SMU Academic Programs and Environmental Courses
Academic Programs
- Dedman College Environmental Science Program
Contact: Bonnie Jacobs - Environmental and Civil Engineering Program
Contact: ence@engr.smu.edu - SMU Environmental Experts
Environmental Courses
Ecology (BIOL 3307) Basic principles and concepts of ecology with emphasis on population and community interactions.
Human Ecology (ANTH 3319) – challenging Interactions between human populations and their environments. Relationships between population size, technology, climate, and behavior in various living societies. Fulfills co-curricular requirement for Diversity.
Intro. to Environmental Sciences (GEOL 1315) Fundamental principles of ecology, hydrology, geology, population dynamics, land-use management, and related fields will be used as the basis for understanding many of the major environmental issues that face our planet - greenhouse climate changes, soil and water pollution, acid rain and related atmospheric pollution problems, habitat destruction and species extinction, waste disposal, land use management, energy resource development, geologic hazards, and others. Two lectures and one four-hour laboratory every other week.
Environment and Technology: Ecology and Ethics (ENCE 1301) Students are introduced to the economic, engineering, ethical, political, scientific, and social considerations of environmental decision-making and management. Local, regional, and global topics will be examined. Students will take off-campus field trips.
Intro. to Environmental Science and Engineering (ENCE 1302) This course introduces students to the disciplines of environmental and civil engineering. Many of the hallmarks of modern society, including high-rise office buildings, increased lifespan, the virtual elimination of numerous diseases, and reliable long-distance and public transportation systems are the result of work by environmental and civil engineers. Likewise, many problems presently confronting developing nations, including housing supply, food production, air and water pollution, spread of disease, traffic congestion, and flood control will be solved by environmental and civil engineers. The course emphasizes fundamental science, engineering, and ecological principles and encourages the development of analytical and critical thinking skills with real-world problem solving.
Environmental Public Policy (PP 3310) Overview of governmental environmental policies designed to provide a foundation for future application and study in the growing environmental field.
North American Environmental History (CF/HIST 3309) This course surveys the environmental history of North America from pre-Columbian times to the present. Environmental history expands the customary framework of historical inquiry, incorporating not only human beings but also the natural world in our understandings of the past. Plants, animals, and diseases thus take their place as historical forces alongside humans and our culture and social institutions. We consider how the inhabitants of this continent were shaped by nature, shaped their own very different environments, and made sense of these processes. The readings and lectures expose students to a variety of ways of approaching environmental history.
Global Perspectives on Environmental Issues (CF 3317) Many of the major environmental issues our planet faces -- greenhouse climate changes, air and water pollution, acid rain and related atmospheric problems, ozone shield destruction, toxic and radioactive waste disposal, land use management, energy resource development, geologic hazards, population growth and food supplies, and others -- will be examined from scientific as well as cultural, political, and ethical viewpoints.
Animal Rights (CFA/PHIL 3377) An examination of the moral status of nonhuman animals, and its implications for the common use of animals as food and experimental subjects for humans.
Environmental Geology Seminar –Air Quality (GEOL 6363) This seminar will focus on timely geoscience-based environmental problems and address scientific, environmental, political, economic, legal, and social aspects of potential "solutions" through selected readings, seminars, guest speakers, and research projects.
Environmental Geology and Geochemical Cycles (GEOL 3366) An introduction to the physical and chemical processes occurring in the earth's atmosphere, oceans, rivers, and groundwater at both a local and a global scale. Prerequisites: High school algebra and chemistry and one 1300-level course in Geological Sciences.
Modern and Ancient Climates (GEOL 3353) – challenging Of all the various aspects of the natural environment that influence our lives, few register in our daily thoughts as often as the "weather". This course will discuss the longer term manifestations of the weather known as climate. Modern and ancient climates (and evidence for climate change on many time scales in the geological record) will be the theme. Prerequisites: one 1300-level Geology course or instructor approval.
Hydrogeology (GEOL 5384) An introduction to the chemical and physical behavior of natural waters and the role of fluids in geologic processes. The course will stress the application of thermodynamics, kinetics, and fluid mechanics to understand such geologic processes as ore formation, sediment diagenesis, isograd formation, acid rain, global warming, and groundwater contamination. Prerequisites: MATH 1338 and CHEM 1304, or permission of instructor.
Intro. to Solid and Hazardous Waste Management (ENCE 3341) Solid and hazardous waste are defined. Technology, health, and policy issues associated with solid waste and hazardous materials are examined. Methods of managing solid and hazardous waste are introduced and regulations presented where appropriate. The characteristics of hazardous and solid waste materials, health frameworks, and the distribution of contaminants in the environment are reviewed. Prerequisites: ENCE 2304 and 2421.
Introduction to Environmental Toxicology (ENCE 3353) The physiological and biochemical effects of physical, chemical, and biological processes are linked to factors present in the environment. Natural phenomena are described in terms of the carbon, oxygen, sulfur, phosphorus, and heavy metal cycles. The processes by which anthropogenic chemicals enter the environment and their complex effects on living organisms are examined in detail. Prerequisite: BIOL 1401. Corequisite or Prerequisite: CHEM 3371.
Environmental Regulations and Compliance (ENCE 5314) Practical knowledge of federal and state environmental permitting processes and procedures is provided. Regulatory requirements are reviewed with emphasis on the 40 CFR regulations for water, air, and solid and hazardous waste. Air, water, storm water, and waste permits are reviewed , as well as permits-by-rule. Also explored are the consequences of non-compliance with regulations by presenting enforcement options available to government agencies.
Topics: Environmental Economics (ECON 5301)
Natural Resource and Energy Economics (ECON 5361) This course is designed to develop an understanding of the economics of energy and natural resource use and policy. The course will cover natural resource supply and demand, the economics of renewable and non-renewable resource usage, sustainable economic growth, the environmental effects of natural energy conservation, energy security and the (de)regulation of U.S. electricity and natural gas markets.
Economic Development (ECON 5360) Examines theories of development and the contribution of each theory to our understanding of the the process of development. From the theories, and based on the evidence, policy implications are derived. Prerequisites: ECO 3301 and 3302, or permission of instructor. (Also examines the role of environment & natural resources in economic development)