ESR 101 Environmental Science I (4)
Introduction to the study of the environment and sustainability with a focus on natural processes. Topics will include physical processes and concepts related to air, water, and land as well as ecological processes and concepts including ecosystems, communities, biodiversity, population dynamics, agriculture, and conservation ecology. One two-hour laboratory. The laboratory projects will focus on urban streams, ecosystems of the Portland metropolitan region, and environmental impacts of land use.
ESR 102
Environmental Science II (4)
Introduction to the analytical study of the interaction between humans and the environment. This term will focus on issues of environmental degradation. Topics will include human population growth, pollution of the air and water, energy resource use, and social and economic basis for sustainability. One 2-hour laboratory. The laboratory projects will focus on impact of population growth, pollution, and resource conservation.
ESR 101 & 102 recommended for non-majors.
For students who are just entering the program may want to take this instead of 220 depending on background in science. Please consult an advisor.
ESR 101 & 102 can substitute for ESR 220.
ESR 220
Introduction to Environmental Systems (4)
Introduction to the structure and function of terrestrial, aquatic, and atmospheric systems, including the human actions that affect them. Includes a lab section that introduces basic quantitative techniques for collecting and analyzing data from environmental systems; 2 lecture periods, one 3-hour lab. Recommended prerequisite:
Course intended for EVST and EVSC majors.
ESR 101 recommended for non-majors.
ESR 221
Applied Environmental Studies: Problem Solving (4)
Environmental sampling, Sampling design, and measurement. Recommended prerequisites: ESR 220; Stat 243.
Prerequisite is ESR 220 or both ESR 101 and 102.
Algebra skills recommended to the level of proficiency of Math 111, 112.
ESR 222
Applied Environmental Studies: Policy Considerations (4)
Introduction to environmental laws and the regulations promulgated under them. Includes an examination of the genesis of these laws (e.g., NEPA, Clean Air and Water Acts, RCRA, Endangered Species Act) and their history of compliance and violation. Recommended prerequisite: ESR 220 and 221.
ESR 320
Analysis of Environmental Systems I (4)
Structure and function of environmental systems, with an emphasis on physical processes and environmental system dynamics. Mth 241 or 251, and four credits each in biology, chemistry, and physics or geology. Concurrent enrollment in ESR 323 is required for majors and recommended for non-majors.
ESR 321
Analysis of Environmental Systems II (4)
Introduction to the structure and function of environmental systems with an emphasis on ecological processes and human impacts. Recommended prerequisite: ESR 320. Concurrent enrollment in ESR 324 is required for majors and recommended for non-majors.
ESR 322
Environmental Risk Assessment (4)
Overview of risk assessment applied to environmental problems, including the impact assessment process, application of cost-benefit analysis, hazard identification, risk characterization, risk assessment, and risk management. Recommended prerequisites: ESR 321, 323, and 324. Concurrent enrollment in ESR 325 is required for majors and recommended for non-majors.
ESR 323
Environmental Systems Laboratory I (2)
Laboratory work to accompany Environmental Systems I (ESR 320). One 4-hour laboratory period. Requires concurrent enrollment in ESR 320.
ESR 324
Environmental Systems Laboratory II (2)
Laboratory work to accompany Environmental Systems II (ESR 321). One 4-hour laboratory period. Requires concurrent enrollment in ESR 321.
ESR 325
Environmental Risk Assessment Lab (2)
Provides an overview of the main techniques used for environmental risk assessment. Emphasis is on laboratory acute and chronic toxicity tests and field biological stream assessment. Recommended prerequisites: ESR 320, 321, 323, & 324. Concurrent enrollment in ESR 322 is required for majors and recommended for non-majors.
ESR 330
Environmental and Ecological Literacy (4)
Introduces a broad range of thought about ecology and the environment, including supporters and critics such as Aldo Leopold, David Orr, Bjorn Lomborg, E.O. Wilson and Thomas Berry. Address the idea of ecological literacy as a key aspect in education and understanding the environment.
ESR 335
Introduction to Environmental Management (4)
Course will focus on environmental project management. Survey of agencies and entities that currently do management and under what authority. Introduction to general theory of environmental management and strategies that are being used. Case studies of local management project and issues.
ESR 340
Research methods in Environmental Science (4)
Integrates quantitative skills into environmental research. This course introduces research methods commonly used in environmental studies with emphasis on environmental study designs, data analyses, and data interpretations.
ESR 342
Field Methods (2)
Presents crucial safety, field and research skills for environmental research. Presents different skill sets for different types of fieldwork for example in lakes, wetlands, forests or marine environments. Students may count two sections of this class towards the Methods requirement of the Environmental Studies degree.
ESR 355
Understanding Environmental Sustainability I (4)
Emphasizing sustainability, study of the scientific and ecological principles that govern human interactions with the physical and biological systems of the earth. Topics will include ecosystem properties, earth system properties, human population dynamics, and the roles of technological and ethical decisions. Not intended for science majors.
ESR 356
Understanding Environmental Sustainability II (4)
Introduction to the concepts and principles necessary to understand the complex relationship between humans and environmental sustainability. Topics will include energy and pollution as well as biodiversity and land use. Not intended for science majors.
ESR 399
Special Studies (Credit to be arranged.)
ESR 401
Research (Credit to be arranged.)
Consent of instructor and program director.
ESR 404
Cooperative Education/Internship (Credit to be arranged.)
This requires a prior approval of a faculty advisor. For info review the Guidelines for Internships.
ESR 405
Reading and Conference (Credit to be arranged.)
ESR 407
Environmental Seminar (1)
Weekly seminar series with guest speakers addressing current topical environmental issues. May be repeated for up to 3 credits.
Required for 1 term only, however the department encourages students to attend as often as possible.
ESR 410
Selected Topics (Credit to be arranged.)
Consent of instructor.
ESR 450
Case Studies in Environmental Problem Solving (6)
Evaluation of selected cases of environmental problems, including field studies and project work with government and private agencies. Recommended preparation: ESR 320, 321, 322.
This may be cross-listed with UNST as a UNST Capstone.
This course can count as one of the four 400-Level ESR required courses. |
Graduate/Undergraduate Level Courses:ESR 420/520
Ecological Toxicology (4)
Effects of environmental contaminants at the individual, population, and ecosystem level. Topics will include toxicity test methods, environmental fate of contaminants, and the physiological and ecological effects of selected heavy metals, chlorinated organics, and pesticides.
ESR 424/524
Wetland Ecology (4)
Structure and function of wetland ecosystems, with an emphasis on the diversity of regional wetland systems. Topics also include wetland soils, plants, hydrology and wetlands regulations, permitting and mitigation.
ESR 425/525
Watershed Hydrology (4)
Study of the movement and storage of water in watersheds, emphasizing physical processes. Includes systems analysis of watersheds, precipitation, snowmelt, infiltration, evapotranspiration, groundwater flow, streamflow generation, open channel flow, hydrograph analysis and an introduction to watershed hydrologic modeling. Recommended prerequisites: Mth 252, Ph 201, Stat 244; ESR 320.
ESR 426/526
Ecology of Streams and Rivers (4)
Evaluation of streams and rivers from an ecosystem perspective, including stream development, biological communities, ecological processes, and methods of assessment as applied to evaluation of common environmental problems.
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ESR 427/527
Watershed Biogeochemistry (4)
Study of the chemistry of watershed-based eco-systems, emphasizing physical and biological processes. Mechanisms of atmospheric input; rock weathering and soil development; physical and biological controls on the storage and flux of minerals, carbon, and nutrients in terrestrial ecosystems; and impacts of management on bio-geochemical processes in watershed-based eco-systems.
Recommended prerequisites: Bi 253, Ch 223, ESR 320, Mth 252.
ESR 428/528
Urban Ecology (4)
Study of ecological processes in urban environments. Emphasis on responses of flora and fauna to changes in climate, hydrology, geomorphology, geochemistry, soils and available habitat in urban areas. Includes issues of species conservation, ecosystem management and sustainability in urban systems. Recommended prerequisite: an undergraduate biology course or permission of instructor.
ESR 429/529
Environmental Impact Assessment (4)
Environmental assessments and impact assessment techniques; regulatory and technical requirements of impact assessment. The National Environmental Policy Act, its implementation, implications and uses.
ESR 433/533
Natural Resource Economics (4)
An examination of the economic concepts and theories for analyzing natural resource use and related environmental pollution, including the economics of sustainability. Discussion of renewable and nonrenewable natural resource issues in the Pacific Northwest and policy alternatives. Recommended prerequisite: Ec 201. This course is the same as Ec 433/533; course may be taken only once for credit.
ESR 434/534
Business Environmental Management Economics (4)
Examines the economic costs and benefits that affect the decisions of business firms to develop integrated environmental management systems. Analysis of policy options to foster business environmental management for public goods. Case studies of selected firms. Recommended prerequisite: Ec 201. This course is the same as Ec 434/534; course may be taken only once for credit.
ESR 443/543
Global Environmental Economics (4)
An examination of the economic forces and theories to understand the causes of global environ-mental problems, and to evaluate policy options to remedy serious problems. Analyses of the economic effects of global environmental agreements and the environmental effects of trade and global commerce in developed and developing countries. This course is the same as Ec 443/543; course may be taken only once for credit.
ESR 445/545
Old-growth Forest Ecology (4)
Exploration of the ecological characteristics of west-side old-growth forests, including their outstanding biodiversity. Landscape level aspects of forest ecosystems, including the role of fire; plus the use of basic forestry measurements to contrast old-growth, second-growth, and plantation stands of trees. Emphasizing field study, this eight-day course is based at an off-campus location for easy access to forest ecosystems. Field site costs in addition to tuition. Recommended prerequisite: upper-division or graduate standing required and an undergraduate sequence in biology.
ESR 460/560
Air Quality (4)
An overview of urban air quality issues facing cities in the US and globally. Examine effects of air pollution on public health and environment, as well as technologies and regulatory practices. Review pollution measurement and modeling techniques.
ESR 471/571
Atmospheric Physics (4)
Cycles of trace gases in the Earth's atmosphere and their role in the environment. Emission, dispersal, and removal of natural and man-made trace constituents in the atmosphere that determine the Earth's climate and stratospheric ozone layer. Prerequisites: one year each of calculus and calculus-based physics. Recommended: introductory course in differential equations. This course is the same as Ph 471/571, may only be taken once for credit.
ESR 473/573
Phytoplankton Ecology (4)
Examination of photosynthesis, nutrient uptake, regulation and cell growth processes in the con-text of algal growth in natural waters. Recommended prerequisites: Bi 251; ESR 321 or Bi 357.
ESR 474/574
Biodiversity of Oregon’s Wetland Plants (4)
Introduces and defines the characteristics of wetlands. Focusing on a range of wetland communities (emergent marsh, prairie, forested wetland, bog and others) and the ecology and taxonomy of plants associated with those communities. The course will feature field-based identification of plants in comparison to preserved specimens.
ESR 475/575
Limnology and Aquatic Ecology (4)
Kinds, origins, and ecological features and dynamics of freshwater environments. Recommended prerequisite: Ch 223.
ESR 477/577
Limnology Laboratory (2)
Techniques in field and laboratory analysis of freshwater systems. Recommended pre- or co-requisite: ESR 475/575.
ESR 478/578
Aquatic Vascular Plants (4)
Classification, biology, ecology, and management of aquatic vascular plants. Course will focus on freshwater systems and include a laboratory featuring field identification and laboratory experimentation. Recommended prerequisite: Bi 357.
ESR 478/578
Aquatic Vascular Plants (4)
Classification, biology, ecology, and management of aquatic vascular plants. Course will focus on freshwater systems and include a laboratory featuring field identification and laboratory experimentation. Recommended prerequisite: Bi 357.
ESR 479/579
Fate and Transport of Toxics in the Environment (4)
Chemical, physical, and biological principles that govern the behavior of toxic materials such as heavy metals and synthetic organic com-pounds in the environment. Course emphasizes practical ways to represent chemical processes in models of pollutant behavior. Topics include: adsorption of pollutants on soils and sediments; transport across sediment-water and air-water interfaces; bioamplification of pollutants; multiphase fugacity models of organics; case studies of contaminated surface water, sediment and groundwater. Recommended prerequisite: senior or graduate standing. This course is the same as CE 479/579; course may be taken only once for credit.
ESR480/580
Coastal Marine Ecology (4)
Introduces the relationships between marine species and their environment, intra- and inter-specific interactions, and factors structuring marine communities. Community structure and distribution presented in the context of both oceanography and coastal zone ecology. Marine conservation issues, including fisheries, addressed. A field trip is required.
ESR 483/583
Marine Conservation and Management (4)
This course will be divided into three sections. We will begin by discussing the state of the oceans, and ecological differences between marine and terrestrial/aquatic systems. The second part of the course will discuss the major threats to ocean systems. The third part of the course will focus on solutions in terms of protected areas, management and policy strategies, and various aspects of the human dimension.
ESR 485/585
Ecology and Management of Bio-Invasions (4)
Invasive, or nonindigenous, species present us with global ecological and economic problems and have been ranked as second only to habitat destruction as a threat to our natural areas and native species. These invasive species are a concern because they restructure ecosystems, affect the evolutionary trajectory of native species, lead to the extinction of species, and impact local industries.
ESR 501
Research (Credit to be arranged.)
Consent of instructor and program director.
ESR 503
Thesis (Credit to be arranged.)
All aspects of research and thesis writing for master's students.
ESR 504
Cooperative Education/Internship (Credit to be arranged.)
ESR 505
Reading and Conference (Credit to be arranged.)
ESR 506
Special Projects (Credit to be arranged.)
ESR 507
Seminar (1)
Weekly seminar series on topical environmental issues. May be repeated for up to 3 credits.
ESR 509
Practicum (Credit to be arranged.)
ESR 510
Selected Topics (Credit to be arranged.)
Consent of instructor.
ESR 566
Environmental Data Analysis I (4)
Application of probabilistic and statistical models to the description of environmental data with a focus on hydrology and water quality. Graphical and quantitative techniques of exploratory data analysis, selection and fitting of appropriate probability distributions, simple and multiple and multivariate regression and their applications to analysis and modeling, and detection of changes and trends in environmental time series. Prerequisites: graduate standing and Stat 243 and 244 or Stat 460.
ESR 567 (formerly ESR 550)
Multivariate Analysis of Environmental Data (4)
Biological and environmental data are usually complex, consisting of many observations and variables. This course provides an overview of the main techniques of multivariate data analysis that are relevant and useful in ecology and environmental sciences. Emphasis is on ordination and cluster analysis. Prerequisite: one college-level statistics course or ESR 566.
ESR 570
Environmental Education (3)
Overview of the purpose and scope of environmental education. Provides an educational framework and examples of the variety of sites where environmental education is practiced. Specific examples of teaching strategies, materials, and methods will be presented. Students will be expected to carry out a site-based project utilizing some of the materials developed in class.
ESR 588
Environmental Sustainability (4)
Sustainability in natural and human-influenced ecosystems, with a focus on processes of regeneration, maturity, collapse and renewal. Topic areas include natural provisioning of ecosystem services, processes of change in ecological systems, interactions among ecological and social systems, economic valuation of ecosystem services, and ecosystem management. |
