Program director:
Associate Professor George Ellmore, Draupner Ring Scholar; Biology; adviser,
environmental science
Executive board and advisers:
Associate Professor Wayne Chudyk, Civil and Environmental Engineering; adviser,
environment and technology
Associate Professor Stephen Levine, Civil and Environmental Engineering;
adviser, environment and technology
Associate Professor J. Michael Reed, Biology; adviser, environmental science
Associate Professor Jeffrey E. Zabel, Economics; adviser, environment and
society
Lecturer Ann Rappaport, Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning; adviser, environment and
society
This multidisciplinary program highlights our natural surroundings, along with designs that help minimize degradation of those surroundings, and the social and political tools needed to preserve and improve the environment. Environmental studies provides a strong foundation in the natural sciences, with directed training in social sciences and humanities.
Environmental studies is offered as a second major in conjunction with any departmental major in arts and sciences and engineering, normally excluding interdisciplinary programs. The major requires completion of eight core courses, three courses in any one track, and an internship. The program has three tracks. Track I, Environmental Science, focuses on basic principles, theories, and methods of the natural sciences (biology, physics, chemistry, and geology) and their application to environmental problems. Track II, Environment and Technology, emphasizes engineering and applied science aspects of resource management, environmental impacts, and pollution prevention and abatement. Track III, Environment and Society, examines sociopolitical, humanistic, economic, and cultural aspects of managing environmental problems.
Students in each track complete a core curriculum which captures the fundamental principles of disciplines in the three tracks. The core requires students to master basic scientific principles of environmental processes, to examine interactions between technology and the environment, and to explore the societal context for implementing environmental policy.
The core seminar requirement can be fulfilled by taking a seminar on environmental topics offered in various departments including philosophy, biology, political science, and urban and environmental policy and planning.
Because the environmental studies curriculum is designed as a second major, students may double count courses (but no more than fifty percent of the courses counted in the primary major) to fulfill both their first and second majors. A course in GIS (computer mapping and spatial analysis) is recommended.
The general components of this program are given below. Students who choose this major register with the director, and are placed in one of the three tracks--each of which has its own adviser/s. We recommend that students begin the major by taking Biology 7 early on to get to know our program.
Core Curriculum
One course in each of eight categories is required.
1. Biodiversity
Biology 7 Environmental Biology
Biology 71 Population and Community Ecology
Biology 144 Principles of Conservation Biology
2. Economics
Economics 5 Principles of
Economics
Economics 30 Environmental Economics
3. Social Science or Humanities
American Studies 102 Issues in Native American Studies
Archaeology/Classics 27/Art History 19 Introduction to Classical Archaeology
English 2 Representing the Environment
English 192A Native American Writers
History 71 Modern Africa
Philosophy 24 Introduction to Ethics
Philosophy 38 Rational Choice
Philosophy 124 Bioethics
Political Science 113 Politics of Environmental Policy in the United States
Political Science 160 Sustainable Development
Political Science 163 International Environmental Politics
Psychology 13 Social Psychology
4. Biological Foundations
Biology 3 Fundamentals of Biology
Biology 10 Plants and Humanity
Biology 13 Cells and Organisms
Biology 14 Organisms and Population
5. Chemical Foundations
Chemistry 1 Chemical Fundamentals
Chemistry 2 Structural Chemical Principles
Chemistry 8 Environmental Chemistry
6. Engineering Science
Engineering Science 25 Environment and Technology
Civil and Environmental Engineering 32 Introduction to Environmental
Engineering
7. Geological Foundations
Geology 2 Environmental Geology
8. Environmental Seminar
Art History 198 Seminar: Frank Lloyd Wright
Biology 179 Seminar in Marine Biology
Environmental Studies 91 Seminar: Environmental Preservation and
Improvement
Political Science 163 International Environmental Politics
Political Science 185 Sustainable Cities
UEP 294 Various Topics
Track Courses
Three courses in any one track, provided they include offerings from at least two
departments. Up to one core course numbered 100 or higher may be double-counted toward
both the core and the appropriate track. (Environmental courses are occasionally
offered by visiting scholars. With approval of the track adviser such courses may fulfill
some track requirements.)
Track I. Environmental Science
Biology 41 General Genetics
Biology 71 Population and Community Ecology
Biology 106 Microbiology
Biology 127 Insect Physiology and Pest Management
Biology 130 Animal Behavior
Biology 132 Biostatistics
Biology 143 Evolutionary Ecology
Biology 144 Principles of Conservation Biology
Biology 164 Marine Biology
Biology 195 Coral Reef Ecology
Chemistry 31 Physical Chemistry I
Chemistry 32 Physical Chemistry II
Chemistry 33 Beginning Physical Chemistry Laboratory
Chemistry 42 Analytical Chemistry
Chemistry 50 Survey of Organic Chemistry
Chemistry 51, 52 Organic Chemistry
Chemistry 53 Organic Chemistry Laboratory
Chemistry 54 Organic Chemistry Laboratory
Chemistry 61 Inorganic Chemistry
Chemistry 131 Chemical Thermodynamics
Chemistry 141 Instrumental Analysis
Geology 1 The Dynamic Earth
Geology 5 Introduction to Oceanography
Geology 32 Geomorphology
Geology 115 Quaternary and Glacial Geology
Geology 131 Hydrogeology
Physics 1, 2 Introductory Physics
Physics 5 The Nuclear Age: Its Physics and History
Physics 11, 12 General Physics
Physics 41 Electronics
Physics 42 Electricity and Magnetism I
Physics 52 Thermal Physics
Physics 143 Electricity and Magnetism II
Track II. Environment and Technology
Engineering Science 27 Environmental Health and Safety
Three other courses from the list below:
Chemical and Biological Engineering (consult department)
Civil and Environmental Engineering 12 Introduction to Hydraulic Engineering
Civil and Environmental Engineering 32 Introduction to Environmental Engineering
Civil and Environmental Engineering 42 Introduction to Geotechnical Engineering
Civil and Environmental Engineering 70 Introduction to Hazardous Materials
Management
Civil and Environmental Engineering 112 Hydrology and Water Resource Engineering
Civil and Environmental Engineering 113 Groundwater Hydrology
Civil and Environmental Engineering 114 Water Resource Systems Engineering
Civil and Environmental Engineering 132 Environmental Engineering Processes
Civil and Environmental Engineering 133 Water and Wastewater Plant Design
Civil and Environmental Engineering 134 Water and Wastewater Chemistry
Civil and Environmental Engineering 138 Hazardous Waste Treatment Technologies
Civil and Environmental Engineering 143 Site Remediation
Civil and Environmental Engineering 158 Occupational and Environmental Health
Civil and Environmental Engineering 167 Environmental Toxicology
Civil and Environmental Engineering 168 Exposure Assessment
Civil and Environmental Engineering 171 Hazardous Materials Management
Civil and Environmental Engineering 172 Fate and Transport of Environmental
Contaminants
Civil and Environmental Engineering 173 Health Effects and Risk Assessment
Civil and Environmental Engineering 175 Hazardous Materials Safety
Civil and Environmental Engineering 176 Pollution Prevention Management
Civil and Environmental Engineering 264 Hazardous Materials Management and Policy
Civil and Environmental Engineering 267 Analytic Methods for Environmental
Regulation
Mechanical Engineering 114 Solar Energy
Mechanical Engineering 145 Powerplant Engineering Analysis and Design
Track III. Environment and Society
Anthropology 115 Native Peoples of South America
Anthropology 118 African Cultures and Society
Art History 48 Nature into Art
Art History 155 History of Modern Architecture
Art History 165 American Architecture
Civil and Environmental Engineering 137 Public Health
Civil and Environmental Engineering 158 Occupational and Environmental Health
Civil and Environmental Engineering 164 Epidemiologic Methods
Economics 30 Environmental Economics and Policy
Economics 35 Economic Development
Economics 130 Topics in Environmental Economics
Nutrition/UEP 223 Fundamentals of U.S. Agriculture
Philosophy 173 Political Economy, Ethics, and the Environment
Political Science 115 Seminar on Public Opinion and Survey Research
Political Science 138 Development in the Third World
Political Science 163 International Environmental Politics
Sociology 187 Society and the Environment
UEP 207 Environmental Law
Suggested Inclusion (all tracks)
One course in GIS (computer mapping and spatial analysis), and one course in
statistics:
Biology 132 Biostatistics
Civil Engineering 102 Probability and Statistics in Engineering
Environmental Studies 193 Environmental Applications of GIS
Psychology 31 Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences
Undergraduate Courses
10 Environmental Studies. (Cross-listed as Biology 10.) See Biology for course description.
91 Seminar in Environmental Preservation and Improvement. (Cross-listed as Biology 91.) Stresses extant issues, especially those of local interest with global impact, utilizing outside speakers, team research projects, and participation in ongoing governmental and private institutional efforts affecting the environment. One semester. May be repeated for credit. May not be counted towards the biology major. Prerequisite: major in environmental studies or consent.
99 Internship. A period of service with an organization, either public or private, concerned with environmental engineering, research, protection, modification, legislation, or education. Required of all majors in the program, internship proposals must first be approved by track adviser or director. Many academic semester and summer internships are available. Adviser-approved participation in field courses and fieldwork, both at Tufts and elsewhere, may be substituted for this requirement. No credit. Completion noted on transcript.
130 Environmental Studies. (Cross-listed as Biology 130.) See Biology for course description.
164 Environmental Studies. (Cross-listed as Biology 164.) See Biology for course description.
193G Introduction to Geographic Information Systems. (Cross-listed as UEP 232.) Broad foundation of GIS theory, capabilities, technology, and applications. Topics include GIS data structure and management, geodesy and map projections, and various techniques for raster and vector spatial data analysis. Laboratory exercises concentrate on applying concepts presented in the lectures using Idrisi and ArcGIS. Fall. Ogneva-Himmelberger
195, 196 Independent Study. Exploration of special topics of environmental
importance through seminars, lectures, or guided study. Credit as arranged (usually
one-half, or one course credit). Prerequisite: consent of instructor and approval of
adviser.
294G Advanced GIS and Spatial Analysis.
(Cross-listed as UEP
233.)
Students create their own research projects and
learn statistical techniques for spatial data. Topics include spatial statistics
(such as, pattern detection, spatial autocorrelation, kriging and regression)
with examples of applications of spatial data analysis from various sources and
disciplines, including urban planning, public health, environmental planning,
and business. Laboratory exercises involve various spatial statistics programs
and depend on the needs of student projects. Spring. Ogneva-Himmelberger