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Course Descriptions
Prerequisite Courses420.301 – Quantitative MethodsThis prerequisite course provides the necessary background in mathematics for students who do not have sufficient undergraduate course work in calculus and statistics. Students who receive a provisional admission because of math deficiency can opt to take the mathematics assessment test. If the student earns a score of 80% or better, then s/he is not required to take the course. In this course, students acquire quantitative skills and an understanding of mathematical principles fundamental to environmental sciences, and necessary for evaluating the implications of policy measures. Topics include probability and statistics, systems of equations, analytical geometry, and basic concepts of calculus. Problem sets, interpretation of data, and applications to everyday problems help students appreciate the usefulness of quantitative methods. 420.302 – Chemistry of Natural Processes This course provides students with a basic understanding of the fundamentals of chemistry, of Earth's interrelated chemical systems, and of how to manipulate and interpret chemical data. Topics include molecules and chemical bonding, states of matter, thermodynamics, and kinetics. Through a series of exercises, students apply chemistry principles to solve real-world environmental problems. Prerequisite: Students are urged to take 420.301 Quantitative Methods for Environmental Sciences before enrolling in this course. Core Courses420.601 – Geological Foundations of Environmental Science(formerly Earth Resources and Their Waste Products) This course provides an overview of Earth's materials, processes, and resources for environmental scientists and policymakers. Topics include minerals, rocks, sediments, stratigraphy, structure, geomorphology, and geologic environments. Emphasis is placed on understanding geologic principles and methods as applied to environmental science, Earth resources, and public policy. Two field trips are part of the course. 420.604 – Hydrology and Water Resources This course provides students with an introduction to the global hydrological cycle and the influence of climate, geology, and human activity. Students study the principles of precipitation, evaporation, and evapotranspiration; surface and groundwater flow; storage in natural and artificial reservoirs; water quality and pollution; and water resource management and regulation. Two field trips are included. 420.608 – Oceanic and Atmospheric Processes In this course, students study the oceans and the atmosphere as interrelated systems. The basic concepts of air masses, water masses, winds, currents, fronts, eddies, and storms are linked to permit a fundamental understanding of the similar nature of oceanic and atmospheric processes. Among the course's topics are weather forecasting, global climate change, marine pollution, and an introduction to applied oceanography. A field trip is included. 420.611 – Principles and Methods of Ecology This course examines the relationship between organisms and their biotic and abiotic environment at three levels of biological hierarchy: individual organism, population, and community. Population characteristics, models of population dynamics, and the effect of ecological interactions on population regulation are discussed in detail. The structure and function of natural and man-made communities and the impact disturbances have on community structure are also examined. Students are led to appreciate the importance of ecology in solving environmental problems. Two field trips are included. 420.614 – Environmental Policymaking and Policy Analysis This course provides students with a broad introduction to U.S. environmental policymaking and policy analysis. Included are a historical perspective as well as an analysis of future policymaking strategies. Students examine the political and legal framework, become familiar with precedent-setting statutes such as NEPA, RCRA, and the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts, and study models for environmental policy analysis. Cost benefit studies, the limits of science in policymaking, and the impact of environmental policies on society are important aspects of the course. A comparison of national and international policymaking is designed to provide students with the proper perspective. Science Elective Courses420.619 – Ecological AssessmentThis course introduces students to concepts and tools used in quantitative ecological assessment and demonstrates how they can be applied in managerial or regulatory contexts. The course covers assessment strategies, methodologies for ecological assessment, design of sampling programs, indicators of ecological integrity, bioassessment, and coping with uncertainty, ecological risk assessment, and adaptive environmental assessment and management. Students are introduced to approaches for population, ecosystem, community, watershed, and landscape-level assessment. Computer exercises reinforce concepts and familiarize students with a variety of assessment techniques. Prerequisite: 420.611 Principles and Methods of Ecology, equivalent course, or experience. 420.620 – Soils in Natural and Anthropogenic Ecosystems This course introduces students to basic concepts of soil science and the soil's contribution to the functions of natural and anthropogenic ecosystems. It provides an overview of soil morphological, physical, chemical, and biological properties, and how these interact to form a soil with unique characteristics and ecosystem function. Students discuss soils of the world from the perspective of soil taxonomy, the processes that form these soils, and land use properties specific to each soil order. Students learn to read soil maps, to interpret and predict the quality and land use potential of soils, and to use available soil data. Current issues regarding the proper use and management of soils are investigated. Field trips are included. 420.621 – Natural Hazards: Impact Assessment and Mitigation This course examines several major natural hazards both from the standpoint of their causes (including what human factors turn a natural hazard into a disaster) and of the efforts to cope with and mitigate their effects on society. The course focuses on the factors that make us vulnerable to natural hazards and considers policies that can make society more resilient. Topics include methods of mitigation, monitoring, prediction and warning systems, hazard awareness, the role of technology in hazard reduction, emergency response, and community redevelopment. The course explores a sequence of individual hazards, while concentrating on the connections between them. Final projects use a multi-hazard approach to assess risks and propose policy solutions. Prerequisites: 420.601 Geological Foundations of Environmental Science and 420.608 Oceanic and Atmospheric Processes, equivalent courses, or experience. 420.622 – Ecotoxicology This course begins with an overview of the basic principles of ecology including trophic structure, food-web dynamics, bioaccumulation, and effects of toxic materials upon ecosystems and individual organisms. Students then are introduced to the principles of toxicology, including chemical action upon organisms, organ systems, and cellular functions. Models help to define fate and transport mechanisms, concentration effects, and selective toxicity. Also covered are toxicity testing, risk assessment, toxics reduction, and examples of bioremediation. Prerequisite: 420.611 Principles and Methods of Ecology, equivalent course, or experience. 420.623 – Freshwater Ecology and Restoration of Aquatic Ecosystems This course focuses on the ecology, protection, and restoration of nontidalwaters. Students study the biological, chemical, and physical characteristics of Maryland waters and riparian zones, as well as the ecological responses to anthropogenic activity, and the approaches that can protect freshwater ecosystems or mitigate damage to them. Ongoing and planned protection and restoration activities in Maryland and elsewhere are presented. Students develop holistic restoration plans based on existingecological data. Two weekend field trips are part of the course. Prerequisite: 420.611 Principles and Methods of Ecology. 420.624 – Contaminant Transport This course presents the basic principles underlying the movement of contaminants in the main environmental media: surface water, groundwater, and the atmosphere. These principles and the models built to understand and predict the transport of contaminants in different media are the tools to design remediation programs, provide the technical foundation of policy decisions, and support the evaluation of risk to the environment and human health caused by pollutants. The students will be able to ask the right questions of modelers, to understand the information provided by models as well as its limitations, and to communicate effectively this information to the public and decision makers. Students should have strong mathematical reasoning skills. Prerequisites 420.604 Hydrology and Water Resources, equivalent course or experience. 420.625 – Chesapeake Bay: Ecology and Ecosystem Management This course examines the physical, chemical, and biological processes affecting coastal and estuarine ecosystems by using the Chesapeake Bay as a model system. Human influences on these ecosystems and the policy decisions made to manage and minimize human impact are explored in lecture and seminar formats. Topics include the hydrodynamics of shallow tidal waters; energy and material flows and transformations; diversity and adaptation of plant, animal, and microbial communities; population and pollution ecology; and ecosystem management. Case histories illustrate problems in fisheries management and the eutrophication of the Chesapeake Bay . Field trips are part of the course. Prerequisite: 420.611 Principles and Methods of Ecology, equivalent course, or experience. 420.626 – Field Methods in Ecology In this course students conduct fieldwork in various ecosystems. Field methods include quadrate, transect, and SAV sampling, as well as various techniques for surveying animal communities and monitoring water quality. While analyzing their own data, students become familiar with concepts such as species-area curves, importance values, species diversity, and community similarity indices. Students also are introduced to paleoecological tools such as sediment coring. Several ecological processes including succession and the effect of disturbances on community structure are demonstrated. The significance, advantages, and disadvantages of various surveying methods are explored in classroom meetings, but for much of the course students conduct their studies in the forests, fields, and wetlands of the area. Fieldwork is scheduled for a succession of Saturdays; some sections may conduct field trips on one or two Fridays and/or Sundays. Prerequisite: 420.611 Principles and Methods of Ecology, equivalent course, or experience. 420.627 – Applied Ocean Science and Policy This course applies the basic principles of physical oceanography to a number of problems in marine environmental management. Lectures, seminars, and field trips are used to relate applications in marine pollution, marine resources, and marine transportation. A systems approach is presented that illustrates how physical oceanography, ecology, economics, and government policy can be combined to address issues in marine environmental management. Prerequisite: 420.608 Oceanic and Atmospheric Processes, equivalent course, or experience. 420.628 – Wetlands Ecology and Management This course explores the biological, physical, chemical, and ecological aspects of tidal and non-tidal wetland ecosystems. Topics include human interactions with wetlands, wetland hydrology, biogeochemistry, biological adaptations, wetland function, development, dynamics, delineation and valuation. Wetland modification and manipulation are analyzed through case studies of restoration, construction, and mitigation. The effects of federal and state laws, of various regulations, and of human perturbations are explored. Numerous field trips provide experience with rigorous scientific inquiry, field techniques, monitoring, analysis, and reporting. The trips also offer an opportunity to explore the importance of both natural wetlands and restored/mitigated wetlands. Prerequisite: 420.611 Principles and Methods of Ecology, equivalent course, or experience. 420.631 – Field Methods in Stream and Water Quality Assessment This course provides an overview of field methods used to sample and assess various biological, physical, and chemical components in streams, rivers, and lakes. It allows students to determine the impact human activity has on aquatic environments. Students gain hands-on experience with standard sampling techniques, and with the detection, identification, and quantification of biological specimens and chemical pollutants in the aquatic environment. Students discuss water quality standards and federal regulations such as the Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act. Also included are study design, gear selection, sample preservation, and safety. Basic approaches to analyze and report findings are covered, with emphasis on methods currently practiced by government resource agencies. 420.632 – Outdoor Air Quality Management and Policy This course provides an overview of the principles and policies involved in outdoor air quality management, with an emphasis on the public health impacts of outdoor air pollution. Course topics include: history of air quality management; major air pollutants and sources; atmospheric chemistry, transport and dispersion; measurement and monitoring; control technology; effects on human health, ecology, climate and materials; regulatory requirements and non-regulatory management approaches; and air quality management assessment tools. The effectiveness of the Clean Air Act, external factors impacting air quality management, and regulatory case studies will also be discussed. Prerequisite: 420.608 Oceanic and Atmospheric Processes, equivalent course, or experience. 420.633 – Geographic Information Systems (GIS) In this course, students become familiar with the concepts and gain the experience necessary to appreciate the utility of Geographic Information Systems in decisionmaking regarding environmental issues. Topics covered include the fundamentals of cartography, georeferencing, data structures, database design, project planning, and spatial data analysis. The course provides an overview of the capabilities of GIS software. Class time is divided between lectures and hands-on laboratory sessions that reinforce critical concepts. Completion of a term project is part of the course. Prerequisite: working knowledge of personal computers. 420.634 – Bioremediation and Emerging Environmental Technologies (formerly Environmental Remediation Technologies) The course presents the major present day technologies available for reclaiming contaminated resources and reducing health risks. It covers the application of various physical and chemical technologies, but emphasis the biological systems for the cleanup of hazardous chemicals. Students are introduced to the nature of hazardous waste, the behavior of chemicals in the subsurface, the biochemistry of microbial degradation, and technology applications. Students will become familiar with the technologies of stabilization, thermal desorption, air sparging, soil vapor extraction, chemical oxidation, and the various types of bioremediation, including bioventing, intrinsic remediation or monitored natural attenuation, enhanced natural attenuation, and bioventing. Students will learn to select appropriate technologies for more detailed assessment on their use for cleanup of contaminated sites, design a monitoring program for assessing the applicability of bioremediation for site cleanup, examine the analytical data from a site monitoring program and assess the applicability of various bioremediation techniques, develop biological conceptual models for natural attenuation, and understand the key principles for design. Prerequisites: 420.601 Geological Foundations of Environmental Science and 420.604 Hydrology and Water Resources, equivalent courses, or experience. 420.635 – Chemical Ecology Chemical ecology involves the study of naturally occurring, chemically mediated interactions within and between species. In this course, practical aspects of chemical ecology are addressed, including the discovery of medicines from nature, the chemical control of agricultural pests, and proprietary issues relating to the development of pharmaceuticals and other products from native and non-native species. Among the topics covered are behavioral and ecological phenomena that involve chemical cues: defensive substances that thwart predators; antibiotics; pollinator attractants; and the chemosensory detection of prey, predators, and mates. Students become familiar with the general chemical classes produced by plants, animals, and microbes. Prerequisite: 420.611 Principles and Methods of Ecology, equivalent course, or experience. 420.636 – Remote Sensing: Earth Observing Systems and Applications This course introduces remote sensing as an important technology to further our understanding of Earth's land, atmospheric, and oceanic processes. Students study remote sensing science, techniques, and satellite technologies to become familiar with the types of information that can be obtained and how this information can be applied in the natural and social sciences. Applications include assessment of land cover and land use; mapping and analysis of natural resources; weather and climate studies; pollution detection and monitoring; disaster monitoring; and identification of oceanographic features. Prerequisite: 420.608 Oceanic and Atmospheric Processes, equivalent course, or experience. 420.637 – Biodiversity/Wildlife This course examines the meaning of biodiversity, the disciplines associated with conservation biology, including taxonomy, genetics, small population biology, chemical ecology, and marine biology. It explores how conservation biology differs from other natural sciences in theory and in application. Students learn the major threats to biodiversity and what natural and social science methods and alternatives are used to stop the threats. The course also explores the economic and cultural tradeoffs associated with each conservation measure at the global, national, regional, and local levels. The course is taught in the seminar-style with a different lecturer from the specific field covered each class session. Prerequisite: 420.611 Principles and Methods of Ecology, equivalent course, or experience. 420.639 – Landscape Ecology Landscape ecology is a rapidly developing area of study that explicitly examines the effects of spatial pattern and scale on ecological processes that unfold over areas of several square kilometers or larger. Thus, landscape ecology provides many concepts, tools, and approaches that will enhance the effectiveness of endeavors such as watershed management, ecosystem management, design of conservation reserves and green infrastructure, and smart growth. The goal of this course is to give students a firm grasp of the concepts of landscape ecology and of how they can be applied to enhance the effectiveness of environmental policy, management, regulation, and assessment. Prerequisite: 420.611 Principles and Methods of Ecology, equivalent course, or experience. 420.640 – Advanced GIS for Environmental Modeling This course moves beyond the fundamentals of GIS to explore application to environmental problems. Students review current research in the field, learn relevant modeling techniques, and utilize advanced software tools for environmental analysis. Over the course of the semester, functional areas of modeling are explored such as atmospheric and climate modeling, biosphere and terrestrial systems analysis (e.g., ecosystem, watershed, and surface hydrology analysis), and subsurface modeling. The course involves the use and integration of a variety of data sources including maps, GPS, and satellite imagery. Specific GIS techniques in network analysis, 3-D modeling, and spatial analysis issues are explored. The course consists of significant hands-on computer time, building on former GIS software experience. Tours of organizations using GIS for environmental analysis and resource management provide exposure to contemporary environmental operations. Guest lecturers present current research findings and application examples of GIS. Students develop a significant GIS project over the course of the semester and present their findings at the end. Prerequisite: 420.633 Geographic Information Systems (GIS) or comparable GIS software experience. 420.659 – Management for Environmental Results with Performance-based Measurement At all levels of government and throughout private industry, performance-based initiatives now place unprecedented demands on environmental managers to achieve measurable environmental results. The goal of the various performancebased initiatives is to give environmental managers a systematic understanding of the causes of environmental problems, both natural and anthropogenic, and their human, ecological and economic effects. It is also at the heart of sound environmental impact analysis, risk assessment, and benefit-cost analysis. In this course, students learn the foundations and applications of modern performance-based initiatives. Using case studies taken from a variety of environmental programs, students learn to use available scientific knowledge to uncover the likely keys to program success. Students learn why success has so often eluded environmental managers in the past. The goal of this class is for students to critically assess the design, performance measurement and management of environmental programs on all scales and to recommend effective improvements. Students will develop skills for implementing resultsoriented environmental management. Elective Policy Courses420.629 – Drinking Water, Sanitation, and HealthIn this elective course students examine a number of scientific and public policy dilemmas related to the provision of safe drinking water and protection of human health in the U.S. and abroad. Through lectures, discussion, research and writing, and exercises, participants in this course will first gain a basic understanding of the fundamentals of water supply, treatment, regulation, and sanitation, and will then focus on some unresolved issues that currently confront scientists, resource managers, and policymakers. These issues include controlling pathogens from urban and agricultural runoff, managing harmful by-products of the disinfection process, regulating arsenic in ground water, evaluating the risk posed by exposure to mixtures of contaminants, and confronting the threat of terrorist attacks on water supplies. Students will be expected to recommend pathways that could lead to solutions. Prerequisite: 420.604 Hydrology and Water Resources, equivalent course, or experience. 420.630 – Waste Policy This course addresses all aspects of waste management including waste generation, human health and environmental hazards, waste treatment and disposal methods, recycling, and the regulations that govern transportation and disposal of waste. Solid and hazardous forms of waste are discussed. Students examine laws and agency regulations to determine their effectiveness in reducing waste and in cleaning up and containing waste already generated. Prerequisites: 420.614 Environmental Policymaking and Policy Analysis, equivalent course, or experience. 420.638 – Coastal Geology and Policy The course is designed to provide the student with knowledge to address modern coastal, environmental, geologic, and policy issues. The course will focus on the coasts, barrier-islands, major estuaries, and inner continental shelf areas of the United States . Fundamental coastal engineering principles will be described in order to address methods used for public works projects including hurricane protection, beach nourishment, and tidal inlet maintenance. The policies pertinent to management and use of coastal environments will be studied. One weekend field trip will be required. Prerequisite: 420.601 Geological Foundations for Environmental Sciences, equivalent course, or experience. 420.641 – Natural Resource Law and Policy This course introduces students to federal and state legislation and policies of critical importance in natural resource management. Students explore such issues as regulation of ocean fishing, coastal zone management, mineral exploitation and associated environmental impact, water allocation and quality, hazardous waste cleanup programs under the Superfund law, urban industrial infrastructure such as water and sewage systems, land use management, and water and air pollution control. Prerequisite: 420.614 Environmental Policymaking and Policy Analysis, equivalent course, or experience. 420.642 – Public Lands–Private Interests: The Struggle for Common Ground This course prepares students to participate in the great debate over the use and protection of America 's federally owned forests, rangeland, parks, and sanctuaries. Students consider such questions as how much should be paid for grazing on federal lands; how to balance the demand for timber harvest with the need for watershed and wildlife management; who controls mineral and oil extraction on federal lands; and who has the rights to waters flowing through federal lands and stored behind federally funded dams. These and similar issues of today and tomorrow are studied in the context of history, statute and case law, and administrative regulations. Prerequisite: 420.614 Environmental Policymaking and Policy Analysis, equivalent course, or experience. 420.643 – Environmentalism: History and Literature This course looks at the human dimension of environmental issues by framing them within a historical perspective. The purpose is to understand the historical interactions among environmental activists, scientists, and policymakers in order to explore the significance of these past relationships on current environmental policymaking. The course considers early U.S. environmental history but focuses on the post-World War II era and the various institutions of modern environmentalism. The course will examine changing ideas and attitudes toward nature and how these changes influence the shape of emerging environmental policies and the institutions that influence environmental policymaking. Materials include primary and secondary historical texts and significant works from the American literature of environmentalism. 420.644 – Sustainable Cities (formerly Cities, Urbanization, and the Environment) This course examines urbanization and its impacts on the environment. The goal of the course is to better understand how urbanization contributes to ecological damage as well as how cities can be constructed in ecologically healthy ways. Topics include land use planning transportation, waste, management, water quality, open space/greening, green building technology, urban design, and urban ecology. The course takes an international perspective by using case studies of cities in North America, Europe, Asia, Latin America, and Africa. The case studies also include a wide range of cities with different populations, geographic scale, and growth rates. Final projects are an in-depth study of one particular city of the student's choice and its attempts to implement programs for sustainability. Prerequisite: 420.614 Environmental Policymaking and Policy Analysis, equivalent course, or experience. 420.645 – Environmental Challenges for Energy Policy The course examines two major sectors of energy policy, electricity and transportation, and their impacts on air quality and climate change. Students will gain a solid understanding of the economics, technology, and regulatory structure of the electricity and transportation industries as well as developing the analytical tools for assessing policy alternatives to deal with future domestic and international environmental challenges in air quality and climate policy. A full range of policy alternatives will be considered including traditional command and control-style regulations, emissions trading and other market-based tools, portfolio standards, and technology incentive approaches. The use of these mechanisms as well as their broader policy implications will be examined in the context of deregulated and regulated electricity markets at the state and federal levels as well as in the context of international climate negotiations. Prerequisite: 420.614 Environmental Policymaking and Policy Analysis, equivalent course, or experience. 420.646 – Transportation Policy and Smart Growth This course examines how transportation policy and decisions can alleviate or prevent problems resulting from urban sprawl. How can transportation decisions and planning contribute to more “livable" urban designs and land use patterns that promote “smart growth"—growth that is environmentally and ecologically sustainable? Students discuss how different environmental media—land, water, and air—are affected by our transportation systems and resulting development patterns, and how the design of transportation systems—the highways, roads, transit systems, and bike and walk paths—can more closely harmonize with nature and provide communities with a better quality of life. A wide range of policy options is examined, from altering the structure of road pricing to redesigning neighborhoods and altering urban form. A number of case studies are examined to illuminate the issues and principles raised in the course. 420.649 – Strategic Management For Sustainability This course examines the “greening of industry" trend, its causes, and its implications for public policy. The course first examines environmental behavior from the strategic perspective of firms and industry associations. From the old emphasis on legal compliance, leading firms now have turned to a much more strategic view, and many have adopted an explicit goal of promoting sustainability. We consider the causes of this behavior among leading firms and the many forms that it has taken, as well as the meanings of sustainability within the industrial sector. The course then turns to a consideration of how public policy has influenced this trend and to government's response to these changes within industry. The course concludes with an evaluation of these policy responses and likely trends in industry and government. Prerequisite: 420.614 Environmental Policymaking and Policy Analysis, equivalent course, or experience. 420.650 – International Environmental Policy This course explores the methods and strategies for promoting solutions to global environmental problems. Through consideration of issues such as stratospheric ozone depletion, global climate change, tropical deforestation, loss of biodiversity, transnational pollution, and other threats to the international commons, students examine policymaking from the perspective of developed and developing countries, the United Nations system, international financial entities, and nongovernmental interest groups. By investigating important international agreements, students determine how far the international community has come in solving specific problems, what obstacles prevent effective international solutions, and what needs to be done to overcome barriers. Prerequisite: 420.614 Environmental Policymaking and Policy Analysis, equivalent course, or experience. 420.651 – Risk Assessment and Risk Management Analysis of risk is becoming an increasingly important component of regulatory decisionmaking. Based on the premise that risk assessment has no “right" answers, this course explores what risk perception, risk management, and risk communication mean. Students are introduced to terminology and concepts necessary in risk communication. Case studies help to explain the complexities of risk assessment and management. Students learn how to balance the costs and benefits of risk reduction and how to account for the uncertainties in risk estimates. Prerequisite: 420.614 Environmental Policymaking and Policy Analysis, equivalent course, or experience. 420.652 – Environmental Justice The field of environmental justice (EJ) is riven with conflicts over the scope, measurement, evaluation, nature and seriousness of environmental problems. This seminar attempts to provide options for resolving some EJ problems by discussing a set of practical and theoretical approaches for communication, understanding and analysis that can bridge interests, reconcile differences, reduce confusions and improve environmental decision making. In impoverished innercity neighborhoods, community regeneration, community decision-making, and ecologically sustainable issues can contribute to the solution of regional as well as local urban and environmental issues. The course will investigate and evaluate the effectiveness and possibilities of policies that can highlight, educate and develop understanding among communities concerned with environmental issues. The course will focus on how communication can encourage discussion about potential causes and responses to environmental justice concerns. A primary area of the course will be to examine how disenfranchised groups understand environmental justice within a hierarchy of community concerns and accumulated experience and particular histories within communities. The course has an applied aspect and will look at a local manifestation of how environmental justice is inseparable from broader components of justice such as living and working conditions, violence, powerlessness, marginalization, and processes producing and reproducing inequities. 420.653 – Practicum in Environmental Planning In this course, students tackle a “real world" environmental planning problem and complete a project for a specific client. The purpose of the course is to enable student to hone their skills in group projects and client-supported work. This semester students will work with the Army Corps of Engineers and the Baltimore Department of Planning on a wetlands restoration project on the Middle Branch in the Baltimore harbor. Students will be researching the impact of restoration on redevelopment in the adjacent neighborhoods, methods of developing open access to the waterfront, and supporting the redevelopment of brownfield sites in the neighborhood. This project will have a significant impact on making the wetlands restoration efforts successful and on creating a viable community in a distressed area of the city. The course uses a mixed format of lecture and workshop. 420.654 – Environmental and Natural Resource Economics This course presents fundamental concepts of economic theory related to renewable, nonrenewable, and environmental resources. Topics covered include the economics of resource use and depletion, valuation of environmental benefits, natural resources and sustainable development, the role of government in controlling market failures, and how economic incentives can be used to protect the environment. 420.656 – Environmental Impact Assessment and Decision Methods This course introduces the process of environmental impact assessment and policy decisionmaking as required under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the regulations of the Council of Environmental Quality (CEQ). Topics include identification of purpose and need for any actions affecting the environment, development of objectives and decision criteria, and various techniques for assessing impact and comparing alternatives for a given environmental intervention. The strengths and weaknesses of various approaches are evaluated with techniques that allow analysis of multiple objectives and conflicting uses of environmental resources. The importance of scientific credibility and public acceptance is demonstrated with actual cases. Prerequisite: 420.614 Environmental Policymaking and Policy Analysis, equivalent course, or experience. 420.657 – Environmental Issues and Congressional Policymaking This course explores how Congress debates and passes environmental legislation, including the way in which scientific facts are introduced to nonscientists and scientific inquiry is used and misused by Congress. Students learn to appreciate the powerful influences of the media and of lobbyists in swaying congressional decisionmaking. Case studies provide perspective into which environmental legislation has been effective and which has not and the reasons for success or failure. A field trip to Capitol Hill and classroom simulation of a congressional committee debate give students insight into the give and take of the process. Prerequisite: 420.614 Environmental Policymaking and Policy Analysis, equivalent course, or experience. 420.658 – Markets, Competition, and the Environment This course investigates the importance of environmental issues as American business competes in U.S. and global markets, exploring such questions as how environmental law and public expectation about corporate environmental performance affect business decisions. The course looks beyond conventional wisdom about the economy and the environment to determine how leading U.S. and global companies relate strategically to the public's interest in environmental values. Guest lecturers from industry and U.S. government and global agencies engage students in discussion that seeks to delineate how industries and companies attempt to use the power of government and the influence of an environmentally concerned, risk-averse public to gain competitive advantage. 420.660 – Strategies in Watershed Management This course proposes that water resources are a primary indicator of environmental quality and that the watershed—of various dimensions—is an appropriate context for addressing resource management concerns. Students will review the basics of hydrology, practice delineating watersheds, become familiar with their own watershed, and take virtual tours of several watersheds where various resource management issues have been addressed. Through readings, discussions, and current and historical case studies, they will explore a wide range of threats to the productivity and health of watersheds. They will also become familiar with the government and citizen institutions and major legislation that are involved in efforts to protect watersheds. Prerequisites: 420.611 Principles and Methods of Ecology, equivalent course, or experience. 420.661 – Climate Change: science and Policy The course has three goals: To understand the major factors that make climate change a difficult policy issue; to assess how those factors can be weighed in formulating climate change policy; and to review potential responses to the prospect of climate change. The course will look at three factors make climate a difficult policy issue: uncertainty from the complex climate system, time lags of impacts, and competing priorities, especially among poor countries. The course will also examine the challenges of using well-established techniques for incorporating with uncertainty and time into policies and look at some alternatives that might be more appropriate for the problems. An effective response to global future warming has to operate at two levels. At the technical level, the course will focus principally on the generation of electricity. Electricity generation accounts for a large and growing share of CO2 emissions, and it also offers the greatest technical opportunities for reducing those emissions. At the institutional level, the course will focus principally on actions that directly affect the United States. These include state and municipal actions and also actions undertaken in the private sector. 420.683 – Special Topics: Environmental Policy and the European Union Environmental Sciences and Policy program will offer "Environmental Policy and the European Union" to be held in Berlin, Germany and Brussels, Belgium. It is the equivalent to one elective course in the ESP program and can be counted toward the Environmental Management or the Environmental Planning concentration. The course will count toward the residency requirement for distance students. The course will run from June 9 – 20, 2008 and will meet EVERYDAY (including the weekend). The course will include classroom study and field study. The course will be taught in Berlin from June 9 – 18 and conclude on June 19 and 20 in Brussels. The course will be co-taught with instructors from Ecologic (http://www.ecologic.de), Institute for International and European Environmental Policy. Ecologic is a private not-for-profit think tank for applied environmental research, policy analysis and consultancy with offices in Berlin, Brussels and Vienna. Students will have the opportunity to explore European environmental policy at both the member state level and the EU level. Johns Hopkins University faculty member will also participate in teaching the course (see below). Topics to be covered include:
Course structure will include:
The full syllabus will be provided to students as soon as it is finalized. The first class (mandatory) session will be held in Washington, DC on May 15, 2008 at 7 pm with Dr. Eileen McGurty. For students outside the Baltimore/DC area, arrangements for live internet connection will be made. There will be a significant amount of reading before departure. There will be assignments and reading due while in Europe and a final paper written after you return.
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