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Note: This is the 2010–2011 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 2010–2011 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.
This concentration (60 credits including Core) is open only to students in the B.Sc.(Ag.Env.Sc.) Major in Environment or B.Sc. Major in Environment program.
To educate students in both the ecological and physical facets of the water environment, this Domain offers two concentrations, with students choosing one or the other.
Those electing the Biological concentration will focus on the mechanisms regulating the different forms of life in water bodies. They will acquire, as well, a good understanding of the physical mechanisms controlling water properties. Students interested in studying the transport and transformation mechanisms of water on the planet, from rivers to the oceans and atmosphere, will select the Physical concentration. They will acquire, as well, a solid background in the biological processes taking place in water bodies.
Graduates of this Domain are qualified to enter the work force or to pursue advanced studies in fields such as marine biology, geography, physical oceanography and atmospheric science.
For suggestions of courses to take in your first year (U1), you can consult the "MSE Student Handbook 2010-11" available on the MSE website (), or contact Ms. Kathy Roulet, Program Advisor (kathy.roulet [at] mcgill.ca).
NOTE: Students are required to take a maximum of 30 credits at the 200-level and a minimum of 12 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 º«¹úÂãÎè's downtown campus and at the Macdonald campus in Ste. Anne de Bellevue.
Location Note: Core Required courses for this program are taught at both º«¹úÂãÎè's downtown campus and at the Macdonald Campus in Ste. 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 2010
Instructors: McCourt, George; Fyles, James W; Fabry, Frederic; Rhemtulla, Jeanine; Atallah, Eyad Hashem (Fall)
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 2010
Instructors: Badami, Madhav Govind; Bennett, Elena; Purdon, Mark; Kosoy, Nicolas (Fall)
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 2011
Instructors: de Blois, Sylvie; McCourt, George; Wheeler, Terry A; Lechowicz, Martin J; Paquette, Jeanne; Chapman, Colin Austin (Winter)
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 2010, Winter 2011
Instructors: Goodin, David; Johns, Timothy A (Fall) Sieber, Renee; Purdon, Mark; Hirose, Iwao (Winter)
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 2010, Winter 2011
Instructors: Vaccaro, Ismael; Sengupta, Raja; Reyna Hurtado, Rafael Angel (Fall) Chapman, Colin Austin; Sengupta, Raja; Vaccaro, Ismael; Marshall, E Joan (Winter)
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 2010, Winter 2011
Instructors: Goodin, David; Isabel, Mariève (Fall) Goodin, David; Purdon, Mark; Hirose, Iwao; Mikkelson, Gregory Matthew; Isabel, Mariève (Winter)
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 2010
Instructors: Alli, Inteaz (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 2010
Instructors: Fabry, Frederic; McCourt, George; Roulet, Kathryn (Fall)
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 2011
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2010-2011 academic year.
Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences : An introduction to physical meteorology designed for students in the physical sciences. Topics include: composition of the atmosphere; heat transfer; the upper atmosphere; atmospheric optics; formation of clouds and precipitation; instability; adiabatic charts.
Terms: Fall 2010
Instructors: Atallah, Eyad Hashem; Gyakum, John Richard (Fall)
Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences : Laws of motion, geostrophic wind, gradient wind. General circulation of the atmosphere and oceans, local circulation features. Air-sea interaction, including hurricanes and sea-ice formation, extra-tropical weather systems and fronts, role of the atmosphere and oceans in climate.
Terms: Winter 2011
Instructors: Yau, Man K (Winter)
33 credits of Complementary Courses are selected as follows:
6 credits - hydrology/water resources, population/community and ecology
3 credits - math and statistics
3 credits - field course
3 credits - Social sciences and policy
18 credits chosen in total from List A and List B
6 credits selected as follows:
one of:
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 2011
Instructors: Prasher, Shiv (Winter)
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 2011
Instructors: Lehner, Bernhard (Winter)
and one of:
Biology (Sci) : Principles of population, community, and ecosystem dynamics: population growth and regulation, species interactions, dynamics of competitive interactions and of predator/prey systems; evolutionary dynamics.
Terms: Fall 2010
Instructors: Guichard, Frederic (Fall)
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 2011
Instructors: Buddle, Christopher (Winter)
one of:
* Note: AEMA 310 or equivalent
Mathematics (Agric&Envir Sci) : Partial differentiation; multiple integrals; vector calculus; infinite series; and introduction to the use of computer-based mathematical tools in applications.
Terms: Fall 2010
Instructors: Knutt, Marcia E (Fall)
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 2010, Winter 2011
Instructors: Dutilleul, Pierre R L; Bona, Kelly Ann (Fall) Dutilleul, Pierre R L (Winter)
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 2010, Winter 2011, Summer 2011
Instructors: Khalili Mahmoudabadi, Abbas; Correa, Jose Andres (Fall)
Mathematics & Statistics (Sci) : Taylor series, Taylor's theorem in one and several variables. Review of vector geometry. Partial differentiation, directional derivative. Extreme of functions of 2 or 3 variables. Parametric curves and arc length. Polar and spherical coordinates. Multiple integrals.
Terms: Fall 2010, Winter 2011, Summer 2011
Instructors: Jonsson, Wilbur; Sancho, Neville G F (Fall) Jonsson, Wilbur (Winter)
3 credits selected from the following courses or an equivalent aquatic field course:
Agriculture : Physical environment challenges, centered on water, being faced by an island nation. Guest speakers, field study tours and laboratory tests. Private, government and NGO institutional context of conservation strategies, and water quantity and quality analyses for water management specific to Barbados.
Terms: Fall 2010
Instructors: Gehr, Ronald; Keane, Angela (Fall)
Biology (Sci) : Methods of sampling natural populations. Testing hypotheses in nature.
Terms: Fall 2010
Instructors: Lechowicz, Martin J; Leighton, Patrick; Davies, Thomas (Fall)
Geography : Field research projects in physical geography. Held locally in Monteregian or Eastern Township regions. The course is organised around field projects designed to formulate and test scientific hypotheses in a physical geography discipline. May Summer session. Preregistration in Department required by March 16.
Terms: Summer 2011
Instructors: Pollard, Wayne H (Summer)
one of:
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 2010
Instructors: Thomassin, Paul (Fall)
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: Winter 2011
Instructors: Scott, Colin Hartley (Winter)
Anthropology : Advanced study of the environmental crisis in developing and advanced industrial nations, with emphasis on the social and cultural dimensions of natural resource management and environmental change. Each year, the seminar will focus on a particular set of issues, delineated by type of resource, geographic region, or analytical problem.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2010-2011 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2010-2011 academic year.
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: This course is not scheduled for the 2010-2011 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2010-2011 academic year.
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 2010
Instructors: Naylor, Robin Thomas (Fall)
Geography : Practical application of environmental planning, analysis and management techniques with reference to the needs and problems of developing areas. Special challenges posed by cultural differences and traditional resource systems are discussed. This course involves practical field work in a developing area (Kenya or Panama).
Terms: Winter 2011
Instructors: Meredith, Thomas C (Winter)
Geography : Focus on understanding of inter-relations between humans and neotropical environments represented in Panama. Study of contemporary rural landscapes, their origins, development and change. Impacts of economic growth and inequality, social organization, and politics on natural resource use and environmental degradation. Site visits and field exercises in peasant/colonist, Amerindian, and plantation communities.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2010-2011 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2010-2011 academic year.
Political Science : The politics and processes of global governance in the 21st century, with a special emphasis on the United Nations system.
Terms: Winter 2011
Instructors: Pouliot, Vincent (Winter)
Political Science : The principal intellectual traditions in the study of public policy and their application to the policy process in North America and Western Europe. Criteria for evaluation, constitutional choice and governmental process, the role of political influence in policy making and implementation and the problem of change in post-industrial societies.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2010-2011 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2010-2011 academic year.
Sociology (Arts) : Analysis of social change in Panama, particularly during the 20th century: demography, social and economic structures, rural and urban activities and landscapes, indigenous peoples, the effects of the Canal and the Free Trade Zone. Focus throughout on the interaction of human society and the environment.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2010-2011 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2010-2011 academic year.
Urban Planning : Economic and social issues related to planning for sustainable development, with a focus on water. Political and environmental determinants of resource use. Impact of global, regional and local institutions, programs and plans in Barbados and in the field locale in general.
Terms: Fall 2010
Instructors: Phillip, Leroy E; Alli, Inteaz (Fall)
18 credits chosen in total from List A and List B as follows:
9 to 12 credits chosen from:
* Note: you may take ENVR 540 or BIOL 540 but not both; you may take GEOG 305 or ENVB 210 but not both.
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 2010
Instructors: Clark, Grant (Fall)
Biology (Sci) : An introduction to marine benthic communities. Topics include structure and dynamics of hard and soft bottom communities; bioturbation, feeding strategies and trophodynamics; ecology of seagrass, mangrove and coral reef ecosystems; marine pollution.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2010-2011 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2010-2011 academic year.
Biology (Sci) : A study of the physical, chemical and biological properties of lakes and other inland waters, with emphasis on their functioning as systems.
Terms: Fall 2010
Instructors: Gregory-Eaves, Irene (Fall)
Biology (Sci) : An introduction to how the ocean functions biologically: biology and ecology of marine plankton; regulation, extent and fate of production in the sea.
Terms: Winter 2011
Instructors: Price, Neil (Winter)
Biology (Sci) : Discussion of relevant theoretical and applied issues in conservation biology. Topics: biodiversity, population viability analysis, community dynamics, biology of rarity, extinction, habitat fragmentation, social issues.
Terms: Fall 2010
Instructors: Green, David M; Gonzalez, Andrew (Fall)
Biology (Sci) : Causes and consequences of biological invasion, as well as risk assessment methods and management strategies for dealing with invasive species.
Terms: Winter 2011
Instructors: Ricciardi, Anthony (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 2011
Instructors: Potvin, Catherine (Winter)
Biology (Sci) : Detailed analysis of a topic in evolutionary biology, involving substantial original research.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2010-2011 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2010-2011 academic year.
Entomology : Diversity, biology, ecology and recognition of the main groups of aquatic insects.
Terms: Fall 2010
Instructors: Lewis, David James (Fall)
Environmental Biology : With reference to the ecosystems in the St Lawrence lowlands, the principles and processes governing climate-landform-water-soil-vegetation systems and their interactions will be examined in lecture and laboratory. Emphasis on the natural environment as an integrated system.
Terms: Fall 2010
Instructors: Mousavi-Torbati, Khosro; Begg, Caroline B (Fall)
Environmental Biology : Nature and history of limnology; divisions of inland waters; properties of fresh water; habitats; zones; nutrient cycles; biota; adaptations; seasonal variation; distributions; pollution; succession and evolution of fresh water environments. Includes field excursions.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2010-2011 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2010-2011 academic year.
Environment : Causes and consequences of biological invasion, as well as risk assessment methods and management strategies for dealing with invasive species.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2010-2011 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2010-2011 academic year.
Geography : Discussion of the major properties of soils; soil formation, classification and mapping; land capability assessment; the role and response of soils in natural and disturbed environments (e.g. global change, ecosystem disturbance).
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2010-2011 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2010-2011 academic year.
Geography : The study of the patterns of distribution of organisms in space and time with emphasis on plant communities. Ecological, geographical, historical and anthropological factors affecting these distribution patterns will be discussed. Particular consideration is given to methods for description and classification of plant communities.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2010-2011 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2010-2011 academic year.
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 2011
Instructors: Driscoll, Brian T (Winter)
Natural Resource Sciences : The environmental contaminants which cause pollution; sources, amounts and transport of pollutants in water, air and soil; waste management.
Terms: Fall 2010
Instructors: Whyte, Lyle; Hendershot, William H (Fall)
Parasitology : Infectious pathogens of humans and animals and their impact on the global environment are considered. The central tenet is that infectious pathogens are environmental risk factors. The course considers their impact on the human condition and juxtaposes the impact of control and treatment measures and environmental change.
Terms: Winter 2011
Instructors: Scott, Marilyn (Winter)
Resource Development : Principles of fisheries and wildlife management are considered and current practices of research and management are discussed.
Terms: Fall 2010
Instructors: Curtis, Mark A; Humphries, Murray Mitchell; Solomon, Christopher (Fall)
6 - 9 credits chosen from:
* Note: You may take ATOC 219 or CHEM 219 but not both; you may take ATOC 419 or CHEM 419 but not both; CHEM 287 and CHEM 297 must be taken together.
Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences : An introduction to the basic topics in atmospheric chemistry. The fundamentals of the chemical composition of the atmosphere and its chemical reactions. Selected topics such as smog chamber, acid rain, and ozone hole will be examined.
Terms: Winter 2011
Instructors: Bourqui, Michel (Winter)
Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences : Selected areas of atmospheric chemistry from field and laboratory to theoretical modelling are examined. The principles of atmospheric reactions (gas, liquid and heterogeneous phases in aerosols and clouds) and issues related to chemical global change will be explored.
Terms: Winter 2011
Instructors: Ariya, Parisa A (Winter)
Chemistry : An introduction to the basic topics in atmospheric chemistry. The fundamentals of the chemical composition of the atmosphere and its chemical reactions. Selected topics such as; a smog chamber, acid rain, and the ozone hole, will be examined.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2010-2011 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2010-2011 academic year.
Chemistry : Qualitative and quantitative analysis. A survey of methods of analysis including theory and practice of semimicro qualitative analysis and representative gravimetric, volumetric and instrumental methods.
Terms: Fall 2010
Instructors: Burns, David H; Salin, Eric Dunbar (Fall)
Chemistry : Introductory experiments in analytical chemistry emphasizing classical and instrumental methods of quantitative analysis.
Terms: Fall 2010, Winter 2011
Instructors: Burns, David H; Hamier, Jan (Fall) Hamier, Jan; Salin, Eric Dunbar (Winter)
Chemistry : Selected areas of atmospheric chemistry from field and laboratory to theoretical modelling are examined. The principles of atmospheric reactions (gas, liquid and heterogeneous phases in aerosols and clouds) and issues related to chemical global change will be explored.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2010-2011 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2010-2011 academic year.
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 2010
Instructors: Baker, Don (Fall)
Geography : An introduction to Geographic Information Systems. The systematic management of spatial data. The use and construction of maps. The use of microcomputers and software for mapping and statistical work. Air photo and topographic map analyses.
Terms: Fall 2010
Instructors: Sieber, Renee; Sengupta, Raja (Fall)
Geography : A conceptual view of remote sensing and the underlying physical principles. Covers ground-based, aerial, satellite systems, and the electromagnetic spectrum, from visible to microwave. Emphasis on application of remotely sensed data in geography including land cover change and ecological processes.
Terms: Fall 2010
Instructors: Kalacska, Margaret (Fall)
Geography : The course focuses on the physical habitat conditions found in streams, rivers, estuaries and deltas. Based on the laws governing flow of water and sediment transport, it emphasizes differences among these environments, in terms of channel form, flow patterns, substrate composition and mode of evolution. Flooding, damming, channelisation, forestry impacts.
Terms: Fall 2010
Instructors: Lapointe, Michel F (Fall)
Geography : Surface and shallow ground water determine the availability of moisture and many chemical elements at the Earth's surface. This course discusses the link between surface water and ground water flow systems and the role this link plays in stream flow production and biogeochemical cycling in lake, riparian and terrestrial ecosystems.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2010-2011 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2010-2011 academic year.
Geography : An examination of current advances in fluvial geomorphology: sediment entrainment and transport, alluviation and river channel evolution.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2010-2011 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2010-2011 academic year.
Geography : Principles and methods of Quaternary paleoecology and vegetation reconstruction. Examination of ecosystem response to human disturbance and environmental change.
Terms: Fall 2010
Instructors: Chmura, Gail L (Fall)
Natural Resource Sciences : Applications of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and spatial analysis techniques to the presentation and analysis of ecological information, including sources and capture of spatial data; characterizing, transforming, displaying spatial data; and spatial analysis to solve resource management problems.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2010-2011 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2010-2011 academic year.