BSU Catalog Home | Environmental Studies Program | All-University Courses and Descriptions

Environmental Studies (ENVR)

Check with department for semester when these courses are offered. Read each course description for prerequisites

2150 WILDERNESS ETHICS: PROJECTS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL FIELD PROGRAMS (1-3 credits) Major schools of thought on the meaning of wilderness, its importance to modern society, and implications for responsible citizenship. Notions of wilderness and wilderness ethics advanced by major authors, past and present. Wilderness policy in the United States and recommendations for revisions to the Wilderness Act. Relation of sustainability to wilderness protection and the benefits provided to society. Experiential learning by visiting key areas that meet certain criteria for wilderness and relation of these experiences to personal values, including ethical behavior in “wilderness” settings. Liberal Education Goal Area 9

2925 PEOPLE AND THE ENVIRONMENT: THE GLOBAL POLLUTION PERSPECTIVE (3 credits) This course is a section of the interdisciplinary environmental issues course, People and the Environment. The focus of this course is to explore the scientific aspects of global pollution, including causes, effects, and solutions. Liberal Education Goal Area 10

3040/ECON 3040 ENVIRONMENTAL ECONOMICS (3 credits) Examines environmental problems as consequence of market’s failure to accurately value environmental resources. Alternative private and public policies are examined in terms of their effectiveness in improving the efficiency and equity with which water, air, and other resources are allocated. Prerequisite: ECON 2000 or consent of instructor.

3300 ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT AND SAFETY (3 credits) Helps students pursuing environmental studies to develop environmental management skills required in both manufacturing and non-manufacturing businesses. Safe handling, transport, and storage of hazardous materials with respect to their physical and chemical nature, and application of regulatory requirements relevant to specific business and hazardous materials involved. Prerequisites: CHEM 1112 or CHEM 2212 or ENVR 2000 or GEOL 1110 or consent of instructor. (Might not be offered every year)

3600 ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AND SUSTAINABILITY (3 credits) The ethical and moral dimensions of environmental choices. The legal, philosophical, political, and economic underpinnings of various theories of justice. A major focus is the inequitable distribution of environmental risks and the implications of policies that attempt to combat these risks. Prerequisite: ENVR 2000 or consent of instructor.

3840/BIOL 3840 WETLANDS ECOLOGY (3 credits) Survey course develops a basic understanding of the terminology, classification, ecology, values, and conservation of wetlands. Covers wetland systems from around the world, with emphasis on wetlands in North America. Prerequisites: BIOL 1211 and BIOL 1212.

3920 DIRECTED GROUP STUDY: SEMINAR IN ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROVERSIES (2 credits) When taken as Environmental Controversies Seminar, the following description applies: Faculty and student presentations followed by group discussion of classic and current problems, and governmental policies/regulations. Prerequisite: ENVR 2000 or consent of instructors.

4050 GEOCHEMISTRY (3 credits) Study of processes in the lithosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere; cycling of the elements; weathering; microbe-mineral interactions; nanoparticles; microscopic imaging. Prerequisites: CHEM 1112 or CHEM 2212 or ENVR 2000 or GEOL 1110 or consent of instructor.

4101/CHEM 4101 ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMISTRY I (3 credits) Intensive study of biogeochemical cycles of natural and man-made pollutants including transformations, transport, fate and persistence mechanisms. Environmental effects, long-term impacts, and methods of treatment/prevention are discussed. Prerequisites: CHEM 1112 or CHEM 2212 or consent of instructor.

4102 ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMISTRY II (3 credits) Study of processes affecting behavior and fate of anthroprogenic and natural compounds in the atmosphere, soils, and water. Colloidal and surface phenomena, nanoprocesses, redox reactions, speciation, solubility, and complexation. Prerequisite: ENVR/CHEM 4101; GEOL 1110; and ENVR 2000 or consent of instructor.

4200 WASTEWATER TREATMENT (3 credits) Introduction to the operation of the principal methods and treatment processes of municipal and industrial wastewater, and for the disposal of treated effluent and sludges, and other solid materials. Integration of fundamental principles of science with different aspects of sanitary technology. Prerequisites: BIOL 1212, CHEM 1112 or CHEM 2212, and MATH 1170, or consent of instructor. BIOL 1212 is not required for Chemistry majors.

4210 ENVIRONMENTAL LAW AND POLICY (3 credits) Overview of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.

4220 SAMPLING AND ANALYSIS (4 credits) Methods of sampling and analysis of air, water, soil and other environmental compartments will be described in lecture and experienced in laboratory session. The focus is on regulations and prescribed protocols for environmental field and lab work. Prerequisites: CHEM 1112 or CHEM 2212 or ENVR 2000 or GEOL 1110 or consent of instructor.

4230 AIR POLLUTION TECHNOLOGY (4 credits) In depth overview of sources and types of air pollution, major environmental impacts, regulations, and technologies for control and clean up. Prerequisites: CHEM 1112 or CHEM 2212 or ENVR 2000 or GEOL 1110 or consent of instructor.

4240 WASTE MANAGEMENT (4 credits) An overview of the solid and hazardous waste situation at the local, state, national and international levels. The focus on management will include a systems approach to prevention, and remediation of wastes. Prerequisites: CHEM 1112 or CHEM 2212 or ENVR 2000 or GEOL 1110 or consent of instructor.

4260 RISK ASSESSMENT AND AUDITING (3 credits) Overview of human/environmental risk assessment methods and environmental auditing techniques, with a focus on regulatory compliance and case studies. Prerequisites: CHEM 1112 or CHEM 2212 or ENVR 2000 or GEOL 1110 or consent of instructor.

4400 ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY (3 credits) Fundamental aspects of microbiology as related to land production, environmental pollution and water quality control processes. The role of major groups of microbes as pollutants, as purifying agents, and as agents of biochemical changes, and ecological functions and importance of each group in the environment. Prerequisites: BIOL 1110 or BIOL 1120 or CHEM 1112 or CHEM 2212 or consent of instructor.

4500 ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY (4 credits) An overview of major environmental pollutants, their transport, fate and toxicology. Pollutant effects studied from practical and theoretical focus on stress at various levels of biological organization. Prerequisites: BIOL 1212, BIOL 2610, and CHEM 1112 or CHEM 2212, or consent of instructor.

4920 DIRECTED GROUP STUDY: SENIOR SEMINAR (1 credit) A series of 2 seminars (1 credit each) will explore 1) the environmental job market and graduate school opportunities (Fall), and 2) current environmental issues/literature (Spring). Prerequisites: Senior status; Environmental Studies major, and ENVR 3920.