Environmental Curriculum

Students entering as of Fall 2007 are required to explore the ecological and/or policy dimensions of environmental sustainability by taking at least one of the following classes. 

Advanced Placement Exam
Students who receive a 4 or 5 on the Environmental Science AP test will have fulfilled the requirement.

Environmental Classes Offered at Goucher

BIO 170. ENVIRONMENTAL ALTERNATIVES (4)
Critical evaluation of pressing environmental issues, such as population growth, acid rain, biodiversity, global warming, ozone depletion, and toxic wastes. Special emphasis on how these problems affect the Chesapeake Bay. Examination of conflicting views about the seriousness of these threats and examination of alternative solutions within the context of economic, cultural, and political factors. Four hours lecture/laboratory. Laboratory includes several field trips. This course fulfills the college laboratory science requirement. Prerequisites: none. High school biology or
chemistry strongly recommended. Spring semester.

BIO 240. ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION (3) (WITH BIO 241)
The distinctive features of diverse terrestrial and aquatic habitats are examined to discover how they affect individual, population, and community processes. Ecological and evolutionary theory is used to explore the relationships between structure and function in ecosystems, and current models are used to probe the nature of population growth and its regulation. The mechanisms of evolution are illustrated using examples from population genetics, speciation, and co-evolution. Three hours lecture. Prerequisites: BIO 104, 105, and 220. Fall semester.

BIO 272G. INTENSIVE COURSE ABROAD TROPICAL MARINE BIOLOGY (3)
An intensive three-week investigation of Caribbean reefs and other tropical marine habitats. Daily field trips allow maximum exposure to the unique and diverse coral reef community with additional excursions to grass beds and mangrove forests. Primary focus on the structure and function of coral reef systems and on the biology of the dominant organisms therein. Field trips will be supplemented by lectures, films, slides, and appropriate readings. Primary emphasis is on analyzing coral reef structures and function in situ through direct observation and field experiments. Taught during the January intersession at the Institute for Marine Studies on the island of Roatan in Honduras. Prerequisites: BIO 104 or 105, or permission of the instructor. Scuba certification strongly recommended. January intersession. Offered 2008 and alternate years.

BIO 333. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY (3) (WITH BIO 334)
Examination of factors influencing the growth and development of plants (water; mineral nutrients; hormones and chemical regulators; and environmental factors such as temperature, gravity, and light). Also included are biochemical and molecular aspects of important metabolic processes, such as photosynthesis and nitrogen fixation. Three hours lecture. Prerequisites: BIO 104, 210, and 224. Spring semester.

BIO 334. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY LABORATORY (1) (WITH BIO 333)
Laboratory exercises include plant tissue culture, analysis of photosynthetic activities of isolated chloroplasts, enzyme assays, isolation of alkaloids from root cultures of transformed plants, and effects of light and hormones on plant development; independent research project. Three hours laboratory. Prerequisites: BIO 104 and 210. Corequisite: BIO 333. Spring semester. Offered 2008 and alternate years.

BIO 343. CHEMICAL ECOLOGY (3) (WITH BIO 343L)
An introduction to how organisms use chemicals to gather information about and interact with their environment. Topics include how chemicals mediate interactions between individuals and their environment (finding nesting sites or suitable habitat), between different species (finding food/hosts, defending against predators), and between members of the same species (finding a mate). Three hours lecture. Prerequisite: BIO 240. Spring semester. Offered 2009 and alternate years.

BIO 343L. CHEMICAL ECOLOGY LABORATORY (2) (WITH BIO 343)
This laboratory focuses on the behavioral, physiological, and chemical techniques used to study how chemicals help species interact with their environment. Experimental design will be emphasized, and lecture topics will be the basis of students'  experiments to investigate the use of chemicals by various organisms. In addition, students will learn how to isolate and identify these chemical signals. Corequisite: BIO 343. Spring semester. Offered 2009 and alternate years.

CHE 106. THE ENVIRONMENT AND ITS CHEMISTRY (4)
Introduction to chemistry with special emphasis on environmental issues important to our communities, such as water and air quality; natural resource availability; and energy production from renewable resources, fossil fuels, and nuclear plants. Environmental topics such as green chemistry and remediation techniques will be studied. A minimal background in chemistry is preferable, but it is not a prerequisite. Three hours lecture, three hours laboratory. Fall semester.

COM 225.001 CONSUMER CULTURE AND THE ENVIRONMENT (4)
This course will critically examine the vast and conspiratorial relationship between consumerism, the mass media and popular culture, and the environment — from micro-level issues such as the way we eat to macro-level issues such as our mythic understanding of the "good life" and our societal complacency with the American Dream and its mantra of "more-ism." The course will focus on how the mass media and popular culture encourage and talk about various forms of consumption; the relationship between the media, cultural, and political elites, and the consumer; and how we, as an audience, receive, internalize, and normalize these messages from various sources. To understand the importance of this relationship between the media/popular culture and the environment, we will read literature in environmental studies and nature writing, as well as media studies. The course will include a strong experiential component meant to encourage students to live in more sustainable ways. Students will be asked to change their habits on several levels — to examine and reduce their individual consumption, to participate in environmentally oriented civic activities, and to work toward an antidote to excessive consumption by actively engaging the natural world. Prerequisites: Sophomore standing and college writing proficiency.

ENVIRONMENTAL ECONOMICS EC 225 (3)
This course will present a survey of techniques and topics in environmental economics, beginning with the theory of market failure and externalities.  Examples will be drawn from the U.S. and global experience dealing with problems such as air pollution, water pollution, and solid wastes, etc.  Particular emphasis will be placed on cost-benefit analysis, contingent valuation studies, statistical valuation of life, and the implementation of policies that achieve environmental goals and economic efficiency. Students are expected to complete a semester long project investigating an environmental issue by researching the biological/ecological issues, the economist's understanding of the issue, the economic policy options available and, finally, the consequences of those different options.  Many of these projects have included issues directly related to Goucher College including: the effects of commuting students, faculty and staff; the amount of food waste in the dining halls; and, value of the loop-road as a place to exercise to members of the greater community.

FR 333.001 SPECIAL TOPICS IN FRENCH CULTURE AND CIVILIZATION: ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES IN THE FRANCOPHONE WORLD AND THE WORLD (3) (GEN ED. #11 with this topic)
This course is devoted to environmental issues important in France, but which clearly concern the whole world. We will explore current ecological issues such as global warming, the opening of the Northwest Passage, genetically modified organisms, nuclear energy, the relationship between human and non-human animals, alter-globalization, and green party politics from a pluri-disciplinary perspective. These viewpoints include politics, science, history, philosophy, demography, economics, and geography, expressed in media such as the press, the cinema, music, and literature. Prerequisite: FR 245 or 258. Topic varies from year to year; course only satisfies the environmental requirement if the topic applies.

MA 141. STATISTICAL DATA ANALYSIS WITH ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES IN VIEW (4)
Basic concepts of descriptive statistics, simple probability distributions, and prediction of population parameters from samples are developed as a means to analyze environmental issues and the debates centered on them. Use of computer in analysis and interpretation of statistical data. Four hours lecture. Prerequisite: placement exam. Spring semester.

MA 155. QUANTITATVE REASONING AND THE ENVIRONMENT (3)
This course is designed to analyze environmental issues by examining appropriate elementary discrete and probabilistic mathematical models. Emphasis is placed on analysis and practical application of mathematics as it pertains to environmental issues. Three hours lecture. Prerequisite: placement exam. Fall semester, repeated spring semester.

MA 216. INTRODUCTION TO APPLIED MATHEMATICS (3)
Selected topics in applied mathematics offered at the intermediate level. Possible topics include discrete dynamical systems, graph theory, operations research, game theory, and elementary mathematical modeling. Course may be repeated for credit if a different topic is offered. Prerequisite: MA 180. Fall semester.

PHL 205. ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS (3)
A philosophical examination of the relationship between human beings and the natural world. Readings address cultural and scientific construction of nature and the environment, various constructions of human versus animal being, the metaphysical underpinnings of various "animal rights" and "conservation" positions, and the relationship between environmental and social concerns. Students will consider and evaluate competing approaches to environmental justice. Prerequisite: either sophomore standing, a 100-level course in philosophy, or permission of the instructor. Spring semester. Offered 2007 and alternate years.

PSC 140. INTRODUCTION TO ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES (3)
Students will be exposed to a variety of environmental areas of inquiry including policy, history, literature, ethics, economics, law, and science. An overview of contemporary issues will be provided, including pollution, resource depletion, and species extinction, as well as the tools and means to analyze and understand data. Attention will be given to the international nature of environmental problems and cultural implications for understanding them. Fall semester.

PSC 285. ENVIRONMENTALISM (3)
An examination of the institutions, actors, processes, and context influencing American environmental public policymaking. What are some of the key problems we face? How are they defined, and how do they reach the public agenda? How are policy alternatives chosen and implemented? Whose interests are served? Is the government capable of resolving environmental problems and conflict? In addition to considering environmental policy in the national and international arena, this course looks at issues that affect the Goucher campus, the Baltimore metropolitan area, and the region. Variable semesters.

Semester or Year Study-Abroad Programs

BRAZILIAN ECOSYSTEMS
Offered in cooperation with Antioch College, this semester-long program combines lectures, field work, language study, and a four-week internship in an intensive exploration of Brazil’s ecosystems.

Throughout the semester, students travel to coastal forests, wetlands, rainforests, and other locations throughout Brazil to see firsthand the characteristics of a variety of biomes. In courses on ecology and biodiversity, students meet with Brazilian ecologists, botanists, and zoologists and work on field problems designed to illustrate the relationship between biodiversity and the functioning of the ecosystem. In "Natural Resource Management," students explore issues of sustainability in agriculture, forestry, and park management; meet with park managers, environmental groups, and others; and participate in group discussions on the scientific integrity and viability of Brazil's environmental policies.

An intensive course in Portuguese, focusing on the vocabulary and terminology of ecology and environmental science, will prepare students for their interactions with the Brazilian scientists and others they will meet. During the final four weeks, the course will culminate in an internship working on team research, assisting in an educational program, or volunteering with an environmental agency.

When offered: Fall semester only.