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Courses

In the following course descriptions, L refers to courses with laboratory.

111-112-113. General Chemistry I, II, III (=Chem 111A-112A-113A). PQ: Good performance on the mathematics and physical sciences placement tests. This course fulfills the Common Core requirement in the physical sciences. A discussion of atomic and molecular theories, chemical periodicity, and types of chemical reaction is followed in the first quarter by the chemical importance of pressure and temperature, phase diagrams, and acid-base and heterogeneous equilibria. During the second quarter the principles of chemical thermodynamics are covered, with applications to chemical and biological systems and to phase equilibria and electrochemistry. In the third quarter, ideas of atomic structure and chemical bonding are studied, along with the special features of liquids and solids and the chemistry of the representative elements. Lab work in EnvStd 111-112-113 includes some quantitative measurements, the properties of the important elements and their compounds, and experiments associated with the common ions and their separation and identification by semi-micro methods. Section A emphasizes the role of chemical and physical processes in the environment, especially in water and in the atmosphere. Section B has a more traditional organization. 111A P. Guyot-Sionnest, 111B R. S. Berry, Autumn; 112A J. Abbatt, 112B J. Light, Winter; 113A R. Clayton, 113B S. Sibener, Spring. L: S. Sibener, Autumn; R. Gomer, Winter; R. S. Berry, Spring.

133. The Atmosphere (=GeoSci 133). PQ: Calculus and Chem 111-112 or higher, or consent of instructor. An introduction to the fundamental physical and chemical factors that determine the observed composition, structure and circulation of the earth's atmosphere. Specific topics to be studied include global energy balance and greenhouse warming, stratospheric ozone depletion, tropospheric pollution, atmospheric dynamics, and cloud processes. N. Nakamura. Spring.

134. Global Warming: Understanding the Forecast (=GeoSci 134, PhySci 134). PQ: Math 102, 106, or consent of instructor; some knowledge of chemistry or physics helpful. This course presents the science behind the forecast of global warming to enable the student to evaluate the likelihood and potential severity of anthropogenic climate change in the coming centuries. It includes an overview of the physics of the greenhouse effect including comparisons with Venus and Mars; an overview of the carbon cycle in its role as a global thermostat; predictions and reliability of climate model forecasts of the greenhouse world; and an examination of the records of recent and past climates such as the glacial world and Eocene and Oligocene warm periods. D. Archer, R. Pierrehumbert. Spring.

212. Resolving the Environmental Crisis (=NCD 212). This course analyzes the impact of human activity on the natural world that sustains it. Topics include human population dynamics; economic growth, industrial activity and human well-being; nature's resources; the decline of biodiversity; prospects for sustainable development; and the role of cultural institutions and values in these matters. The format includes reading diverse sources and writing several short papers. Classes are evenly divided between lectures and discussion. T. Steck. Autumn.

213. Managing the Environment (=LL/Soc 213, NCD 213, PubPol 213). PQ: Econ 198 or higher. This course analyzes human interaction with and intervention into the environment. Topics include resource management, environmental and economic policy, environmental law, business initiatives, and global environmental legislation. Also assessed are major national legislation on Superfund, resource conservation and recovery, air quality, water quality, hazardous chemicals, and endangered species. D. Coursey. Not offered 1996-97; will be offered 1997-98.

214. The Politics of the Environment (=PolSci 285). Through the introduction and development of core principles of American politics and liberal democracy, this course explores a topic that is receiving more and more attention: how to think about the environment as a political issue in America. We begin with a discussion of normative and ethical issues, surveying the various schools of environmental thinking. After exploring the history of American conservation and environmental movements, we move to the interplay between environmental goals and the implementation of environmental policy. Topics include legislative strategies, problems of implementation, judicial behavior, and the desirability of market solutions. S. Liebell. Winter.

220. The Anthropology of Development (=Anthro 220/355). This course applies anthropological understanding to development programs in "underdeveloped" societies through case studies of food production, nutrition, and health care practices. We pay special attention to the role and impact of indigenous and anthropological concepts in development projects. Topics include development within the world system, the role of national and international development agencies, the cultural construction of well-being and deprivation, the impact of world market mechanisms and consumerism on underdevelopment, local resistance and engagement in development, the politics of underdevelopment, and future development. A. Kolata, J. Fernandez, R. Fernandez. Not offered 1996-97; will be offered 1997-98.

241. Environmental Ethics. This course is an introduction to the primary contending perspectives in the new and rapidly growing field of environmental ethics, and the cultural traditions that ground and support them. The overall aim is to help identify the variety of values and responsibilities to be discovered in our relationships to the natural world, and to help answer the question "Why?" when we make public and personal environmental decisions. J. R. Engel. Autumn.

250. Evolutionary Ecology (=BioSci 250). PQ: Common Core biology. This course fulfills the ecology, populations, and behavior requirement for the biological sciences concentration. This class is an evolutionary approach to the study of ecological interactions. Topics include plant-animal interactions, life history evolution, host-parasite and host-mutualist interactions, competition, and predation. Weekly labs stress experimental methods and exploration of current literature. Weekly discussion section required. E. Simms. Autumn. L.

251. Ecological Applications to Conservation Biology (=BioSci 251, Ec-Ev 313). PQ: Common Core biology. This course fulfills the ecology, population, and behavior requirement for the biological sciences concentration. We focus on the contribution of ecological theory to understanding current issues in conservation biology. The course emphasizes quantitative methods and their use for applied problems in ecology, such as the design of natural reserves, the risk of extinction, the impact of harvesting, the dynamics of species invasions, and the role of species interactions. Course material is drawn mostly from the current primary literature. In addition to lectures, students participate in two Saturday field trips and computer modeling labs. J. Bergelson, C. Pfister. Autumn. L.

255. Global Issues in Health and Environment (=Anthro 311, Hist 293/393, SoAsia 311). The twenty-first century will inherit global threats of infection, disease, and environmental degradation. In this course, we examine issues on health and the environment. How might minority rights and democratic forms conflict with the interests of the state and transnational corporations? How might debates on health address the environmental reach of global capital? When does environmental criticism affect matters of race, sexuality, and gender? What constitutes "public" regulation of health and community in the era of globalization? How do environmental and health activists press us to reconstitute categories for understanding justice, agency, and power? We seek to understand global changes in historical as well as contemporary perspectives. C. Breckenridge. Spring.

257. American Culture and the Environment (=Eng 257). This course examines texts that illuminate the bearing of American history and culture on the growing impact of human activity on the natural world. Major themes considered include concepts of the relationship of humans to nature; science and the emergence of industrialism; values underlying colonialism and economic activity (capitalism and exploitation); and frontierism, individualism, and conservationism versus preservationism in the United States. Texts include The Mythic World of the Zuni, Jefferson's Notes on the State of Virginia, Martin's Sacred Revolt, Ulrich's A Midwife's Tale, Thoreau's Walden, Droeber's Ishi: A Tale of Two Worlds, Davis's Life in the Iron Mills, and Turner's The Significance of the Frontier in American History. L. Rigal. Winter.

261. Roots of the Modern American City (=Geog 261/361). This course traces the economic, social, and physical development of the city in North America from early industrialization to the present. Emphasis is on evolving urban systems and the changing spatial organization of people and land use. An Illinois field trip is included. M. Conzen. Not offered 1996-97; will be offered 1997-98.

265. Environmental Economics (=Econ 265). PQ: Econ 201 or consent of instructor. This course applies price theory to the following environmental issues: externalities, distorted incentives, and the market's failure to yield optimal outcomes. Topics include taxes, subsidies, and quotas as solutions to these problems; welfare and efficiency implications; property rights and fisheries; exhaustible and renewable resources; evaluating environmental regulation; government as an autonomous maximizing agent; and divergence between social and governmental interests. S. Wilson. Winter.

283. The Place of Nature in Human Affairs. This course examines the ways in which various thinkers have evaluated the relationship between humanity and nature and the role of nature in human affairs. Discussion and written work focus on rigorous reading of texts by such thinkers as Roger Bacon, Francis Bacon, Descartes, Locke, the Enlightenment philosophes, Rousseau, Kant, Goethe, Thomas Huxley, Albert Einstein, Arne Naess, and E. O. Wilson, The course addresses the following questions among others: does nature exist solely for human use? Or does nature exist for itself? If the latter, then what is the proper human use of nature? Can these conflicts be resolved? Do these texts help us arrive at answers to these questions or a better understanding of the human relationship to nature? A. Cook. Spring.

443. Environmental Controversies (=PubPol 243/443). PQ: Fourth-year standing and consent of instructor. The focus of this course is on the stubborn conflicts of expert against lay intuition on many environmental matters. What makes these conflicts so common and so stubborn? What has changed when they fade from concern (when that happens)? Our main concern is with the politics and psychology of these controversies, but close attention is also paid to the technical underpinnings of these issues. Although expert/lay controversies are particularly apparent on environmental issues, parallel conflicts on intuition occur in other policy areas, such as medicine and crime, so, especially toward the end of the course, we look for applications of the ideas developed in class to these areas. H. Margolis. Spring.

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