Courses

The listing of a course description here does not guarantee a course’s being offered in a particular term. Please refer to the published schedule of classes on the MyBU Student Portal for confirmation a class is actually being taught and for specific course meeting dates and times.

• CAS EE 310: Climate and the Environment
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: CASMA 122 or MA 124 and PY 211; or consent of instructor. - Understanding physical processes of the atmosphere, ranging in scale from tornadoes to global winds. Emphasis on providing physical explanations of atmospheric phenomena and impact of weather on humanity. Satellite and weather modification technology. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Oral and/or Signed Communication, Creativity/Innovation.
  BU Hub Learn More

  • Creativity/Innovation
  • Digital/Multimedia Expression
  • Oral and/or Signed Communication
• CAS EE 317: Introduction to Hydrology
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: ES/EE 105 or ES/EE 107 or ES/EE 142 or ES/EE 144; MA 121, 123, or 127, or consent of instructor. - Introduction to the science of hydrology and to the role of water as a resource, a hazard, and an integral component of the Earth's climatic, biological, and geological systems. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Scientific Inquiry I, Quantitative Reasoning I, Teamwork/Collaboration.
  BU Hub Learn More

  • Quantitative Reasoning I
  • Scientific Inquiry I
  • Teamwork/Collaboration
• CAS EE 322: The Politics of Science, Care, and the Environment
  Undergraduate Prerequisite: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120). - This interdisciplinary course explores political conflicts over environmental problems as conflicts over science and care. Content ranges from concrete cases of U.S. environmental challenges (toxic exposure, wildlife in suburbs), to environmental political theory and the politics of climate change. Effective Spring 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU HUB areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Social Inquiry II, Creativity/Innovation.
  BU Hub Learn More

  • Creativity/Innovation
  • Social Inquiry II
  • Writing-Intensive Course
• CAS EE 347: Water Resources and the Environment
  Examines global water resource systems, with emphasis on questions of culture, development, gender, social inequality, politics. Analyzes social relations and historical legacies that shape water infrastructure, distribution, and meaning. Cases from Africa, Middle East, South Asia, East Asia, South America. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Social Inquiry II, Critical Thinking.
  BU Hub Learn More

  • Critical Thinking
  • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
  • Social Inquiry II
• CAS EE 351: Paleoclimatology and Paleoceanography
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: ES/EE 105 or ES/EE 107 or ES/EE 142 or ES/EE 144. GE/EE 101 recommended. - Examines causes and effects of climate change throughout Earth's history. Topics include ice age climates and glaciations; oceanic history; linkages between Arctic and Antarctic ice sheets; tectonic effects; ice-core, coral, and marine sediment records; El Nino; terrestrial extinctions. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Quantitative Reasoning II, Research and Information Literacy.
  BU Hub Learn More

  • Historical Consciousness
  • Quantitative Reasoning II
  • Research and Information Literacy
• CAS EE 360: Introduction to Physical Oceanography
  This introduction to physical oceanography course introduces concepts, terminology and topics on the physical properties and dynamics of the ocean. Topics include observations, modelling and theory of ocean circulation and how it impacts the Earth's climate system. Effective Spring 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Quantitative Reasoning II, Scientific Inquiry II.
  BU Hub Learn More

  • Quantitative Reasoning II
  • Scientific Inquiry II
• CAS EE 365: An Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: MA 115 or EC 203 or equivalent. - Practical hands-on computing experience using GIS for analyzing data from maps and other sources. Analytical functions unique to GIS are emphasized, as are applications in archaeology, land use planning, environmental monitoring, and other fields. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Quantitative Reasoning I, Scientific Inquiry II.
  BU Hub Learn More

  • Quantitative Reasoning I
  • Scientific Inquiry II
• CAS EE 371: Introduction to Geochemistry
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: CAS ES/EE 105 or ES/EE 107 or ES/EE 142 or ES/EE 144; and CH 101 or CH 111 or CH171 or CH131; or equivalent - Chemical features of Earth and the solar system; geochemical cycles, reactions among solids, liquids, and gases; radioactivity and isotope fractionation; water chemistry; origins of ore deposits; applications of geochemistry to regional and global problems. Effective Spring 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Scientific Inquiry I, Oral and/or Signed Communication, Research and Information Literacy.
  BU Hub Learn More

  • Oral and/or Signed Communication
  • Research and Information Literacy
  • Scientific Inquiry I
• CAS EE 375: Introduction to Quantitative Environmental Modeling
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: CAS EE 270 or MA 115 or MA 213; or equivalent. - Introduces students to quantitative models of environmental systems. Emphasizes application of quantitative models to environmental problem solving. Includes computer exercises with examples from current environmental issues such as population growth, pollution transport, and biodiversity. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Quantitative Reasoning II.
  BU Hub Learn More

  • Digital/Multimedia Expression
  • Quantitative Reasoning II
• CAS EE 394: Environmental History of Africa
  Focus on the African environment and ecological systems over the past 150 years. Topics include climatic change, hydrography, agriculture, deforestation, soil erosion, disease, conservation, famine, and the role of colonialism and government policy in environmental change. Also offered as CAS HI 351. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Scientific Inquiry II, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Research and Information Literacy.
  BU Hub Learn More

  • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
  • Research and Information Literacy
  • Scientific Inquiry II
• CAS EE 395: Sustainability Science: Earth House Practicum 1
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: sophomore standing and residency in Earth House. - This seminar-style course is designed for residents of BU's Earth House. The course is intended to enrich student residents' living/learning experience through exploring the theory and practice of sustainability, with 7 Buswell Street serving as the principle object of inquiry. Through guided discussions and student-led research, we will examine the three pillars of sustainability - social, environmental, economic - across four resource domains of food, water, energy, and materials, and consider how these multiple pillars and domains overlap and interact as a nexus. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Scientific Inquiry II.
  BU Hub Learn More

  • Scientific Inquiry II
• CAS EE 396: Sustainability Science: Earth House Practicum 2
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: sophomore standing, residency in Earth House, and CAS EE 395; or consent of instructor. - This seminar-style course is designed for residents of BU's Earth House. The course is intended to enrich student residents' living/learning experience through exploring the theory and practice of sustainability, with 7 Buswell Street serving as the principle object of inquiry. Through guided discussions and student-led research, we will examine the three pillars of sustainability - social, environmental, economic - across four resource domains of food, water, energy, and materials, and consider how these multiple pillars and domains overlap and interact as a nexus. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Ethical Reasoning.
  BU Hub Learn More

  • Ethical Reasoning
• CAS EE 400: Environment and Development: A Political Ecology Approach
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: senior standing - Theory and practice of development with an explicit focus on environmental issues. Introduces history of development and the environment; explores select themes in development and environmental studies (e.g. rural livelihoods, conservation, urbanization, and climate change); and considers alternative development paradigms.
• CAS EE 422: Aquatic Optics & Remote Sensing
  An introduction to the use of optical measurements and remote sensing to study the biogeochemistry and water quality of aquatic environments. Covers fundamental concepts and measurements in optics/remote sensing and provides hands-on experience with real data. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Quantitative Reasoning II, Research and Information Literacy.
  BU Hub Learn More

  • Oral and/or Signed Communication
  • Quantitative Reasoning II
  • Research and Information Literacy
• CAS EE 423: Marine Biogeochemistry
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: CH 101 and 102, admission to BUMP or ES/EE 144, or consent of instruct or. - Oceanic nutrient and biogeochemical cycling in the context of the marine response to global change. Links between local and global scales are emphasized. Topics include oceanic productivity, iron limitation, oceanic glacial carbon dioxide budget, biogenic particle fluxes, oceanic glacial- interglacial biogeochemistry. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Scientific Inquiry II, Research and Information Literacy.
  BU Hub Learn More

  • Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
  • Research and Information Literacy
  • Scientific Inquiry II
• CAS EE 443: Terrestrial Biogeochemistry
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: BI 107 or ES/EE 105 or ES/EE 107 and CH 101/102, or consent of instructor - The patterns and processes controlling carbon and nutrient cycling in terrestrial ecosystems. Links between local and global scales are emphasized. Topics include net primary production, nutrient use efficiency, and biogeochemical transformation. Also offered as BI 443. Meets with CAS EE 643.
• CAS EE 444: Digital Image Processing - Remote Sensing
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: CAS GE/EE 302 or equivalent - At least introductory statistics (and preferably multivariate statistics) recommended. This course pursues both the algorithms involved in processing remote sensing images and their application. Topics include preprocessing, image transformations, image classification and segmentation, spectral mixture analysis, and change detection. Examples cover a wide range of environmental applications of remote sensing. Students do a project. Meets with CAS EE 644.
• CAS EE 445: Physical Models in Remote Sensing
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: CAS GE/EE 302 or equivalent - Devoted to understanding the physical processes involved in remote sensing. Emphasis based on topics of radiative transfer in the atmosphere, at the surface, and in sensors. Reflectance modeling, advanced sensor systems, and geometric effects. Meets with CAS EE 645.
• CAS EE 446: Remote Sensing of the Lower Atmosphere
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: GE/EE 302 and GE/EE 310 or consent of instructor - Remote sensing has transformed the study of Earth's atmosphere. Learn the principles of retrieving meteorological parameters (humidity, temperature, precipitation) and key atmospheric constituents (clouds, greenhouse gases, aerosol) from satellite observations. Explore applications to climate change, disaster monitoring, and public health. Meets with CAS EE 646. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Quantitative Reasoning II.
  BU Hub Learn More

  • Quantitative Reasoning II
• CAS EE 460: Resource Economics and Policy
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: CAS MA 121 or MA 123 or MA 124, or equivalent; EC 101 or equivalent; or consent of instructor. - Economic and policy analysis of food, energy, and water, and the management of food, energy, water and land resources. Introduces resource economics and static and dynamic optimization as analytical frameworks for understanding the optimal management of scarcity, externalities, and impacts of environmental change on, and adaptation/vulnerability of resource use.