Program Requirements
Students wishing to study at the honours level in two disciplines can combine joint honours program components in any two Arts disciplines. For a list of available joint honours programs, see "Overview of Programs Offered" and "Joint Honours Programs".
Joint Honours students should consult an adviser in each department for approval of their course selection and their interdisciplinary honours research project.
Students will enter the Joint Honours at the end of their U1 year, and will be required to maintain a PGPA of 3.30 and an overall CGPA of 3.0. Whereas the Faculty Program Environment Honours requires the student to undertake a Minor as well, the Joint Honours Environment component does not.
This program comprises 36 credits, including: Honours research (6 credits); Environment core (21 credits); statistics (3 credits); and complementary courses (6 credits).
Program Prerequisites or Corequisites
The program corequisites (6-8 credits), which are common to the stand-alone Environment Honours program, are in addition to the overall credit account. Students are required to complete these courses by the end of their U1 year.
3 credits of Basic Science, one of the following, or their equivalents (e.g., CEGEP objectives Biology 00UK, Chemistry 00UL, Physics 00UR):
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BIOL 111 Principles: Organismal Biology (3 credits)
Overview
Biology (Sci) : An introduction to the phylogeny, structure, function and adaptation of unicellular organisms, plants and animals in the biosphere.
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: Hargreaves, Anna; L'Heureux, Anne-Marie; Shapiro, Benjamin Jesse; Hendry, Andrew; Cristescu, Elena (Fall)
Fall
2 hours lecture and 2 hours laboratory
Restriction: Not open to students who have taken CEGEP objective 00UK or equivalent; or BIOL 115.
This course serves as an alternative to CEGEP objective code 00UK
Labs are held weekly, starting from the second week of term. Attendance at the first lab is mandatory to confirm registration in the course.
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CHEM 110 General Chemistry 1 (4 credits)
Overview
Chemistry : A study of the fundamental principles of atomic structure, radiation and nuclear chemistry, valence theory, coordination chemistry, and the periodic table.
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: Sirjoosingh, Pallavi; Kakkar, Ashok K; McKeague, Maureen; Denisova, Irina (Fall)
Fall
Prerequisites/corequisites: College level mathematics and physics or permission of instructor; CHEM 120 is not a prerequisite
Each lab section is limited enrolment
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PHYS 101 Introductory Physics - Mechanics (4 credits)
Overview
Physics : An introductory course in physics without calculus, covering mechanics (kinematics, dynamics, energy, and rotational motion), oscillations and waves, sound, light, and wave optics.
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: Caron-Huot, Simon (Fall)
Fall
3 hours lectures; 2 hours laboratory; tutorial sessions
Restriction: Not open to students taking or having taken PHYS 131, CEGEP objective 00UR or equivalent
Laboratory sections have limited enrolment
And one of the following:
3 credits of Calculus or equivalent (e.g., CEGEP objective 00UN):
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MATH 139 Calculus 1 with Precalculus (4 credits)
Overview
Mathematics & Statistics (Sci) : Review of trigonometry and other Precalculus topics. Limits, continuity, derivative. Differentiation of elementary functions. Antidifferentiation. Applications.
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: Mazakian, Hovsep; Trudeau, Sidney (Fall)
Fall
4 hours lecture, 1 hour tutorial
Prerequisite: a course in functions
Restriction: 1) Not open to students who have taken CEGEP objective 00UN or equivalent.2) Not open to students who have taken or are taking MATH 140 or MATH 150. 3) Not open to students who have taken or are taking MATH 122, except by permission of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics.
Students continue in MATH 141
Each Tutorial section is enrolment limited
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MATH 140 Calculus 1 (3 credits)
Overview
Mathematics & Statistics (Sci) : Review of functions and graphs. Limits, continuity, derivative. Differentiation of elementary functions. Antidifferentiation. Applications.
Terms: Fall 2024, Winter 2025
Instructors: Sabok, Marcin; Trudeau, Sidney; Kalmykov, Artem (Fall)
3 hours lecture, 1 hour tutorial
Prerequisite: High School Calculus
Restriction(s): 1) Not open to students who have taken MATH139 or MATH 150 or CEGEP objective 00UN or equivalent. 2) Not open to students who have taken or are taking MATH 122, except by permission of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics.
Each Tutorial section is enrolment limited
Required Courses (21 credits)
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ENVR 200 The Global Environment (3 credits)
Overview
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.
Terms: Fall 2024, Winter 2025
Instructors: Ricciardi, Anthony; Lovat, Christie (Fall) Lovat, Christie (Winter)
Fall
Section 001: Downtown Campus
Section 051: Macdonald Campus
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ENVR 201 Society, Environment and Sustainability (3 credits)
Overview
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.
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: Badami, Madhav Govind; Cardille, Jeffrey; Garver, Geoffrey (Fall)
Fall
Section 001: Downtown Campus
Section 051: Macdonald Campus
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ENVR 202 The Evolving Earth (3 credits)
Overview
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.
Terms: Winter 2025
Instructors: Leung, Brian; Sengupta, Raja; Soper, Fiona; Lovat, Christie (Winter)
Winter
Section 001: Downtown Campus
Section 051: Macdonald Campus
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ENVR 203 Knowledge, Ethics and Environment (3 credits)
Overview
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.
Terms: Fall 2024, Winter 2025
Instructors: Kosoy, Nicolas; Freeman, Julia (Fall) Hirose, Iwao; Janzwood, Amy (Winter)
Fall - Macdonald Campus; Winter - Downtown
Section 001: Downtown Campus
Section 051: Macdonald Campus
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ENVR 301 Environmental Research Design (3 credits)
Overview
Environment : Techniques used in design and completion of environmental research projects. Problem definition, data sources and use of appropriate strategies and methodologies. Principles underlying research design are emphasized, including critical thinking, recognizing causal relationships, ideologies and bias in research, and when and where to seek expertise.
Terms: Fall 2024, Winter 2025
Instructors: Sengupta, Raja (Fall) Freeman, Julia (Winter)
Fall - Downtown campus; Winter - Macdonald campus
Section 001: Downtown Campus
Section 051: Macdonald Campus
Restrictions: Restricted to U2 or higher
Prerequisite(s): Completion of U1 Required courses in Environment, or permission of instructor.
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ENVR 400 Environmental Thought (3 credits)
Overview
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.
Terms: Fall 2024, Winter 2025
Instructors: Kosoy, Nicolas; Freeman, Julia (Fall) Sieber, Renee; Janzwood, Amy (Winter)
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
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ENVR 401 Environmental Research (3 credits)
Overview
Environment : Students work in an interdisciplinary team on a real-world research project involving problem definition, methodology development, social, ethical and environmental impact assessment, execution of the study, and dissemination of results to the research community and to the people affected. Teams begin defining their projects during the preceding summer.
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: Soper, Fiona; Sieber, Renee; Lovat, Christie; Manaugh, Kevin; Gobby, Jen (Fall)
Fall
Prerequisite(s): ENVR 301 and MATH 203 or equivalent, or by permission of the instructor
Restriction: Only open to U3 students in their final year in the following programs: B.A. Faculty Program in Environment, B.A.& Sc. Interfaculty Program in Environment, B.Sc.(Ag.Env.Sc.) and B.Sc. Major in Environment, and Diploma in Environment.
Complementary Courses (15 credits)
Statistics
3 credits of statistics from the following (or equivalent):
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GEOG 202 Statistics and Spatial Analysis (3 credits)
Overview
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.
Terms: Fall 2024
Instructors: Mahmud, Mallik (Fall)
3 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.
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MATH 203 Principles of Statistics 1 (3 credits)
Overview
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).
Terms: Fall 2024, Winter 2025
Instructors: Stephens, David; Correa, Jose Andres (Fall) Sajjad, Alia (Winter)
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.
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PSYC 204 Introduction to Psychological Statistics (3 credits)
Overview
Psychology : The statistical analysis of research data; frequency distributions; graphic representation; measures of central tendency and variability; elementary sampling theory and tests of significance.
Terms: Fall 2024, Winter 2025
Instructors: Kreitewolf, Jens (Fall) Kreitewolf, Jens (Winter)
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.
Honours Research
0-6 credits from the following:
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ENVR 494 Joint Honours Research (3 credits)
Overview
Environment : Honours research and report conducted under the supervision of a member of staff.
Terms: Fall 2024, Winter 2025, Summer 2025
Instructors: Begg, Caroline B (Fall) Begg, Caroline B (Winter)
Prerequisite: ENVR 301
Restrictions: Open only to U3 students in a B.A. Joint Honours program.
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ENVR 495D1 Honours Research (3 credits)
Overview
Environment : Preparation of an honours thesis.
Terms: Fall 2024, Winter 2025, Summer 2025
Instructors: Sarigollu, Emine; Jodoin, Sébastien; Freeman, Julia; MacDonald, Graham; Ndao, Momar; Smith, Donald L; Coomes, Oliver T; Basu, Niladri; Guichard, Frederic; Unruh, Jon (Fall)
Prerequisites: ENVR 301. Acceptance to Honours Program in Environment.
Restrictions: For U3 B.A., B.Sc., B.Sc. (Ag.Env.Sc.), and B.A.&Sc. Honours in Environment students; and B.A. & Sc. Honours in Sustainability, Science and Society students.
Students must register for both ENVR 495D1 and ENVR 495D2.
No credit will be given for this course unless both ENVR 495D1 and ENVR 495D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms.
**This is an honours project course, and the standard add/drop and withdrawal deadlines do not apply. Therefore, it has unique add/drop and withdrawal deadlines.
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ENVR 495D2 Honours Research (3 credits)
Overview
Environment : See ENVR 495D1 for description.
Terms: Fall 2024, Winter 2025, Summer 2025
Instructors: Weichenthal, Scott Andrew; Dutilleul, Pierre R L; Iversen, Lars Lonsmann; Sengupta, Raja (Fall) Sarigollu, Emine; Jodoin, Sébastien; Freeman, Julia; MacDonald, Graham; Ndao, Momar; Smith, Donald L; Coomes, Oliver T; Basu, Niladri; Guichard, Frederic; Unruh, Jon (Winter)
Prerequisite: ENVR 495D1.
No credit will be given for this course unless both ENVR 495D1 and ENVR 495D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms.
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ENVR 495N1 Honours Research (3 credits)
Overview
Environment : Preparation of an honours thesis.
Terms: Fall 2024, Winter 2025, Summer 2025
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Prerequisites: ENVR 301. Acceptance to Honours Program in Environment.
Restrictions: For U3 B.A., B.Sc., B.Sc. (Ag.Env.Sc.), and B.A.&Sc. Honours in Environment students; and B.A. & Sc. Honours in Sustainability, Science and Society students.
Students must register for both ENVR 495N1 and ENVR 495N2.
No credit will be given for this course unless both ENVR 495N1 and ENVR 495N2 are successfully completed in a twelve month period.
**This is an honours project course, and the standard add/drop and withdrawal deadlines do not apply. Therefore, it has unique add/drop and withdrawal deadlines.
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ENVR 495N2 Honours Research (3 credits)
Overview
Environment : See ENVR 495N1 for description.
Terms: Fall 2024, Winter 2025, Summer 2025
Instructors: Manaugh, Kevin; Begg, Caroline B; Lovat, Christie (Fall)
Prerequisite: ENVR 495N1.
Students must register for both ENVR 495N1 and ENVR 495N2.
No credit will be given for this course unless both ENVR 495N1 and ENVR 495N2 are successfully completed in a twelve month period.
Note: Students must complete 6 credits of honours research between the two components of the program. If the second component requires 0 credits of honours research, the student must take 6 credits of ENVR honours research. If the second component requires 3 credits of honours research, the student must take 3 credits of ENVR honours research. If the second component requires 6 credits of honours research, the student is not required to take any credits of ENVR honours research. Students may not count the same honours research credits towards both components.
6-12 credits chosen with approval of the Program Adviser. A maximum of 3 credits of these courses may be at 200 or 300 level.
