Courses

ENV 1600/3 – Human Environmental Interactions

This course brings together students from all majors within the Environmental Studies Program, both Arts and Science. The course deals with a variety of topics which illustrate the complexity and diversity of environmental issues. The central theme is the need to understand natural processes in the environment as a means of measuring human impact. Topics dealt with reflect current environmental concerns, including, global warming, human population growth, renewable and non-renewable resources, and urban environmental resources. Canadian examples are used to illustrate the concepts, problems and solutions.

ENV 2603/3 – Environmental Sustainability: A global dilemma

This course focuses on environmental factors and processes relevant to understand and implement sustainable development. Its aim is to teach students the fundamental ecological principles associated with environmental sustainability within the context of social values and technological constraints. The course seeks to equip students with the knowledge and skills relevant in assessing environmental problems from an interdisciplinary perspective and developing strategies that might solve these problems. Scenarios are presented at the individual, societal and global levels. Lecture materials explaining the underlying scientific principles will be combined with interactive discussions exploring the causes, status, alternative solutions, and their consequences to our environmental problems to provide an in-depth understanding of the complexity of environmental issues that we face daily in our lives.

ENV-3612/3 Environmental Impacts of Agriculture

The course provides a comprehensive knowledge on impacts of agriculture on the environment. It focuses on the global food production trends in meeting the growing population needs and the positive and negative impacts of agriculture on the environment, emphasizing the impacts on (a) the atmosphere and stratosphere resulting in global climate change and air pollution, (b) the hydrosphere resulting in water deficits and pollution, (c) the lithosphere soil degradation and (d) the biosphere through habitat degradation, overharvesting, and genetic pollution, causing biodiversity loss. The course also provides the conceptual knowledge required to produce food in an ecologically sustainable manner.

ENV 4615/3 – Environmental Soil Science

The course provides students with a comprehensive knowledge of environmental issues related to soil science emphasizing the significant role soil plays in sustaining environmental quality. It focuses on soil functions, soil quality, physical, chemical, biological indicators of soil quality, ecological implications of soil-water-nutrient interactions, fate and transport of organic and inorganic contaminants in soils, and environmental impact of sol erosion, all of which are interconnected to current environmental issues such as global warming, surface and groundwater pollution, soil degradation, ozone layer depletion, atmospheric pollution etc. The course also aims to provide the conceptual knowledge required to manage soil on a scientifically-based, environmentally friendly, and ecologically sustainable manner.