Fall Courses:
Society and Environment (ENVR 201)
with Professor Nicolas Kosoy
This course introduces students to the complex relationships between humans and their environment. The emphasis is on the physical impact people have on the environment in relation to economic, cultural and political contexts. We discuss important concepts such as ecosystems, sustainable development, carrying capacity, and economic utility. In addition, we use non-traditional exercises in and out of class to challenge students to explore new ways of learning in the context of a broad understanding of the complex meanings of environment. By the end of the course, students should be able to apply these key concepts to an analysis of emerging environmental debates and issues. Students should have acquired the knowledge and understanding of the complexity of these questions that will allow them to systematically define the elements of various problems, and to suggest ways in which they might be solved.
GIS for Natural Resource Management (NRSC 430)
with Professor Viacheslav Adamchuk
This course provides students an opportunity to become proficient in using GIS for environmental problem solving through understanding the concepts behind GIS, the skills required to use GIS, and an understanding of how these skills and concepts can be applied to problems in natural resource management. Each week typically consists of a lecture on GIS concepts, a discussion covering a related case study application of these concepts to natural resource management, and a lab in which students will practice the skills related to the concept and case study.
Ecosystem Management (ENVB 415)
with Professor Caroline Begg
This course serves as the capstone for the Applied Ecology specialization. The focus is on understanding managed ecological systems through discussion of papers simple modeling exercises. Two managed ecosystems, Ferme Carya and the Morgan Arboretum (spatially adjacent to McGill's Macdonald Campus) serve as living field laboratories
Previously offered:
The Ecology of Food: An Environmental Case Study (ENVR 680 / NRSC 685)
This graduate-level course investigates current and age-old questions about the ecological and environmental impacts of the food on our table through reading, discussion, and projects. We explored the science behind recently published books on food, such as The Omnivore’s Dilemma (M. Pollan) and Animal, Vegetable, Miracle (B. Kingsolver) to answer these questions and more as we explore the ecology of food. We examined issues such as the ecological footprints of various types of food; how energy, climate, and food are connected; how our diets shape the planet; and what kind of diets are healthy for people and the planet. As a class, we explored the science behind questions such as:
Environmental Research (ENVR 401)
with many other MSE professors
Students work in a small, interdisciplinary team on a real-world research project. These projects, which are typically requested by a client, involve problem definition, methodology development, execution of the study, and dissemination of results to the research community and to the people affected. More information can be found here: http://www.mcgill.ca/mse/research/401-research-projects. A few years ago, I supervised a group who developed an awesome plan for a small wetland park in the town of St-Lazare.
Society and Environment (ENVR 201)
with Professor Nicolas Kosoy
This course introduces students to the complex relationships between humans and their environment. The emphasis is on the physical impact people have on the environment in relation to economic, cultural and political contexts. We discuss important concepts such as ecosystems, sustainable development, carrying capacity, and economic utility. In addition, we use non-traditional exercises in and out of class to challenge students to explore new ways of learning in the context of a broad understanding of the complex meanings of environment. By the end of the course, students should be able to apply these key concepts to an analysis of emerging environmental debates and issues. Students should have acquired the knowledge and understanding of the complexity of these questions that will allow them to systematically define the elements of various problems, and to suggest ways in which they might be solved.
GIS for Natural Resource Management (NRSC 430)
with Professor Viacheslav Adamchuk
This course provides students an opportunity to become proficient in using GIS for environmental problem solving through understanding the concepts behind GIS, the skills required to use GIS, and an understanding of how these skills and concepts can be applied to problems in natural resource management. Each week typically consists of a lecture on GIS concepts, a discussion covering a related case study application of these concepts to natural resource management, and a lab in which students will practice the skills related to the concept and case study.
Ecosystem Management (ENVB 415)
with Professor Caroline Begg
This course serves as the capstone for the Applied Ecology specialization. The focus is on understanding managed ecological systems through discussion of papers simple modeling exercises. Two managed ecosystems, Ferme Carya and the Morgan Arboretum (spatially adjacent to McGill's Macdonald Campus) serve as living field laboratories
Previously offered:
The Ecology of Food: An Environmental Case Study (ENVR 680 / NRSC 685)
This graduate-level course investigates current and age-old questions about the ecological and environmental impacts of the food on our table through reading, discussion, and projects. We explored the science behind recently published books on food, such as The Omnivore’s Dilemma (M. Pollan) and Animal, Vegetable, Miracle (B. Kingsolver) to answer these questions and more as we explore the ecology of food. We examined issues such as the ecological footprints of various types of food; how energy, climate, and food are connected; how our diets shape the planet; and what kind of diets are healthy for people and the planet. As a class, we explored the science behind questions such as:
- What are the links between poverty, food scarcity, and water?
- How can we feed the world’s growing population without degrading water quality?
- What gaps in our scientific knowledge need to be filled to undertake a doubly-green revolution?
- What will be the impact of biofuels on coastal eutrophication?
- How have people changed global nutrient and water cycles to produce food?
- What is the potential for urban agriculture in Montreal to offset the need for food production far away and what are the local environmental benefits of such urban greening?
Environmental Research (ENVR 401)
with many other MSE professors
Students work in a small, interdisciplinary team on a real-world research project. These projects, which are typically requested by a client, involve problem definition, methodology development, execution of the study, and dissemination of results to the research community and to the people affected. More information can be found here: http://www.mcgill.ca/mse/research/401-research-projects. A few years ago, I supervised a group who developed an awesome plan for a small wetland park in the town of St-Lazare.
