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Note: This is the 2010–2011 edition of the eCalendar. Update the year in your browser's URL bar for the most recent version of this page, or click here to jump to the newest eCalendar.
Note: This is the 2010–2011 edition of the eCalendar. Update the year in your browser's URL bar for the most recent version of this page, or click here to jump to the newest eCalendar.
This Domain (63 credits including Core) is open only to students in the B.Sc.(Ag.Env.Sc.) Major in Environment or B.Sc. Major in Environment program.
Renewable resource management is an emerging field that focuses on the ecosystem structures and processes required to sustain the delivery, to humanity, of ecosystem goods and services such as food, clean water and air, essential nutrients, and the provision of beauty and inspiration. Renewable resource management recognizes humans as integral components of ecosystems and is used to develop goals that are consistent with sustainability and ecosystem maintenance.
The Renewable Resource Management domain provides students with an understanding of: 1) the interactions between physical and biological factors that determine the nature and dynamics of populations and entities in the natural environment; 2) the ways in which ecosystems can be managed to meet specific goals for the provision of goods and services; 3) the economic and social factors that determine how ecosystems are managed; 4) the ways in which management of natural resources can affect the capability of natural ecosystems to continue to supply human needs in perpetuity; and 5) the approaches and technologies required to monitor and analyze the dynamics of natural and managed ecosystems.
All students in this program MUST take the following pre- or corequisite courses:
One of the following biology courses or CEGEP equivalent (e.g., CEGEP objective 00XU):
Biology (Sci) : The cell: ultrastructure, division, chemical constituents and reactions. Bioenergetics: photosynthesis and respiration. Principles of genetics, the molecular basis of inheritance and biotechnology.
Terms: Winter 2011
Instructors: Dent, Joseph Alan; Vogel, Jacalyn (Winter)
Life Sciences : Biochemistry of carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, nucleic acids; enzymes and coenzymes. Introduction to intermediary metabolism.
Terms: Fall 2010, Winter 2011
Instructors: Salavati, Reza (Fall) Jardim, Armando (Winter)
One of the following chemistry courses or CEGEP equivalent (e.g., CEGEP objective 00XV).
Chemistry : A survey of reactions of aliphatic and aromatic compounds including modern concepts of bonding, mechanisms, conformational analysis, and stereochemistry.
Terms: Fall 2010, Winter 2011, Summer 2011
Instructors: Daoust, Michel; Tsantrizos, Youla S; Moitessier, Nicolas (Fall) Daoust, Michel; Fenster, Ariel; Schirrmacher, Ralf (Winter) Daoust, Michel; Fenster, Ariel (Summer)
Food Science : Atomic and molecular structure, modern concepts of bonding, overview of functional groups, conformational analysis, stereochemistry, mechanisms and reactions of aliphatic compounds.
Terms: Fall 2010, Winter 2011
Instructors: Yaylayan, Varoujan (Fall) Cherestes, Alice (Winter)
For suggestions on courses to take in your first year (U1), you can consult the "MSE Student Handbook 2010-11" available on the MSE website (), or contact Ms. Kathy Roulet, the Program Advisor (kathy.roulet [at] mcgill.ca).
NOTE: Students are required to take a maximum of 30 credits at the 200-level and a minimum of 12 credits at the 400-level or higher in this program. This includes Core and Required courses, but does not include the Domain prerequisites or corequisites listed above.
Location Note: When planning their schedule and registering for courses, students should verify where each course is offered because courses for this program are taught at both 9IÖÆ×÷³§Ãâ·Ñ's downtown campus and at the Macdonald Campus in Ste. Anne de Bellevue.
Location Note: Core Required Courses for this program are taught at both 9IÖÆ×÷³§Ãâ·Ñ's downtown campus and at the Macdonald Campus in Ste. Anne de Bellevue. You should register in Section 001 of an ENVR course that you plan to take on the downtown campus, and in Section 051 of an ENVR course that you plan to take on the Macdonald campus.
Environment : A systems approach to study the different components of the environment involved in global climate change: the atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and lithosphere. The interactions among these components. Their role in global climate change. The human dimension to global change.
Terms: Fall 2010
Instructors: McCourt, George; Fyles, James W; Fabry, Frederic; Rhemtulla, Jeanine; Atallah, Eyad Hashem (Fall)
Environment : This course deals with how scientific-technological, socio-economic, political-institutional and behavioural factors mediate society-environment interactions. Issues discussed include population and resources; consumption, impacts and institutions; integrating environmental values in societal decision-making; and the challenges associated with, and strategies for, promoting sustainability. Case studies in various sectors and contexts are used.
Terms: Fall 2010
Instructors: Badami, Madhav Govind; Bennett, Elena; Purdon, Mark; Kosoy, Nicolas (Fall)
Environment : Formation of the Earth and the evolution of life. How geological and biological change are the consequence of history, chance, and necessity acting over different scales of space and time. General principles governing the formation of modern landscapes and biotas. Effects of human activities on natural systems.
Terms: Winter 2011
Instructors: de Blois, Sylvie; McCourt, George; Wheeler, Terry A; Lechowicz, Martin J; Paquette, Jeanne; Chapman, Colin Austin (Winter)
Environment : Introduction to cultural perspectives on the environment: the influence of culture and cognition on perceptions of the natural world; conflicts in orders of knowledge (models, taxonomies, paradigms, theories, cosmologies), ethics (moral values, frameworks, dilemmas), and law (formal and customary, rights and obligations) regarding political dimensions of critical environments, resource use, and technologies.
Terms: Fall 2010, Winter 2011
Instructors: Goodin, David; Johns, Timothy A (Fall) Sieber, Renee; Purdon, Mark; Hirose, Iwao (Winter)
Environment : Techniques used in design and completion of environmental research projects. Problem definition, data sources and use of appropriate strategies and methodologies. Principles underlying research design are emphasized, including critical thinking, recognizing causal relationships, ideologies and bias in research, and when and where to seek expertise.
Terms: Fall 2010, Winter 2011
Instructors: Vaccaro, Ismael; Sengupta, Raja; Reyna Hurtado, Rafael Angel (Fall) Chapman, Colin Austin; Sengupta, Raja; Vaccaro, Ismael; Marshall, E Joan (Winter)
Environment : Students work in interdisciplinary seminar groups on challenging philosophical, ethical, scientific and practical issues. They will explore cutting-edge ideas and grapple with the reconciliation of environmental imperatives and social, political and economic pragmatics. Activities include meeting practitioners, attending guest lectures, following directed readings, and organizing, leading and participating in seminars.
Terms: Fall 2010, Winter 2011
Instructors: Goodin, David; Isabel, Mariève (Fall) Goodin, David; Purdon, Mark; Hirose, Iwao; Mikkelson, Gregory Matthew; Isabel, Mariève (Winter)
Only 3 credits will be applied to the program; extra credits will count as electives.
Agriculture : Geared for solving real-world environmental problems related to water at the local, regional and international scale in Barbados. Projects to be designed by instructors in consultation with university, government and NGO partners and to be conducted by teams of 2 to 4 students in collaboration with them.
Terms: Fall 2010
Instructors: Alli, Inteaz (Fall)
Environment : Students work in an interdisciplinary team on a real-world research project involving problem definition, methodology development, social, ethical and environmental impact assessment, execution of the study, and dissemination of results to the research community and to the people affected. Teams begin defining their projects during the preceding spring.
Terms: Fall 2010
Instructors: Fabry, Frederic; McCourt, George; Roulet, Kathryn (Fall)
Environment : Research projects will be developed by instructors in consultation with Panamanian universities, government agencies and non-governmental organizations. Project groups will consist of four to six students working with a Panamanian institution. Topics will be relevant to Panama: e.g., protection of the Canal watershed, economical alternatives to deforestation, etc.
Terms: Winter 2011
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2010-2011 academic year.
42 credits of Complementary Courses are selected as follows:
9 credits - basic principles of ecosystem processes and diversity
6 credits - 3 credits from each category of Statistics and GIS
6 credits - advanced ecosystem components
6 credits - advanced ecological processes
6 credits - social processes
9 credits - ecosystem components or management of ecosystems
9 credits of basic principles of ecosystem processes and diversity are selected as follows:
one of:
Biology (Agric & Envir Sc) : The biology of plants and plant-based systems in managed and natural terrestrial environments. The interactions between autotrophs and soil organisms and selected groups of animals with close ecological and evolutionary connections with plants (e.g., herbivores and pollinators) will be explored in lecture and laboratory.
Terms: Fall 2010
Instructors: Singh, Jaswinder (Fall)
Biology (Agric & Envir Sc) : Introduction to the biology, physiology, structure and function of heterotrophs and their interactions with other organisms. This course will focus on animals in terrestrial, freshwater and marine environments. Topics include bioenergetics and functional metabolism, adaptations to environments, animal-animal, animal-plant, and animal-pathogen interactions.
Terms: Winter 2011
Instructors: Lewis, David James (Winter)
Biology (Sci) : The characteristics of the major groups of animals, their ancestry, history and relationship to one another. The processes of speciation, adaptive radiation and extinction responsible for diversity. Methods for constructing of phylogenies, for comparing phenotypes, and for estimating and analyzing diversity.
Terms: Winter 2011
Instructors: Bell, Graham; Larsson, Hans Carl; Millien, Virginie (Winter)
one of:
Biology (Sci) : Principles of population, community, and ecosystem dynamics: population growth and regulation, species interactions, dynamics of competitive interactions and of predator/prey systems; evolutionary dynamics.
Terms: Fall 2010
Instructors: Guichard, Frederic (Fall)
Environmental Biology : Interactions between organisms and their environment; historical and current perspectives in applied and theoretical population and community ecology. Principles of population dynamics, feedback loops, and population regulation. Development and structure of communities; competition, predation and food web dynamics. Biodiversity science in theory and practice.
Terms: Winter 2011
Instructors: Buddle, Christopher (Winter)
one of:
Environmental Biology : With reference to the ecosystems in the St Lawrence lowlands, the principles and processes governing climate-landform-water-soil-vegetation systems and their interactions will be examined in lecture and laboratory. Emphasis on the natural environment as an integrated system.
Terms: Fall 2010
Instructors: Mousavi-Torbati, Khosro; Begg, Caroline B (Fall)
Geography : Discussion of the major properties of soils; soil formation, classification and mapping; land capability assessment; the role and response of soils in natural and disturbed environments (e.g. global change, ecosystem disturbance).
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2010-2011 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2010-2011 academic year.
one of:
Mathematics (Agric&Envir Sci) : Measures of central tendency and dispersion; binomial and Poisson distributions; normal, chi-square, Student's t and Fisher-Snedecor F distributions; estimation and hypothesis testing; simple linear regression and correlation; analysis of variance for simple experimental designs.
Terms: Fall 2010, Winter 2011
Instructors: Dutilleul, Pierre R L; Bona, Kelly Ann (Fall) Dutilleul, Pierre R L (Winter)
Biology (Sci) : Elementary statistical methods in biology. Introduction to the analysis of biological data with emphasis on the assumptions behind statistical tests and models. Use of statistical techniques typically available on computer packages.
Terms: Fall 2010
Instructors: Seizilles de Mazancourt, Claire; Potvin, Catherine (Fall)
one of:
Geography : An introduction to Geographic Information Systems. The systematic management of spatial data. The use and construction of maps. The use of microcomputers and software for mapping and statistical work. Air photo and topographic map analyses.
Terms: Fall 2010
Instructors: Sieber, Renee; Sengupta, Raja (Fall)
Natural Resource Sciences : Applications of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and spatial analysis techniques to the presentation and analysis of ecological information, including sources and capture of spatial data; characterizing, transforming, displaying spatial data; and spatial analysis to solve resource management problems.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2010-2011 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2010-2011 academic year.
6 credits of advanced ecosystem components selected from:
Biology (Sci) : Ecology revisited in view of tropical conditions. Exploring species richness. Sampling and measuring biodiversity. Conservation status of ecosystems, communities and species. Indigenous knowledge.
Terms: Winter 2011
Instructors: Potvin, Catherine (Winter)
Geography : The course focuses on the physical habitat conditions found in streams, rivers, estuaries and deltas. Based on the laws governing flow of water and sediment transport, it emphasizes differences among these environments, in terms of channel form, flow patterns, substrate composition and mode of evolution. Flooding, damming, channelisation, forestry impacts.
Terms: Fall 2010
Instructors: Lapointe, Michel F (Fall)
Plant Science : Principles of classification and identification of flowering plants and ferns, with emphasis on 35 major families of flowering plants and the habitats in which they grow.
Terms: Fall 2010
Instructors: Waterway, Marcia J (Fall)
Soil Science : Soil processes responsible for soil formation will be studied and the impact of changes to the physical and chemical environment will be discussed.
Terms: Fall 2010
Instructors: Hendershot, William H (Fall)
Resource Development : Review of higher taxonomic groups of vertebrates and prochordates, emphasizing diagnostic characters evolution and distribution.
Terms: Fall 2010
Instructors: Humphries, Murray Mitchell (Fall)
6 credits of advanced ecological processes selected from:
*Note: you may take BIOL 432 or ENVB 315 but not both; you can take BREE 217 or GEOG 322 but not both.
Biology (Sci) : A study of the physical, chemical and biological properties of lakes and other inland waters, with emphasis on their functioning as systems.
Terms: Fall 2010
Instructors: Gregory-Eaves, Irene (Fall)
Biology (Sci) : Discussion of relevant theoretical and applied issues in conservation biology. Topics: biodiversity, population viability analysis, community dynamics, biology of rarity, extinction, habitat fragmentation, social issues.
Terms: Fall 2010
Instructors: Green, David M; Gonzalez, Andrew (Fall)
Bioresource Engineering : Measurements and analysis of components of the water cycle. Precipitation, evaporation, infiltration and groundwater. Analysis of hydrologic data. Hydrograph theory. Hydrologic estimations for design of water control projects; flood control and reservoir routing. Integrated watershed management and water conservation. Water management systems for environmental protection.
Terms: Winter 2011
Instructors: Prasher, Shiv (Winter)
Environmental Biology : Nature and history of limnology; divisions of inland waters; properties of fresh water; habitats; zones; nutrient cycles; biota; adaptations; seasonal variation; distributions; pollution; succession and evolution of fresh water environments. Includes field excursions.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2010-2011 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2010-2011 academic year.
Environmental Biology : Biotic and abiotic processes that control the flows of energy, nutrients and water through ecosystems; emergent system properties; approaches to analyzing complex systems. Labs include collection and multivariate analysis of field data.
Terms: Fall 2010
Instructors: Fyles, James W (Fall)
Geography : Quantitative, experimental study of the principles governing the movement of water at or near the Earth's surface and how the research relates to the chemistry and biology of ecosystems.
Terms: Winter 2011
Instructors: Lehner, Bernhard (Winter)
Microbiology (Agric&Envir Sc) : The ecology of microorganisms, primarily bacteria and archaea, and their roles in biogeochemical cycles will be discussed. Microbial interactions with the environment, plants, animals and other microbes emphasizing the underlying genetics and physiology. Diversity, evolution (microbial phylogenetics) and the application of molecular biology in microbial ecology.
Terms: Winter 2011
Instructors: Driscoll, Brian T (Winter)
Natural Resource Sciences : The environmental contaminants which cause pollution; sources, amounts and transport of pollutants in water, air and soil; waste management.
Terms: Fall 2010
Instructors: Whyte, Lyle; Hendershot, William H (Fall)
Plant Science : Theory and practice of plant ecology with an emphasis on the interaction between patterns and ecological processes and the dynamics, conservation and management of plant populations and communities over a range of temporal and spatial scales.
Terms: Fall 2010
Instructors: de Blois, Sylvie (Fall)
Resource Development : Ecological processes and theories in animal populations. Interrelationships among biological processes, biotic and abiotic factors, and life history strategies. Topics include population dynamics, optimization strategies, predation, habitat selection, risks and decision making, and social behaviour. Application of problem-solving approach to wildlife ecology through individual and group work.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2010-2011 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2010-2011 academic year.
6 credits of social processes selected as follows:
* If WILD 415 is taken, 1 additional credit of complementary courses must be taken.
Agricultural Economics : An introduction to contemporary management theories and practices in organizations of the food sector.
Terms: Fall 2010
Instructors: Canzer, Brahm (Fall)
Anthropology : Intensive study of theories and cases in ecological anthropology. Theories are examined and tested through comparative case-study analysis. Cultural constructions of "nature" and "environment" are compared and analyzed. Systems of resource management and conflicts over the use of resources are studied in depth.
Terms: Winter 2011
Instructors: Scott, Colin Hartley (Winter)
Canadian Studies : Canadian regionalism and its manifestations in literature and the media, as well as in social and public policy, focusing on one region in Canada.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2010-2011 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2010-2011 academic year.
Geography : Foundations and applications of earth citizenship. Foundations: sustainability, tragedy of the commons, dominion, privatization and public welfare, resilience, precautionary principle, and land ethic are critically considered. Applications: implications for relationship between human and natural economies; human population size and control; and morality of modern agricultural and forestry practices.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2010-2011 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2010-2011 academic year.
Geography : Focus on understanding of inter-relations between humans and neotropical environments represented in Panama. Study of contemporary rural landscapes, their origins, development and change. Impacts of economic growth and inequality, social organization, and politics on natural resource use and environmental degradation. Site visits and field exercises in peasant/colonist, Amerindian, and plantation communities.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2010-2011 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2010-2011 academic year.
Religious Studies : Environmental potential of various religious traditions and secular perspectives, including animal rights, ecofeminism, and deep ecology.
Terms: Fall 2010, Winter 2011
Instructors: Labrecque, Cory (Fall) Labrecque, Cory (Winter)
Sociology (Arts) : Analysis of social change in Panama, particularly during the 20th century: demography, social and economic structures, rural and urban activities and landscapes, indigenous peoples, the effects of the Canal and the Free Trade Zone. Focus throughout on the interaction of human society and the environment.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2010-2011 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2010-2011 academic year.
Urban Planning : Economic and social issues related to planning for sustainable development, with a focus on water. Political and environmental determinants of resource use. Impact of global, regional and local institutions, programs and plans in Barbados and in the field locale in general.
Terms: Fall 2010
Instructors: Phillip, Leroy E; Alli, Inteaz (Fall)
Resource Development : A study of the various federal, provincial and municipal laws affecting wildlife habitat. Topics include: laws to protect wild birds and animals; the regulation of hunting; legal protection of trees and flowers, sanctuaries, reserves, parks; techniques of acquiring and financing desirable land, property owner rights.
Terms: Fall 2010
Instructors: Marcil, Paul (Fall)
9 credits of ecosystem components or management of ecosystems selected from:
Agriculture : Management of soil and water systems for sustainability. Cause of soil degradation, surface and groundwater contamination by agricultural chemicals and toxic pollutants. Human health and safety concerns. Water-table management. Soil and water conservation techniques will be examined with an emphasis on methods of prediction and best management practices.
Terms: Fall 2010
Instructors: Clark, Grant (Fall)
Agriculture : Physical environment challenges, centered on water, being faced by an island nation. Guest speakers, field study tours and laboratory tests. Private, government and NGO institutional context of conservation strategies, and water quantity and quality analyses for water management specific to Barbados.
Terms: Fall 2010
Instructors: Gehr, Ronald; Keane, Angela (Fall)
Agriculture : Contrast theory and practice in defining agricultural environmental "challenges" in the Neotropics. Indigenous and appropriate technological means of mitigation. Soil management and erosion, water scarcity, water over-abundance, and water quality. Explore agro-ecosystem protection via field trips and project designs. Institutional context of conservation strategies, NGO links, and public participation.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2010-2011 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2010-2011 academic year.
Geography : An ecological analysis of the physical and biotic components of natural resource systems. Emphasis on scientific, technological and institutional aspects of environmental management. Study of the use of biological resources and of the impact of individual processes.
Terms: Fall 2010, Summer 2011
Instructors: Meredith, Thomas C (Fall)
Geography : Articulates and evaluates competing hypotheses about the functioning of human-dominated ecosystems. Introduces the use of statistics, ecological modeling, and management in an integrated ecological management context. Case studies examine factors that impede and enhance adaptive management.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2010-2011 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2010-2011 academic year.
Geography : Practical application of environmental planning, analysis and management techniques with reference to the needs and problems of developing areas. Special challenges posed by cultural differences and traditional resource systems are discussed. This course involves practical field work in a developing area (Kenya or Panama).
Terms: Winter 2011
Instructors: Meredith, Thomas C (Winter)
Natural Resource Sciences : Theories and procedures of assessing environmental impact. An examination of the environmental impact of existing programs and projects to examine their accuracy in predicting consequences and attenuating undesirable effects.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2010-2011 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2010-2011 academic year.
Plant Science : Application of plant science and soil science to production of agronomic and horticultural crops. Use and sustainability of fertilization, weed control, crop rotation, tillage, drainage and irrigation practices.
Terms: Fall 2010
Instructors: Smith, Donald L (Fall)
Soil Science : The physical and chemical environment of soil organisms; survey of soil microflora and fauna; processes and optimal agronomic systems of management consistent with the goals of ecological agriculture.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2010-2011 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2010-2011 academic year.
Resource Development : Principles of fisheries and wildlife management are considered and current practices of research and management are discussed.
Terms: Fall 2010
Instructors: Curtis, Mark A; Humphries, Murray Mitchell; Solomon, Christopher (Fall)
Woodland Resources : The study of silviculture and silvics and their application to forest management to sustain the production of wood and other resources such as wildlife, water and landscape in natural forests and rural environments (agroforestry). Acquisition of practical skills in forest survey and computer simulation of forest growth.
Terms: Winter 2011
Instructors: Cote, Benoit (Winter)