Courses

In any given year, additional courses may be offered as part of the Environmental Studies program. The first-year Monserrat program will frequently include some environmental seminars.

Introductory courses, such as BIOL 131, BIOL 132, POLS 102, and ECON 112, are required for some environmental courses. Due to pressures on these departments, it can be challenging to get a seat in some of these classes. Please work with the Environmental Studies director and pay attention to email messages from ENVS@holycross.edu pertaining to advising for our program.

Course Templates for Majors & Concentrators
Majors Template

Conentrators Template

This is a general non-semester-specific course listing of ENVS classes and descriptions that will be applicable starting with the Fall 2012 term.

SCIENCE & MATHEMATICS

Introductory

• Biology 114: Topics in Biology/Environmental Biology. An overview of environmental issues, especially those of a biological nature; available to non-biology, non-pre-medical students; science majors who are environmental science concentrators can be accommodated by giving them a slightly different set of assignments than other students receive.
• Biology 132 - Introduction to Biology 2. A study of the structure, function, diversity, and evolution of plants, fungi and invertebrates. Includes laboratory. Open to biology majors and prospective biology majors. One and one-quarter units.
• Biology 163 - Introduction to Ecology and Biological Diversity. *Will replace BIOL 132 beginning in Spring 2013* This course is taught in two halves. One is an overview of ecology and plant and fungal biodiversity and the other half deals with evolutionary theory and animal biodiversity centered on non-chordate phyla.  Taught in the spring semester only.
• Biology 140: Environmental Geology. An introduction to the relationship between humans and the materials and processes of the Earth. This course focuses on three general topics: geological hazards, climate change, and natural resources. Students may not take both Biology 140 and Biology 150 (Introduction to Geology). One unit.
• Biology 150: Introduction to Geology. The physical processes operating on the earth and the history of the earth. Topics include the formation and physical properties of rocks and minerals, plate tectonics, geologic time, geologic hazards, geologic hazards, weathering and erosion, global climate change, and the geology of mineral and energy resources. Field trips to local geologic sites provide hands-on experience using classic and modern approaches to investigating the earth and its history. Open to all students. Particularly suitable for Biology majors interested in paleontology, ecology, or evolution and for Environmental Studies majors, or concentrators. Includes laboratory. One and one-quarter units.
• Chemistry 181: Atoms and Molecules. This introductory general chemistry course leads students to explore in-depth the scientific method through the formulation and testing of hypotheses in the laboratory. Laboratory experiments lead students to discover basic principles, i.e., stoichiometric relationships, electronic configuration and molecular structure. Lectures will explain and expand upon laboratory results. This course is suitable for students seeking to satisfy the science distribution requirements. It is also the first course in the sequence for science majors and premedical students. The lecture portion of this course meets four hours per week. One two hour discovery laboratory session per week is included. One and one-half units.
• Chemistry 221: Organic Chemistry 1. This introductory general chemistry course leads students to explore in-depth the scientific method through the formulation and testing of hypotheses in the laboratory. Laboratory experiments lead students to discover basic principles, i.e., stoichiometric relationships, electronic configuration and molecular structure. Lectures will explain and expand upon laboratory results. This course is suitable for students seeking to satisfy the science distribution requirements. It is also the first course in the sequence for science majors and premedical students. The lecture portion of this course meets four hours per week. One two hour discovery laboratory session per week is included. One and one-half units.
• Mathematics 110: Environmental Mathematics. An examination of issues in environmental science, learning how to use tools from mathematics to gain insight and understanding.
• Physics 111: General Physics 1. First part of a two-semester introductory general physics sequence, suitable for majors of physics, chemistry, and biology, as well as for those participating in the Health Professions Advisory Program (pre-medical, pre-dental, etc.), the 3-2 Engineering Program, and in the ROTC Program. This course is a survey of the theory of Newtonian mechanics and the methods associated with solving quantitative problems. Students carry out related experiments in the laboratory. Topics include motion in one and two dimensions; vectors, Newton ¿s laws of motion, work and energy, linear momentum and collisions, rotational motion, static equilibrium, oscillatory motion, gravitation, fluid mechanics, and mechanical waves. Calculus-based. Three hours of lectures plus a two-hour laboratory session per week. Prerequisite or co-requisite: Math 131, 133, or 136. One and one-quarter units.
• Physics 112: General Physics 2. A continuation of Physics 111, this is the second part of a two-semester introductory general physics sequence, covering electricity and magnetism, optics, and some aspects of modern physics. Topics include electric forces, fields, and potential, electrical components and circuits, magnetic forces and fields, electromagnetic induction, geometric optics, wave optics, and atomic physics. Laboratory sessions are designed to enhance understanding of phenomena in these areas. Calculus-based. Three hours of lectures plus a two-hour laboratory session per week. Prerequisite or co-requisite: Math 132, 134, or 136. One and one-quarter units.

Intermediate & Advanced

• Biology 210: Geomorphology. This course is an introduction to landforms and the geologic processes that modify Earth's surface. Topics in-clude tectonic, hillslope, glacial, and river processes; modern quantitative methods of investigating landscapes; and the influences of humans, climate, and biologic activity on surficial processes and the physical environ-ment. Includes computer and field work in the weekly laboratory. One and one-quarter units.
  
• Biology 220: Entomology. An introduction to insects covering diversity, morphology, physiology, ecology and behavior, as well as considerations of the economic and medical importance of insects. Includes laboratory. Organismal biology. Prerequisite: Biology 131 and 132. One and one-quarter units.
  
• Biology 233: Freshwater Ecology. A comprehensive introduction to the hydrology, chemistry, and ecology of freshwater ecosystems. The laboratory component includes field work in several ecosystems (lake, stream, reservoir, river and wetland) and laboratory work characterizing the chemistry and biology of these diverse ecosystems. Ecological and evolutionary biology. Prerequisites: Biology 132. One and one-quarter units.
• Biology 250: Field Botany.An introduction to the local vascular flora, emphasizing identification of ferns, woody plants and plants flowering in the fall. The course will include training in use of field guides and technical keys and preparation of herbarium specimens. Includes field and laboratory work. Organismal biology. Prerequisite: Biology 132 or permission. One unit.
• Biology 280: General Ecology. A broad introduction to the study of relationships between organisms and their environments, with coverage of individual organisms, populations, communities and ecosystems, as well as natural history of New England. Includes laboratory and field work. Ecological and evolutionary biology. Prerequisite: Biology 131 and 132. One and one-quarter units.
• Biology 299: Watershed Hydology. Laboratory required for BIOL-299-L02 Watershed Hydrology course.
• Biology 331: Ecosystem Ecology. The course covers the history of ecosystem ecology, biogeochemical cycles and budgets, ecosystem energetics and trophic structure, and the response of ecosystems to disturbance and human-accelerated environmental change. The latter part of the course emphasizes discussion of recent primary literature that contributes to the conceptual framework underlying the management and conservation of diverse ecosystems. Ecological and evolutionary biology. Prerequisites: 132. One unit.
• Biology 362: Toxicology. The study of adverse effects of chemicals on biological systems. Topics include measurements of toxicity; dose-response relationships; the absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion of toxicants; targets of toxicity; genetic toxicology; carcinogenesis; developmental toxicity; environmental toxicology; and regulatory toxicology. Organismal biology. Prerequisites: Chemistry 222 and Biology 120, 261, or 262. One unit.
• Biology 381: Conservation Biology.Topics include the underlying philosophical approaches to conservation, techniques for measuring biological diversity, for assessing and predicting changes, the principles of management and restoration and the use of mathematical models in management. Classes will be a mix of lecture on general principles plus student-led discussion of case studies and of the recent conservation literature. Ecological and evolutionary biology. Prerequisite: Biology 261 or 262 or 233 or 280 or 331. One unit.
• Chemistry 231: Introduction to Equilibrium and Reactivity. Focuses on studying and understanding the role equilibrium, thermodynamics and kinetics play in chemical systems. Specific topics include phase and chemical equilibria, colligative properties of solutions, acid/ base equilibria, chemical kinetics, electrochemistry, thermodynamics including enthalpy, entropy and free energy, and gas laws. Laboratory focused, this general chemistry course also introduces students to modern analytical instrumentation (such as UV-Vis spectrophotometer and GC-TCD) while developing critical wet chemical analytical techniques. Knowledge and skills gained in Chem 181, 221 and 222 will be built upon with an emphasis on obtaining quantitative understanding. One four-hour discovery laboratory session per week is included. Prerequisites: Chemistry 222 (or permission of Chair) and one semester of college calculus. One and one-half units.
• Environmental Studies 247: Introduction to Geographic Information Systems. Introduces and explores the fundamental concepts of Geographic Information Systems. GIS technology combines computerized mapping and database management to implement maps on the computer. GIS is used in a diversity of fields ranging from archaeology to zoology, some specific examples being anthropology, epidemiology, facilities management, forestry, geology, and business. Explains the structure and function of GISs, placing them in the context of computer information systems, cartography, and supporting disciplines such as remote sensing, and shows why and how GIS is important. Covers basic concepts such as map characteristics and projections, spatial data models, relational databases, and spatial analysis. Explores sources of data, data quality, metadata. Implementation and management of GIS projects, choosing a GIS, and the application of GIS are presented. Examples and data sets are taken from the fields of ecology and environment biology. One unit. 

SOCIAL SCIENCES

Intermediate

• Economics 224: Environmental Economics. Shows how natural resource usage and environmental issues can be analyzed from an economic perspective. Presents the basic concepts of environmental economics and develops the analytical and policy tools used in environmental economics. Considers the problems of air pollution, water pollution and solid and hazardous waste management, their causes and how they can be reduced. Other topics such as global warming, amendments to the Clean Air Act and international environmental issues will be discussed. Prerequisites: Economics 111, 112. One unit.
• Economics 324: Economics of Energy.This course will allow students to develop an understanding of many fields of economics that relate to energy including finance, game theory, basic microeconomics, and environmental economics. Particular attention will be paid to current day, real-world applications of economics in the energy world. Topic covered include global warming, cartel behavior, cap-and-trade legislation, options and futures markets, and the economics of renewable energy sources. Prerequisite: Economics 255. One unit.
• Political Science 257: Politics of DevelopmentHow can the world's less developed countries achieve sustainable development (in environmental, economic, and political terms)? This course discusses structural and institutional challenges to sustainable development in the global South, investigates different responses to these challenges (and their different degrees of success), and assesses the impact of development--and underdevelopment--on both societies and the environment.Comparative Politics. Prerequisite: Political Science 102. One unit.
• Political Science 285: Global Environmental Politics. Interaction between international politics and the environment; the difficulties of political action concerning international environmental problems; problems of sustainable economic growth; major environmental issues; international environmental cooperation since 1972; international policy, regimes, laws and legal framework; international organizations, NGO's and the environment.
• Political Science 286: Comparative Environmental Policy. The U.S. and countries throughout the world have experimented widely in their quest to address common environmental problems. This course undertakes a comparative study of the development of domestic and international environmental policies in three advanced industrial states (the U.S., U.K., and Germany), as well as providing an overview of developing country environmental policies. Focus of the course is on three questions: How do national differences in institutions, political culture, regulatory style, and economic structure shape domestic and international environmental policies? What impact do these differences have on the ability of states to achieve cooperative solutions to common environmental problems? What influence do international environmental interactions have on domestic environmental policy? Comparative Politics. Prerequisite: Political Science 102 or permission of the Instructor. One unit.
• Sociology 399: Environment and Social Movements. 

HUMANITIES

Introductory

• History 199: The Wilderness in US History.
• History 200: Environmental History. Beginning with the early civilizations of Mesopotamia, Mesoamerica, China, and the Mediterranean, this course integrates human experience with the natural order. Examines changing ratios of humans to the land and of humans to other species and the impact of the transfer of plants, animals, and diseases between the hemispheres after 1492. Considers how perceptions of nature have differed over time. Case studies of environmental crises in the contemporary world are based on their 19th- and 20th-century roots. One unit.
• History 299: Pollution and Power in 20th Century US.

Intermediate

• English 375: Nature/Poetry. An examination of nature writing of the last three centuries, emphasizing the roots of our problematic relationship to nature.
• History 305: America’s First Global Age. There is great talk about "globalization" and "global economies" during the late 20th and early 21st centuries. However, people living in America were touched by global economic processes as early as the time of Columbus. This course explores North America's first global age beginning in the 1400s and extending through the 1860s. It examines this history thematically by focusing on various kinds of trades and industries such as gold, fish, timber, tobacco, silver, sugar, alcohol, fur, coffee, tea, and cotton. In addition to economic processes, the course addresses the social, cultural, and political implications of these global trade connections for Americans of African, European, and Native descent. Fulfills one pre-modern/pre-industrial requirement for the major. One unit.
  
• Philosophy 205: Ethics and the Natural World. An examination of the ethical basis of fundamental human conceptions of nature.
• Philosophy 247: Environmental Poltical Philosophy. The question of our very problematic relationship with the environment has generated an immense amount of debate and acrimony over the last fifty years or so. We are consuming natural resources at an ever-increasing rate: some people think this is a problem, others don't. We're the source of profound changes in the environment: some people think this is a problem, others don't. We're bringing more and more of the environment under our control for our own immediate benefit, leaving less and less for other species and future generations: some people think this is a problem, others don't. In fact, we are increasing at an ever-increasing rate: some people think ... well, you get the picture.
  In this class we're going to look at those facts, and the very different attitudes that people have towards them, and try to figure out what's going on. We'll begin with a brief survey of different attitudes toward the environment (enlightened anthropocentrism, animal rights, biocentrism, and eco-centrism), then explore the different political theories that have guided our collective approaches to the environment. This will explain a LOT about why we have the particular problems we have. Then we'll re-evaluate those theories and see how they can be modified so as to address those environmental problems. We'll close by considering the various ways in which environmental benefits and burdens are currently distributed, and what must be done to ensure that the demands of justice (with respect to the "environment" are met), What should we DO about all this? We'll spend a lot of time looking at how other people have answered that question, but the ultimate goal is to answer it for yourself. Be ready to talk!
• Religious Studies 255: Ecology and Religion.Explores various perspectives on nature articulated in the history of the world¿s religions beginning with hunter-gatherer and tribal peoples. Distinctive doctrines derived from sacred texts and by philosophers/ theologians, as well as the impact of ritual practices, are reviewed to understand the impact of religion on human ecology. After considering the perspective of Enlightenment thought on the natural world, the course surveys early North American exponents of ecological spirituality (Thoreau; Emerson; Muir), the writings of Eco-theologians (Fox; Berry; Schweitzer; McFague), and how cosmologies articulated by modern ecologists (Leopold; Lovelock) and activists (Earth First! And Greenpeace) have sought to define as sacred the human connection with the natural world. One unit
• Religious Studies 353: Theology and Ecology. An examination of the relationship between Christian faith and contemporary environmental concerns.
• Environmental Studies 200: Environmental Law. Environmental law is controversial and fascinating. Consider some of these newspaper headlines: "Scientist Say Climate Heating Up," "Pesticides Found in Local Groundwater," "Endangered Salamander Stops Development." Environmental law and policy are a part of everyday life. The challenges to environmental quality have a critical influence on where we live and how well we live and, most important, the kind of world in which our children and their children will live. One unit.
• Anthropology 361: War, Environment, and Human Health. War - Environment & Human Health