In addition to the SSS course requirements below, note the follow are also required for an Interfaculty BASc degree (see the Course planning tab on the left):
- required course: BASC 201 (as 3 elective credits)
- 30 credits toward freshman requirements
- 18-24 credits toward a minor
- 12-18 credits toward electives
For questions related to any of these four points above, please see your Faculty Advisor in SOUSA.
For questions related to the SSS program (any of the content below), please see the SSS program advisor.
Bachelor of Arts and Science (B.A. & Sc.) - Interfaculty Program in Sustainability, Science and Society(54 Credits)
Program Requirement:
The B.A. & Sc. Interfaculty Program in Sustainability, Science and Society focuses on the interdisciplinary and integrative knowledge and skills required to effectively understand and address challenges in transitioning to a sustainable future. Challenges are often defined by multiple dimensions, including scientific-technological, socio-economic, political-institutional, ethical, and human behavioural. The program is built on three pillars: 1) science and technology - to provide an in-depth understanding of the biophysical basis for current issues and challenges; 2) economics, policy, and governance - to understand how we can make the sustainability transition; 3) ethics, equity, and justice - to discuss why we need change, and the issues of equity and justice associated with taking action. This program is offered in collaboration with the Bieler School of Environment.
Required Courses (27 credits)
27 credits selected as follows:
Foundations of Sustainability
-
ENVR 201
Society,Environ&Sustainability
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
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.
Offered by: Bieler School of Environment
- Fall
- Section 001: Downtown Campus
- Section 051: Macdonald Campus
- Terms
- Instructors
- Kevin B Manaugh, Christopher Barrington-Leigh
-
GEOG 360
Analyzing Sustainability
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Geography: Examines challenges to sustainability through a series of case studies to illustrate the analytical approaches used to understand the linkages between scientific-technological, socio-economic, political-institutional, ethical, and human behavioural aspect of systems. Includes cases that are thematic and place-based, national and international, spanning from the local to global scales.
Offered by: Geography
-
GEOG 401
Socio-Envrnmntl Sys:Thry & Sim
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Geography: Conceptual and simulation models of key case studies for developing system thinking, including system stability, threshold dynamics in regime shifts, resilience, and adaptive environmental management.
Offered by: Geography
-
GEOG 460
Research in Sustainability
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Geography: Through engaging in real-world sustainability challenges through hands-on research, learn to critically analyze problems that arise at the interface of multiple disciplines including the scientific-technological, socio-economic, political-institutional, ethical, and human behavioural. Develop an understanding of the leverages and road blocks in achieving a sustainability transition.
Offered by: Geography
Biophysical, Societal, Cultural, Institutional, and Ethical
-
ENVR 200
The Global Environment
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
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.
Offered by: Bieler School of Environment
- Fall
- Section 001: Downtown Campus
- Section 051: Macdonald Campus
- Terms
- Instructors
- Anthony Ricciardi, Frederic Fabry
- Christie Lovat, Elena M Bennett
-
ENVR 202
The Evolving Earth
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
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.
Offered by: Bieler School of Environment
- Winter
- Section 001: Downtown Campus
- Section 051: Macdonald Campus
- Terms
- Instructors
- Brian Leung, Fiona M Soper, Christie Lovat
-
ENVR 203
Knowledge, Ethics&Environment
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
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.
Offered by: Bieler School of Environment
- Fall - Macdonald Campus; Winter - Downtown
- Section 001: Downtown Campus
- Section 051: Macdonald Campus
- Terms
- Instructors
- Nicolas Kosoy, Julia Freeman
- Iwao Hirose
-
GEOG 203
Environmental Systems
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Geography: An introduction to system-level interactions among climate, hydrology, soils and vegetation at the scale of drainage basins, including the study of the global geographical variability in these land-surface systems. The knowledge acquired is used to study the impact on the environment of various human activities such as deforestation and urbanisation.
Offered by: Geography
- Fall
- 3 hours
- Restriction: Because of quantitative science content of course, not recommended for B.A. and B.Ed. students in their U0 year.
- Terms
- Instructors
- Gail L Chmura, Nigel Thomas Roulet, Christian von Sperber
-
GEOG 408
Geography of Development
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Geography: Examines the geographical dimensions of development policy, specifically the relationships between the process of development and human-induced environmental change. Focuses on environmental sustainability, struggles over resource control, population and poverty, and levels of governance (the role of the state, non-governmental organizations, and local communities).
Offered by: Geography
Complementary Courses (27 credits)
Statistics
3 credits of Statistics from the following:
-
AEMA 310
Statistical Methods 1
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
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.
Offered by: Plant Science
- Two 1.5-hour lectures and one 2-hour lab
- Please note that credit will be given for only one introductory statistics course. Consult your academic advisor.
-
BIOL 373
Biometry
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Biology (Sci): Elementary statistical methods in biology. Introduction to the analysis of biological data with emphasis on the assumptions behind statistical tests and models. Use of statistical techniques typically available on computer packages.
Offered by: Biology
- Fall
- 2 hours lecture and 2 hours laboratory
- Prerequisite: MATH 112 or equivalent
- You may not be able to receive credit for this course and other statistic courses. Be sure to check the Course Overlap section under Faculty Degree Requirements in the Arts or Science section of the Calendar.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2023-2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2023-2024 academic year
-
GEOG 202
Statistics & Spatial Analysis
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Geography: Exploratory data analysis, univariate descriptive and inferential statistics, non-parametric statistics, correlation and simple regression. Problems associated with analysing spatial data such as the 'modifiable areal unit problem' and spatial autocorrelation. Statistics measuring spatial pattern in point, line and polygon data.
Offered by: Geography
- Fall
- 2.5 hours and lab
- You may not be able to receive credit for this course and other statistic courses. Be sure to check the Course Overlap section under Faculty Degree Requirements in the Arts or Science section of the Calendar.
- Terms
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2023-2024 academic year
-
MATH 203
Principles of Statistics 1
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
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).
Offered by: Mathematics and Statistics
- No calculus prerequisites
- Restriction: This course is intended for students in all disciplines. For extensive course restrictions covering statistics courses see Section 3.6.1 of the Arts and of the Science sections of the calendar regarding course overlaps.
- You may not be able to receive credit for this course and other statistic courses. Be sure to check the Course Overlap section under Faculty Degree Requirements in the Arts or Science section of the Calendar. Students should consult http://www.mcgill.ca/students/transfercredit for information regarding transfer credits for this course.
- Terms
- Instructors
- Jens Kreitewolf
- Alia Sajjad
-
PSYC 204
Intro to Psychological Stats
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: The statistical analysis of research data; frequency distributions; graphic representation; measures of central tendency and variability; elementary sampling theory and tests of significance.
Offered by: Psychology
- Fall and Winter
- Restriction: Not open to students who have passed a CEGEP statistics course(s) with a minimum grade of 75%: Mathematics 201-307 or 201-337 or equivalent or the combination of Quantitative Methods 300 with Mathematics 300
- This course is a prerequisite for PSYC 305, PSYC 406, PSYC 310, PSYC 336
- You may not be able to receive credit for this course and other statistic courses. Be sure to check the Course Overlap section under Faculty Degree Requirements in the Arts or Science section of the Calendar.
- Terms
- Instructors
- Jessica Flake
- Jens Kreitewolf
Economics
3 credits of Economics from the following:
-
AGEC 200
Principles of Microeconomics
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Agricultural Economics: The field of economics as it relates to the activities of individual consumers, firms and organizations. Emphasis is on the application of economic principles and concepts to everyday decision making and to the analysis of current economic issues.
Offered by: Agricultural Economics
-
AGEC 201
Principles of Macroeconomics
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Agricultural Economics: The overall economic system, how it works, and the instruments used to solve social problems. Emphasis will be on decision-making involving the entire economic system and segments of it.
Offered by: Agricultural Economics
- Winter
- 3 lectures
- Prerequisite: AGEC 200 or equivalent
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2023-2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2023-2024 academic year
-
ECON 208
Microeconomic Analysis&Applic
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Economics (Arts): A university-level introduction to demand and supply, consumer behaviour, production theory, market structures and income distribution theory.
Offered by: Economics
- Terms
- Instructors
- Licun Xue, Paul T Dickinson
- Mayssun El-Attar Vilalta
-
ECON 209
Macroeconomic Analysis&Applic
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Economics (Arts): A university-level introduction to national income determination, money and banking, inflation, unemployment and economic policy.
Offered by: Economics
-
ECON 225
Economics of the Environment
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
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.
Offered by: Economics
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken 154-325 or 154-425
- Terms
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2023-2024 academic year
-
ECON 230D1
Microeconomic Theory
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Economics (Arts): The introductory course for Economics Major students in microeconomic theory. In depth and critical presentation of the theory of consumer behaviour, theory of production and cost curves, theory of the firm, theory of distribution, welfare economics and the theory of general equilibrium.
Offered by: Economics
- Terms
- Instructors
- Nicolas Gendron-Carrier, Fabian Lange
-
ECON 230D2
Microeconomic Theory
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Economics (Arts): See ECON 230D1 for course description.
Offered by: Economics
- Prerequisite: ECON 230D1
- No credit will be given for this course unless both ECON 230D1 and ECON 230D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms
- Terms
- Instructors
- Fabian Lange, Fernando Saltiel
Sustainability in Business
3 credits of Management from the following:
-
INSY 455
Tech&Innov for Sustainability
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Information Systems: The role of information and other technologies in the size and nature of an organization’s environmental ‘footprint’. Achieving sustainability through strategic innovation, such as digitization, recycling, reuse of materials, sustainable design, LEED certifications, smart grids and energy metrics. Analyzing the environmental benefits and hidden costs of novel technologies.
Offered by: Management
- Restriction: Open only to U2 and U3 students.
- Terms
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2023-2024 academic year
-
MGCR 460
Social Context of Business
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Management Core: Examination of how business interacts with the larger society. Exploration of the development of modern capitalist society, and the dilemmas that organizations face in acting in a socially responsible manner. Examination of these issues
with reference to sustainable development, business ethics, globalization and developing countries, and political activity.
Offered by: Management
- Restrictions: Open to U2 and U3 students. Not open to students who have taken MGCR 360.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2023-2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2023-2024 academic year
-
MGPO 440
Strategies for Sustainability
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Management Policy: This course explores the relationship between economic activity, management, and the natural environment. Using readings, discussions and cases, the course will explore the challenges that the goal of sustainable development poses for our existing notions of economic goals, production and consumption practices and the management of organizations.
Offered by: Management
- Restriction: Open to U2, U3 students only
- Terms
- Instructors
- Donald Melville
- Donald Melville
-
MGPO 475
Strategies for Devel Countries
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Management Policy: Strategic management challenges in developing and emerging economies. Focus on strategies that foster both firm competitiveness and economic development, including: technological capabilities, new forms of organization, small and large firms, global production, social impact, global standards and governance.
Offered by: Management
- Restriction: Open to U2, U3 students only
18 additional credits chosen from three areas listed below, of which at least 9 credits must be at the 300 level or higher, students must choose at least 6 credits from each area (1, 2, and 3)
.
AREA 1: Methods: Observation, Analysis, Modelling, and Management
-
AGRI 435
Soil & Water Quality Mgmt
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
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.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
- Fall
- 3 lectures and one 3-hour lab
- This course carries an additional charge of $37.68 to cover the cost of transportation with respect to a field trip. The fee is refundable only during the withdrawal with full refund period.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2023-2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2023-2024 academic year
-
ENVB 437
Assessing Environmental Impact
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Environmental Biology: Principles and practice of Environmental Assessment (EA) in Canada and internationally. Exploration of issues surrounding impact assessment for sustainable development in different sectors, including their limitations.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
- Open to U2 students and above.
-
ENVB 529
GIS for Natural Resource Mgmt
3 Credits*
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Environmental Biology: 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.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
- Prerequisite(s): At least one environmental science course and one ecology course or permission of instructor
- Restriction(s): U2 students and above. Not open to students who have taken GEOG 201, GEOG 306 or GEOG 307, ENVB/BREE 430, or BREE 529. Limited to 32 students.
- Fall
- Terms
- Instructors
- Jeffrey A Cardille, Viacheslav Adamchuk
-
ENVR 544
Env. Measurement & Modelling
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Environment: Utility of geographic information systems, remote sensing and spatially-explicit modelling for environmental planning in conjunction with analytical frameworks used in the decision-making process (e.g., cost-benefit analysis, life-cycle analysis and multi-criteria decision making).
Offered by: Bieler School of Environment
- Prerequisites: NRSC 430 or GEOG201 or URBP 505 or permission of instructor
- Restriction: Students registered in Environment Graduate Option (or permission of instructor)
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2023-2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2023-2024 academic year
-
ESYS 301
Earth System Modelling
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Earth System Science: Principal concepts of systems modelling related to earth system science and environmental science. Students explore the ideas of state, stability, equilibria, feedbacks, and complexity using simple models.
Offered by: Earth & Planetary Sciences
-
ESYS 500
Earth System Applications
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Earth System Science: Individual research projects that contribute to a group project that addresses one of the six scientific "Grand Challenges" crucial to humanity: global cycles (water and biogeochemical); climate variability and change; land use and land cover change; energy and resources; earth hazards; earth-atmosphere observation, monitoring, analysis and prediction.
Offered by: Earth & Planetary Sciences
-
GEOG 201
Intro Geo-Information Science
3 Credits*
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
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.
Offered by: Geography
-
GEOG 302
Environmental Management 1
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Geography: An ecological analysis of the physical and biotic components of natural resource systems. Emphasis on scientific, technological and institutional aspects of environmental management. Study of the use of biological resources and of the impact of individual processes.
Offered by: Geography
- 3 hours
- Prerequisite: Any 200-level course in Geography or MSE or BIOL 308 or permission of instructor.
-
GEOG 308
Rem Sens for Earth Observation
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
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.
Offered by: Geography
- Fall
- 3 hours and laboratory periods
- Corequisite: GEOG 201 or permission of instructor
-
GEOG 314
Geospatial Analysis
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Geography: Overview of both the theoretical and applied aspects of geographic information science and systems. Topics will include spatial analysis techniques, geographic models as abstractions of the real world, spatial data manipulation and management, and conceptual issues related to geographic data and technology. Introduction to a number of leading commercial software including ESRI’s ArcGIS Pro.
Offered by: Geography
-
GEOG 333
Intro to Prog for Spatial Scis
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Geography: Introduction to conceptual and practical aspects of programming for the spatial sciences, focusing on programming concepts and techniques irrespective of the specific programming language, framework, or software. Topics include spatial data structures, flow control, classes and objects, and basics of geospatial data modeling and analysis.
Offered by: Geography
- Pre/co-requisite: GEOG 201
- Restrictions: Not open to students who have taken or are taking COMP 202, COMP 204, or COMP 208. May be taken before COMP 206 orCOMP 250, but not concurrently with or after either course. Not open to students who have taken GEOG 407 in Fall 2019 or 2020.
- No previous programming experience is expected.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2023-2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2023-2024 academic year
-
GEOG 351
Quantitative Methods
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Geography: Multiple regression and correlation, logit models, discrete choice models, gravity models, facility location algorithms, survey design, population projection.
Offered by: Geography
- Winter
- 3 hours
- Prerequisite: GEOG 202 or equivalent or permission of instructor
- You may not be able to get credit for this course and other statistic courses. Be sure to check the Course Overlap section under Faculty Degree Requirements in the Arts or Science section of the Calendar.
- Terms
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2023-2024 academic year
-
GEOG 404
Environmental Management 2
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
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).
Offered by: Geography
- Winter
- 3 hours
- Prerequisite: GEOG 302 or permission of instructor
-
GEOG 414
Advanced Geospatial Analysis
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Geography: Advanced techniques in geospatial analysis. Geospatial methods and using geospatial information systems. Topics: geodatabases, interpolation techniques, spatial
classification methods, data mining and machine learning, including working with a number of leading commercial software including ESRI’s ArcGIS Desktop/Pro.
Offered by: Geography
-
GEOG 495
Field Studies-Physical Geog
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
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.
Offered by: Geography
- 2-week field school
- Prerequisites: 6 credits from the following list of Systematic Physical Geography courses: GEOG 305, GEOG 321, GEOG 322, GEOG 350, GEOG 372
- Additional Dept. fee $563.10 will be charged to student fee account to cover the cost of transportation, accommodations, local fees and all meals for approximately 12 nights, as the course is held at the Gault Estate at Mont St.-Hilaire during May.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2023-2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2023-2024 academic year
-
GEOG 509
Qualitative Methods
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Geography: Qualitative methods that geographers use and the debates surrounding their use; epistemological underpinnings of methodological choices.
Offered by: Geography
- Fall
- Prerequisite: Permission of instructor.
-
GEOG 512
Adv Quant Meth in Soc Fld Rsch
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Geography: How does one collect data to quantitatively assess research questions in human geography or other social sciences, and what methods are available to analyze those data? This course introduces students to advanced statistical techniques commonly confronted in field-based social science studies. The course is divided into four major topics: research design, evaluating impacts of policies or programs, time-series data, and spatial interactions. For the techniques investigated, the course will highlight major technical assumptions, field considerations for data collection, and how each does or does not account for geographic factors that may influence outcomes of interest.
Offered by: Geography
-
URBP 506
Envrnmntl Policy and Planning
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Urban Planning: Analytical and institutional approaches for understanding and addressing environmental issues at various scales; characteristics of environmental issues, science-policy-politics interactions relating to the environment, and implications for policy; sustainability, and the need for and challenges associated with interdisciplinary perspectives; externalities and their regulation; public goods; risk perception and implications; the political-institutional context and policy instruments; cost-benefit analysis; multiple-criteria decision-making approaches; multidimensional life-cycle analysis; policy implementation issues; conflict resolution; case studies.
Offered by: Urban Planning
- (3-0-6)
- Restriction: This course is open to students in U3 and above
* Students may select either GEOG 201 or ENVB 529, but not both.
AREA 2: Society, Economics, Policy, Ethics, and Equity
2A: Society, Economics, and Policy
3 credits from the following:
-
AGEC 333
Resource Economics
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
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.
Offered by: Agricultural Economics
- Fall
- Prerequisites: AGEC 200 or equivalent
-
AGEC 430
Agric, Food & Resource Policy
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Agricultural Economics: Examination of North American and international agriculture, food and resource policies, policy instruments, programs and their implications. Economic analysis applied to the principles, procedures and objectives of various policy actions affecting agriculture, and the environment.
Offered by: Agricultural Economics
- Winter
- 3 lectures
- Prerequisites: AGEC 200 or equivalent
-
AGEC 442
Econ of Int'l Agric Dvlpmnt
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Agricultural Economics: The course deals with economic aspects of international development with emphasis on the role of food, agriculture and the resource sector in the economy of developing countries. Topics will include world food analysis, development project analysis and policies for sustainable development. Development case studies will be used.
Offered by: Agricultural Economics
-
ANTH 206
Environment and Culture
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Anthropology: Introduction to ecological anthropology, focusing on social and cultural adaptations to different environments, human impact on the environment, cultural constructions of the environment, management of common resources, and conflict over the use of resources.
Offered by: Anthropology
- Terms
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2023-2024 academic year
-
ANTH 212
Anthropology of Development
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Anthropology: Processes of developmental change, as they affect small communities in the Third World and in unindustrialized parts of developed countries. Problems of technological change, political integration, population growth, industrialization, urban growth, social services, infrastructure and economic dependency.
Offered by: Anthropology
- Terms
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2023-2024 academic year
-
ANTH 339
Ecological Anthropology
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
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.
Offered by: Anthropology
-
ECON 313
Economic Development 1
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Economics (Arts): Microeconomic theories of economic development and empirical evidence on population, labour, firms, poverty. Inequality and environment.
Offered by: Economics
- Terms
- Instructors
- Sonia C Laszlo
- Matthieu Chemin
-
ECON 314
Economic Development 2
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Economics (Arts): Macroeconomic development issues, including theories of growth, public finance, debt, currency crises, corruption, structural adjustment, democracy and global economic organization.
Offered by: Economics
- Terms
- Instructors
- Matthieu Chemin
- Franque Grimard
-
ECON 326
Ecological Economics
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
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.
Offered by: Economics
-
ECON 347
Economics of Climate Change
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Economics (Arts): The course focuses on the economic implications of, and problems posed by, predictions of global warming due to anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases. Attention is given to economic policies such as carbon taxes and tradeable emission permits and to the problems of displacing fossil fuels with new energy technologies.
Offered by: Economics
-
ECON 405
Natural Resource Economics
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Economics (Arts): Topics include: Malthusian and Ricardian Scarcity; optimal depletion of renewable and non-renewable resources; exploration, risk and industry structure, and current resources, rent and taxation. Current public policies applied to the resource industries, particularly those of a regulatory nature.
Offered by: Economics
-
ENVR 519
Global Environmental Politics
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Environment: How the problem of environmental degradation is dealt with at the international level. The scope and nature of global environmental protection issues that cross boundaries, both physical and conceptual. Actors, structures and processes of international society. Consideration of global commons and transnational resources and of environmental externalities.
Offered by: Bieler School of Environment
- Prerequisite: ENVR 201 or ENVR 203 or permission of instructor
- Restrictions: Open to students in the Environment Graduate Option (available to other students with permission of instructor). (Not open to students who have taken ENVR 580 -- section 001 -- in Winter 2002, Fall 2003, or Fall 2004
- Note: This course has been offered three times as a Topics in Environment Course
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2023-2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2023-2024 academic year
-
GEOG 210
Global Places and Peoples
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Geography: Introduction to key themes in human geography. Maps and the making, interpretation and contestation of landscapes, 'place', and territory. Investigation of globalization and the spatial organization of human geo-politics, and urban and rural environments.
Offered by: Geography
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2023-2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2023-2024 academic year
-
GEOG 216
Geography of the World Economy
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Geography: The course introduces the geography of the world economic system. It describes the spatial distribution of economic activities and examines the factors which influence their changing location. Case studies from both "developed" and "developing" countries will test the different geographical theories presented in lectures.
Offered by: Geography
- Terms
- Instructors
- Oliver T Coomes, Sébastien Breau
-
GEOG 303
Health Geography
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Geography: Discussion of the research questions and methods of health geography. Particular emphasis on health inequalities at multiple geographic scales and the theoretical links between characteristics of places and the health of people.
Offered by: Geography
-
GEOG 310
Development and Livelihoods
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Geography: Geographical dimensions of rural/urban livelihoods in the face of socioeconomic and environmental change in developing regions. Emphasis on household natural resource use, survival strategies and vulnerability, decision-making, formal and informal institutions, migration, and development experience in contrasting global environments.
Offered by: Geography
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2023-2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2023-2024 academic year
-
GEOG 316
Political Geography
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Geography: The study of the spatial dimensions of political activities and developments at the regional, national and global levels in historical and contemporary perspective. Presentation of case studies relating to the theoretical framework of political geography.
Offered by: Geography
-
GEOG 409
Geographies of Developing Asia
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Geography: Current development questions that are of concern to the Asian region. Emphasis on critically studying the major processes of social, economic and environmental change through regional case studies in rural, peri-urban and urban contexts. Covers important debates and considerations that lie at the heart of development geography.
Offered by: Geography
-
HIST 292
History and the Environment
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
History: Sketch of the history of the material aspects of human interaction with the rest of nature. Included will be a historian's view of the social, technical, and ecological implications of the great variety of activities devised by our species. Though global in outlook, this course will emphasize the relevant historiography of France, England and North America.
Offered by: History and Classical Studies
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2023-2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2023-2024 academic year
-
INDG 200
Intro. to Indigenous Studies
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Indigenous Studies: The focus is on Indigenous experience in Canada, but encourages comparative approaches. Introduction to the social, political, economic and cultural dimensions of Indigenous life in Canada.
Offered by: Institute for Study of Canada
-
POLI 350
Global Environmental Politics
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Political Science: Environmental problems like climate change, deforestation, biodiversity loss, and ocean acidification transcend national borders. Solving these problems will require global cooperation on an unprecedented level. This course will explore the challenges of contemporary global environmental governance and the innovative solutions being advanced at the community, municipal, provincial, national, and international levels.
Offered by: Political Science
- Prerequisite(s): A basic course in International Politics.
-
URBP 530
Urb Infrastr&Serv in Intl Cont
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Urban Planning: Issues of practical and theoretical importance in relation to urban infrastructure and services in the international context: science and technology, political economy, policy analysis, policy implementation, public finance, and institutions and governance.
Offered by: Urban Planning
-
URBP 553
Urban Governance
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Urban Planning: Critical perspectives on the governance of contemporary cities and urban regions, with a focus on North America. The relationship between planners and other important local governance actors, including municipal governments, the realestate industry, and community groups. The role of planning and planners in challenging or perpetuating urban social, political, economic, and environmental inequities.
Offered by: Urban Planning
- (3-0-6)
- Restriction(s): Not open to students who have taken URBP 617 in fall 2015 or URBP 616 in fall 2016.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2023-2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2023-2024 academic year
2B: Ethics and Equity
3 credits from the following:
-
ENVR 400
Environmental Thought
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
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.
Offered by: Bieler School of Environment
- Fall - Macdonald Campus; Winter - Downtown
- Section 001: Downtown Campus
- Section 051: Macdonald Campus
- Prerequisite: ENVR 203
- Restriction: Open only to U3 students, or permission of instructor
- Terms
- Instructors
- Nicolas Kosoy, Julia Freeman
- Julia Freeman, Renee Sieber, Amy Janzwood
-
MGPO 450
Ethics in Management
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Management Policy: An examination of the economic, legal and ethical responsibilities of managers in both private and public organizations. Through readings, case studies, discussions and projects the class evaluates alternative ethical systems and norms of behaviour and draws conclusions as to the right, proper and just decisions and actions in the face of moral dilemmas. The focus of this course is on the decision process, values and consistency of values of the individual and on the impact of systems control and incentives on managerial morality.
Offered by: Management
- Restriction: U2 and U3 students only
- Terms
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2023-2024 academic year
-
PHIL 349
Environmental Philosophy
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Philosophy: An introduction to environmental ethics; potentially also such related fields as philosophy of ecology, environmental aesthetics, and/or other philosophical topics demonstrably relevant to environmental issues.
Offered by: Philosophy
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2023-2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2023-2024 academic year
-
RELG 270
Religious Ethics & the Environ
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Religious Studies: Environmental potential of various religious traditions and secular perspectives, including animal rights, ecofeminism, and deep ecology.
Offered by: Religious Studies
- Fall: Macdonald Campus (Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue). Winter: Downtown Campus.
-
SOCI 325
Sociology of Science
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Sociology (Arts): A review of sociological research on science as an institution. Topics include the culture and practice of science, societal influences on scientific processes, the
use of scientific output and technology in media and society, and the impact of cultural and institutional forces on the evolution of scientific knowledge.
Offered by: Sociology
AREA 3: Sustainability and Biophysical Processes
Note:
* Students may select either BREE 217 or GEOG 322, but not both.
** Students may select either BIOL 540 or ENVR 540, but not both.
-
ATOC 214
Intro:Physics of the Atmosph
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
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.
Offered by: Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences
- Fall
- 3 hours lecture
- Prerequisite: CEGEP Physics, or the combination of PHYS 131 and PHYS 142, or permission of instructor.
-
ATOC 215
Oceans, Weather and Climate
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
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.
Offered by: Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences
- Winter
- 3 hours lecture
- Prerequisites: MATH 141; ATOC 214, or permission of instructor
-
BIOL 308
Ecological Dynamics
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
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.
Offered by: Biology
-
BIOL 310
Biodiversity and Ecosystems
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Biology (Sci): Ecological bases of the natural causes and consequences of current global environmental changes, including how biodiversity and ecosystem processes are defined and measured, how they vary in space and time, how they are affected by physical and biological factors, and how they affect each other and human societies.
Offered by: Biology
- Winter
- 3 hours lecture
- one-day field trip to Mont St-Hilaire
- Prerequisite: BIOL 215; or ENVR 200 and ENVR 202; MATH 112 or equivalent; or permission of the instructor
- Terms
- Instructors
- Laura J Pollock, Lars Lonsmann Iversen
-
BIOL 465
Conservation Biology
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
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.
Offered by: Biology
-
BIOL 540
Ecology of Species Invasions
3 Credits**
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Biology (Sci): Causes and consequences of biological invasion, as well as risk assessment methods and management strategies for dealing with invasive species.
Offered by: Biology
- Winter
- 3 hours lecture
- Prerequisite(s): BIOL 215 (or ENVR 200 plus ENVR 202), and at least one 300- or 400-level course in ecology, evolution, or conservation biology.
- Restriction: Not open to U1 or U2 students
- Restriction: Not open to students who are taking or have taken ENVR 540.
-
BREE 217
Hydrology and Water Resources
3 Credits*
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Bioresource Engineering: Introduction to water resources and hydrologic cycle. Precipitation and hydrologic frequency analysis. Soil water processes, infiltration theory and modeling. Evapotranspiration estimation methods and crop water requirements. Surface runoff estimation as a function of land use modifications. Estimation of peak runoff rates. Unit hydrograph. Design of open channels and vegetated waterways.
Offered by: Bioresource Engineering
- Three lectures, one 2-hour lab per week.
- This course carries an additional course charge for field trips.
- This course carries an additional course charge of $19.43 to cover transportation costs for two field trips, which may include a visit to a national weather station and a trip to gain hands-on experience on monitoring water flow in streams.
-
CHEM 462
Green Chemistry
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Chemistry: New reactions and methods which can be used for the production of chemicals from renewable feedstocks; the use of new environmentally benign solvents, catalysts and reagents; organic reactions in aqueous media and in supercritical carbon dioxide; bio-catalysis and bio-processes.
Offered by: Chemistry
-
ENVB 305
Population & Community Ecology
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
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.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
-
ENVB 410
Ecosystem Ecology
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Environmental Biology: Biotic and abiotic processes that control the flows of energy, nutrients and water through ecosystems; emergent system properties; approaches to analyzing complex systems. Labs include collection and multivariate analysis of field data.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
- This course carries an additional charge of 19.94 to cover the cost of transportation (bus rental) for local field trips. The fee is refundable only during the withdrawal with full refund period.
- Prerequisites: ENVB 222, AEMA 310 or permission of instructor
- Terms
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2023-2024 academic year
-
ENVR 540
Ecology of Species Invasions
3 Credits**
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Environment: Causes and consequences of biological invasion, as well as risk assessment methods and management strategies for dealing with invasive species.
Offered by: Bieler School of Environment
- 3 hours lecture
- Prerequisite: BIOL 215 (or ENVR 200 plus ENVR 202), and at least one 300- or 400-level course in ecology, evolution, or conservation biology.
- Restrictions: Not open to U1 or U2 students. Not open to students who are taking or have taken BIOL 540.
-
ESYS 200
Earth System Processes
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Earth System Science: Complex interactions among the atmosphere, biosphere, geosphere and hydrosphere. Biological, chemical and physical processes within and between each "sphere" that extend over spatial scales ranging from microns to the size of planetary orbits and that span time scales from fractions of a second to billions of years.
Offered by: Earth & Planetary Sciences
- Winter
- 3 hours lecture
- Prerequisite(s): ENVR 200 or permission of instructor.
-
ESYS 300
Investigating the Earth System
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Earth System Science: An understanding of the biological, chemical and physical fundamentals of the Earth system and how the different components interact. The mechanisms controlling interactions between reservoirs are quantitatively investigated. Special emphasis on the development and response of the Earth system to perturbations.
Offered by: Earth & Planetary Sciences
- Fall
- 3 hours lecture
- Prerequisite: ESYS 200 or equivalent.
- Terms
- Instructors
- Bruno Tremblay, Frederic Fabry
-
GEOG 221
Environment and Health
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Geography: This course introduced physical and social environments as factors in human health, with emphasis on the physical properties of the atmospheric environment as they interact with diverse human populations in urban settings.
Offered by: Geography
- 3 hours
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken or are taking NRSC 221.
- In Fall 2019, GEOG 221 will be taught at Macdonald campus. This course is also offered as NRSC 221. Students enrolled in downtown campus programs register in GEOG 221; students enrolled in Macdonald campus programs register in NRSC 221.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2023-2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2023-2024 academic year
-
GEOG 272
Earth's Changing Surface
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Geography: Introduction to the study of landforms as products of geomorphic and geologic systems acting at and near the Earth's surface. The process geomorphology approach will be used to demonstrate how landforms of different geomorphic settings represent a dynamic balance between forces acting in the environment and the physical properties of materials present.
Offered by: Geography
-
GEOG 305
Soils and Environment
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
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).
Offered by: Geography
- Fall
- 3 hours and laboratory
- Prerequisite: GEOG 203 or introductory course in biology or geology
-
GEOG 321
Climatic Environments
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Geography: The earth-atmosphere system, radiation and energy balances. Surface-atmosphere exchange of energy, mass and momentum and related atmospheric processes on a local and regional scale. Introduction to measurement theory and practice in micrometeorology.
Offered by: Geography
- Terms
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2023-2024 academic year
-
GEOG 322
Environmental Hydrology
3 Credits*
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
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.
Offered by: Geography
- Winter
- 3 hours
- Prerequisite: GEOG 203 or equivalent
- Terms
- Instructors
- Bernhard L Lehner, Genevieve Ali
-
GEOG 372
Running Water Environments
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
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.
Offered by: Geography
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2023-2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2023-2024 academic year
-
GEOG 403
Global Health & Envir. Change
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Geography: Major themes and contemporary case studies in global health and environmental change. Focus on understanding global trends in emerging infectious disease from social, biophysical, and geographical perspectives, and critically assessing the health implications of environmental change in different international contexts.
Offered by: Geography
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2023-2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2023-2024 academic year
-
GEOG 470
Wetlands
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Geography: An examination of the structure, function and utility of wetlands. Topics include the fluxes of energy and water, wetland biogeochemistry, plant ecology in freshwater and coastal wetlands and wetlands use, conservation and restoration. Field trip(s) are envisaged to illustrate issues covered in class.
Offered by: Geography
- Fall
- 3 hours
- Restriction: Permission of instructor.
-
GEOG 530
Global Land & Water Resources
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Geography: Linkage of physical processes (hydrology and ecosystems) with issues of societal and socio-economic relevance (land, food, and water use appropriation for human well-being). Application of a holistic perspective on land, food and water issues in an international setting, highlighting linkages, feedbacks and trade-offs in an Earth system context.
Offered by: Geography
- Terms
- Instructors
- Bernhard L Lehner, Graham K MacDonald
-
GEOG 555
Ecological Restoration
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Geography: A broad overview of ecological restoration. Considers causes of environmental degradation, why and what we restore, how restoration goals are set, and standards in restoration practice, as well as critiques and philosophies of ecological restoration, such as "ecocultural" restoration.
Offered by: Geography
- Prerequisites: GEOG 350 or BIOL 308 or PLNT 460 and permission of instructor.
- Note: Requires participation in a field trip over reading week. Offered in alternate years.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2023-2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2023-2024 academic year
-
NRSC 333
Pollution and Bioremediation
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Natural Resource Sciences: The environmental contaminants which cause pollution; sources, amounts and transport of pollutants in water, air and soil; waste management.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
- Fall
- 3 lectures
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken WILD 333