Develop professional abilities essential for a successful academic and professional career through direct study, research, report writing and giving presentations on current environmental issues, solving system design problems, developing a resume, and practicing interviewing skills. Learning outcomes include introductory level information acquisition and management, oral and written communication, critical thinking, structured problem solving, and time management.

Takes "Big Ideas" approach. It reviews foundational ideas to Forestry, Resource Management, Conservation and Sustainability. Both the historical ideas (the nature of nature, management and Indigenous management, sustained yield, industrial revolution, colonialism, conservation/preservation, etc.) and contemporary ideas (permaculture, limits to growth, ecological footprints, sustainability, managing the commons, and climate change) are discussed with a focus on human values and ethics. The course emphasizes oral and written communication, critical thinking an danalysis, and leadership.

In this course students will learn how to describe and measure the structure and function of human communities; and determine how different social and ethnic groups perceive and relate to the physical environment. We will discuss major environmental movements and describe social values, how they change, what influences them and how they result in policy reform and behavioral change. We will cover basic sociological theory including topics such as institutions, the nature of capitalism, and the philosophical underpinnings of resource management (e.g. property rights, religious traditions). The course will also cover basic political theory, with a focus on democracy and democratic processes. This course draws on methods and readings from a variety of disciplines, including social ecology, environmental sociology, rural sociology, social network theory, history, and anthropology.

This course examines how resource and environmental management systems and tools are developed in cultural and institutional contexts and how these contexts shape the definitions of problems and the management systems proposed as solutions. Included will be analysis of different management regimes and decision-making processes: technocratic, community-based, co-management, network governance, etc. In each case, we will examine the scale of the management issue (local, regional, national, international) and in that context, who has authority, legitimacy, power, accountability, and why; how they obtain, maintain, and enhance them; and implications of each in terms of different management contexts (e.g. common pool resources). Traditional policy-making models will be presented, as well as analytical tools for policy evaluation. Students will develop, defend, and critique a variety of different types of natural resource management plans that involve large-scale environmental changes (including water, air, and land issues), and develop adaptive management strategies that simultaneously account for human and natural systems. 

This course begins with an overview of the science of climate change and its historical/projected impacts on environmental, social, and economic systems. Then, mitigation and adaptation policy options that are available to Canada and other countries will be investigated. Particular issues that may be addressed include the role that humans play in creating climate change, the uncertainty involved in making future climate change projections, and municipal plans to adapt to climate change.

The theme of this course is how humans impact the environment with our developing technologies. The course examines how aquatic ecosystems are altered by the activities of agriculture, forestry, aquaculture, solid waste disposal, our demands for industry, e.g., pulp and paper, manufacturing, and mining, and our basic needs for clean drinking water, e.g., water and sewage treatment. The course appraises evolving, alternative technologies, with visits to some of these operations to learn how new technologies are reducing impacts and protecting water resources for the future.

This course provides an introduction to the principles of environmental hydro-meteorology. Topics to be covered include energy transfer, radiation laws, energy balance, wind generation, evaporation and precipitation, climatology, snow cover and snow melt processes, the hydrological cycle and water budget, surface runoff, flow routing, and atmosphere-land surface processes associated with land use. These are addressed from small, localized to regional scales. 

This course is designed to help students strengthen their skills in: (a) environmental management decision-making, (b) problem-solving, (c) teamwork and project management, and (d) articulating environmental awareness, with strong commitment to environmental sustainability. The course builds on professional and natural resource basics and management competencies developed in earlier courses and will focus on decision making by examining financial, political, and stakeholder acceptability factors, as well as conducting environmental risk assessment and trade-off analyses making appropriate use of models.

An Introduction to Integrated Water Resources Management, this is a broad examination of critical concepts and knowledge needs including essential human and institutional capacities. Topics include: impacts of anthropogenic alterations on the water cycle; changes and impacts that occur as a result of land use change and development; aquatic ecosystem health and impact assessment; water use (quality and quality issues); wastewater issues including impacts, methods of treatment and mitigation, the urban water cycle and methods to evaluate and choose appropriate technologies; governance and capacity building in communities; and building and maintaining water management infrastructure. 

This course focuses on hydrological theories and tools needed for urban watershed management, involving water supply, conservation and treatment. Topics include storm-water retention on and flow through porous and impervious surfaces, and subsequent run off generation. Students will learn about urban water management systems and best -management engineering approaches dealing with flood control and point to non-point residential, industrial and traffic-induced pollution issues.

Credit for an individual project can be granted. The student arranges each project with a client and a Faculty advisor. Your Programme Director must approve each project prior to beginning. A signed agreement including assessment criteria amongst the student, client, Faculty Advisor and Programme Director is required. 

This course focuses attention on the implementation of environmental problem solving techniques. Students will learn many practical methods for assessing problems and justifying solutions. These may include such activities as preparing media pieces and briefing notes to government officials, setting up environmental impact assessments and audits, testing for water/soil/air contamination, and surveying the public/industry on various issues. Throughout these activities, students will be required to critically examine the social, political, philosophical, economic, and ecological outcomes of their activities.

Most environmental issues have many sides including scientific, social, political, and economic, and comprise multiple players and stakeholders promoting divergent points of view. This course is designed to explore these elements in detail. Current national, regional and local problems will be brought to the class by a number of guest speakers in order to help students critically analyze the roots of the problems and possible solutions. The problems discussed will include such issues as environmental scope, biodiversity decline, climate changes, air and water quality, population and consumption per capita, biotechnology and genetically altered foods. 

Practical exercise in landscape management, desinged to provide an opportunity to integrate skills and knowledge gained throughout the program. Working with a client and/or the public, students work within the management planning framework to develop an integrated landscape management plan related to natural resource management of the environment and ecosystems today and into the future. Learning modules are porvided specific to the needs of the project. Additional topics include project management, conflict resolution, professional practice, and associations. The project requires each group to complete a management strategy (plan) report and presenation.

Students will gain knowledge in techniques used commonly in fisheries and aquatic science, getting practical experience in various sampling and analysis techniques, including: water quality assessment, macroinvertebrate collections, fish collections (e.g., seining, trapping, electrofishing), and laboratory methods for sample preparation and analysis. All field collections will be followed by appropriate data evaluation learning database management techniques, descriptive and analytical statistics, and summary report writing. 

Credit for an individual project can be granted. The student arranges each project with a client and a Faculty advisor. Your Programme Director must approve each project prior to beginning. A signed agreement including assessment criteria amongst the student, client, Faculty Advisor and Program Director is required. Number of credit hours will be determined by the Faculty and based on the nature, duration, and complexity of the project. Credit hours assigned to the course must be determined prior to the student initiating the project. 

An intensive 6-day series of field exercises, site visits, and on-site discussions before the start of Fall term courses. This course involves low student/faculty ratios and is designed to improve integrative, observational, and interpretive skills with respect to environmental conditions, including water, wildlife, and forest resources, and the social context in which they are valued and used. Evening sessions provide opportunity for debate and discussion of challenging contemporary environmental issues. Students are charged for food, lodging and part of travel costs.

ENVM honours students must complete a thesis project that is approved by the Faculty and supervised by a Faculty member. This course involves submitting a detailed project report and an oral defense in a seminar-style presentation. Students should consult with Assistant Dean of Undergraduate Studies prior to the end of third year to discuss project requirements and potential topics. NOTE: Minimum CGPA for acceptance is 3.0 

Presents students with a wide array of tools used to assess and manage activities  that impact the environment. Tools considered may include environmental indicator measurement, environmental risk assessment, life-cycle assessment, environmental management systems, sustainable forest management certification, and others. Presentations will be given by faculty members, students, and working professionals that demonstrate the use of these environmental management tools and identify issues associated with them.  

Gain essential skills in translating intricate ecological processes into simplified models. Develop proficiency in widely-used tools, including spreadsheet and modelling software. Master the art of constructing models and conducting simulations. Learn how to use the potential of ecological models for forecasting, and develop skills on interpreting model implications, and translate them into meaningful recommendations that drive sustainable environmental practices.