Environmental Science ENSC

Instruction offered by members of the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Social Sciences.

Program Director - TBA

Limited amounts of non-scheduled class time involvement will be required for these courses.

Senior Courses

Environmental Science 401 H(160 hours)

Environmental Science Field Course I

Working in environmental systems, students will be introduced to methods of identifying components of ecosystems, surveying plant and animal communities, and for making quantitative assessments of these communities. The course will be held at the Kananaskis Field Station two weeks immediately prior to the commencement of the Fall Session. During the Fall Session, participants in the course will meet for three hours per week to process field data and to continue discussions on ecological methods and on aspects of biodiversity (particularly in W. Canada).

Note: Open only to students in the Environmental Science program, or by consent of the Program Director

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Environmental Science 501 H(160 hours)

Environmental Science Field Course II

The focus will be on disturbances to aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Day-length visits will be conducted to appropriate areas that have either undergone or are undergoing severe disturbance (e.g., forest clearcutting, water pollution, open pit mining, etc.). Discussion of potential reclamation strategies will take into consideration a range of impacts (e.g., sociological, economic, chemical, ecological, etc.) of each strategy.

Note: Open only to students in the Environmental Science program, or by consent of the Program Director.

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Environmental Science 502 F(3-3)

Special Problems in Environmental Management

Briefly surveys many aspects of the professional practice of environmental science including: environmental management, audit and accounting, law and regulation, life cycle assessment, ethics and philosophy, toxicology and epidemiology, hazardous waste management and remediation and reclamation technologies. Includes a major collaborative research project.

Note: Open only to students in the Environmental Science program, or by consent of the Program Director.

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Environmental Science 503 H(3-0)

Environmental Assessment and Hearings

Environmental assessment is a general policy process meant to minimize the net environmental effects of a development (e.g., golf course, pulp and paper mill, mine). This course formally introduces students to environmental impact assessment (EIA), which is implicit in much of Environmental Science 401, 501 and 502. A review of the key components of federal and Alberta EIA in the first half of the course will serve as a basis for preparing group projects which will be presented in class within simulated environmental assessment hearings. The hearings will highlight the complex problems encountered when scientific evidence is used as a basis for decision-making and policy.

Note: Open only to students in the Environmental Science program, or by consent of the Program Director.

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Environmental Science 504 F(0-9)

Research Project in Environmental Science

An independent study or research project under the supervision of one or more faculty members in the Environmental Science program. Originality is emphasized and laboratory and/or field studies are encouraged. Formal written and oral reports will be presented as a necessary component of this course.

Prerequisites: Consent of the Environmental Science Program Director.

MAY BE REPEATED FOR CREDIT

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Environmental Science 505 H(0-9)

Special Problems in Environmental Science

A research project under the supervision of one or more faculty members in the Environmental Science program. Formal written and oral reports will be presented as a necessary component of this course.

Prerequisites: Consent of the Environmental Science Program Director.

MAY BE REPEATED FOR CREDIT

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