ELECTIVE COURSE CATEGORIES:
(1) Science Category
(2) Social Science Category
(3) Humanities Category
(4) Interdisciplinary Category
 

ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES CATEGORY:

ENVS 200 - Introduction to Environmental Studies (W/E)
3 hours
An introduction to the perspectives in the field of environmental studies.

ENVS 480 - Seminar in Environmental Studies
1 hour (offered Fall)
Course designed for students to present capstone projects.

 

SCIENCE CATEGORY:
AGSC, BIOL, CHEM, PHYS coursework, research, special problems, or internship credit to be identified, including but not limited to the following courses.

AGSC 212 — Principles of Soil Science - course no longer offered as of June 2006
4 hours
Dr. Campbell
A comprehensive introduction to soil science. Origin, formulation, characteristics and resultant management implications for use of soil resources, with applications for agriculture, the environment, waste disposal, engineering and society. Includes laboratory. Prerequisite: One course in biology or chemistry.

AGSC 311 — Plant Nutrition
3 hours (offered fall, even years)
Plant nutritional requirements, fertilizers and fertilization practices, soil amendments, soil fertility as related to plant growth and the production and quality of food and fiber. Includes laboratory. Prerequisite: AGSC 212 or an introductory options as a policy tool. Prerequisites: AGSC 260.

AGSC 410 — Soil Conservation and Management
3 hours (offered spring)
Soil conservation and management - utilization, improvement, and preservation of soil productivity for crop production and environmental management. Includes laboratory. Prerequisites: AGSC 110 and AGSC 212.

AGSC 414 — Agricultural Policy
3 hours (offered spring, even years)
Dr. Michael Seipel
To provide an understanding of domestic and international issues in U.S. agricultural food policy. A study of major problems confronting agriculture. How public policy influences the nature and performance of U.S. and world agriculture.

AGSC 415 — Ethical Issues in Sustainable Agriculture
3 hours (offered fall)
Dr. Michael Seipel
A capstone course that asks students to carefully consider how they and other people define and judge good agricultural science and practice. Prerequisite: Senior standing.

AGSC 416 — Advanced Topics in Agronomy
3 hours
Dr. Campbell
A capstone course in agronomic science to examine advanced topics in crop breeding, physiology, and protection.

AGSC 422 — Grazing Animal Ecology
3 hours
An integrative course studying detailed interactions among soils, Midwestern pasture plants, and grazing beef cattle and sheep. Prerequisite: AGSC 315 and AGSC 321.

BIOL 301 — Introduction to Ecology
4 hours (offered fall)
Dr. Carroll, Dr. Fore, Dr. Gering
This course documents and seeks to explain patterns of distribution and abundance of organisms in the natural world. Required of all Biology majors. Prerequisites: BIOL 107 and BIOL 108.

BIOL 312 — Local Flora
2 hours
Dr. Hooper
Identification of trees in both winter and spring stages of growth and identification of common vascular plants with the use of taxonomic keys emphasized.

BIOL 316 — Entomology
3 hours
Dr. Gering, Dr. Fielden-Rechav
The fundamentals of insect biology, life histories, pest management, and classification. Individual projects are required.

BIOL 317 — Economic Botany
3 hours
Dr. Hooper
Industrial, medicinal, edible, crop, and ornamental plants with economic value.

BIOL 343 — Oceanography
3 hours
A study of the biological and abiotic interactions within the ocean ecosystem. Prerequisite: BIOL 108.

BIOL 363 — Human Ecology
3 hours
Ecology of humans and environmental problems. (May not be used as a biology elective by Biology majors—unrestricted elective only.)

BIOL 364 — Invertebrate Zoology
4 hours
Dr. George Shinn
Biology, taxonomy, structure, ecology, and phylogenetic relationships of invertebrate animals. Lecture and laboratory. Prerequisite: BIOL 108.

BIOL 444 — Independent Studies (Topic)
1-5 hours
Dr. Fore (Readings in Conservation Biology); Dr. Kelrick (Expanding Environmental Consciousness; Grassroots Environmentalism)
This course provides flexibility for students who are in need of specific credit in topics. Only 3 hours may be counted as biology electives.

BIOL 501 — Limnology
3 hours
The ecology of aquatic habitats in which the biota of lakes and streams are studied by field surveys and individual projects.

BIOL 502 — Biometry
3 hours
Dr. Michael Kelrick
The design and conduct of experiments and the analysis of biological data. Prerequisite or equivalent: STAT 190.

BIOL 506 — Ornithology
4 hours
Dr. Peter Goldman
Avian Biology with emphasis on field study.

BIOL 510 — Ecology
3 hours
An advanced course in ecology examining the conceptual and theoretical foundations of population and community ecology. Reading and discussion of primary literature is emphasized. Prerequisite: BIOL 301 or permission of instructor.

CHEM 222 — Introduction to Quantitative Analysis
3 hours
Includes gravimetric analysis, acid-base titration, pH titration, spectrophotometric trace analysis, ion-exchange, complexometric titration, gas chromatographic analysis, infra-red analysis, and flame-emission analysis. Prerequisite: CHEM 121 or CHEM 122.

CHEM 322 — Instrumental Analysis
3 hours
Spectral methods, electroanalytical methods, chromatography, multistage separations. Prerequisite: CHEM 222 and a semester of physical chemistry or instructor's permission.

NASC 140 — Physical Geology
4 hours
This course includes laboratory investigations. A study of the materials comprising the crust of the earth and of the various processes which have shaped the surface of the earth.
 

SOCIAL SCIENCE CATEGORY:
BSAD, GEOG, ECON, HLTH, SOAN, PSYC coursework, research, special problems, or internship credit to be identified and in the future to include HIST, POL, and others to be added, including but not limited to the following.

BSAD 433 — Government Regulation of Business
3 hours
Dr. Steven R. Smith
Government regulation of business: the constitutional restraints on regulation, antitrust, environmental law.  Prerequisite: Major in Business Administration or Accounting, or consent of instructor for ENVS students.

ECON 307 — Natural Resources Economics
3 hours
An examination of some of the major problems associated with the use and conservation of natural resources and environmental quality, the relationship of the political-economic system to environmental and natural resource problems and possible solutions to resource and environmental problems. Prerequisite: ECON 200 & 201.

GEOG 310 — Environmental Geography
3 hours
Dr. Wolfgang Hoeschele
An introductory course in the geographic approach to concepts and issues of environmental science. Emphasis on ecological systems and how humans have altered them. Investigation into the political, philosophical, and social arguments underlying the issues.

HLTH 362 — Environmental Health
3 hours (Health Science Majors only, or ENVS students with consent of instructor) (offered fall only)
Dr. Janice Young
The course actively involves the student in the determination of environmental health concerns. We will examine the impact of the environment on individual and population health, Healthy People 2010 objectives for environmental health, and the sources/etiology, effects, and control measures for selected environmental and personal safety hazards. Prerequisite: HLTH 190 with grade of “D”or higher.

POL 275 - Environmental Politics

3 hours

Dr. Randy Hagerty

The course examines domestic and global politics involving the environment. Assignments include an analytical review of a book on environmental politics or policy.

SOAN 320 — World Prehistory
3 hours
Dr. Amber Johnson
Archaeologists have noted that there are many similarities in cultural sequences - a period of mobile hunting and gathering, followed by intensified hunting and gathering, agricultural villages and later more complex societies. Despite the similarities, there are huge differences in the lengths of time occupied by each of these phases in archaeological sequences. Why is the transition to agriculture more rapid in some areas than in others? What about the transition to complex societies? In this class we will study patterns of cultural change in world prehistory (especially during the last 20-30,000 years) and build a framework for explaining the variability that has been documented. Along the way, we will explore the relationship between science and history.

 

HUMANITIES CATEGORY:
PHRE and ENG other Language and Literature coursework, readings, research, special problems, or internship credit to be identified, including but not limited to the following.

ENG 226 — World Literatures: Topics
3 hours
This course examines topics in literature from Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Australia and Oceania, Europe, and the Americas. The topic for each session may vary. Instructors will select authors from different periods to demonstrate how various ideologies, genres, genders, classes, and times have dealt with questions posed by the relationship between literature and the topic. Analysis will stress both works’ intrinsic values and their contributions to world cultures. Lectures and presentations will be given on historical, cultural, and intellectual background. Sections of this course which focus on the environment may be approved for inclusion in a Learning Plan.

ENG 246 — British Literature: Topics
3 hours
This course analyzes the relation between aesthetic concerns and topics in British literature. The topic for each section may vary but will be indicated in the course schedule listings. Instructors will select authors from different periods to demonstrate how various ideologies, genres, genders, classes, and times have dealt with questions posed by the relationship between literature and the topic. Lectures and presentations will be given on historical, cultural, and intellectual background. Sections of this course which focus on the environment may be approved for inclusion in a Learning Plan.

ENG 266 — American Literatures: Topics
3 hours
Dr. Barron (The Biosphere), Dr. Mielke (American Landscape), Dr. Spitzer (Environmental Literature)
This course analyzes the relation between aesthetic concerns and topics in American literature. The topic for each section may vary but will be indicated in the course schedule listings. Instructors will select authors from different periods to demonstrate how various ideologies, genres, genders, classes, and times have dealt with questions posed by the relationship between literature and the topic. Lectures and presentations will be given on historical, cultural, and intellectual background. Sections of this course which focus on the environment may be approved for inclusion in a Learning Plan. An example:
American Landscape An understanding of the strategies American writers use to see, construct, invoke, and describe landscape is developed through an examination of readings on nature. Readings may include works by Thoreau, Austin, Muir, Olmstead, Leopold, McPhee, Frost, Oliver, Dillard, Carson, Williams, Berry, and Silko.

ENG 329 — Nonfiction Writing: Topics
3 hours
Dr. Barron
This workshop is intended as an inquiry into the writing of nonfiction prose. Students will read and respond to published work in relevant genres as well as drafting, revising and polishing their own work. Rotating topics may include the memoir, local history, the meditative essay, documentary essay, travel and nature writing, organizational or professional writing, sportswriting, and others. This course is an option under the composition strand of the English major, and is available as a free elective. Course may be repeated for credit under different topics. Prerequisite: ENG 190. Sections of this course which focus on the environment may be approved for inclusion in a Learning Plan.

ENG 498 — Senior English Seminar
4 hours
Dr. Preussner
The purpose of the course is to offer a forum for senior English majors to examine their progress toward an English major, determine directions for future studies in the major and share new studies. Sections of this course which focus on the environment, such as ecocriticism, may be approved for inclusion in a Learning Plan.

ENG 503 — Gender Studies
4 hours
Dr. Barron
Studies of language or literature that explore the social construction of gender roles, cultural manifestations of sexism and heterosexism, or cultural representations of women or men. Prerequisite: Graduate or advanced undergraduate status. Sections of this course which focus on the environment, such as Ecofeminism, may be approved for inclusion in a Learning Plan.

ENG 621 — American Studies
4 hours
This interdisciplinary course explores American thought as it manifests itself in literature, arts, music, philosophy, historiography, and culture. The course focuses on ideas and themes in American studies that cut across the disciplines and time periods -- for example, concepts of progress, the frontier, pragmatism, and individualism. Sections of this course which focus on the environment may be approved for inclusion in a Learning Plan.

PHRE 386 — Studies in Philosophy and Religion
3 hours
Selected topics in Philosophy and Religion. Sections of this course which focus on the environment, such as Environmental Ethics, may be approved for inclusion in a Learning Plan.
 

INTERDISCIPLINARY CATEGORY:
JINS coursework, internships that do not fit into any single discipline, and future environmental studies coursework, including but not limited to the following.

JINS 330 — Environmental Economics: Issues and Policies
3 hours
This course will examine the environmental issues and resulting problems facing the world today, as well as the policy issues involved in solving these problems. It will emphasize applying the economics decision-making model to environmental issues and advantages and disadvantages of the economist’s analysis. Prerequisite: ECON 130, 200 or 201.

JINS 335 — Ecology versus Land Use
3 hours
Dr. Jim Turner
Through the disciplines of ecology and politics, this course examines our society’s efforts to preserve ecosystems, while also protecting the property rights needed for economic productivity.

JINS 336 ¬ The Environment (template course) 3 hours
Various professors, depending on topic.

JINS 336: The Environment: Border Crossings in South and Southeast Asian Forests
3 hours
Dr. Wolfgang Hoeschele
An exploration of diverse disciplinary perspectives on South and Southeast Asian forests (from Pakistan to Indonesia), including readings from anthropology biology, geography, history, and literature.

JINS 336: Change in the Great Plains After Lewis and Clark
3 hours
In this course we will link scientific knowledge with choices and behavior to examine the human impact on the Great Plains. We will examine some of the ecological principles relevant to human existence in the environment and the human perspective on these principles be they economic, philosophical, political, religious, sociological or psychological. Students will write responses to resource management dilemmas based on solid reasoning accounting for scientific knowledge and human perspective.

JINS 336: The Neotropics in Literature and Science
3 hours
Dr. Doman
This course will examine the New World tropics through the dual perspectives of literary and scientific disciplines. We will use these disciplines to examine the commonality of relationships in the Neotropics, both the relationships between the organisms that comprise the complex ecosystems of this region and the constantly evolving relationship between human beings and the environment.

JINS 336: Water World-Human Influences on Aquatic Ecosystems
3 hours
Dr. George Shinn
Water World is designed to make students aware of the variety, complexity, magnitude, and immediacy of water related issues that modern human societies must cope with. The two main disciplinary approaches will be biology and political science. cultural groups within Mexico and the United States from the theoretical and investigative modes for nursing and anthropology.

BIZ 306 — The Natural History of Belize
3 hours
Dr. Anne Bergey, Dr. Jon Gering, Dr. George Shinn
This course emphasizes the diversity of terrestrial and aquatic organisms of Belize, including identification, adaptations, and ecological interactions. The overall goal is to expose students to a broad variety of Belizean ecosystems, and compare the diversity and adapations of plants and animals living in these ecosystems. Prerequisites: BIOL 108, BIOL 103, or BIOL 106.