Dedman College
(2010 Undergraduate Catalog)

Dedman College Catalog Contents
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Environmental Studies

 www.smu.edu/environmentalstudies

Professor John Walther, Director

The B.A. in environmental studies provides students with the tools necessary to address society’s environmental problems through careers in government, nongovernmental or educational organizations, public policy, business and related fields. It is an interdisciplinary program that incorporates courses from numerous departments and three schools around the University. The environmental studies major can be tailored to emphasize an area of interest (e.g., environmental biology, sustainability and globalization, environmental policy) and would be complemented by minors or other majors in environmental earth science, economics, business, environmental science, biology, anthropology, journalism, corporate communications and public affairs, advertising, sociology and many of the disciplines in the humanities and social sciences.

Requirements for the B.A. Degree. The environmental studies major requires 36 total hours, consisting of 21 hours of core classes and 15 hours of electives. The core classes provide the student with the appropriate concepts and tools to understand the scope of global, regional and local environmental issues.

Majors are strongly encouraged to take advantage of opportunities for study abroad and to seek relevant internships. Internship courses are offered in many departments and can be counted toward the major by petition.

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Core Courses

 BIOL/GEOL 3307 Ecology (Prerequisite: BIOL 1402 or permission of instructor)
GEOL 1301 Earth Systems or one 1000-level GEOL class of student’s choice
GEOL 3353 Modern and Ancient Climates (Prerequisite: GEOL 1301 or permission of instructor)
HIST 3309 North American Environmental History
PP 3310 Environmental Policy
STAT 2331 Introduction to Statistical Methods (Dallas and SMU-in-Taos) or STAT 2301 Statistics for Modern Business Decisions (Prerequisite: CEE Math Fundamentals or equivalent)

A senior thesis is required, with a field, research or other practical component taken in a department relevant to the student’s interests. For example:

  • ANTH 4391 or 4392 Independent Study (Prerequisites: Approval of the director of Undergraduate Studies and a faculty sponsor)
  • CCJN 5308 Honors Thesis
  • ECON 4398 Departmental Distinction in Economics (Prerequisites: 3.7 GPA in economics classes and 3.5 GPA overall, and approval of a faculty sponsor)
  • GEOL 4399 Integrative Research (Prerequisite: Permission of faculty adviser)


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Elective Courses

A total of 15 credit hours required, a minimum three credit hours at 3000 level or above. In consultation with an academic adviser, choose at least one course from each group.

Natural Sciences and Statistics
(Minimum of 3 credit hours required)
BIOL 3303 Evolution (Prerequisites: BIOL 1401, 1402 and 3304)

BIOL 3308 Biology of Marine Mammals (SMU-in-Copenhagen) (Prerequisites: BIOL 1401 and 1402)

BIOL 3309 Marine Biology of European Coastal Waters (SMU-in-Copenhagen) (Prerequisites: BIOL 1401 and 1402; CHEM 1303 and 1113)

BIOL 3310 Ecology and Human Impact in the North and Baltic Seas (SMU-in-Copenhagen) (Prerequisites: BIOL 1401 and 1402; CHEM 1303 and 1113)

BIOL 3342 Plant Kingdom

BIOL 3343 Field Botany (SMU-in-Taos)

CEE 2421 Aquatic Chemistry (Prerequisites: CHEM 1303 and 1304)

ENSC 3313 Techniques in Wildlife Management (SMU-in-Kenya)

GEOL 3330 Resources and the Environment (Prerequisite: 1300-level course in earth sciences or permission of instructor)

GEOL 3340 Face of the Earth (Prerequisite: 1300-level course in earth sciences or permission of instructor)

GEOL 3359 Computer Methods in Geological Sciences (Prerequisite: Permission of instructor)

GEOL 3363 Environmental Geology Seminar (Prerequisite: 1300-level course in earth sciences or permission of instructor)

GEOL 3366 Environmental Geology and Geochemical Cycles (Prerequisites: High school algebra and chemistry and one 1300-level course in earth sciences)

GEOL 3472 Principles of Sedimentation (Prerequisite: Credit or registration for GEOL 3451, or permission of instructor)

GEOL 5370 Global Change (Prerequisite: GEOL 3340 or permission of instructor)

GEOL 5368 Paleoecology (Prerequisite: GEOL 3369 or permission of instructor)

GEOL 5384 Hydrogeology (Prerequisites: MATH 1338 and CHEM 1304, or permission of instructor)

STAT 3380 Environmental Statistics (Prerequisite: STAT 2301 or 2331, or equivalent)

STAT 5371 Experimental Statistics I (Prerequisite: Junior standing or permission of instructor)

STAT 5372 Experimental Statistics II (Prerequisite: STAT 5371)

Social Sciences and Humanities

(Minimum of 3 credit hours required)
ANTH 3319 Human Ecology

ANTH 3374 Cultures and Environments of the Southwest (Dallas and SMU-in-Taos)

ANTH 3384 Paradise Lost? The Archaeology and Ethics of Human Environmental Impacts (Dallas and SMU-in-Taos)

ANTH 3385 Sustainable Living

ANTH 4346 Environmental Anthropology (Prerequisite: ANTH 2301)

ECO 4366 Economics of the Public Sector (Prerequisite: ECO 1301)

ECO 4382 Economics of Regulated Industries (Prerequisite: ECO 3301)

ECO 5301 Environmental Economics (Prerequisites: ECO 3301 and 3302, or permission of instructor)

ECO 5360 Economic Development (Prerequisites: ECO 3301 and 3302, or equivalent courses)

ECO 5361 Natural Resources and Energy Economics (Prerequisites: ECO 3301 and 3302)

ENSC 3310 Economic and Ethical Issues in Sustainable Development (SMU-in-Costa Rica)

ENSC 3311 Principles of Resource Management (SMU-in-Costa Rica)

ENSC 3315 Environmental Policy and Socioeconomic Values (SMU-in-Kenya)

HIST 3318 Human History of Natural Disasters

PHIL 3377 Animal Rights

SOC 4321 Immigration and Population Issues (Prerequisites: SOCI 2300 or 2310, and SOCI 3311 or 3312)

Business and Engineering
(Minimum of 3 credit hours required)
CEE 1302 Introduction to Civil and Environmental Engineering

CEE 2304 Introduction to Environmental Engineering and Science (Prerequisites: CHEM 1303 and MATH 1338)

CEE 3341 Introduction to Solid and Hazardous Waste Management (Prerequisites: CEE 2304 and 2421)

CEE 3355 Environmental Impact Evaluation, Policy, and Regulation (Prerequisite: CEE 2304)

CEE 5325 Disaster Management

MNO 3375 Corporate Ethics and Organizational Responsibility (Prerequisite: MNO 3370 for Cox majors and minors only)

MNO 4371 Leadership and Culture (Prerequisite: MNO 3370; for non-Cox students, approval of Cox B.B.A. Advising Office, junior standing and two courses in psychology or sociology may be substituted for the prerequisite)

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SMU Abroad Courses (ENST)

 3100, 3200, 3300. Special Topics Abroad. Courses offered in SMU-approved international programs. Prior departmental approval required. May be repeated for credit under different subtitle. Maximum of 6 credit hours permissible toward the B.A. in environmental studies.

3310. Economic and Ethical Issues in Sustainable Development. Class will address and apply principles of ecological economics to assess the sustainability of development models at the micro and macro level. Basic concepts of ecological economics cost-benefit valuation techniques will be presented and applied to the local people, government and aid agencies for the implementation of sustainable development models. (SMU-in-Costa Rica only)

3312. Directed Research. (SMU-in-Costa Rica)

3315. Environmental Policy and Socioeconomic Values. Class will introduce students to the major constituencies that affect African conservation (nongovernmental conservation groups, economic interests, etc.) and their underlying philosophies. Students will learn to determine effective approaches to resource management. (SMU-in-Kenya only)

3316. Directed Research. (SMU-in-Kenya)

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