Program Requirements
This specialization integrates environmental sciences and decision making with the economics of environment and sustainable development. It is designed to prepare students for careers in natural resource management and the analysis of environmental problems and policies.
This specialization is limited to students in the Major Agricultural Economics.
For information on academic advising, see:
Required Courses (9 credits)
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ENVB 305 Population & Community Ecology (3 credits)
Overview
Environmental Biology : Interactions between organisms and their environment; historical and current perspectives in applied and theoretical population and community ecology. Principles of population dynamics, feedback loops, and population regulation. Development and structure of communities; competition, predation and food web dynamics. Biodiversity science in theory and practice.
Terms: Winter 2016
Instructors: Buddle, Christopher (Winter)
Winter
Restriction: Not open to students who have taken WILD 205
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ENVB 437 Assessing Environmental Impact (3 credits)
Overview
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 2016
Instructors: Hickey, Gordon (Winter)
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ENVB 506 Quantitative Methods: Ecology (3 credits)
Overview
Environmental Biology : The process of formulating models of natural systems and confronting them with data, along with the necessary statistical computing skills. Emphasis on hands-on experience with current approaches for building, fitting, and comparing models.
Terms: Winter 2016
Instructors: Solomon, Christopher (Winter)
Complementary Courses (15 credits)
At least 15 credits chosen from the following list:
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AGRI 310 Internship in Agriculture/Environment (3 credits)
Overview
Agriculture : Internship on working farms or in other appropriate businesses of the agri-food/environment industries.
Terms: Fall 2015, Winter 2016, Summer 2016
Instructors: Begg, Caroline B (Fall) Begg, Caroline B (Winter) Begg, Caroline B (Summer)
Restriction: Not open to students who have taken AGRI 201D1/D2.
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BREE 217 Hydrology and Water Resources (3 credits)
Overview
Bioresource Engineering : Measurements and analysis of components of the water cycle. Precipitation, evaporation, infiltration and groundwater. Analysis of hydrologic data. Hydrograph theory. Hydrologic estimations for design of water control projects; flood control and reservoir routing. Integrated watershed management and water conservation. Water management systems for environmental protection.
Terms: Winter 2016
Instructors: Prasher, Shiv (Winter)
3 lectures, one 2-hour lab
Restriction: Not open to students who have taken ABEN 217.
Note: This course carries an additional course charge of $30.94 to cover transportation costs for two field trips, which may include a visit to a national weather station and a trip to gain hands-on experience on monitoring water flow in streams.
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ECON 225 Economics of the Environment (3 credits)
Overview
Economics (Arts) : A study of the application of economic theory to questions of environmental policy. Particular attention will be given to the measurement and regulation of pollution, congestion and waste and other environmental aspects of specific economies.
Terms: Fall 2015
Instructors: Galiana, Isabel (Fall)
Restriction: Not open to students who have taken 154-325 or 154-425
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ECON 326 Ecological Economics (3 credits)
Overview
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 2015, Winter 2016
Instructors: Naylor, Robin Thomas (Fall) Naylor, Robin Thomas (Winter)
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ECON 405 Natural Resource Economics (3 credits)
Overview
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 2016
Instructors: Cairns, Robert D (Winter)
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ENVB 301 Meteorology (3 credits)
Overview
Environmental Biology : The physical processes underlying weather. Topics include: the atmosphere - its properties (structure and motion), and thermodynamics (stability, heat and moisture); clouds and precipitation; air masses and fronts; mid-latitude weather systems and severe weather.
Terms: Fall 2015
Instructors: Strachan, Ian Brett (Fall)
Fall
Restriction: Not open to students who have taken NRSC 201
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ENVR 203 Knowledge, Ethics and Environment (3 credits)
Overview
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 2015, Winter 2016
Instructors: Freeman, Julia; Mikkelson, Gregory Matthew (Fall) Ellis, Jaye Dana (Winter)
Fall - Macdonald Campus; Winter - Downtown
Section 001: Downtown Campus
Section 051: Macdonald Campus
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MICR 331 Microbial Ecology (3 credits)
Overview
Microbiology (Agric&Envir Sc) : The ecology of microorganisms, primarily bacteria and archaea, and their roles in biogeochemical cycles will be discussed. Microbial interactions with the environment, plants, animals and other microbes emphasizing the underlying genetics and physiology. Diversity, evolution (microbial phylogenetics) and the application of molecular biology in microbial ecology.
Terms: Winter 2016
Instructors: Driscoll, Brian T (Winter)
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NRSC 333 Pollution and Bioremediation (3 credits)
Overview
Natural Resource Sciences : The environmental contaminants which cause pollution; sources, amounts and transport of pollutants in water, air and soil; waste management.
Terms: Fall 2015
Instructors: Whyte, Lyle; Basu, Niladri (Fall)
Fall
3 lectures
Restriction: Not open to students who have taken WILD 333
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WILD 415 Conservation Law (2 credits)
Overview
Resource Development : A study of the various federal, provincial and municipal laws affecting wildlife habitat. Topics include: laws to protect wild birds and animals; the regulation of hunting; legal protection of trees and flowers, sanctuaries, reserves, parks; techniques of acquiring and financing desirable land, property owner rights.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Fall
2 lectures
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WILD 421 Wildlife Conservation (3 credits)
Overview
Resource Development : Study of current controversial issues focusing on wildlife conservation. Topics include: animal rights, exotic species, ecotourism, urban wildlife, multi-use of national parks, harvesting of wildlife, biological controls, and endangered species.
Terms: Winter 2016
Instructors: Elliott, Kyle (Winter)
Winter
3 lectures
Restriction: Not open to students who have taken NRSC 421.