context. Main emphasis is on tropical communities, but some discussion of alpine, temperate, and desert communities.
BIOL 652
Biological Diversity and Evolution
Etter
This course is an inquiry into the origin and evolution of patterns of biological diversity.
CHEM 253/254
Organic Chemistry I&II
Marietta Schwartz
We have a "green chemistry" component, including a laboratory experiment. Environmental issues pop up on a fairly regular basis.
COMCTR 250
Community Needs and Resource Analysis
CRMJUS L262 (same as SOCIOL L262)
Criminology
Steffi Hartwell,
Mignon, Willis
A small section of this course focuses on white collar crimes and environmental crimes including hazardous waste dumping, pollution, etc. Usually the environmental police come to visit. (Hartwell hopes to develop a whole course on environmental crime.)
ECON 100
Introduction to Economic Issues
Marlene Kim, Randy Albelda
Kim: A small section of this course looks at pollution, global warming, ozone
disappearing, lead poisoning, as a result of negative externalities in
economics. We look at solutions to these problems too.
ECOS 760
Environmental Biogeochemistry
Bob Chen
This course looks at global chemical cycles and considers feedback mechanisms and mankinds interaction with them.
ENVSTY L240/AMST240
Environmental History
Steven Rudnick
The course explores the historical roots of our unsustainable behavior and what values we need to question to change that behavior. We explore the interactions among peoples, landscape, natural resources and ecosystems from the time of the earliest Native American settlers to today's multicultural society; from problems that were primarily related to land use and food resources to such complex contemporary issues as air and water pollution, resource scarcity, species extinction, and global warming.
E&GS280
Economic Geography
Duncan
We look at perpetual, renewable and non-renewable resources and I usually have one ot two guest speakers (five or six classes).
E&GSCI 375
Urban Planning
Duncan
GERON 626
Economic Issues in Aging Populations
Bing Chen
This graduate course in the Gerontology PhD program includes concerns for equity and sustainability.
HIST 605
European Agrarian Societies
Malcolm Smuts
Sustainability is marginally relevant in this course, in that some sessions deal
with the agricultural environment of early modern Europe, including discussions
of how Europeans maintained soil fertility and modified the natural environment to enlarge agricultural output.
MATHQ114
Quantitative Reasoning
Lutts, staff
Lutts: We use real data to do math analysis: descriptive statistics (pie charts, histograms, time series graphs): we also compare and contrast exponential and linear growth (the latter takes in population growth as well as compound interest) and we do some regression analysis. Our data comes from all over: US Census, NIH, surveys and students come to appreciate graphs and what they can tell us.
MATH 125
Introductory Statistics
Lutts, staff
Lutts: We often touch lightly upon statistical data that considers one or other aspect of the environment in this country. The authors of the book I use teach in Denver CO and are very sensitive to such issues.
POLSCI 202
Comparative Politics of Transitional Societies
Spence, staff
This course deals with sustainability as it relates to democracy and social equity.
POLSCI 220
International Relations
Robert Weiner, Primo Vannicelli, staff
Weiner: Part of the course brings a consideration of efforts on the part of the international community to promote sustainable development, as part of the effort to implement agenda 21 of the Rio Conference of 1972. Vanicelli: I discuss the concept of "Sustainable Development."
POLSCI 371
Latin American Politics
Spence
This course deals with sustainability as it relates to democracy and social equity
POLSCI 372
Central American Politics
Spence
This course deals with sustainability as it relates to democracy and social equity
POLSCI 375
Third World Development
Vannicelli, Spence
Vannicelli: The concept of sustainability receives substantial attention in this course (at least one hour of class time; some readings; and many students choose to write on topics related to sustainability). Spence: This Course deals with sustainability in respect to democracy and social equity.
POLSCI 411
International Organizations I(B)
Weiner, Langley
A small part of the course will focus on efforts by international organizations to develop an international regime of environmental protection that will promote sustainable development and also contribute to the eradication of global poverty. The course will also include a consideration of the recent UN sponsored World Conference on Sustainable development, which met in South Africa from August 26 to September 4, 2002. Please note: All information in this publication/website (http://omega.cc.umb.edu/~cct/efscoursedescriptions.html) is subject to change. This publication is neither a contract nor an offer to make a contract. Last update 3 December 2002. Please alert the peter.taylor@umb.edu of glitches in this site.
See also the website for the Environmental Studies Program, which has overlapping concerns.