CEPC 99/00 – 2
To: The Faculty
From: CEPC
RE: New Courses
At the November Faculty meeting, CEPC will move acceptance of the following courses:
Environmental Studies 255: Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems
Counts towards: Environmental Studies Concentration, Environmental Studies Major
Catalog Statement: Remote sensing and GIS are increasingly used to address basic and applied questions in the environmental sciences and a host of other disciplines. We will survey available remote sensing image types and learn to process (ground-truthing, GPS, scanning, digitizing) and interpret remotely sensed images. We will also learn theory and practice of geographic information systems (basic cartography and spatial statistics). A weekly three-hour laboratory is required.
Prerequisites: ES 236 or a Level I course in Biology, Chemistry or Physics
Rationale: This course will provide students with an introduction to GIS and remote sensing as tools in the environmental sciences. GIS and remote sensing are major tools in basic environmental research and environmental management and people familiar with the basics of these tools are in high demand in graduate studies programs, industry, and government. These tools are also increasingly used in archeology and other non-environmental science fields and this course is also anticipated to serve the need of students interested in these areas of study. The course will be project-bases. Projects will be focused on the campus or solicited from off-campus organizations, providing students with direct experience with environmental problem solving. The course will be one of the major components of the new Environmental Studies major.
Chemistry 391: Selected topics in Chemistry
Counts towards: Environmental Studies Major, Environmental Studies Concentration
Catalog Statement: The field of chemistry is constantly expanding into new frontiers and understandings of principles. This course provides and in-depth study of selected topics within the broad discipline of chemistry. Selected topics, such as Environmental Chemical Analysis, Hazardous Waste Management, Natural Products, Biomediation, Forensic Chemistry, or Science in the Media, will be chosen based on student interest, and available staff. Announcement of the topic will be announced prior to registration for the term.
Prerequisites: Permission of the instructor, and junior or senior
Rationale: The field of chemistry is constantly expanding into new frontiers and understandings of principles. This course provides an in-depth study of selected topics within the broad discipline of chemistry. Selected topics such as Environmental Chemical Analysis, Hazardous Waste Management, Natural Products, Biomediation, Forensic Chemistry, or Science in the Media, will enable the Chemistry Department to quickly respond to student interest and current research. The course structure will not only satisfy a component in the Environmental Studies major – Natural Science track, but also expand the Chemistry Department’s course offerings.
Environmental Studies 125: Conservation Biology
Counts towards: Environmental Studies Major, Environmental Studies Concentration
Catalog Statement: Conservation Biology focuses on the study of biological diversity. We will examine why we should be concerned about the number and types of species on earth, what factors threaten the survival of species and how we can conserve them. Using principles of ecology and evolution, with input from other disciplines, student gain a better understanding of the impact of humans on biodiversity and the importance of responsible environmental decision making. Offered annually.
Prerequisites: None
Rationale: Conservation biology is a new multidisciplinary science that deals with the study and protection of biological diversity. In the 1970s the scientific community recognized the steep decline in global biodiversity as a result of human activities. The field was formally recognized in the 1980s with the founding of the Society for Conservation Biology and represents a fusion of theory, basic research, applied research and public education on conservation issues. The field is oriented to reducing the loss of biodiversity by using information from a variety of disciplines (ecology, biogeography, population genetics, economics, sociology, philosophy, political science, and game and forest management), as needed to solve a problem. Although the idea of conservation of natural resources is not new, the focus away from single species issues to maintenance of whole ecosystems is new. As citizens of the world, students need to understand how humans impact the earth, and our own survival, on a global scale. Courses in Conservation Biology have received an enthusiastic response at many colleges and universities.
Art 207: African and Art History
Counts Towards: Africa & Africa Diaspora Concentration, Art History Major, ALS-A, MCS-G
Catalog Statement: A study of selected African art intimately bound to religion, magic, ritual, and artistic expressions which play a fundamental part in everyday life. It is a systematic review of masks, idols, costumes, domestic decorations, ceremonial objects and other supernatural forms used in daily and seasonal rituals. Each student analyzes forms chosen from 60 tribal styles as a simulacrum of complex cultural origins, in order to appreciate their aesthetic qualities and evocative power.
Prerequisites: None
Rationale: The primary objective of this course is to provide an “informed appreciation” through an historical and aesthetic survey of African art forms that emerge from the body of art presented in the text and other sources. It is a study of “the broader context of human life and culture” through visual and historical evidence of the objects that shape African social interaction made visible in hand-hewn works of art. It is a linear and comparative investigation of art styles, techniques, multicultural analysis and symbolic research projects leading to a reflective, analytical, cross-culture paper on chosen images. Another goal is to develop vocabulary in African arts with application to specific works. Each student will respond individually in writing and in group discussion to art works from the text, then on site visits to museums, and finally by applying aesthetic theory to African cultural objects.
