Degree Programs
Master's Degree Programs
The School of Forestry & Environmental Studies offers four two-year master's degrees: the professionally oriented Master of Environmental Management (M.E.M.) and Master of Forestry (M.F.), and the research-oriented Master of Environmental Science (M.E.Sc.) and Master of Forest Science (M.F.S.). Each of the degrees will serve as preparation for either professional employment or doctoral study. Two-year master's programs normally require a minimum of four terms in residence, sixteen full courses (forty-eight credits), a summer internship, and completion of the training modules in Technical Skills in the summer just prior to the student's first term. For individuals with seven or more years of relevant professional experience, a one-year mid-career option is available for the Master of Environmental Management and Master of Forestry degrees.
Programs of study at the School are, by design, interdisciplinary. They involve application of a wide range of natural and social sciences to problems of natural resource and environmental management.
The required curricula leading to all master's programs are somewhat flexible to accommodate varying background preparations and career aspirations, and partially structured to ensure professional competence and maximum exposure to the unique diversity of the School and the other departments and professional schools at Yale. The amount of flexibility and structure varies considerably in individual cases depending upon preparation and degree interest. Only work completed under the supervision of a Yale University faculty member is accepted as credit toward these degrees. The one-year mid-career Master of Environmental Management and Master of Forestry programs have less structured curricula than the two-year programs.
Regardless of their goals or their previous training, most students entering the School are embarking on a transitional process in their education. Each student's program is determined in continuing consultation with faculty advisers who guide the student's learning experience from the first week at Yale until graduation. Each program of study is designed to be an extension of previous academic or professional achievement and should provide the student with specialized knowledge and analytical skills that are logical for the student's objectives and prospective contributions to his or her disciplines.
Programs of study leading to all degrees consist of formal courses, seminars, and individual and group projects. No formal thesis is required for the master's degrees, but all require a master's project or other capstone experience.
Summer internships are an important component of the School's master's curricula and are required for all two-year master's students. Students pursue a variety of work and research projects in locations worldwide. The School provides significant assistance to students in helping them to identify meaningful internships.
Students interested in careers in research or teaching are advised to seek the Ph.D. in their field of major interest. Unless applicants already have undergraduate or master's degrees representing appropriate preparation, it is usually recommended that they begin with study for a master's degree.
Part-Time Program
Students who wish to obtain a degree through the part-time option must complete the same curriculum as full-time students. Participants must enroll for two courses per term and must complete the degree requirements in four years.
Training Modules in Technical Skills
All incoming master's students participate in three weeks of summer modules, which impart field skills and techniques considered indispensable to students intending careers in environmental research, management, and policy. These modules are a necessary base for subsequent course work at the School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, provide an orientation to the School, and are offered only during the last three weeks of August.
These modules are required of all first-year master's students enrolled in two-year programs. They are optional for all one-year degree program students. Waivers will be granted from one, two, or all of the modules only upon evidence of attainment of these skills through previous course work or professional experience. Course work is primarily in the field and covers three technical areas:
Module I: plant identification—use of organismal identification keys, familiarization with the plant species of Southern New England.
Module II: ecosystem measurement—sampling methods, research design, data reduction and analysis.
Module III: land measurement—surveying, aerial photography, GPS, remote sensing and mapping.
Project Courses
Most master's students choose to do one or more "project" courses involving independent study with a faculty adviser. Project courses can involve research in laboratory, field, or library, or analytical case studies designed to solve management problems. Typically the ideas for projects originate with the student. Project courses enable students or small groups to study relevant topics in a depth that is not always possible in regular courses. They afford the student interested in research an unusual opportunity to gain firsthand experience with the conduct and philosophy of independent inquiry. Introducing students to the literature dealing with localities, problems, or subjects with which they expect to be especially concerned in the future, projects provide a means of integrating and testing skills, knowledge, and judgment gained in formal courses. They have frequently permitted students to make a significant contribution to local communities or to the academic literature.
Master of Environmental Management
This degree is designed for students with primary interests in careers in environmental policy and analysis, stewardship, education, consulting, or management dealing with natural resource or environmental issues. The program requires course work in both the natural and social sciences, with a particular focus on the relationship among science, management, and policy. The ultimate purpose of the degree program is to prepare students to address complex ecological and social issues with scientific understanding and an ability to make sense of the underlying social and political context.
Students pursuing the M.E.M. degree must take eight courses in fulfillment of a core curriculum. Each student will also select an advanced study program for further coursework—concluding his or her experience with an independent project, a "capstone" course, or a term-time internship course. With the guidance and approval of faculty advisers, each student selects core courses in various categories to meet distributional requirements from preapproved lists of courses. Each student also works with advisers to define educational pathways within one of nine advanced study areas that have been identified and defined by the F&ES faculty.
The core courses for the M.E.M. are divided into: (a) Foundations and (b) Problem Solving and Policymaking. The four Foundations course groups are: (1) physical sciences, (2) biological sciences, (3) social sciences, and (4) statistics and statistical methods. Each student must take at least one course in each of these disciplines, as well as one additional course in either the physical or biological sciences. Problem Solving and Policymaking is divided into three course groups: (1) economics, (2) decision analysis, and (3) policymaking and institutions. Students are required to take at least one course in each course group.
Faculty teaching and research at the School of Forestry & Environmental Studies are divided into nine focal areas, each of which serves as an advanced study area within the M.E.M. curriculum. These areas are: (1) Ecology, Ecosystems, and Biodiversity; (2) The Social Ecology of Conservation and Development: Assessing Social and Environmental Change; (3) Forestry, Forest Science, and the Management of Forests for Conservation and Development; (4) Global Change Science and Policy; (5) Health and Environment; (6) Industrial Environmental Management; (7) Policy, Economics, and Law; (8) Urban Ecology and Environmental Planning, Design, and Values; and (9) Water Science, Policy, and Management. Each advanced study area offers one or more course "tracks" that students wishing to concentrate in the focal area should examine for guidance on what courses provide a foundation for professional success in a particular area. Each M.E.M. student is required to choose an Advanced Study Area and to take two or more courses from the area's specified course lists.
Master of Forestry
Master of Forestry programs are professional studies aimed at training practitioners of forestry for administration and management of forest lands, and for mediating and resolving the conflicting values of society that concern forests. Forest systems cover one-third of the terrestrial surface of the earth. More important than this expansive distribution, however, are the numerous and critically important values that forests provide to human societies. Currently the pressures of economic development, popolation growth, and energy use challenge the sustainability of forest values as never before in human history.
Since 1900, the Master of Forestry program has provided leadership in the education of professional foresters. It is the oldest continuing forestry program in the western hemisphere. Almost all the early foresters in North America had their roots at Yale. Graduates include such notables as Aldo Leopold, M.F. '09 and Starker Leopold, M.F. '38, the fathers of forest ecology and silviculture in North America (Clarence Korstian, M.F. '26; Harold Lutz, M.F. '27; Stephen Spurr, M.F. '40; David Smith, M.F. '46), and nine of the first twelve chiefs of the USDA Forest Service. This program is designed for individuals who want to be at the forefront of forest resource management and policy. The Master of Forestry curriculum is moving resource management to new levels of education using a truly interdisciplinary approach rooted in the biological basis of ecosystems.
For the past ten years Master of Forestry graduates have joined the kaleidoscope of professional opportunities in forestry. Most start as general practitioners and management officers and with experience move through management to become policy makers and organizers. Employment can be characterized as follows: (1) government and public agencies (e.g., Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service); (2) international development and conservation organizations (e.g., Food and Agriculture Organization, CARE, OXFAM, USAID, Winrock International, Conservation International); (3) industry and investment (e.g., World Bank, International Paper Co., John Hancock Insurance Co.); and (4) town planners, land trusts, and conservation organizations (e.g., The Nature Conservancy, Wilderness Society). An important proportion of graduates use the degree as preparation for advanced study in doctoral programs.
Two-Year Program.The broad objective of the two-year M.F. program is realized by requiring a multidisciplinary suite of formal course work coupled with a progressive synthesis of knowledge in a significant project. It is realized through the provision of an array of local, regional, national, and international trips to witness the practice of forestry in diverse settings. It is realized further through the provision of employment in the management of the Yale Forest and a host of internships offered through the auspices of the Global Institute for Sustainable Forestry and the Tropical Resources Institute. Finally, it is realized through the active program of workshops, visiting speakers of national and international repute, and publications of the Yale Forest Forum.
The teaching objectives of the M.F. program are (1) to integrate knowledge about forests, natural resources, and society to form a sound basis for making management decisions; (2) to provide electives and other educational opportunities to specialize by focusing on a particular land-use or management issue concerning forest ecosystem management; (3) to provide opportunities for independent problem solving, critical thinking, and self-development. All core courses at F&ES are designated as natural, social, or quantitative science, and all students must take a mixture. The capstone course addresses management skills and, in particular, leadership. Flexibility of the choice of course within the required topic areas of the M.F. curriculum allows the student to tailor required courses to a desired specialization. Sample specializations have included community development and social forestry; protected areas management; extension and education; consulting and business; watershed health and restoration; tropical forest management; agroforestry; and industrial forest management.
The two-year program leading to the Master of Forestry degree as the first professional degree in forestry is accredited by the Society of American Foresters (SAF). Founded in 1900 by Gifford Pinchot and six other pioneer foresters, SAF's role as accrediting body for forestry in the United States is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Council on Post-Secondary Accreditation. For this reason, the degree is widely accepted in other regions and countries with similar professional standards. In recent years there has also been a growing recognition of required professional licensing and registration for all resource managers in the United States, particularly in the Northeast and West Coast regions, or for individuals working in any of the federal agencies, e.g., U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service. In most of these states and agencies, resource management can be practiced only by individuals who have met certain educational and experience standards. An accredited professional degree is usually the first requirement. A minimum of two full years in residence and sixteen full courses (forty-eight credits) is required for completion of this program.
One-Year Mid-Career Program. This degree program is restricted to selected individuals who have demonstrated competence during a minimum of seven years of responsible, full-time professional forestry experience. The degree requirements are met by satisfactorily completing a custom-designed two-term program of courses, seminars, and projects during one year in residence.
Professionals pursuing the one-year M.F. degree are interested in acquiring new skills, filling voids in their educational background, and broadening their perspectives. Their career objectives are in the general area of forest management and administration. Admission to this program will be granted by the Admissions Committee only to individuals who appear to be able to achieve the level of professional competence represented by the M.F. degree in one year of residence work. A minimum of one year in residence and eight full courses is required for completion of this program.
Master of Environmental Science
The Master of Environmental Science program is intended for students who seek a master's program with focus on disciplines within environmental natural and social science, most often as preparation for a research career or doctoral study. Each Master of Environmental Science curriculum will have three components: disciplinary and research project courses, research methods courses, and electives. The Master of Environmental Science program requires the student to produce a "scholarship product." This product may be in the form of a traditional master's thesis or a paper submitted to a refereed journal. A minimum of two full years in residence and sixteen full courses is required for successful completion of this program. A minimum of four research project courses is also required.
Master of Forest Science
The Master of Forest Science is intended for students who seek a master's program with focus on forest science, most often as preparation for a research career or doctoral study. Each Master of Forest Science curriculum will have three components: disciplinary and research project courses, research methods courses, and electives. The Master of Forest Science program requires the student to produce a "scholarship product." This product may be in the form of a traditional master's thesis or a paper submitted to a refereed journal. A minimum of two full years in residence and sixteen full courses is required for successful completion of this program. A minimum of four research project courses is also required.
Joint Master's Degree Programs
The School of Forestry & Environmental Studies supports several curricula that work concurrently toward two degrees from different administrative units of Yale University. Opportunities for development of joint-degree programs exist with the Divinity School, the Law School, the School of Management, the School of Medicine's Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, the Graduate School's International Relations program, and the International and Development Economics program of the Graduate School's Department of Economics. Applicants are urged to apply to both units at the same time. All of these programs are subject to several general guidelines.
Applicants must apply to, and be accepted by, both units of the University according to normal admissions procedures. A minimum residency at Yale and a minimum number of credit hours at the School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, dependent upon the degree program, are required. These courses must meet the curriculum requirements for one of the School's degree programs. A minimum of one and one-half years is required at the School of Forestry & Environmental Studies.
On successful completion of the formal joint-degree program, the student will be awarded the Master of Forestry or the Master of Environmental Management, together with the joint degree as follows:
1. Law School—Juris Doctor; four years.
2. School of Medicine (Department of Epidemiology and Public Health)—Master of Public Health; three years.
3. School of Management—Master of Business Administration; three years.
4. Department of Economics, International Development and Economics program—Master of Arts; two and one-half to three years.
5. International Relations—Master of Arts; two and one-half to three years.
6. Divinity School—Master of Arts in Religion; three years.
For students interested in a joint environment/law degree, the School has recently launched joint-degree programs with Vermont Law School and the Pace University School of Law—in addition to the existing joint-degree program with Yale Law School. For questions about this and other joint-degree programs, please consult the registrar at F&ES or the associate dean for academic affairs.
Special Students
For those who do not wish to pursue a full-time degree program, there is the option of special student status. Applicants interested in this option must follow normal admissions procedures and are expected to meet the regular admissions requirements. Special students may be registered for a period as short as one term and may enroll in a minimum of one course or elect to take a full program of four courses per term. Under normal circumstances, no one may hold special student status for more than one academic year.
Doctoral Degree Programs
The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree is conferred through the Graduate School of Yale University. Work toward this doctoral degree is directed by the Department of Forestry & Environmental Studies of the Graduate School, which is composed of the faculty of the School of Forestry & Environmental Studies. The degree of Doctor of Forestry and Environmental Studies (D.F.E.S., formerly designated as the Doctor of Forestry degree) is conferred through the School of Forestry & Environmental Studies. Doctoral work is concentrated in areas of faculty research, which currently encompass the following broad foci: ecology, ecosystems, and biodiversity; environmental management and social ecology in developing societies; forest science and management; global change science and policy; health and environment; industrial environmental management; policy, economics, and the law; urban ecology, environmental planning, design, and values; and coastal and watershed systems.
Common Features of the Doctoral Degrees
Programs and requirements for both doctoral degrees share several basic features. All courses listed in this bulletin are open to students working for either doctoral degree. Other courses are available in other departments—e.g., Chemistry; Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; Economics; Geology and Geophysics; Management; Mathematics; Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology; Political Science; Sociology; and Statistics—and are listed in the bulletin of the Graduate School.
A doctoral committee will be appointed for each student no later than the student's second term in the program. The committee consists of a minimum of three faculty members from the Yale University community. When appropriate for their research areas, students are encouraged to suggest committee members from other universities. Doctoral students work under the supervision of their doctoral committees.
Students are required to take the Doctoral Student Seminar, 824a, in the first term of their program.
Two Honors grades must be achieved before a student is eligible to sit for the qualifying examination in either doctoral program. In addition, students in both programs are expected to serve as teaching assistants.
A written and oral qualifying examination (or written comprehensive examination) must be passed in the student's area of interest and in such subordinate subjects as may be required by the student's doctoral committee and major professor. The student will be advised as to the nature and scope of the examination prior to or at the start of the term in which it is to be administered. This examination must be completed before the start of the fifth term. It includes a thesis proposal that must be defended before the student's doctoral committee and other interested faculty.
The director of doctoral studies (DDS) of the School serves as director of graduate studies for the Department of Forestry & Environmental Studies of the Graduate School, administers both doctoral programs, and may be consulted about specific problems or questions concerning either program.
Before beginning work, the student must secure approval from his or her committee and the DDS for a proposed program of study and for the general plan of the dissertation. Appropriate advanced work is required. Courses chosen should form a coherent plan of study and should support research work for the proposed dissertation.
The dissertation should demonstrate the student's technical mastery of the field as well as the ability to do independent scholarly work and to formulate conclusions that may modify or enlarge previous knowledge.
The format for dissertations submitted for both degrees is identical. A guidance manual for preparing dissertations is available from the DDS. Candidates must present themselves for the oral defense of the dissertation at such time and place as the student, the DDS, and the committee determine.
Differences between the Doctoral Degrees
The Ph.D. degree is oriented toward research in the natural and social sciences as applied to natural resource and environmental problems.
The D.F.E.S. degree is intended for people whose career interests are oriented toward problem solving. Students in this program usually choose dissertation problems that involve the application of the natural and social sciences to the management and protection of forests and other environmental systems. They often deal with the resolution of specific biological and socioeconomic conflicts in natural resource allocation, use, and conservation.
Topics selected by candidates for both degrees may overlap, because it is impossible to separate unequivocally basic from applied research, especially with respect to natural resources and the environment.
Joint Doctoral Degree
The School of Forestry & Environmental Studies has entered into an agreement with the New York Botanical Garden to offer a joint doctoral degree, either the Ph.D. or the D.F.E.S. For more information, please contact the director of doctoral studies.
Subjects of Instruction
Courses offered by the School of Forestry & Environmental Studies are described below. The letters "a'' and "b'' following the course numbers indicate fall- and spring-term courses respectively. Bracketed courses will not be offered during the academic year 2002–2003.
Project courses embrace individually assigned advanced field or laboratory work, or literature review, on topics of special interest to the student; credits and hours for these projects are determined for each student in consultation with the instructor.
Courses throughout the University are generally open to students enrolled in the School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, subject to limitations on class size and requirements for prerequisites. Courses numbered 500 and above are graduate courses. The sequence of numbers does not reflect level of advancement.
List of Courses by Topic
Ecology
Ecosystem ecology
F&ES 519b Methods of Ecosystem Analysis
F&ES 527a,b Project in Tropical Ecology (Curran)
F&ES 528b Tropical Ecosystem Dynamics and Anthropogenic Change
F&ES 550a Ecosystem Science 57
F&ES 553b Natural Development: Toward Certification of New Uses of Green and Brown Fields
F&ES 556b Seminar in the Conservation and Development of Amazonia
F&ES 557b Reconciling Development and Conservation on the Amazon Frontier: A Tropical Conservation Field Course
F&ES 574a Tropical Forest Ecology and Management
F&ES 575a Patterns and Processes in Terrestrial Ecosystems
F&ES 577a,b Project in Tropical Forestry (Montagnini)
F&ES 579a,b Project in Ecology (Siccama)
F&ES 580a,b Project in Ecosystem Ecology (Raymond)
F&ES 591a,b Project in Tropical Studies (NYBG Faculty)
F&ES 6o4b Topics in the Tropics
F&ES 621a Biogeography, Biodiversity, and Conservation
F&ES 777a,b Project in Ecosystem Ecology (Geballe)
F&ES 814a,b Project in Tropical Forests (Nepstad)
Wildlife ecology and conservation biology
F&ES 509a Aquatic Ecology
F&ES 511a,b Project in Ecology (Skelly)
F&ES 520a Species and Ecosystem Conservation: An Interdisciplinary Approach
F&ES 525a,b Project in Natural Resource Policy (Clark)
F&ES 526a,b Project in Biodiversity Conservation (Clark)
F&ES 560b Wildlife Conservation Ecology
F&ES 564b Seminar in Wildlife Ecology
F&ES 565a Human Dimensions in the Conservation of Biological Diversity
F&ES 567a,b Project in Biodiversity Conservation (Kellert)
F&ES 569a,b Project in Wildlife Ecology (Schmitz)
[F&ES 578a] Seminar in Molecular Approaches to Systematics, Conservation Genetics, and Behavioral Ecology
F&ES 587b Laboratory in Molecular Systematics
F&ES 588a Seminar in Conservation Genetics
F&ES 760a Landscape Ecology
F&ES 762b Ecology Seminar
F&ES 813a,b Project in Molecular Systematics (Caccone)
Environmental Education and Communication
[F&ES 582b] Issues and Approaches in Environmental Education
F&ES 583a Environmental Writing
F&ES 584a,b Project in Environmental Writing (Strebeigh)
F&ES 589a,b Project in Environmental Education (Kellert)
F&ES 723a,b Project in Information Management (Draghi)
[F&ES 724a] Information Management for Environmental Professionals
[F&ES 745b] Archetypes and the Environment
F&ES 824a Doctoral Student Seminar
Forestry
Forest biology
F&ES 505b Local Flora
F&ES 524b Fire: Science and Policy
F&ES 551b Forest Health
F&ES 592b Agroforestry in the Tropics: Sustainability and Services
F&ES 600a Structure, Function, and Development of Higher Plants: From Seed to Towering Tree
F&ES 601b Research Methods in Anatomy and Physiology of Trees
F&ES 608a,b Project in Structure and Development of Trees (Berlyn)
F&ES 609a,b Project in Identification and Comparative Anatomy of Woods (Berlyn)
F&ES 610b Physiology of Trees and Forests: The Pathway to Understanding the World's Forests
F&ES 619a,b Project in Tree Physiology (Berlyn)
F&ES 709a,b Project in Plant Community Ecology (Ashton)
Forest management
F&ES 576b Botanical Resources of the Tropics
F&ES 597a,b Project in Agroforestry (Montagnini)
F&ES 602b Forest Landscape Management
F&ES 605a Sustainable Forestry: Biology and Management
F&ES 700b Principles in Applied Ecology: The Practice of Silviculture
F&ES 701a Management Plans for Protected Areas
F&ES 702b Rapid Assessments in Forest Conservation for Diversity and Productivity
F&ES 703a Growth and Development of Forest Stands
F&ES 704a Analysis of Silvicultural Problems
[F&ES 705a] Seminar in Advanced Silviculture
F&ES 706a,b Project in Silviculture (Ashton)
F&ES 707a,b Project in Silviculture (Camp)
F&ES 708a,b Field Trips in Forest Resource Management and Silviculture
F&ES 727a Forest Financial Analysis
F&ES 803a Forestry Operations for Resource Professionals
F&ES 910b The Evolution of Forest Policies in North America
Physical Sciences
Atmospheric sciences
F&ES 603a Marine and Surficial Geochemistry
F&ES 612b Seminar in Alpine, Arctic, and Boreal Ecosystems
F&ES 834b Seminar on Climate Change Science and Policy
F&ES 867a,b Project in Biometeorology (Lee)
F&ES 868b Climate and Life
[F&ES 869a] A Biological Perspective of Global Change
Environmental chemistry
F&ES 502a,b Critical Analysis of Scientific Literature: Applied Environmental Chemistry
F&ES 507b Organic Pollutants in the Environment
F&ES 544b Aquatic Chemistry
F&ES 545a Biogeochemistry and Pollution
F&ES 546a,b Project in Environmental Chemistry (Benoit)
F&ES 596a Air Pollution
F&ES 598b Water Quality Control
F&ES 873a Environmental Behavior of Organic Chemicals
F&ES 967a,b Project in Environmental Chemistry (Anisfeld)
Soil science
F&ES 530a Introduction to Soil Science
F&ES 539a,b Project in Soil Ecology (Siccama)
Water resources
F&ES 515b Coastal Ecosystem Governance
F&ES 516a,b Project in Watershed Management (Burroughs)
F&ES 533b Water Resource Management
F&ES 536a Estuaries and Coastal Wetlands: Processes and Perturbations
F&ES 540a Environmental Hydrology
[F&ES 541b] Hydrologic Modeling
F&ES 542b Hydrology Seminar
F&ES 543a,b Project in Hydrology (Saiers)
F&ES 554a Climate and the Oceans: Marine Conservation in a Global Society. The Munson Marine Conservation Distinguished Lecture Series
F&ES 558b Applied Hydrology
F&ES 829a River Processes and Restoration
[F&ES 866b] Caribbean Coastal Watershed Development: Science and Policy
F&ES 888a,b Project in River Processes (MacBroom)
Quantitative and Research Methods
F&ES 506b Observing the Earth from Space
F&ES 510a Research Methods
F&ES 513b Social Science Research Methods
F&ES 529a,b Preparation for Research
F&ES 622a Seminar in Forest Inventory
F&ES 710a,b Project in Statistics (Gregoire)
F&ES 711a Sampling Methodology and Practice
F&ES 713b Statistics for Environmental Sciences
F&ES 714a Introduction to Statistics in the Environmental Sciences
F&ES 715a Modeling Geographic Space
F&ES 716b Modeling Geographic Objects
F&ES 717a,b Project in Geographic Information Systems (Faculty)
F&ES 719b Statistical Design of Experiments
F&ES 809a,b Project in Statistics (Reuning-Scherer)
F&ES 844b Multivariate Statistical Analysis in the Environmental Sciences
Social Sciences
Economics
F&ES 733b Economics of Pollution
F&ES 734a Economics of Natural Resource Management
F&ES 735a,b Project in Resource Economics (Mendelsohn)
[F&ES 737b] Valuing the Environment
F&ES 738a,b Project in Resource Economics (Cavanagh)
F&ES 852b Energy Market Policies and Environmental Protection
F&ES 863b Economics of Water Quality and Water Scarcity
Environmental policy
F&ES 503a Seminar in Environmental and Natural Resource Leadership
[F&ES 594a] Environmental Governance: Dynamics of Policy Change
[F&ES 725b] Science and Politics of Environmental Regulation
F&ES 728a,b Project in Natural Resource Policy (Wargo)
F&ES 731a Foundations of Environmental Policy and Politics
F&ES 739b Natural Resource Policy Practicum
[F&ES 766b] Public-Private Partnerships for the Urban Environment
F&ES 768b Business and Environment Leadership
F&ES 769a Ecological Knowledge and Environmental Problem Solving
F&ES 770b Scope of the Policy Sciences
F&ES 795a,b Project in Environmental Policy (Nelson)
F&ES 801a Energy Systems Analysis
[F&ES 805b] Current Issues in Natural Resource Policy
F&ES 819a Social and Environmental Dimensions of Biotechnology
F&ES 832a,b Project in Environmental Policy (Brewer)
F&ES 836a,b Project in Natural Resource Policy (Lyons)
F&ES 842a The Economics of Sustainable Development
F&ES 843a The Economics of Climate Change
F&ES 847b Understanding Environmental Campaigns: Strategies and Tactics
F&ES 851b Local Environmental Law and Land-Use Practices
F&ES 853a Private Investment and the Environment
F&ES 858a History of the Environment and Ecological Science
F&ES 861b Environmental Law and Policy
F&ES 864a,b Environmental Protection Clinic
F&ES 870a International Environmental Law and Policy
F&ES 890a,b Project in Environmental Law (Esty)
F&ES 891b Foundations of Natural Resource Policy and Management
F&ES 892a,b Project in Environmental Law (Gentry)
F&ES 906b Project in Energy Policy (Mansur)
F&ES 910b The Evolution of Forest Policies in North America
Health and environment
[F&ES 721b] Environmental Health Policy
F&ES 722a Assessing Exposures to Environmental Stressors
Industrial environmental management
F&ES 500a Environmental Aspects of the Technological Society
F&ES 501b Industrial Ecology
F&ES 810a Business Concepts for Environmental Managers
F&ES 812b Environmental Management and Strategy
F&ES 854a,b Project in Industrial Environmental Management (Graedel)
F&ES 857a,b Project in Industrial Environmental Management (Chertow)
F&ES 905b Public and Private Management of the Environment and Natural Resources
Social and political ecology
F&ES 729b Environmental Ethics
F&ES 740b Seminar in Ecosystem Management: Community Forestry and Protected Area Applications
[F&ES 743b] Environment and Development: Dilemmas of Power and Place
F&ES 744a Introduction to Planning and Development
F&ES 746b Society and Natural Resources
F&ES 747a Society and Environment: Introduction to Theory and Method
F&ES 748b Environmental Values
F&ES 749a,b Project in Ecosystem Management: General Applications (Burch)
F&ES 750a,b Project in Social Ecology (Kellert)
[F&ES 752b] Society and Environment: Advanced Readings
F&ES 753a Agrarian Societies: Culture, Society, History, and Development
F&ES 755a,b Project in Social Ecology (Dove)
F&ES 756b Project in Gender and Natural Resources (Carpenter)
F&ES 757a Sustainable Development and Conservation: Introduction to Social Aspects
F&ES 759b Sustainable Development and Conservation: Advanced Readings
F&ES 761a Issues in Environment and Design
F&ES 764a,b Project in Urban Ecology (Bai)
F&ES 765b Globalization of the Environment: International Agendas and Local Responses
F&ES 767b Monitoring and Evaluation Techniques, Theory, and Methods Applied to Ecosystem Rehabilitation/Community Revitalization Interventions
F&ES 771a The National Parks: Lessons in Diversity, Environmental Quality, and Justice
F&ES 794a,b Project in Social Ecology (Carpenter)
F&ES 804a Theory and Practice of Urban Ecology
F&ES 816a,b Project in Environment and Development (McAfee)
F&ES 831a,b Project in Social Study of Science (McAfee)
F&ES 838b Urban Environment and Management in Asia
F&ES 839b Development and Globalization
[F&ES 884a] Ecological Imagination and Environmental Design
F&ES 908a Global to Local Approaches for Developing Urban Ecosystem Theory, Methods, and Applications
F&ES 912b Nature, Economy, and Society 92
Course Descriptions
At F&ES, new courses are often added after this bulletin is printed.
Our Web site at http://www.yale.edu/environment/ will have an updated list, as well as a list of environmental courses available in other departments at Yale.
Ecology
Ecosystem ecology
F&ES 519b, Methods of Ecosystem Analysis. 3 credits. This course exposes students to ecosystem-level questions; demonstrates field-data collection and laboratory analyses; emphasizes data manipulation on the microcomputer; and introduces professional data presentation techniques (plotting, transparencies, slides, Web design). Some projects chosen by students have large enough data sets to test hypotheses and develop publishable conclusions. Class sessions consist of a morning lecture and afternoon in field and laboratory. See classes.yale.edu/fes519b/. Thomas G. Siccama.
F&ES 527a,b, Project in Tropical Ecology. Lisa M. Curran.
F&ES 528b, Tropical Ecosystem Dynamics and Anthropogenic Change. 3 credits. This course has four major objectives: to introduce students to the major conceptual and theoretical questions and approach in tropical terrestrial ecology; to compare and contrast tropical ecosystems for insights into the similarities and differences of specific regions; to integrate empirical studies on tropical ecosystem dynamics with management concerns; and to explore how anthropogenic change has altered tropical ecosystems. Current topics to be addressed in depth from an ecological perspective include: land use and forest fragmentation; timber harvest and plantations; hunting and non-timber product extraction; and synergistic effects of climate, land use, fire, and ecological interactions. This course links an ecological understanding of terrestrial ecosystem dynamics at multiple spatio-temporal scales with problem solving and specific applications in major tropical biomes. Primary scientific literature supplements lectures and discussion. Participants complete a review paper and policy memoranda and a final interdisciplinary grant proposal. Prerequisites: a basic course in ecology or equivalent. Three hours lecture and discussion. Lisa M. Curran.
F&ES 550a, Ecosystem Science. 3 credits. Ecosystem science provides a unique vantage point from which scientists can begin to understand complex adaptive systems. The basis of ecosystem science is to determine how patterns in biological processes emerge from interactions between organisms and the abiotic environment. This course introduces the ecosystem concept, investigates the structure and functioning of ecological systems, studies the response of systems to changing environmental conditions, and applies the resulting knowledge to preservation and management issues. Peter A. Raymond.
F&ES 553b, Natural Development: Toward Certification of New Uses of Green and Brown Fields. 3 credits; 1 credit for lecture only. Leaders in the field present information on how land can be developed following environmentally sound methods. The seminar and associated student course projects are coordinated to explore establishment of a certification process for ecologically sensitive land development and design. The new code would represent a state-of-the-art summary of existing knowledge on best practices for land development in relation to hydrology, water quality, micrometeorology, industrial ecology, energy systems, community ecology, landscape ecology, ecosystem ecology, and environmental engineering. Commercial, residential, and industrial developments are all considered. Both new developments and brownfield restorations are considered. Three hours combined lecture and seminar, term project. Gaboury Benoit, Diana Balmori, Colleen Murphy-Dunning.
F&ES 556b, Seminar in the Conservation and Development of Amazonia. 3 credits. The human enterprise is exploiting and substituting the world's tropical forests through a highly predictable process of frontier expansion and consolidation. Governance capacity and the prospect for natural resource conservation emerge only as the frontier boom economy goes "bust" and resources are largely depleted. In this seminar, we analyze the ecology, economics, and politics of Amazonia with the goal of learning to design robust, interdisciplinary approaches to the large-scale conservation of tropical forest ecosystems. We examine the biodiversity paradigm that dominates tropical conservation efforts today, the political constituencies (local, national, and international) in support of conservation and sustainable economies in Amazonia, and the emerging markets for ecological services performed by tropical forests (carbon storage, watershed function, biodiversity conservation). Finally, we review approaches to Amazon forest conservation in the context of scenarios of regional and global climate change. Daniel Nepstad, David McGrath.
F&ES 557b, Reconciling Development and Conservation on the Amazon Frontier: A Tropical Conservation Field Course. 1 credit. The human enterprise is exploiting and substituting the world's tropical forests through a highly predictable process of frontier expansion and consolidation. In the typical sequence, geopolitical and economic policies drive frontier expansion into remote forest landscapes through investments in transportation systems and other infrastructure, and through fiscal incentives, stimulating "boom" economies of resource exploitation. Governance capacity and the prospect for forest conservation generally emerge only as the boom economy goes "bust" and the forests are already reduced to fragments. In this course, we examine the competing interests of private enterprise, environmental conservation, and social movements during three three-hour lecture/discussions in New Haven. We further explore the interactions among tropical frontier actors during a thirteen-day expedition along a portion of the Cuiabá-Santarém highway in east-central Amazonia (Brazil), which is slated for paving. Each student conducts an independent research project that draws on both the theoretical and field components of the course. Enrollment limited to twelve students. Daniel Nepstad.
F&ES 574a, Tropical Forest Ecology and Management. 3 credits. The purpose of this course is to summarize ecological knowledge on tropical forest ecosystems, and to show how this scientific basis can be used for forest management, for conservation and rehabilitation, and for implementing other tree-based land utilization schemes such as plantation forestry and agroforestry. Topics to be covered include: (1) Introduction: challenges of tropical forestry in the twenty-first century; environmentally friendly forestry systems for the humid tropics. (2) Soils of the tropics: types, fertility, physical properties, and management. (3) Natural forest structure and composition. (4) The forest microenvironment: light, temperature, and water regimes. (5) High-elevation forests and savannas. (6) Tree growth and reproductive ecology; plant species diversity; plant-animal interactions. (7) Nutrient cycling. (8) Effects of disturbance; forest succession and regeneration. (9) Management and utilization of primary and secondary forests. (10) Plantation forestry: productivity and environmental services. (11) Ecological aspect of agroforestry. (12) Rehabilitation of degraded tropical forest ecosystems. Three hours lecture. Florencia Montagnini.
F&ES 575a, Patterns and Processes in Terrestrial Ecosystems. 4 credits. The objective of this course is to build a conceptual model of the terrestrial ecosystem to be used as a basis for the study of the spatial distribution of ecosystems; their development through time; and the impact of pollution, disease, and forest management practices on the health of ecosystems. A cross section of northeastern ecosystems is visited and studied. Three hours lecture and four hours laboratory. One weekend and one Saturday field trip. See https://classes.yale.edu:444/fes275a/. Thomas G. Siccama, Mark Ashton, Chad Oliver.
F&ES 577a,b, Project in Tropical Forestry. Florencia Montagnini.
F&ES 579a,b, Project in Ecology. Thomas G. Siccama.
F&ES 580a,b, Project in Ecosystem Ecology. Peter A. Raymond.
F&ES 591a,b, Project in Tropical Studies. New York Botanical Garden Faculty.
F&ES 604b, Topics in the Tropics. 1 credit. Seminar course with topics suggested by the faculty and selected by the students based on class interest. The aim is to discuss current papers, review methods, and discuss our research in progress around the selected topical focus. Students critique papers, discuss and debate methods, and offer their work in progress for group input. The course is graded credit/noncredit only. There are no written submissions or examinations. Lisa M. Curran.
F&ES 621a, Biogeography, Biodiversity, and Conservation. 3 credits. This course is designed to apply the principles of systematics to historic and ecological biogeography and in turn apply these to the conservation of biodiversity. In doing so, consideration is given to the circumscription of terrestrial biomes and speciation and extinction models. Reconstruction of past geologic and climatic events as well as the impact of human activities is related to the current distribution of the biota. The use of this information as related to CITES legislation and the development of IUCN Action Plans is explored through case studies. Dennis W. Stevenson.
F&ES 777a,b, Project in Ecosystem Ecology. Gordon T. Geballe.
F&ES 814a,b, Project in Tropical Forests. Daniel Nepstad.
Wildlife ecology and conservation biology
F&ES 509a/E&EB 370a/670a, Aquatic Ecology. 4 credits. An intensive introduction to the ecology of populations and communities in freshwater systems. The aim of this class is to learn the concepts, patterns, and organisms important in lakes and streams along with the major techniques of information collection and analysis. Weekly field trips are used to gather data that form the basis of lab exercises and research projects. The course presumes familiarity with ecological concepts and terminology. Permission of the instructor required. David K. Skelly.
F&ES 511a,b, Project in Ecology. David K. Skelly.
F&ES 520a, Species and Ecosystem Conservation: An Interdisciplinary Approach. 3 credits. The loss of global biodiversity is a major problem with profound repercussions for present and future human generations. Professional conservationists now living are the last generation that can prevent the extinction of large numbers of species and the disruption of large-scale ecosystem processes. Professionals must apply relevant conservation sciences and at the same time know explicitly about the organizational and policy settings in which they work. The course combines the problem-solving approaches of the conservation sciences with the policy sciences by surveying a range of policy and organizational contexts, theories, and techniques, using a variety of case studies. The role of the individual professional in these complex contexts is emphasized. Timothy W. Clark.
F&ES 525a,b, Project in Natural Resource Policy. Timothy W. Clark.
F&ES 526a,b, Project in Biodiversity Conservation. Timothy W. Clark.
F&ES 560b/E&EB 660b, Wildlife Conservation Ecology. 4 credits. The study of wildlife ecology from an evolutionary ecological perspective to understand the behavior and life history of animals. The course explores how behavior and life history evolve and what factors ultimately shape population demography. The course examines behavioral and evolutionary ecological theories like optimal activity budgets; optimal foraging; and habitat choice in the context of age and stage-based models of population dynamics. The course links an understanding of animal behavior and life history to solving current conservation problems related to wildlife habitat loss and population viability. Three hours lecture and one hour discussion. Oswald J. Schmitz.
F&ES 564b, Seminar in Wildlife Ecology. 3 credits. A topic of current research in animal ecology, conservation, or behavior is explored in depth by the instructor and students in a seminar format. Prerequisites: F&ES 560b or equivalent and permission of the instructor. Oswald J. Schmitz.
F&ES 565a, Human Dimensions in the Conservation of Biological Diversity.
3 creditsý An examination of socioeconomic, cultural, and political issues in the management and conservation of biological diversity. Topics include biodiversity loss, endangered species, human/wildlife conflicts, utilization, parks and protected areas, attitudes and values, and legal and organizational structures. Issues involving the conservation of biological diversity in the United States and internationally are covered. Three hours lecture. Stephen R. Kellert.
F&ES 567a,b, Project in Biodiversity Conservation. Stephen R. Kellert.
F&ES 569a,b, Project in Wildlife Ecology. Oswald J. Schmitz.
[F&ES 578a/E&EB 375a/675a, Seminar in Molecular Approaches to Systematics, Conservation Genetics, and Behavioral Ecology. 2 credits. The seminar focuses on molecular techniques that either have been commonly used in the past to address ecology/systematic related questions or have recently become available. The idea is to provide students with knowledge of all possible molecular techniques in the field, so that they can evaluate results in the literature and be able to choose the best technological tool to address a specific research question.
The seminar is organized by techniques. In each session the technical aspects of a particular molecular method are discussed in detail, evaluating: (1) different protocols, (2) their limits and merits for different types of ecological and evolutionary questions, (3) the genetic assumptions inherent in each method, (4) the analytical aspects of the interpretation of the results. The discussion includes actual case studies, which students are challenged to critically evaluate. The two final weeks are devoted to relating these molecular approaches to problems in conservation biology. Adalgisa Caccone.
F&ES 587b/E&EB 315Lb, Laboratory in Molecular Systematics. 3 credits. This course focuses on molecular techniques in evolutionary biology (DNA extraction, PCR, cloning, sequencing) and their application to field studies of natural history, population genetic structure, mating systems, paternity, and the historical analysis of lineages. The course consists of a series of lectures and independent research projects carried out by each student. Aside from the bench work, experimental design, statistical analysis of genetic data, and phylogenetic reconstruction within and among species are emphasized, illustrating how the disciplines of population biology and phylogenetic systematics increasingly overlap. The course revolves around a few class projects. Each student is supposed to carry out his/her part of these projects; data gathered by all students is then combined and analyzed together.
The primary objectives are to give students both a strong foundation in the systematics and conservation questions and issues that can be addressed with a molecular approach, and a working knowledge of the molecular tools necessary to address those issues. Both of these components are essential to the training of those individuals who will conduct research in these emerging and rapidly growing fields. Adalgisa Caccone.
F&ES 588a/E&EB 320a/620a, Seminar in Conservation Genetics. 3 credits. This seminar is intended to provide an introduction to conservation genetics for advanced undergraduate and graduate students. The goal is to provide students with an understanding of the importance of genetic diversity and the means for preserving it. Adalgisa Caccone.
F&ES 760a/E&EB 365a/665a, Landscape Ecology. 3 credits. This course is an introduction to the study of large-scale ecological patterns and processes. Landscape ecology is a relatively young, rapidly changing field. The topics covered reflect the diverse interests of landscape ecologists: species-area relationships, island biogeography, metapopulation theory, individual-based models, cellular automata, models of biodiversity, etc. The application of these concepts is addressed through consideration of species viability, ecosystem management, and the design of nature reserves. Throughout the course the emphasis is on when and how to integrate a spatial perspective into consideration of major ecological questions. Readings from the primary literature augment material covered in lectures. Students complete a project resulting in a manuscript on a landscape-related topic. David K. Skelly.
F&ES 762b, Ecology Seminar. 1 credit. The ability to read and understand the literature is a critical skill. This seminar is structured to encourage participation in discussions of papers from the ecological literature. The specific papers to be read vary from year to year; however, each year we focus on papers that have made major contributions to the conceptual foundations of ecology. Many of the papers have direct or indirect relevance to applied issues such as the conservation of species and ecosystems. Seminar responsibilities include active participation in weekly meetings and the leadership of one discussion. David K. Skelly.
F&ES 813a,b, Project in Molecular Systematics. Adalgisa Caccone.
Environmental Education and Communication
[F&ES 582b, Issues and Approaches in Environmental Education. 3 credits. This course is intended for those with a career interest in environmental education. Topics include learning theory, environmental education curricula, content issues in environmental education, informal environmental education, interpretation, outdoor and experiential education, exhibitry, and mass media. Class presentations, final examination, and term project required. Stephen R. Kellert.]
F&ES 583a, Environmental Writing. 1 credit, half term, or 3 credits, full term. Students in this course should plan to produce one full-length article, 3,000 to 4,000 words, that could appear in a wide-circulation magazine such as Audubon, Atlantic, Sierra, or Smithsonian. One-credit students begin a potentially publishable article; three-credit students complete a publishable article. Admission is by application, which must include a proposed writing topic, at the beginning of the term. For information on applying, please see classes.yale.edu/fes583a/. Three-hour seminar and writing workshops. Fred Strebeigh.
F&ES 584a,b, Project in Environmental Writing. 3 credits. Prerequisite: F&ES 583a or comparable experience and a strong article proposal. Fred Strebeigh.
F&ES 589a,b, Project in Environmental Education. Stephen R. Kellert.
F&ES 723a,b, Project in Information Management. Paul A. Draghi.
[F&ES 724a, Information Management for Environmental Professionals. 3 credits. This course has four major objectives. First, it seeks to acquaint students with the principal resources at Yale in print-based, electronic, and visual media that are useful for research in all aspects of environmental studies, and to provide skills in using any necessary databases, indexes, catalogues, and finding aids that give access to these sources. Second, it presents an overview of important information resources on environmental topics that are available worldwide. Third, the course outlines the basics of effective writing and correct documentation of sources and demonstrates the use of bibliographic software packages (i.e., Endnote). Finally, the class provides the opportunity to explore the impact of critical thinking and information design on each student's research and writing interests. The course includes several visits to libraries and museums at Yale. Several classes include panel discussions involving visitors from the F&ES faculty, the Yale library system, and other Yale departments. Three hours lecture/discussion/computer lab. Taught alternate years. Next offered fall 2003. Paul A. Draghi.]
[F&ES 745b, Archetypes and the Environment. 3 credits. This course explores the mythologies, literatures, arts, and folklore of a variety of cultures in search of archetypal characters whose role is to mediate between nature and society. Beginning with sources as early as The Epic of Gilgamesh and ending with contemporary film and media, the course seeks to examine and understand the ways in which diverse peoples integrate an awareness of their traditional and popular arts and cultures. The course makes use of works from a variety of languages, including Akkadian, Greek, Tibetan, Bhutanese, Chinese, German, French, and Italian, but all readings are available in English; students with reading abilities in foreign languages will be encouraged to examine primary sources wherever possible. The course includes visits to the Yale Center for British Art and the Yale Art Gallery. Three hours lecture/discussion. Paul A. Draghi.]
F&ES 824a, Doctoral Student Seminar. 3 credits. This course is required for all doctoral students during their first two terms; the course is open to all doctoral students at later stages in their programs. The seminar brings together researchers from the natural and social sciences to enhance students' abilities to develop effective research proposals, to examine critically the positive and negative aspects of seminars and publications, and to present proposals and research results effectively. Oswald J. Schmitz.
Forestry
Forest biology
F&ES 505b, Local Flora. 3 credits. A field course which studies the flora of the Northeast at various local ecosystems one afternoon each week. Students are required to make a labeled collection of woody plants, prepare brief written site descriptions of each ecosystem visited, and carry out a small project and write a paper related to the local flora. Four-hour field trip weekly. See https://classes.yale.edu:444/fes220b/. Thomas G. Siccama.
F&ES 524b, Fire: Science and Policy. 3 credits. This course examines the ecological, social, and policy implications of forest and grassland fire. Topics include the historical and cultural role of fire, fire behavior, fire regimes, fire ecology, the use of fire in ecosystem restoration, fire policy in the United States and elsewhere, and controversies around suppressing fires and post-fire rehabilitation practices. Conditions permitting, the course also involves implementing a prescribed fire to achieve management goals in restoring meadow and oak savanna at Yale Myers forest. Ann E. Camp.
F&ES 551b, Forest Health. 3 credits. This course is an introduction to the biotic and abiotic agents affecting the health of forest ecosystems, including insects, pathogens, parasites, exotic invasive species, climate change, and acid deposition. The course emphasizes the ecological roles played by these agents, discusses how they affect the sustainability of forest ecosystems, and identifies when and how management can be used to return forests to healthier conditions. The course provides students with the necessary background to determine if stressors are negatively impacting management objectives, identifies the probable stress agents, and decides what, if any, actions should be initiated to protect forests from further damage. The course includes several field trips to provide students with practice in identifying stress agents and their impacts. Ann E. Camp.
F&ES 592b, Agroforestry in the Tropics: Sustainability and Services. 3 credits. Focus on factors influencing sustainability of agroforestry systems in tropical regions of developing countries and on the environmental services that agroforestry can provide, such as biodiversity conservation, carbon sequestration, and restoration of degraded ecosystems. Topics include: Soil productiviy and sustainability in agroforestry. Nutrient cycling and nutrient use efficiency in agroforestry systems. Agroforestry components: multiple-purpose trees, nitrogen-fixing trees, economic aspects. Examples of susbsistence-oriented and commercial agroforestry: agrosilvopastoral systems and alley-cropping. Environmental services of agroforestry: biodiversity conservation and carbon storage. Agroforestry alternatives for restoration of degraded ecosystems. Agroforestry as a tool for development. Examples from the humid and from the semi-arid tropics. Current trends in agroforestry research. In addition, open discussions deal with particular aspects of agroforestry of interest to students. Florencia Montagnini.
F&ES 600a/MCDB 660a, Structure, Function, and Development of Higher Plants: From Seed to Towering Tree. 3 credits. This first course focuses on two aspects of plant life: (1) basic processes that drive plant systems such as fertilization, embryogeny, seed development, germination, seedling establishment, maturation, and senescence; and (2) basic structure and function of plants such as root systems, leaf formation and development, height, and diameter growth. Differences between different groups of seed plants are analyzed from structural, functional, ecological, and evolutionary standpoints. Special attention is given to woody plants because they have both primary and secondary plant bodies and because of their importance in the biosphere and human life. Wood and bark structure and formation in tropical and temperate trees are discussed from the standpoints of evolution and ecophysiology. Plant cell types are discussed in the context of how they evolved and their molecular and structural adaptations in terms of strength, storage, and water and solute transport. Prerequisites: general biology or botany or the equivalent. Graeme P. Berlyn.
F&ES 601b, Research Methods in Anatomy and Physiology of Trees. 4 credits. Advanced investigative techniques with emphasis on instrumentation, experimental design, execution, and analysis. After a series of class exercises are completed, each student selects a personal project under the direction of the instructor and prepares a minidissertation complete with literature review, materials and methods, results, and discussion. Weekly seminars and progress reports on the projects are required. Prerequisites: F&ES 600a and 610b. Permission of the instructor required. Four hours lecture/laboratory. Offered on demand. Graeme P. Berlyn.
F&ES 608a,b, Project in Structure and Development of Trees. Graeme P. Berlyn.
F&ES 609a,b, Project in Identification and Comparative Anatomy of Woods. Prerequisite: F&ES 600a or equivalent. Graeme P. Berlyn.
F&ES 610b, Physiology of Trees and Forests: The Pathway to Understanding the World's Forests. 3 credits. Topics in the physiology of trees and forests, primarily at the individual tree level with extensions downward to the cellular and biochemical level and upward to the stand and ecosystem level. Topics covered include the ecology and adaptation of species, mineral nutrition, root structure and function, symbioses, nitrogen fixation, photosynthesis, water relations, respiration, bioenergetics, growth analysis, and environmental physiology and adaptation of forests, both temperate and tropical. Two one-and-one-half-hour lectures per week. Graeme P. Berlyn.
F&ES 619a,b, Project in Tree Physiology. Graeme P. Berlyn.
F&ES 709a,b, Project in Plant Community Ecology. Mark S. Ashton.
Forest management
F&ES 576b, Botanical Resources of the Tropics. 3 credits. This course addresses the botany, utilization, and economics of tropical plants used by people in the past and at present. The lecture and laboratory sessions provide an opportunity to learn about plants employed for food, fuel, construction materials, spices, perfumes, stimulants, narcotics, medicines, poisons, fatty oils and waxes, gums and resins, and rubber and other latexes. The ecological impacts of exploiting these resources are also considered, and different ways to enhance the sustainability of tropic forest exploitation are examined. Three hours combined lecture and laboratory. NYBG Faculty.
F&ES 597a,b, Project in Agroforestry. Florencia Montagnini.
F&ES 602b, Forest Landscape Management. 3 credits. Providing the many values people are demanding of forests requires appropriate management. This management can be cost-effective and applicable to many places with the proper integration of management and social scientific knowledge. Students master the scientific basis, methods (and reasons for the methods), and technical tools for landscape management. The course briefly covers systems concepts, decision analysis, the dynamic nature of forests, silvicultural pathways, portfolio management, monitoring, and adaptive management. Students use the Landscape Management System (LMS) and companion technical tools to integrate these subjects by developing (and simulating implementation of) a management plan on actual forest landscapes. Chadwick D. Oliver.
F&ES 605a, Sustainable Forestry: Biology and Management. 3 credits. Examination of the biological, socioeconomic, and management conditions of the world's forests relative to the many values people want from the forest. Each of the seven Montreal Process "criteria of sustainable forestry" is examined from the natural and social science perspectives; these criteria include biodiversity, commodities, forest health, soil and water conservation, carbon sequestration, socioeconomic conditions, and the infrastructure to provide these. Course includes a series of lectures, seminars, and projects. Chadwick D. Oliver.
F&ES 700b, Principles in Applied Ecology: The Practice of Silviculture. 4 credits. The scientific principles and techniques of controlling, protecting, and restoring the regeneration, composition, and growth of natural forest vegetation and its plantation analogs. Analysis of biological and socioeconomic problems affecting specific forest stands and design of silvicultural systems to solve these problems. Applications are discussed for management of wildlife habitat, water resources, timber and nontimber products, and landscape design. Recommended: some knowledge of soils, ecology, plant physiology, and socioeconomics. Four hours lecture. One hour tutorial. Seven days fieldwork. Mark S. Ashton.
F&ES 701a, Management Plans for Protected Areas. 6 credits. A seminar that comprises the documentation of land-use history and zoning, mapping and interpretation, and the collection and analysis of biological and physical information for the construction of management plans. Plans are constructed for lands managed by the Nature Conservancy, Massachusetts Trustees of Reservations, private industrial and nonindustrial landowners, city parks and woodlands of New Haven, New York, and Boston, and the Appalachian Mountain Club. Prerequisites: F&ES 700b or 703a; F&ES 560b; F&ES _34a or permission of the instructor. Eight days fieldwork. Mark S. Ashton, Thomas G. Siccama.
F&ES 702b, Rapid Assessments in Forest Conservation for Diversity and Productivity. 3 credits. An advanced interdisciplinary course concerned with protecting and maintaining the biological diversity of complex forested ecosystems while producing various goods and services. Examples of independent case analyses concern landscape management of biogeographic regions in the Pacific Northwest, Venezuela, Belize, central and southern Mexico, and the Panama Canal Watersheds. Students are encouraged to travel on extended class field trips to these regions. Prerequisites: F&ES 700b or 703a; F&ES 560b; F&ES 734a or permission of the instructor. Three hours lecture. Eight days fieldwork. Mark S. Ashton, Timothy W. Clark.
F&ES 703a, Growth and Development of Forest Stands. 3 credits. This course introduces the study of forest stand dynamics—how the structure of different forest types changes over time. Understanding the dynamic nature of forest stands is important for creating and maintaining a variety of critical wildlife habitats on the landscape, managing for sustainable supplies of wood products and other forest values, or predicting the risks and managing the effects of natural and anthropogenic disturbances. Through lectures and laboratory projects we explore forest development processes and pathways, concentrating on some key biological mechanisms driving forest structural change and the roles of natural and human disturbances in initiating and altering stand development trajectories. We make use of New England forests as living laboratories, while discussing how similar patterns and processes of forest development are played out in western North America and elsewhere. The course also introduces growth and yield models that result from stand dynamics research and/or aid in predicting future stand development patterns. Ann E. Camp.
F&ES 704a, Analysis of Silvicultural Problems. 3 credits. An advanced course exploring the silvicultural options for problem stands. Problems can be both biological (fire, pathogens) and social (multiple value conflicts, property rights). Solutions are sought through synthesis and analysis of relevant literature for case studies. Quantitative silvicultural and economic techniques are used for comparative evaluation of solutions. Prerequisites: F&ES 700b or 703a, F&ES 733b or 734a; or permission of instructors. Mark S. Ashton, Ann E. Camp.
[F&ES 705a, Seminar in Advanced Silviculture. 2 credits. This course considers selected topics in silviculture for students with previous instruction in silviculture. The fieldwork of F&ES 700b may be taken in the spring term for one extra credit. Three hours lecture. Next offered fall 2003. Ann E. Camp, Florencia Montagnini, Mark S. Ashton.]
F&ES 706a,b, Project in Silviculture. Mark S. Ashton.
F&ES 707a,b, Project in Silviculture. Ann E. Camp.
F&ES 708a,b, Field Trips in Forest Resource Management and Silviculture.
1 credit. Seven- to nine-day field trips to study the silviculture and forest management of particular forest regions. In previous years, classes have visited Germany, the United Kingdom, British Columbia, and, in the United States, the southern Coastal Plain and Piedmont, and the Allegheny, Appalachian, Adirondack, and Green mountains. Mark S. Ashton, Ann E. Camp.
F&ES 727a, Forest Financial Analysis. 3 credits. This course provides a framework and techniques to address financial decisions in forest management. Major topics include: timber markets, forest capital analysis and budgeting, risk and selection of interest rates, inflation, taxation, analysis of tradeoffs between timber and nonmarket resources, forest finance, and forest valuation and appraisal. Prerequisites/corequisites: F&ES 734a and F&ES 700b or permission of instructor. (F&ES 602b helpful.) Three hours lecture. Weekly problem sets. Michael Ferrucci, David Meyers.
F&ES 803a, Forestry Operations for Resource Professionals. 3 credits. This course covers the operational aspects of managing private forestland, including a range of topics essential to the professional practice of forest management. The course focuses on operational aspects of regeneration, intermediate tending, and harvesting (planning, layout, implementation, and post-operation evaluation), Best Management Practices, regulatory and wetlands considerations, and socioeconomic dimensions of field operations. Included is a workshop on ethical and professional responsibilities of forest managers. Classes feature field trips to view forestry operations throughout New England, including a five-day trip to Maine in mid-September. The course is open to second-year students only. Students taking this course are given priority for enrollment in the weeklong southern field trip that provides an in-depth review of the management of forestlands in the south (which can be taken in the spring for 1 additional credit). Chadwick D. Oliver, Michael Ferrucci.
F&ES 910b, The Evolution of Forest Policies in North America: U.S. and Canadian Perspectives on the Past, Present, and Future of Our Forests. 3 credits. For description, see under Environmental Policy.
Physical Sciences
Atmospheric sciences
F&ES 603a/GEOL 657a, Marine and Surficial Geochemistry. 3 credits. Geochemical processes at the Earth's surface, including the atmosphere, oceans, ice caps, and the upper layers of the crust, are investigated using radioactive, radiogenic, and light stable isotopes. Karl Turekian.
F&ES 612b, Seminar in Alpine, Arctic, and Boreal Ecosystems. 3 credits. Biogeoclimatic analysis of these systems worldwide with special attention to biogeography, biometeorology, physiology, histology, morphology, autecology, and silviculture of high-elevation and high-latitude forests are studied through lectures, guest lectures and discussions, student seminars, and field experience. One and one-half hours lecture weekly plus field trip. Student contributions are one or more seminars and a term paper. Prerequisites: F&ES 610b, 869a, 700b or the equivalent, or permission of the instructors. Graeme P. Berlyn, Xuhui Lee, Mark S. Ashton.
F&ES 834b, Seminar on Climate Change Science and Policy. 2–3 credits. An advanced seminar that explores current topics in global climate change, including scientific evidence for global warming, climate change impacts on natural ecosystems and the human society, and policy and management options for mitigating climate change. Meetings are divided between student presentation, invited lecture, and panel debate on selected hot issues. Preference is given to second-year students, but first-year students with background and interest in the subject area are also encouraged to participate. Presentation/literature critique/term paper. Xuhui Lee.
F&ES 867a,b, Project in Biometeorology. Xuhui Lee.
F&ES 868b, Climate and Life. 3 credits. A descriptive overview of the earth's atmospheric environment. The basic principles of climatology and meteorology and their application to the environment are discussed. Topics include climate elements, energy flow in the atmosphere, atmospheric motions, effect on agricultural systems, climatological impact on forest resources and animal habitats, urban climate and human bioclimatology, air quality, air resources (wind and solar energy), and climate change. Three hours lecture. Problem sets. Xuhui Lee.
[F&ES 869a, A Biological Perspective of Global Change. 3 credits. The course aims to promote understanding of the interface between major aspects of global change and the biospheric systems, with special attention to the role of the terrestrial biosphere in pollution deposition, photochemical smog, UVB radiation, greenhouse gas sources/sinks, and global warming. Students also establish familiarity with quantitative tools for analysis of global change impacts on the terrestrial ecosystems. Three hours lecture. Lab sessions/reports, term paper/presentation, and field trips. Xuhui Lee.]
Environmental chemistry
F&ES 502a,b, Critical Analysis of Scientific Literature: Applied Environmental Chemistry. 2 credits. An advanced seminar exploring the chemical principles underlying the behavior of natural and anthropogenic materials in the environment. The object of the course is to sharpen students' understanding of environmental chemistry, but especially to enhance their ability to critically analyze technical literature, which can be useful in any field. All media are considered, but aquatic systems are emphasized. Both pristine and polluted environments are examined. Prerequisite: F&ES 545a, which may be taken concurrently, or equivalent. Interested students must attend the first class meeting. Two-hour participatory discussion, class presentation, dinners. Students may take this course more than once, space permitting. Gaboury Benoit.
F&ES 507b, Organic Pollutants in the Environment. 3 credits. An overview of the pollution problems posed by synthetic organic chemicals (e.g., pesticides, PCBs, PAHs) and petroleum products. The course is appropriate both for students with no background in organic chemistry and for those who do have some background; more than 3/4 of the material presented is not covered in undergraduate organic chemistry classes. The first two weeks are spent in a quick introduction to the language of organic chemistry, which provides those who have little chemistry background with the basic tools needed to "decode" organic structures. The course aims to give students an understanding of the processes governing the environmental fate of organic pollutants (e.g., evaporation, bioconcentration, biodegradation), and of how those processes apply to the pollution problems posed by specific groups of chemicals. We also discuss technologies for prevention and cleanup of organic pollution, as well as issues related to specific classes of chemicals (e.g., oil spill response, pesticide choices). Several case studies are examined. Media covered include both surface and groundwater. Three hours lecture, five problem sets, optional field trip. Shimon C. Anisfeld.
F&ES 544b, Aquatic Chemistry. 4 credits. A detailed examination of the principles governing chemical reactions in water. Emphasis is on developing the ability to predict the aqueous chemistry of natural and perturbed systems based on a knowledge of their biogeochemical setting. Calculation of quantitative solutions to chemical equilibria. Focus is on inorganic chemistry, and topics include elementary thermodynamics, acid-base equilibria, alkalinity, speciation, solubility, mineral stability, redox chemistry, and surface complexation reactions. Illustrative examples are taken from the aquatic chemistry of estuaries, lakes, rivers, wetlands, soils, aquifers, and the atmosphere. A standard software package used to predict chemical equilibria may also be presented. Prerequisites: general chemistry, algebra, and F&ES 545a or equivalent. Three hours lecture, frequent problem sets. Gaboury Benoit.
F&ES 545a, Biogeochemistry and Pollution. 3 credits. A descriptive overview of baseline biogeochemistry and the nature and behavior of pollutants in the environment. The course is designed to aid future environmental professionals who may find it necessary to make decisions based on chemical data. It is geared to the nonspecialist who needs to establish familiarity with various classes of pollutants and the chemical, biological, and physical processes that control their transport and fate. Topics include the periodic characteristics of the elements, fundamental classes of chemical reactions in the environment, critical analysis of chemical data, sampling techniques, analytical methods, natural biogeochemical controls on environmental chemistry, as well as detailed examination of contaminants of special interest like acid precipitation, nutrients, and sewage. Recommended: college-level general chemistry. Three hours lecture. One class project, problem sets, midterm, final exam. Optional field trips. Gaboury Benoit.
F&ES 546a,b, Project in Environmental Chemistry. Gaboury Benoit.
F&ES 596a/CENG 373a/ENVE 373a, Air Pollution. 3 credits. Kinetics, thermodynamics, and transport of chemical reactions of common air pollutants including suspended particulate matter. The role of surface chemistry and transport phenomena in air pollution. Pollutant dispersion modeling. Technology available to prevent or control air pollutants is discussed in conjunction with their physics, chemistry, and design and performance characteristics. Prerequisite: CENG 210a or permission of the instructor. Faculty.
F&ES 598b/CENG 377b/ENVE 377b, Water Quality Control. 3 credits. Study of the preparation of water for domestic and other uses and treatment of waste water for recycling or discharge to the environment. Topics include processes for removal of organics and inorganics, regulation of dissolved oxygen, and techniques such as ion exchange, electrodialysis, reverse osmosis, activated carbon adsorption, and biological methods. Prerequisite: CENG 210a or permission of the instructor. Sheryl Stuart.
F&ES 873a, Environmental Behavior of Organic Chemicals. 3 credits. An advanced course in the environmental fate of toxic organic pollutants. The first part of the course is concerned with the various processes controlling environmental behavior: both transfer processes (evaporation, volatilization, dissolution, sorption, bioconcentration) and transformation processes (chemical, photochemical, and biochemical degradation). For each process, we start with the level of understanding reached in F&ES 507b and proceed to a deeper description of the process and its controlling factors, including estimation methods based on chemical structure. The second part of the course deals with such additional topics as multimedia models of environmental fate; emerging technologies for groundwater remediation; analysis of organics; the nature of chemical releases into the environment; and several case studies. Prerequisite: F&ES 507b; or college organic chemistry and instructor's permission. Shimon C. Anisfeld.
F&ES 967a,b, Project in Environmental Chemistry. Shimon C. Anisfeld.
Soil science
F&ES 530a, Introduction to Soil Science. 3 credits. An introduction to the fundamental concepts of soil science. Soil topics are presented in relation to natural and managed ecosystems with emphasis on soil processes and their relationship to plant productivity. Two lectures a week. Four all-day Saturday field trips. See https://classes.yale.edu:444/fes530a/. Thomas G. Siccama, Florencia Montagnini.
F&ES 539a,b, Project in Soil Ecology. Thomas G. Siccama.
Water resources
F&ES 515b, Coastal Ecosystem Governance. 3 credits. This introduction to coastal management links human impacts on the environment with existing or proposed governance solutions for protection or restoration. Examples of single sector initiatives include sewerage, fisheries, electric power generation, and dredging. For each topic the natural science underlying the issue is introduced and the responding governance system is evaluated. Ecosystem management, a new approach and practice, informs pending issues such as nonpoint source control and requires a much broader scientific and social diagnosis to develop effective solutions. The course concludes with a discussion of the promises and challenges for ecosystem management of coastal environments. Prerequisite: F&ES 536a or equivalent. Richard Burroughs.
F&ES 516a,b, Project in Watershed Management. Richard Burroughs.
F&ES 533b, Water Resource Management. 3 credits. An examination of water resource issues at scales ranging from global to local. The course looks at multiple dimensions of the water problem, including both human and ecosystem impacts; both water quantity and water quality issues; and both the scientific understanding of problems and the management tools available for moving toward solutions. Topics include: water scarcity, water use projections, human impacts on aquatic ecosystems, water quality control, water law, the watershed framework, and restoration. Three hours lecture, one term project, two field trips. Prerequisites: F&ES 540a and F&ES 545a, or instructor's permission. Shimon C. Anisfeld.
F&ES 536a, Estuaries and Coastal Wetlands: Processes and Perturbations. 3 credits. An examination of the natural processes controlling coastal ecosystems and the anthropogenic perturbations to these processes. The focus of the course is primarily on hydrologic and biogeochemical processes, but an integrated approach is taken whenever
possible. Ecosystems examined include: estuaries; salt marshes; tidal freshwater marshes; mangrove wetlands; and coral reefs. Perturbations covered range from local to global, and include nutrient enrichment, sea level rise, invasive species, and wetland filling. Detailed examination of local case studies supplements the general coverage. Three hours lecture, two field trips. Prerequisites (may be taken concurrently): F&ES 540a and F&ES 545a; or permission of the instructor. Shimon C. Anisfeld.
F&ES 540a, Environmental Hydrology. 3 credits. An introduction to the processes that govern the earth's hydrologic cycle. Topics include land-atmosphere interactions, movement of water in subsurface environments, contaminant transport in groundwater systems, streamflow generation, and surface-water flow dynamics in wetlands. Computer software packages are used to reinforce concepts presented in class. Three hours lecture, problem sets. Faculty.
[F&ES 541b, Hydrologic Modeling. 3 credits. Application of computer models to solve problems related to water movement and chemical migration in subsurface environments. Unsaturated and saturated flow phenomena are considered, and the role of geochemical and microbiological processes in chemical fate and transport is examined. Three hours lecture. Term project and presentation. Prerequisites: F&ES 540a or equivalent. James E. Saiers.]
F&ES 542b, Hydrology Seminar. 2 credits. A seminar exploring current research topics in hydrology. An integrative analysis of hydrological, geochemical, and biological processes is emphasized. A theme for the seminar is chosen by consensus of the students during the first class meeting. Students may take this course more than once. James E. Saiers.
F&ES 543a,b, Project in Hydrology. James E. Saiers.
F&ES 554a, Climate and the Oceans: Marine Conservation in a Global Society. The Munson Marine Conservation Distinguished Lecture Series. 1 credit (3 credits with faculty approval). Lecture series addressing critical biological, ecological, social, and economic issues surrounding climate change and the oceans. Students gain an introduction to current approaches, both theoretical and applied, and to theory, design, policy and, management. There are twelve lectures, each given by a distinguished expert in the science and policy of climate change and the oceans. May not be offered in the future. Gaboury Benoit, Mary Beth Decker, Richard Burroughs, Stephen R. Kellert.
F&ES 558b, Applied Hydrology. 3 credits. An intermediate-level treatment of surface and subsurface hydrology, with an emphasis on the application of computer models to address issues related to water quality, water supply, and restoration. The relationships between hydrologic variables and the movement of water and waterborne constituents in fluvial, wetland, and groundwater systems are explored. Three hours lecture, problem sets, field labs, and a team project. Prerequisite: F&ES 540a or equivalent. James E. Saiers, James G. MacBroom.
F&ES 829a, River Processes and Restoration. 3 credits. This course studies the geophysical processes of natural rivers with emphasis on qualitative and quantitative aspects of fluid morphology; the course addresses channel dynamics, urban rivers, human impacts on rivers and climate change. It also addresses restoration of degraded rivers, including dechannelization, dam removal, sediment transport, aquatic habitat improvements, and naturalistic design. Students learn to inspect, classify, identify, and measure river features. Quantitative analyses of river hydraulics and morphology are performed to predict river reactions to human activities and watershed change. The class includes class lectures, readings, problem sets, field labs, and a team project. A previous course in hydrology (F&ES 540a or equivalent) is recommended; beginning in 2003 it will be required. James G. MacBroom, assisted by Laura Wildman.
[F&ES 866b, Caribbean Coastal Watershed Development: Science and Policy.
3 credits. Investigation of the environmental impacts of development in coastal watersheds of a typical Caribbean island. Emphasis on coral reefs and other near-shore ecosystems. The course is co-taught by Benoit and a visiting lecturer, so emphasis changes from year to year. In general, links are made between policies and social forces promoting growth, their influence on the landscape, consequent accelerated erosion, and final effects on downstream ecosystems. Opportunities for GIS and remote sensing activities. One-week field trip to Roatan, Honduras. Weekly lecture, readings, group or individual project. Taught only in alternate years. Gaboury Benoit and a visiting lecturer.]
F&ES 888a,b, Project in River Processes. James G. MacBroom.
Quantitative and Research Methods
F&ES 506b/G&G 562b, Observing the Earth from Space. 3 credits. Course topics include the spectrum of electromagnetic radiation, satellite-borne radiometers, data transmission and storage, computer image analysis, and merging satellite imagery with GIS in their applications to weather and climate, oceanography, surficial geology, ecology and epidemiology, forestry, agriculture, and watershed management. Preference to students in F&ES, Geology and Geophysics, Archaeology, Anthropology, and Studies in the Environment. Prerequisites: college-level physics or chemistry, two courses in geology and natural science of the environment or equivalents, and computer literacy. Ronald B. Smith, Xuhui Lee, Mark S. Ashton.
F&ES 510a, Research Methods. 3 credits. Elementary principles of the philosophy and methods of science; research planning, including problem analysis and project planning; preparation, criticism, and oral presentation of study plans; communication of research findings; limitations of research techniques; and structure of research organizations. Three hours lecture and student reports. Xuhui Lee.
F&ES 513b, Social Science Research Methods. 3 credits. The class surveys the array of theoretical and epistemological approaches used in social science research. Emphasis is placed on understanding how choices over methodology shape data collection and results, and the various qualitative and quantitative efforts currently being employed to address complex social phenomena. Doctoral students and master's students doing research projects can use this course to develop their research project proposals. Benjamin Cashore.
F&ES 529a,b, Preparation for Research. Preparation of dissertation prospectus and research plan for Ph.D. and D.F.E.S. candidates. Should be taken during the first year of doctoral studies. Faculty.
F&ES 622a, Seminar in Forest Inventory. 2 credits. An advanced seminar that explores the design and implementation of forest inventory. Topics are varied to meet the interest of the class, but generally include the evolution and current status of broad regional and national inventories in the United States and abroad; the use of remote sensing data and GIS in forest inventory planning; forest inventory and consulting; the generation of forest inventory estimates at various scales of concern; acquisition of forest inventory data from Internet databases. Readings are assigned on a weekly basis and discussed during the seminar. A familiarity with the precepts and vernacular of probability sampling or statistics is presumed. Prerequisite: F&ES 711a or permission of the instructor. Limited enrollment. Timothy G. Gregoire.
F&ES 710a,b, Project in Statistics. Timothy G. Gregoire.
F&ES 711a, Sampling Methodology and Practice. 3 credits. This course is intended to provide a fundamental understanding of the principles of statistical sampling, alternative estimators of population parameters, and the basis for inference in survey sampling. Natural resource applications of sampling are emphaýized, with particular focus upon the sampling of forest-related resources. Sample designs to be studied include simple random; systematic; unequal probability; fixed- and variable-radius plot; and 3P/Poisson. Line-intersect and importance-sampling variants of probability proportional to size designs are also covered. Weekly problem sets requiring the use of a computer spreadsheet. Timothy G. Gregoire.
F&ES 713b, Statistics for Environmental Sciences. 3 credits. This course in applied statistics assists scientific researchers in the analysis and interpretation of both experimental and observational data. After considering statistical and graphical summaries of data, the notion of a random variable, distributional properties, parameter estimation, and testing are reviewed. Frequently encountered discrete and continuous distributions are examined in greater detail, with specific emphasis on the Gaussian distribution and the role of the central limit theorem. The major topics of the course are estimation and inference with linear and nonlinear regression models. Prerequisite: introductory statistics. Three hours lecture. Statistical computing, weekly problem exercises. Timothy G. Gregoire.
F&ES 714a, Introduction to Statistics in the Environmental Sciences. 3 credits. An introduction to probability and statistics with emphasis on applications in forestry and environmental sciences. Includes methods of graphical analysis, introduction of common probability distributions, and hypothesis testing. The final third of the course introduces the topics of regression and analysis of variance that are covered more thoroughly in F&ES 713b. There are weekly problem sets using MINITAB software, as well as a final project. This course assumes no prior knowledge of statistics; this course (or equivalent) is a prerequisite for more advanced F&ES statistics courses. Three hours lecture. Jonathan D. Reuning-Scherer.
F&ES 715a, Modeling Geographic Space. 3 credits. An introduction to the conventions and capabilities of image-based geographic information systems (GIS) for the analysis and synthesis of spatial patterns and processes. In contrast to F&ES 716b, the course is oriented more toward the qualities of geographic space itself (e.g., proximity, density, or interspersion) than the discrete objects that may occupy such space (e.g., water bodies, land parcels, or structures). Three hours lecture, problem sets, one class project. No previous experience is required. Faculty.
F&ES 716b, Modeling Geographic Objects. 3 credits. This course offers a broad and practical introduction to the nature and use of drawing-based geographic information systems (GIS) for the preparation, interpretation, and presentation of digital cartographic data. In contrast to F&ES 715a, the course is oriented more toward discrete objects in geographical space (e.g., water bodies, land parcels, or structures) than the qualities of that space itself (e.g., proximity, density, or interspersion). Three hours lecture, problem sets, one class project. No previous experience is required. Faculty.
F&ES 717a,b, Project in Geographic Information Systems. Faculty.
F&ES 719b, Statistical Design of Experiments. 3 credits. Principles of design for planned experiments, coupled with method of analysis of experimental data. The course is applications oriented using the results of established theory. The nuances, strengths, and weaknesses of a number of classical designs are discussed. The latter half of the course focuses more on environmental and ecological field experiments and the challenges to statistical design that they pose. Prerequisite: a prior course in introductory statistics. Timothy G. Gregoire.
F&ES 809a,b, Project in Statistics. Jonathan D. Reuning-Scherer.
F&ES 844b, Multivariate Statistical Analysis in the Environmental Sciences. 3 credits. An introduction to the analysis of multivariate data. Topics include multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), principle components analysis, cluster analysis (hierarchical clustering, k-means), canonical correlation, multidimensional scaling, and factor analysis. Some analysis of multivariate spatial data may be included. Emphasis is placed on practical application of multivariate techniques to a variety of natural and social examples in the environmental sciences. Students are required to select a dataset early in the term for use throughout the term. There are regular assignments and a final project. Three hours lecture/discussion. Jonathan D. Reuning-Scherer.
Social Sciences
Economics
F&ES 733b, Economics of Pollution. 3 credits. This course is designed to teach students how to think about managing pollution. It explains why market economies produce pollution and why regulations are needed. Social solutions to the problem are explored, and students learn how to analyze the effectiveness of control alternatives and policies. Specific examples are discussed, including air and water pollution, acid rain, global warming, hazardous waste, and human waste. Three hours lecture. Robert Mendelsohn.
F&ES 734a, Economics of Natural Resource Management. 3 credits. This course provides a survey, from the perspective of economics, of issues regarding the use and management of natural resources. The course covers both conceptual and methodological topics and recent and current applications. The first part of the course is an introduction to the principles of natural resource economics. We develop the basic theory and methods required to understand the economic concepts of efficiency and cost-effectiveness. We then apply these concepts to questions of managing nonrenewable resources (minerals and energy) and renewable resources (water, forests, land, fisheries, and wildlife). Important themes in the course include uses and limits of conventional economic analysis for environmental policymaking; measurement of the benefits of environmental amenities like clean air, clean water, and recreational public lands; and the economic and environmental implications of open access to resources like fisheries and groundwater. Sheila Cavanagh.
F&ES 735a,b, Project in Resource Economics. Robert Mendelsohn.
[F&ES 737b, Valuing the Environment. 3 credits. This quantitative course demonstrates alternative methods used to value environmental services. The course covers valuing pollution, ecosystems, and other natural resources. The focus of the course is on determining the "shadow price" of nonmarket resources that have no prices but yet are considered valuable by society. Taught every other year. Three hours lecture. Robert Mendelsohn.]
F&ES 738a,b, Project in Resource Economics. Sheila Cavanagh.
F&ES 852b, Energy Market Policies and Environmental Protection. 3 credits. Energy markets throughout the world are in the process of relaxing economic regulations. Furthermore, environmental regulators of energy markets are drawing on economic principles more often by using incentive-based environmental regulation. This course considers the economics and environmental impacts of energy markets for oil, natural gas, gasoline, and electricity. In the context of these markets, we discuss the rationale for and effects of economic and environmental policies. Topics include promoting effective competition, methods of environmental protection, patterns of energy use, energy conservation issues, the role and implementation of renewable resources, and expected future energy supplies. Suggested prerequisite: introductory economics. Erin T. Mansur.
F&ES 863b, Economics of Water Quality and Water Scarcity. 3 credits. This seminar provides a survey of the economics of water management. In the first part of the course we discuss the reasons for the relative scarcity of markets for water and the rationale for public intervention in water management. We also briefly review the economic principles used to assess water management scenarios: efficiency, cost-effectiveness, public goods, externalities, and common property. Topics in the second part of the course include water pricing and the efficient allocation of water among competing uses, like irrigation and municipal use; water marketing and water quality trading; and the economic costs and benefits of water quality improvements. The course concludes with policy applications of the economic concepts covered in the beginning. Possible applications include federal drinking water standards (for substances like arsenic and radon); impacts of federal water projects and "mitigation banking" on wetlands; water pricing in California during the 1990s drought; and groundwater "mining" in the U.S. Great Plains. Prerequisite: F&ES 733b, F&ES 734a, or an equivalent microeconomics course. Sheila Cavanagh.
Environmental policy
F&ES 503a, Seminar in Environmental and Natural Resource Leadership. 3 credits. This seminar explores the qualities, characteristics, and behaviors of leaders in the fields of natural resources and environmental science and management. Through lectures, guest speakers, and individual and team projects, students analyze pathways to leadership, leadership skills, the role of scientists in leadership and management decision making, and the attributes of leadership in individuals and organizations. Each week an environmental leader makes a presentation to the class describing his or her experiences as a leader in the field, reflecting on the qualities and characteristics that each associates with environmental leadership, and assessing the challenges facing the next generation of environmental and natural resource leaders. Guest speakers come from various sectors of the environmental and natural resources community including representatives from government, business, private nonprofit organizations, philanthropy, academia, and the U.S. Congress. Through this experience, students have the opportunity to assess their own leadership capabilities and identify means to address deficiencies. James R. Lyons.
[F&ES 594a, Environmental Governance: Dynamics of Policy Change. 3 credits. This course explores theories of domestic and international environmental policymaking in order to understand better the processes through which policy change (and stability) occurs. The course examines traditional domestic and international public policymaking processes, and emerging institutions that seek to privatize environmental governance and restructure power relations among organized interests. The course examines these questions from comparative and international perspectives. Special attention is placed on the international-domestic nexus, and the effects of economic globalization and international governance on domestic policy change. Benjamin Cashore.]
[F&ES 725b, Science and Politics of Environmental Regulation. 3 credits. This course explores the interplay among science, values, and power within diverse environmental decision contexts. Scientific uncertainty is examined as the focus of political conflict over appropriate levels of regulation. Regulation is used in its broadest sense, i.e., attempts to control human uses of natural systems. The course focuses on the underlying behavior of key actors as a foundation for evaluating the historical effectiveness of diverse regulatory regimes, domestic and international. The course includes case studies of many toxic substance and land-use issues. Three-hour seminar. John P. Wargo.]
F&ES 728a,b, Project in Natural Resource Policy. John P. Wargo.
F&ES 731a, Foundations of Environmental Policy and Politics. 3 credits. This course examines theories of policymaking and politics, applied to problems of environmental management. Theories of property rights, risk assessment, and decision making are explored and applied to problems in managing land use, air quality, water quality, food safety, hazardous site restoration, and vector-borne disease. Students take a final exam and prepare a research paper or project as the primary course requirements. Two lectures per week, one discussion section. John P. Wargo.
F&ES 739b, Natural Resource Policy Practicum. 3 credits. This practicum provides opportunities for students to participate in the analysis and development of current issues/policies affecting natural resources in the United States. Students are organized into teams and assigned a number of current policy issues for analysis and discussion. The identified issues originate from discussions with staff of national environmental organizations, Congressional offices, and federal natural resource agencies that serve as "clients" for the purposes of this practicum. Students are required to communicate directly with the organizations and individuals seeking policy analysis assistance, to conduct research and interdisciplinary analysis of the subject, to prepare a report and recommendations for the identified client, and to brief the client on the product of their analysis. Each team is responsible for a minimum of three policy analysis projects during the term. Following an initial organizational meeting, student teams meet with the instructor once a week to provide updates on project. James R. Lyons.
[F&ES 766b, Public-Private Partnerships for the Urban Environment. 3 credits.
Governments around the world are finding that they cannot meet pressing urban environmental needs acting alone. Nor can they compel the private sector to take all the actions that are necessary. Increasingly, they are turning to partnerships with businesses, NGOs, and communities to improve the delivery of urban environmental services– water, waste, and energy. Such efforts are extremely controversial, raising fundamental questions as to the roles of governments, businesses, and communities in meeting basic human and environmental needs. In collaboration with the United Nations Development Program and universities around the world, this course explores the use of public-private partnerships to address urban environmental issues, particularly in the developing world and economies in transition. An "analytical backbone" provides structure to the core readings, local class discussions, and research on local partnerships. Internet-based exchanges are used to help students compare and draw lessons learned from the partnership experience in different countries. Class size limited. Bradford S. Gentry.]
F&ES 768b/MGT 687b, Business and Environment Leadership. 3 credits. During the last decade, business and environmental leaders began to realize that understanding one another and working together, while unaccustomed and often difficult, offer many tangible benefits. The course focuses on the lives and experiences of such leaders, several of whom pioneered Yale's joint M.B.A./M.E.M. degree program. Professional pathways, career development, challenges in the workplace, and many other topics are explored. Emergent opportunities as well as common problems are considered. Specific attention is given to differences that exist in the views, values, and cultures of the business and environmental worlds. Garry D. Brewer.
F&ES 769a/MGT 689a, Ecological Knowledge and Environmental Problem Solving. 3 credits. The "heart" of the course is a distillation of core ecological concepts and their translation into an accessible framework. The framework guides both scientists and decision makers through a series of steps and questions that allow them to frame environmental problems in a realistic way. The first half of the course concludes with increasingly complex cases that familiarize one with the approach. The remainder of the course focuses on specific environmental issues of current and continuing interest. Class members work in groups to confront these topics as scientists and decision makers might in actual circumstances. Topics may vary, although the following are illustrative: risk assessment and communication, fisheries management, offshore oil and gas exploration and development, nuclear waste disposal, and global warming and climate change. Garry D. Brewer.
F&ES 770b/MGT 676b, Scope of the Policy Sciences. 3 credits. Emphasizing a systematic and comprehensive approach to the study of policy, this course concentrates on a general sequence of decision comprised of six distinct, interrelated phases of the "life" of a policy or problem. The course has served as a foundation upon which other substantive policy courses and work have been built. Furthermore, it works to integrate theory with practice in a variety of substantive fields. Garry D. Brewer.
F&ES 795a,b, Project in Environmental Policy. Arvid Nelson.
F&ES 801a, Energy Systems Analysis. 3 credits. This lecture course offers a systems analysis approach to describe and explain energy systems, including all forms of energy (fossil and renewable), all sectors/activities of energy production/conversion, and all end-uses, irrespective of the form of market transaction (commercial or noncommercial) or form of technology (traditional as well as novel advanced concepts) deployed. Students gain a comprehensive theoretical and empirical knowledge base from which to analyze energy-environmental issues as well as to participate effectively in policy debates. The evolution of energy systems is reviewed from a historical as well as futures (scenarios) perspective. Special attention is given to traditionally lesser-researched elements of energy systems (energy use in developing countries; urban energy use; income, gender, and lifestyle differences in energy end-use patterns). Particular emphasis is also given to market externalities and market failures characteristic of energy systems and a discussion of their policy implications. Arnulf Grübler.
[F&ES 805b, Current Issues in Natural Resource Policy. 3 credits. During the past decade, a number of factors have played an increasingly important role in affecting natural resource policy. Through case studies, lectures, and contributions by guest speakers the course explores the following factors as they affect the development and implementation of policy: organizational culture and change, science and scientists, the influence of advocacy groups, Congressional dynamics, influence of the courts and litigation, public participation and local decision making, urbanization and the views of urban society, and the role of the media. Students should develop an appreciation for the complex and dynamic nature of policy and, through this understanding, enhance their capacity to influence its formulation and implementation. (Students are also afforded the opportunity to participate in a one-week field trip to Washington, D.C., during the spring break.) Next offered spring 2004. James R. Lyons.]
F&ES 819a, Social and Environmental Dimensions of Biotechnology. 3 credits. This course addresses economic, environmental, legal, and social-justice dimensions of new biotechnologies. In 2002 the course focuses on agricultural genetic engineering: whether and how transgenic crops may—or may not—be key to reducing hunger and rural poverty and mitigating the negative environmental effects of industrialized agricultures. Readings about the economic and cultural significance of food and farming in the context of globalization frame this question. We go through a brief survey of genetic engineering science and applications, then consider different views about the benefits and risks of genetically altered organisms for people, ecosystems, and biodiversity. We look at the political economy of biotech research, the changing structure of the "life industry," and the role of patents on living things and scientific knowledge. We examine why biotechnology, intellectual property, and bio-prospecting are at the center of international disputes among developing and industrialized countries. We also consider the effects of ideas about biotechnology. How are the concepts and practices of biotechnology shaped by the socioeconomic contexts in which science is carried out? What are the precedents and consequences of molecular-genetic determinism? What is known, and what remains unknown, now that human, animal, and plant genomes are being mapped? How does biotechnology discourse—for example, the metaphor of the "genetic code"—affect public opinion and policy? Readings, lectures, student presentations, guest lectures, and class discussions address controversial choices faced by scientists, public
officials, farmers, consumers, NGOs, and global governance agencies. Some background social ecology and ecology and basic biology/genetics is helpful but not essential. Kathleen McAfee.
F&ES 832a,b, Project in Environmental Policy. Garry D. Brewer.
F&ES 836a,b, Project in Natural Resource Policy. James R. Lyons.
F&ES 842a, The Economics of Sustainable Development. 3 credits. Exploration of interpretations and definitions of sustainable development with attention to indicators and measures of progress. The course emphasizes the principal economic obstacles to sustainable development, the policy options available with which to overcome such obstacles, and recent experience—largely in developing countries—in attempting to apply such policies. Among these obstacles are institutional, market, and government policy failures. Each is studied across several resource sectors, such as agriculture, forestry, and fisheries. The course also examines issues surrounding the role of international development institutions in overcoming these obstacles. It is assumed that students in the course will have varying levels of prior preparation in economics. Robert Repetto.
F&ES 843a, The Economics of Climate Change. 2 credits. This weekly seminar examines key issues in the economic analysis of the climate change problem. Topics include the economic evaluation of climate change damages, the treatment of risk and uncertainty in evaluating impacts, the benefit-cost approach to forming climate change mitigation policies, the choice of policy instruments for controlling greenhouse gas emissions, the economics of carbon sequestration, the design of carbon emission trading systems, the "double dividend" debate in climate policy, equýty and efficiency issues in international burden-sharing, and issues in seeking voluntary international agreements. Enrollment limited to fifteen students. Participating students are expected to assume significant responsibilities in the seminar. Robert Repetto.
F&ES 847b, Understanding Environmental Campaigns: Strategies and Tactics. 1–3 credits. This is a course about the strategies and tactics used in successful environmental campaigns, taught from a practitioner's perspective. Though this topic is neither well documented nor regularly taught, there is a tactical toolkit that can be learned. Many environmental campaigners learn on the job. For those students interested in pursuing careers in environmental policymaking and advocacy, this course is designed to be one that can jumpstart professional development. In a fashion comparable to the case study method offered in business schools, this course examines six cases, all from the past five years, and seeks to discern lessons for best practice. No single environmental campaign is the same, and strategies and tactics are always evolving, but there are several key lessons that can be drawn from such campaigns and there is also value in understanding current best practice even if it is constantly evolving. The six case topics examined in class are the Kyoto Protocol, protecting Alaska's old growth rainforests, conserving the Pine Barrens Watershed in Eastern Long Island, Home Depot's decision to preference sustainably managed forest products, the Give Swordfish A Break Campaign, and the Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) Treaty. Resource people who have played leadership roles in each of these efforts join us for class. The class examines each case, synthesizes lessons learned, and seeks to formulate a practical understanding of key strategies and tactics used to affect positive outcomes. Michael Northrop.
F&ES 851b, Local Environmental Law and Land-Use Practices. 3 credits. This course explores the regulation by local governments of land uses in watershed areas and the effect of development on the natural environment. The course helps students understand, in a practical way, how the environment can be protected through effective regulation at the local level. It introduces students to federal, state, and regional laws and programs that affect watershed protection and to the laws that delegate to local governments primary responsibility for decision making in the land-use field. Theories of federalism, regionalism, states' rights, and localism are studied. The history of the delegation of planning and land-use authority to local governments is traced, leading to an examination of local land-use practices particularly as they relate to controlling development in and around watershed areas. Course participants visit nearby watersheds, assess their functions, and discover and discuss the local governmental structure affecting the watersheds. These watersheds are used as a context for the students' understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of local planning and regulation. Attention is paid, in detail, to how the development of the land adversely affects natural resources and how these impacts can be mitigated through local environmental regulations. John R. Nolon, James G. MacBroom.
F&ES 853a, Private Investment and the Environment. 3 credits. This seminar examines the impact of private capital as a force that is reshaping environmental protection strategies. It begins by examining fundamental questions of environmental policy in light of the shifts away from "command and control" regulations toward market-based instruments, and from foreign aid to private investment as the driver of "sustainable development." The seminar then considers the motivations of private investors, as well as some of the new approaches being used to increase the incentives for improved environmental performance. Examples from around the world are used to illustrate the main themes. Students are expected to produce significant research papers. Enrollment limited. Bradford S. Gentry.
F&ES 858a, History of the Environment and Ecological Science. 3 credi |
