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Course Descriptions
Below are descriptions of PBC required courses as well as some possible electives. This is not an exhaustive list of electives. The quarter in which courses are offered is subject to change. 2008-09 Course Schedule (PBC courses
cross-posted with Biol Sci are highlighted in green).
ANTHRO 302 Agriculture: Its Origins, Environmental Impacts, and SocialTransformations (every third year, next time is 2007-2008)
Beginnings of agriculture, one of the great revolutions in human history.Domestication of plants and animals, dispersal of domesticates,long-term intensification of agriculture, environmental consequences of agriculture, and related social and cultural transformations. Archaeological evidence from Mesopotamia, Europe, Mesoamerica, andNorth America. Prerequisites: One of the following: Anthro 214, 225,Biological Science 204, or Environmental Sciences 202, 235.
ANTHRO 362 Quantitative Methods of Analysis
A broad range of classical statistical methods, univariate and multivariate, currently being applied to anthropological data. Prerequisite: graduate standing or consent of instructor.
ANTHRO 383 Environmental Anthropology (not offered every year)
Anthropology has a long-standing interest in the interaction of humans with their environments. Traditionally, ecological anthropologists have focused upon how humans changed and adjusted to their environments through cultural and biological adaptation. However, because of pressing contemporary environmental issues, this course focuses upon how humans have changed the natural environment, how humans are currently changing it, and what can be done to halt environmental deterioration. Topics to be considered include traditional subsistence patterns, population stability and growth, food supplies, consumerism, environmental regulation, and the impact that heightened ecological awareness (deep ecology, ecofeminism, etc.) might have on contemporary human behavior. Prerequisiste- 100 or 200 level Anthropology course.
ANTHRO 390 Topics in Anthropology (Winter)
Advanced work in areas of developing interest and special significance. Can be repeated for credit with a different topic.
BIOL SCI 301 Biochemistry (Fall)
Biochemistry with focus on metabolism, energetics, and control mechanisms. Prerequisites: BIOL SCI 210-1,2,3; CHEM 210-2.
BIOL SCI 323 Bioinformatics (Spring)
Utilization of informational and modeling techniques to explore evolutionary and other problems related to the genome. Prerequisites: BIOL SCI 210-1,2,3 and a course in statistics.
BIOL SCI 330 Plant Biology (Spring)
Plant structure and physiology, evolutionary diversity of plants, study of the interaction of plants with one another, other organisms and their environment. Prerequisites: BIOL SCI 210-1,2,3.
BIOL SCI 341 Population Genetics (Winter)
Processes that affect allele frequency change and thus cause evolution. Prerequisites: BIOL SCI 210-1,2,3; a course in statistics.
BIOL SCI 345 Topics in Evolutionary Biology
Topics vary, but always deal with the biology of a major group of organisms. Laboratory. May be repeated for credit with a different topic. Prerequisites: BIOL SCI 110-1,2 or 210-1,2.
BIOL SCI 346 Field Ecology (Fall, alternating years)
This course is an intensive experience in ecological field research. Each class will meet in the local Cook County Forest Preserve District, rain or shine. Transportation will be provided. Each week's field trip will be for the purpose of collecting data, which students will analyze before the next meeting of the class. Topics to be covered include plant identification, competition, parasitism, diversity metrics, effects of exotic species, etc.
BIOL SCI 347 Conservation Biology (Spring)
Evolution, ecology, and conservation of patterns of biological diversity. Prerequisites: BIOL SCI 164, 204, 110-1, 210-1; or Env Sci 202 and a course in statistics.
BIOL SCI 353 Molecular Biology Laboratory (Fall)
Project-based approach to learning lab skills in eukaryotic molecular biology. Prerequisites: BIOL SCI 210-1,2,3.
BIOL SCI 390 Molecular Biology (Fall)
Nucleic acid structure; DNA mutation, repair, recombination, replication, restriction, and modification; translation. Prerequisite: BIOL SCI 210-3.
BIOL SCI 395 Molecular Genetics (Winter)
Exploration of recent advances that have revolutionized the fields of gene expression and cell regulation. Discussion of articles and primary research papers. Prerequisite: BIOL SCI 390-0.
CIV ENG 361 Environmental Microbiology and Public Health (Winter)
This course focuses on understanding the essential role of microorganisms in the functioning of life on earth. Microbes live almost everywhere, from soil to ocean floor to hot springs to animal guts. Vital microbial processes include nutrient recycling in ecosystems, nitrogen fixation, production of biomass fueling food webs, and breakdown of toxic materials. Microbes can also cause diseases that kill millions of people every year. This course covers the basic principles of microbiology (cell structure and function, microbial and metabolic diversity, microbial growth and growth controls, methods for the detection and characterization of microorganisms); introduces students to the science of epidemiology, and illustrates engineering applications of microbiology.
CIV ENG 365 Environmental Laboratory (Winter)
Chemical and microbiological aspects of environmental engineering and science are explored through an integrated laboratory course.
CIV ENG 395 Special Topics in Civil Engineering - Sustainability: Issues & Action (Fall)
This course provides an introduction to many important and interesting aspects of environmental law and policy. It covers a wide range of environmental topics, focusing on national environmental policy as implemented through major federal environmental statutes. In order to cover a variety of topics, the course will include lectures, skill sharing sessions, discussions and case studies. The course is designed for students with a personal or professional interest in the environment, policy development, law, business, science and/or engineering.
EARTH 310 Introductory Aqueous Geochemistry (New Course - Fall)
The geochemistry of rivers, groundwater, lakes, and seawater.Topics include the hydrologic cycle and water resources, acids and bases, pH and alkalinity, carbonate equilibria, redox chemistry, sorption processes and surface reactions, mineral solubility and weathering, and reaction kinetics. Prerequisites: CHEM 103 or equivalent.
EARTH 312 Stable Isotope Geochemistry
Fractionation and distribution of stable isotopes (C,H,N,O,S) in the
biosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and geosphere; isotopic
biogeochemistry, environmental problems and global
climate change. Prerequisites: Earth 201 or 315; 316.
EARTH 314 Organic Geochemistry (Winter)
The primary objective of this course will be to investigate the sources and fates of organic matter in the natural environment. The implications of the cycling of organic matter for the earth system will be explored. How organic geochemistry can be applied to the study of modern and ancient environments will also be discussed.
EARTH 315 Geochemistry of Global Environments (Winter)
The major geochemical processes in the earths crust and the surface environment. Chemical and isotopic evidence from the geological past and present. Mineral-water reactions in sediments. Soils, surface waters, and nutrient elements in relation to the oxygen and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Biogeochemical cycles behind the global environmental change. Prerequisites: EARTH 201 or 204.
Review of major fossil groups and major events in the history of life: origin and early evolution of life, speciation and mass extinction, evolution of communities and ecosystems through geologic time. Application of paleobiologic methods to geologic problem solving and paleoenvironmental reconstruction (e.g., biostratigraphy, functional morphology, community paleoecology). Prerequisites: Earth 101 (or equivalent); Biology 103 (or equivalent).
ECON 370 Environmental and Natural Resource Economics (Fall)
Externalities and the role of property rights, pollution, waste disposal, common property problems, renewable resource management, nonrenewable resource use and depletion, recyclable resources, water allocation, and management of public lands. Prerequisites: ECON 281, 310-1,2.
HIST 392-23 History of Environmental Thought (Fall)
Changing topics, this topic is not offered regularly.
PBC 401 Plant Evolution and Diversity (Fall)
Modern systematics emphasizing application and major themes in the evolution of vascular plants. Prerequisite: BIOL SCI 330 or equivalent and permission of instructor.
PBC 402 Plant Community Ecology (Spring)
The purpose of this class is 1) to introduce students to the scope of the science of ecology at more complex levels of organization, and 2) to develop sophistication in understanding community and ecosystem ecology literature through the exploration of both classical and recent literature. Prerequisite: BIOL SCI 330 or equivalent and permission of instructor.
PBC 405 - Ecosystem Ecology (Fall, alternating years)
Concepts and principles of ecosystem ecology, with an emphasis on terrestrial ecosystems under the context of global change. Mass and energy flows through living and non-living ecosystem components as well as their environmental controls. Prerequisite: BIOL SCI 210-1.
PBC 410 - Plant Animal Interactions (Winter)
Ecology of interactions among members of the Plant and Animal Kingdoms, including mutualisms (e.g., pollination, seed dispersal) and antagonisms (e.g., herbivory, parasitism). Prerequisite: BIOL SCI 210-1.
PBC 415 – Spring Flora (Spring, alternating years)
Field-based approach to learning the identification of the major components of the local spring flora, focusing on the wildflowers, trees, and shrubs of the Oak Woodland. Prerequisite: BIOL SCI 210-1.
PBC 418 - Soils and the Environment (Fall)
General treatment of soils and environmental implications: soil development, morphology; physical, chemical, hydrologic, and biological properties; water use, erosion, and pollution; management of soils as related to plant growth and distribution. The course is intended for those preparing to be professional environmentalists and who have a background in biology and chemistry but no, or minimal, knowledge of soil science. Thus, the primary emphasis of the course is defining and describing soil properties and processes that determine the fundamental role soils play in the environment. The associated laboratory and demonstration exercises experientially reinforce the concepts presented in lectures Prerequisites: BIOL SCI 210-1,2,3; CHEM 103 or 172.
PBC 420 Field Methods in Plant Conservation (Spring, alternating years)
The science of plant conservation broadly encompasses the knowledge of many ecological field techniques. This course is designed to give students a real understanding of and hands-on experience in plant conservation practices with conservation practitioners in the greater Chicago area. Students will be exposed to a broad range of conservation issues, learn how they are being addressed, conduct relevant field projects, analyze the data, and interpret the results. Every other class meeting will be an all day trip to a field site. The alternating class meetings will deal with the analysis of the data collected. On field days, be sure to dress appropriately for the weather.
PBC 425 Molecular Ecology (Winter, alternating years)
As Theodosius Dobzhansky’s famous paper pointed out, "Nothing in Biology Makes Sense Except in the Light of Evolution." The aim of this course is to explore the relevance of Evolutionary theory and modern molecular lab techniques to Ecological Research. Ecology is “the study of the distribution and abundance of living organisms and how they are affected by interactions with other organisms and their environment”. Evolution has played an important role in determining a species, and a populations, origin, distribution and the intraspecific and abiotic interactions they experience, and these factors will go on to affect the future evolutionary trajectory of that species or population. Hence in this course we will explore important evolutionary concepts in reference to ecological processes and biological concepts. In particular, we will cover how all levels of biological studies, from population demographics to habitat species composition, play an important role in determining the evolutionary direction a species will take. Much of the lectures will concentrate on the theoretical concepts of microevolution and population genetics and how they can be applied to ecological issues, with particular reference to plants. The lab component will explore many of the modern molecular tools used today in answering a diverse array of evolutionary questions. The lab will include everything from DNA extraction, to sequencing and genetic fingerprinting. We will discuss the uses, limits and practicalities of all these tools.
PBC 430 Plant Conservation Genetics (Winter)
Plant conservation genetics addresses and attempts to solve critical issues in the management and understanding of threatened, endangered and other human-impacted populations. In this course, you will learn to apply basic evolutionary and genetic theory to conservation problems. You will gain experience measuring genetic diversity and evaluating its importance in a conservation setting. We will practice traditional and cutting-edge laboratory techniques, interpret quantitative genetic traits in the greenhouse, and run computer simulations of genetic drift and natural selection. To synthesize new knowledge, we will conduct role-playing exercises and discuss conservation genetic case studies on topics such as breeding disease-resistant chestnuts, preserving genetic diversity in highly endangered plants and insuring mating success in isolated populations of purple coneflower.
PBC 435 Quantitative Methods & Statistics for Plant Conservation Biology (Fall)
Methods for analyzing data sets in ecology and conservation biology will be taught in a computer lab setting. Students will also conduct research projects using original or publicly available data and results will be presented to the class in a professional, publication ready form.
PBC 440 Soil Ecology (Spring, alternating years)
One hour of lecture and three hours of laboratory per week. This course emphasizes laboratory and field methods of soil analysis to understand selected environmentally important terrestrial ecosystem functions and processes. Basic concepts of biological, chemical, and physical analyses of soil and their applications are presented through lectures and laboratory activities. During the course, students will develop and complete independent projects using a combination of techniques presented in the class. This course is directed toward students wishing hands-on experience of soil processes, analyzing and quantifying their observations, and undertaking a research project to apply their knowledge to a specific problem.
PBC 450 Field and Lab Methods in Plant Biology and Conservation
This course is aimed to provide students with the knowledge, critical thinking, and practical skills to design, execute, and analyze plant biology and conservation research in order to help find solutions to real conservation problems. As this often requires the mastery of many skill sets across disciplines, the course is team taught and includes hands on training in topics such as experimental design, sampling methods, managing data, soil analyses, pollinator and breeding studies, DNA extraction, PCR, and DNA fingerprinting.
PBC 451 Fundamentals of Plant Biology and Conservation
This course provides students with the conceptual and theoretical framework within the field of plant biology (especially ecology) and conservation. This is a seminar style class based on reading and discussion of works ranging from historical literature to recent studies including topics such as conservation policy, economics of conservation, climate change, invasive species, habitat fragmentation, and applied conservation case studies.
SOCIOL 312 Social Basis for Environmental Change (Fall)
Relationship of the social organization of production and consumption to environmental degradation. Evaluation of social forces supporting and opposing environmental reform. Social welfare consideration in alternative models of reform. Prerequisite: 100- or 200 -level sociology course
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