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Note: This is the 2013–2014 edition of the eCalendar. Update the year in your browser's URL bar for the most recent version of this page, or click here to jump to the newest eCalendar.
Note: This is the 2013–2014 edition of the eCalendar. Update the year in your browser's URL bar for the most recent version of this page, or click here to jump to the newest eCalendar.
The resources necessary for human society are extracted from the Earth, used as raw materials in our factories and refineries, and then returned to the Earth as waste. Geological processes produce resources humans depend on, and they also determine the fate of wastes in the environment. Understanding Earth's geologic processes provides us with the knowledge to mitigate many of our society's environmental impacts due to resource extraction and waste disposal. Additionally, economics frequently affects what energy sources power our society and how our wastes are treated. Earth sciences and economics are essential for our understanding of the many mechanisms, both physical and social, that affect Earth's environment.
This domain includes the fundamentals of each discipline. Students learn of minerals, rocks, soils, and waters and how these materials interact with each other and with the atmosphere. Fundamental economic theory and the economic effects of public policy toward resource industries, methods of waste disposal, and the potential effects of global warming on the global economy are also explored.
For suggestions on courses to take in your first year (U1), you can consult the "MSE Student Handbook" available on the MSE website (), or contact Kathy Roulet, the Program Adviser (kathy.roulet [at] mcgill.ca).
Note: Students are required to take a maximum of 34 credits at the 200 level and a minimum of 15 credits at the 400 level or higher in this program. This includes core and required courses.
Location Note: When planning your schedule and registering for courses, you should verify where each course is offered because courses for this program are taught at both ƽÌØÎå²»ÖÐ's Downtown campus and at the Macdonald campus in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue.
Location Note: Core required courses are taught at both ƽÌØÎå²»ÖÐ's Downtown campus and at the Macdonald campus in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue. You should register in Section 001 of an ENVR course that you plan to take on the Downtown campus, and in Section 051 of an ENVR course that you plan to take on the Macdonald campus.
Environment : A systems approach to study the different components of the environment involved in global climate change: the atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and lithosphere. The interactions among these components. Their role in global climate change. The human dimension to global change.
Terms: Fall 2013
Instructors: Rhemtulla, Jeanine; Roulet, Nigel Thomas; Atallah, Eyad Hashem; McCourt, George; Fyles, James W (Fall)
Fall
Section 001: Downtown Campus
Section 051: Macdonald Campus
Environment : This course deals with how scientific-technological, socio-economic, political-institutional and behavioural factors mediate society-environment interactions. Issues discussed include population and resources; consumption, impacts and institutions; integrating environmental values in societal decision-making; and the challenges associated with, and strategies for, promoting sustainability. Case studies in various sectors and contexts are used.
Terms: Fall 2013
Instructors: Badami, Madhav Govind; Kosoy, Nicolas (Fall)
Fall
Section 001: Downtown Campus
Section 051: Macdonald Campus
Environment : Formation of the Earth and the evolution of life. How geological and biological change are the consequence of history, chance, and necessity acting over different scales of space and time. General principles governing the formation of modern landscapes and biotas. Effects of human activities on natural systems.
Terms: Winter 2014
Instructors: Leung, Brian; Lechowicz, Martin J; Paquette, Jeanne; McCourt, George; Wheeler, Terry A (Winter)
Winter
Section 001: Downtown Campus
Section 051: Macdonald Campus
Environment : Introduction to cultural perspectives on the environment: the influence of culture and cognition on perceptions of the natural world; conflicts in orders of knowledge (models, taxonomies, paradigms, theories, cosmologies), ethics (moral values, frameworks, dilemmas), and law (formal and customary, rights and obligations) regarding political dimensions of critical environments, resource use, and technologies.
Terms: Fall 2013, Winter 2014
Instructors: Goodin, David; Freeman, Julia (Fall) Ellis, Jaye Dana (Winter)
Fall - Macdonald Campus; Winter - Downtown
Section 001: Downtown Campus
Section 051: Macdonald Campus
Environment : Techniques used in design and completion of environmental research projects. Problem definition, data sources and use of appropriate strategies and methodologies. Principles underlying research design are emphasized, including critical thinking, recognizing causal relationships, ideologies and bias in research, and when and where to seek expertise.
Terms: Fall 2013, Winter 2014
Instructors: Vaccaro, Ismael; Sengupta, Raja; Barrington-Leigh, Christopher (Fall) Cardille, Jeffrey; Freeman, Julia (Winter)
Fall-Downtown Campus: Section 001
Winter-Downtown Campus: Section 001; Macdonald Campus: Section 051
Restrictions: Restricted to U2 or higher
Environment : Students work in interdisciplinary seminar groups on challenging philosophical, ethical, scientific and practical issues. They will explore cutting-edge ideas and grapple with the reconciliation of environmental imperatives and social, political and economic pragmatics. Activities include meeting practitioners, attending guest lectures, following directed readings, and organizing, leading and participating in seminars.
Terms: Fall 2013, Winter 2014
Instructors: Brown, Peter Gilbert; Kosoy, Nicolas (Fall) Goodin, David; Dressel, Holly; Posthumus, Stephanie; Manaugh, Kevin (Winter)
Fall - Macdonald Campus; Winter - Downtown
Section 001: Downtown Campus
Section 051: Macdonald Campus
Prerequisite: ENVR 203
Restriction: Open only to U3 students, or permission of instructor
Only 3 credits will be applied to the program; extra credits will count as electives.
Agriculture : Geared for solving real-world environmental problems related to water at the local, regional and international scale in Barbados. Projects to be designed by instructors in consultation with university, government and NGO partners and to be conducted by teams of 2 to 4 students in collaboration with them.
Terms: Fall 2013
Instructors: Alli, Inteaz; Mahon, Susan (Fall)
Environment : Students work in an interdisciplinary team on a real-world research project involving problem definition, methodology development, social, ethical and environmental impact assessment, execution of the study, and dissemination of results to the research community and to the people affected. Teams begin defining their projects during the preceding spring.
Terms: Fall 2013
Instructors: Ricciardi, Anthony; Freeman, Julia; Mikkelson, Gregory Matthew (Fall)
Fall
Prerequisite: ENVR 301
Restriction: B.A. Faculty Program in Environment, B.A.&Sc. Faculty Program in Environment , B.Sc.(Ag.Env.Sc.) and B.Sc. Major in Environment, and Diploma in Environment.
Environment : Research projects will be developed by instructors in consultation with Panamanian universities, government agencies and non-governmental organizations. Project groups will consist of four to six students working with a Panamanian institution. Topics will be relevant to Panama: e.g., protection of the Canal watershed, economical alternatives to deforestation, etc.
Terms: Winter 2014
Instructors: Spalding, Ana; Potvin, Catherine (Winter)
Winter
Restriction: students in the Panama Field Semester program. Offered in Panama only
Economics (Arts) : The introductory course for Economics Major students in microeconomic theory. In depth and critical presentation of the theory of consumer behaviour, theory of production and cost curves, theory of the firm, theory of distribution, welfare economics and the theory of general equilibrium.
Terms: Fall 2013, Winter 2014
Instructors: Lange, Fabian; Galiana, Isabel (Fall)
Students must register for both ECON 230D1 and ECON 230D2.
No credit will be given for this course unless both ECON 230D1 and ECON 230D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms
Economics (Arts) : See ECON 230D1 for course description.
Terms: Winter 2014
Instructors: Kurien, John C; Galiana, Isabel (Winter)
Prerequisite: ECON 230D1
No credit will be given for this course unless both ECON 230D1 and ECON 230D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms
Economics (Arts) : Topics include: Malthusian and Ricardian Scarcity; optimal depletion of renewable and non-renewable resources; exploration, risk and industry structure, and current resources, rent and taxation. Current public policies applied to the resource industries, particularly those of a regulatory nature.
Terms: Winter 2014
Instructors: Cairns, Robert D (Winter)
Earth & Planetary Sciences : Crystal chemistry and identification of the principal rock-forming and ore minerals. Elementary crystallography. Optional 2-day field trip.
Terms: Fall 2013
Instructors: Paquette, Jeanne (Fall)
Earth & Planetary Sciences : A survey of igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks and the processes responsible for their formation. The laboratory will emphasize the recognition of rocks in both hand-specimen and thin section using optical microscopes.
Terms: Winter 2014
Instructors: Francis, Donald M (Winter)
Winter
2 hours lectures, 3 hours laboratory
Prerequisite: EPSC 210
Earth & Planetary Sciences : Basic concepts in geochemistry and the application of geochemical principles of chemistry to geological subdisciplines. Particular emphasis on origin of elements, controls on their distribution in Earth and cosmos, isotopes, organic geochemistry and water chemistry. Application of phase diagrams to geology.
Terms: Fall 2013
Instructors: Baker, Don (Fall)
Fall
2 hours lecture, 3 hours laboratory
Earth & Planetary Sciences : The origin, classification, diagenesis and economic importance of sedimentary rocks. The physical properties of sedimentary rocks, the processes by which sediments are transported and deposited, and the environments in which they accumulate. Introduction to techniques for describing and analyzing sedimentary rocks in thin section, hand specimen, and on the outcrop.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2013-2014 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2013-2014 academic year.
24 credits of complementary courses are selected as follows:
3 credits - Statistics courses
9 credits - List A
12 credits - List B
One of the following Statistics courses or equivalent.
Note: Credit given for Statistics courses is subject to certain restrictions. Students in Science should consult the "Course Overlap" information in the "Course Requirements" section for the Faculty of Science.
Mathematics (Agric&Envir Sci) : Measures of central tendency and dispersion; binomial and Poisson distributions; normal, chi-square, Student's t and Fisher-Snedecor F distributions; estimation and hypothesis testing; simple linear regression and correlation; analysis of variance for simple experimental designs.
Terms: Fall 2013, Winter 2014
Instructors: Dutilleul, Pierre R L; Gravel, Valérie (Fall) Dutilleul, Pierre R L; Gravel, Valérie (Winter)
Two 1.5-hour lectures and one 2-hour lab
Geography : Exploratory data analysis, univariate descriptive and inferential statistics, non-parametric statistics, correlation and simple regression. Problems associated with analysing spatial data such as the 'modifiable areal unit problem' and spatial autocorrelation. Statistics measuring spatial pattern in point, line and polygon data.
Terms: Fall 2013
Instructors: Berrang Ford, Lea (Fall)
Fall
2.5 hours and lab
You may not be able to receive credit for this course and other statistic courses. Be sure to check the Course Overlap section under Faculty Degree Requirements in the Arts or Science section of the Calendar.
Mathematics & Statistics (Sci) : Examples of statistical data and the use of graphical means to summarize the data. Basic distributions arising in the natural and behavioural sciences. The logical meaning of a test of significance and a confidence interval. Tests of significance and confidence intervals in the one and two sample setting (means, variances and proportions).
Terms: Fall 2013, Winter 2014, Summer 2014
Instructors: Harel, Daphna; Genest, Christian (Fall) Wolfson, David B (Winter) Correa, Jose Andres (Summer)
No calculus prerequisites
Restriction: This course is intended for students in all disciplines. For extensive course restrictions covering statistics courses see Section 3.6.1 of the Arts and of the Science sections of the calendar regarding course overlaps.
You may not be able to receive credit for this course and other statistic courses. Be sure to check the Course Overlap section under Faculty Degree Requirements in the Arts or Science section of the Calendar. Students should consult for information regarding transfer credits for this course.
9 credits from:
Agricultural Economics : The role of resources in the environment, use of resources, and management of economic resources within the firm or organization. Problem-solving, case studies involving private and public decision-making in organizations are utilized.
Terms: Fall 2013
Instructors: Thomassin, Paul (Fall)
Fall
Prerequisites: AGEC 200 or equivalent
Economics (Arts) : Macroeconomic and structural aspects of the ecological crisis. A course in which subjects discussed include the conflict between economic growth and the laws of thermodynamics; the search for alternative economic indicators; the fossil fuels crisis; and "green'' fiscal policy.
Terms: Fall 2013, Winter 2014
Instructors: Naylor, Robin Thomas (Fall) Naylor, Robin Thomas (Winter)
Economics (Arts) : The course focuses on the economic implications of, and problems posed by, predictions of global warming due to anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases. Attention is given to economic policies such as carbon taxes and tradeable emission permits and to the problems of displacing fossil fuels with new energy technologies.
Terms: Winter 2014
Instructors: Galiana, Isabel (Winter)
Economics (Arts) : This course gives students a broad overview of the economics of developing countries. The course covers micro and macro topics, with particular emphasis on the economic analysis at the micro level.
Terms: Winter 2014
Instructors: Grimard, Franque (Winter)
Economics (Arts) : A course in cost benefit analysis for graduate and advanced undergraduate students.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2013-2014 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2013-2014 academic year.
Environmental Biology : Theories and procedures of assessing environmental impact. An examination of the environmental impact of existing programs and projects to examine their accuracy in predicting consequences and attenuating undesirable effects.
Terms: Winter 2014
Instructors: Pritchard, Edgar Jonathan (Winter)
12 credits from:
Agriculture : Management of soil and water systems for sustainability. Cause of soil degradation, surface and groundwater contamination by agricultural chemicals and toxic pollutants. Human health and safety concerns. Water-table management. Soil and water conservation techniques will be examined with an emphasis on methods of prediction and best management practices.
Terms: Fall 2013
Instructors: Qi, Zhiming; Madramootoo, Chandra A; Biswas, Asim (Fall)
Fall
3 lectures and one 3-hour lab
This course carries an additional charge of $13 to cover the cost of transportation with respect to a field trip. The fee is refundable only during the withdrawal with full refund period.
Anthropology : Intensive study of theories and cases in ecological anthropology. Theories are examined and tested through comparative case-study analysis. Cultural constructions of "nature" and "environment" are compared and analyzed. Systems of resource management and conflicts over the use of resources are studied in depth.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2013-2014 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2013-2014 academic year.
Biology (Sci) : The characteristics of the major groups of animals, their ancestry, history and relationship to one another. The processes of speciation, adaptive radiation and extinction responsible for diversity. Methods for constructing of phylogenies, for comparing phenotypes, and for estimating and analyzing diversity.
Terms: Winter 2014
Instructors: Millien, Virginie; Larsson, Hans Carl; Bell, Graham (Winter)
Biology (Sci) : Ecology revisited in view of tropical conditions. Exploring species richness. Sampling and measuring biodiversity. Conservation status of ecosystems, communities and species. Indigenous knowledge.
Terms: Winter 2014
Instructors: Potvin, Catherine (Winter)
Economics (Arts) : The course analyzes the structure, conduct, and performance of industries, particularly but not exclusively in Canada. Topics include effects of mergers, barriers to entry, product line and promotion policies, vertical integration, and R & D policies of firms.
Terms: Fall 2013
Instructors: Green, Christopher (Fall)
Economics (Arts) : Microeconomic theories of economic development and empirical evidence on population, labour, firms, poverty. Inequality and environment.
Terms: Fall 2013, Winter 2014, Summer 2014
Instructors: Sen Choudhury, Eesha; Laszlo, Sonia (Fall) Chemin, Matthieu (Winter) Sen Choudhury, Eesha (Summer)
Economics (Arts) : Macroeconomic development issues, including theories of growth, public finance, debt, currency crises, corruption, structural adjustment, democracy and global economic organization.
Terms: Fall 2013, Winter 2014
Instructors: Sen Choudhury, Eesha (Fall) Sen Choudhury, Eesha; Kurien, John C (Winter)
Prerequisite: ECON 313
Restriction: Not open to students who have taken 154-313D
Economics (Arts) : Theoretical and empirical economic analysis of the public sector with an emphasis on public goods and government spending. Study of Canadian institutions in international perspective.
Terms: Fall 2013
Instructors: Mercier, Jean-François (Fall)
Prerequisite: ECON 230D1/D2 or 250D1/D2 or permission of the instructor.
Not open to students who have already completed ECON 408D1/D2.
Economics (Arts) : Theoretical and empirical economic analysis of the public sector with an emphasis on taxation. Study of Canadian institutions in international perspective.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2013-2014 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2013-2014 academic year.
Prerequisite: ECON 408 or permission of the instructor
Restriction: Not open to students who have taken ECON 408D1/D2
Earth & Planetary Sciences : Interaction of minerals with electromagnetic radiation. Optical mineralogy on thin and polished sections. Demonstrations of other spectroscopic techniques applied to the identification of minerals and to the analysis of their composition and structure.
Terms: Winter 2014
Instructors: Baker, Don (Winter)
Winter
6 hours laboratory and relevant in-lab lectures
Prerequisite: EPSC 210
Earth & Planetary Sciences : Two week field studies in selected branches of the geosciences.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2013-2014 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2013-2014 academic year.
Two-week intensive field school to a range of national and international locations.
Prerequisites: enrolment in U2 or U3 EPS program and permission of the instructor.
Alternates years with EPSC 341.
Earth & Planetary Sciences : Two week field studies in selected branches of the geosciences to examine processes in geology.
Terms: Winter 2014, Summer 2014
Instructors: van Hinsberg, Vincent Johan (Summer)
Two week intensive field school to a range of national and international locations.
Prerequisites: Enrolment in U2 or U3 EPS program and permission of the instructor.
Alternates years with EPSC 331.
This course has an additional fee of $511 to cover the costs of airfare, meals and accommodation as well as other field expenses
Earth & Planetary Sciences : Advanced techniques for interrogating the stratigraphic record. Topics include cyclicity in the sedimentary record, sequence stratigraphy, chemostratigraphy, sedimentary control on the fossil record, and the record of deep sea sediment cores.
Terms: Winter 2014
Instructors: Halverson, Galen (Winter)
Earth & Planetary Sciences : Methods in geophysical surveying including gravity, magnetism, electromagnetism, resistivity and seismology; application to exploration and near surface environmental and hydrological targets are included, along with field applications of techniques.
Terms: Winter 2014
Instructors: Harrington, Rebecca (Winter)
Earth & Planetary Sciences : A systematic review of the nature and origin of the major types of metallic and non-metallic mineral deposits; typical occurrences; geographic distribution; applications to exploration. Emphasis on magmatic ores, massive sulfides, iron formations.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2013-2014 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2013-2014 academic year.
Earth & Planetary Sciences : Geochronology, the fractionation of the stable isotopes, and applications to petrology and mineral deposits.
Terms: Winter 2014
Instructors: Wing, Boswell (Winter)
Fall
3 hours lectures
Prerequisites: equivalent of the U2 core program.
Earth & Planetary Sciences : History of chemical oceanography. Seawater composition and definition of salinity/chlorinity. Minor and trace-element distribution in the ocean. Geochemical mass balance. Dissolved gases in sea water. CO2 and the carbonate system. Chemical speciation. Physical chemistry of seawater. Organic matter and the carbon cycle in the marine environment. Sediment geochemistry.
Terms: Fall 2013
Instructors: Mucci, Alfonso (Fall)
Earth & Planetary Sciences : Introduction to groundwater flow through porous media. Notions of fluid potential and hydraulic head. Darcy flux and Darcy's Law. Physical properties of porous media and their measurement. Equation of groundwater flow. Flow systems. Hydraulics of pumping and recharging wells. Notions of hydrology. Groundwater quality and contamination. Physical processes of contaminant transport.
Terms: Fall 2013
Instructors: McKenzie, Jeffrey (Fall)
Winter
3 hours lectures, 1-2 hours laboratory
Prerequisite: permission of the instructor
Earth & Planetary Sciences : The use of chemical thermodynamics to study fluid-rock interactions with an emphasis on the aqueous phase. The course will introduce basic concepts and will discuss aqueous complexation, mineral surface adsorption, and other controls on crustal fluid compositions. Applications will range from considering contaminated groundwater systems to metamorphic reactions.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2013-2014 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2013-2014 academic year.
Earth & Planetary Sciences : Seminar course devoted to field case studies that illustrate the applications of geochemical principles to solving geologic problems. Each student will prepare and lead a class devoted to a geochemical subject of their own choosing.
Terms: Winter 2014
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2013-2014 academic year.
Winter
3 hours seminar
Prerequisite: permission of instructor
Geography : An ecological analysis of the physical and biotic components of natural resource systems. Emphasis on scientific, technological and institutional aspects of environmental management. Study of the use of biological resources and of the impact of individual processes.
Terms: Fall 2013, Summer 2014
Instructors: Meredith, Thomas C (Fall) Akman, Geraldine (Summer)
3 hours
Prerequisite: Any 200-level course in Geography or MSE or BIOL 208 or permission of instructor.
Geography : Quantitative, experimental study of the principles governing the movement of water at or near the Earth's surface and how the research relates to the chemistry and biology of ecosystems.
Terms: Winter 2014
Instructors: Roulet, Nigel Thomas; Lehner, Bernhard (Winter)
Winter
3 hours
Prerequisite: GEOG 203 or equivalent
Soil Science : Soil chemical principles are presented in a series of problem sets covering basic concepts as well as applications to environmental and agricultural situations.
Terms: Winter 2014
Instructors: Hendershot, William H (Winter)
Winter
Prerequisite: A course in Soil Science or permission of instructor
Restriction: Not open to students who have taken SOIL 410.