Faculty Program Environment - Ecological Determinants of Health in Society (B.A.) (54 credits)
Offered by: Bieler School of Environment (Faculty of Science)
Degree: Bachelor of Arts
Program credit weight: 54
Program Description
The B.A.; Faculty Program in Environment; Ecological Determinants of Health in Society focuses on the interface between human health and the environment, including both the biological and ecological determinants of health. The role of social sciences in the design, implementation, monitoring and critique of health interventions. Themes and topics to be addressed include: demographic patterns and urbanization; global food security and nutrition; economic forces; the role of culture and ethics; social change.
Degree Requirements — B.A. students
To be eligible for a B.A. degree, a student must fulfil all Faculty and program requirements as indicated in Degree Requirements for the Faculty of Arts.
We recommend that students consult an Arts OASIS advisor for degree planning.
Program Requirements
Students may take up to 30 credits at the 200 level and must take no fewer than 12 credits at the 400 level or above. This includes required and complementary courses.
Required Courses (24 credits)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ENVR 200 | The Global Environment. | 3 |
The Global Environment. Terms offered: Fall 2026, Winter 2027 A systems approach to study the different components of the environment involved in global climate change: the atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and lithosphere. The interactions among these components. Their role in global climate change. The human dimension to global change. | ||
| ENVR 201 | Society, Environment and Sustainability. | 3 |
Society, Environment and Sustainability. Terms offered: Fall 2026 This course deals with how scientific-technological, socio-economic, political-institutional and behavioural factors mediate society-environment interactions. Issues discussed include population and resources; consumption, impacts and institutions; integrating environmental values in societal decision-making; and the challenges associated with, and strategies for, promoting sustainability. Case studies in various sectors and contexts are used. | ||
| ENVR 202 | The Evolving Earth. | 3 |
The Evolving Earth. Terms offered: Winter 2027 Formation of the Earth and the evolution of life. How geological and biological change are the consequence of history, chance, and necessity acting over different scales of space and time. General principles governing the formation of modern landscapes and biotas. Effects of human activities on natural systems. | ||
| ENVR 203 | Knowledge, Ethics and Environment. | 3 |
Knowledge, Ethics and Environment. Terms offered: Fall 2026, Winter 2027 Introduction to cultural perspectives on the environment: the influence of culture and cognition on perceptions of the natural world; conflicts in orders of knowledge (models, taxonomies, paradigms, theories, cosmologies), ethics (moral values, frameworks, dilemmas), and law (formal and customary, rights and obligations) regarding political dimensions of critical environments, resource use, and technologies. | ||
| ENVR 301 | Environmental Research Design. | 3 |
Environmental Research Design. Terms offered: Fall 2026, Winter 2027 Techniques used in design and completion of environmental research projects. Problem definition, data sources and use of appropriate strategies and methodologies. Principles underlying research design are emphasized, including critical thinking, recognizing causal relationships, ideologies and bias in research, and when and where to seek expertise. | ||
| ENVR 400 | Environmental Thought. | 3 |
Environmental Thought. Terms offered: Fall 2026, Winter 2027 Students work in interdisciplinary seminar groups on challenging philosophical, ethical, scientific and practical issues. They will explore cutting-edge ideas and grapple with the reconciliation of environmental imperatives and social, political and economic pragmatics. Activities include meeting practitioners, attending guest lectures, following directed readings, and organizing, leading and participating in seminars. | ||
| GEOG 221 | Environment and Health. 1 | 3 |
Environment and Health. Terms offered: Fall 2026 Key chemical, physical, and social stressors in the environment, and how these affect the health of people and ecosystems. Hazards in air, water, food, and work environments. Historic, current, and future need for environmental health science, from scientific, personal, and practical perspectives. | ||
| GEOG 303 | Health Geography. | 3 |
Health Geography. Terms offered: Winter 2027 Discussion of the research questions and methods of health geography. Particular emphasis on health inequalities at multiple geographic scales and the theoretical links between characteristics of places and the health of people. | ||
| NRSC 221 | Environment and Health. 1 | 3 |
Environment and Health. Terms offered: Fall 2026 Key chemical, physical, and social stressors in the environment, and how these affect the health of people and ecosystems. Hazards in air, water, food, and work environments. Historic, current, and future need for environmental health science, from scientific, personal, and practical perspectives. | ||
- 1
Choose only one of the following courses: GEOG 221 or NRSC 221.
Complementary Courses (30 credits)
Senior Research Project
3 credits from:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| AEBI 427 | Barbados Interdisciplinary Project. 2 | 6 |
Barbados Interdisciplinary Project. Terms offered: Summer 2026 The planning of projects and research activities related to tropical food, nutrition, or energy at the local, regional, or national scale in Barbados. Projects and activities designed in consultation with university instructors, government, NGO, or private partners, and prepared by teams of 2-3 students working cooperatively with these mentors. | ||
| ENVR 401 | Environmental Research. | 3 |
Environmental Research. Terms offered: Fall 2026 Students work in an interdisciplinary team on a real-world research project involving problem definition, methodology development, social, ethical and environmental impact assessment, execution of the study, and dissemination of results to the research community and to the people affected. Teams begin defining their projects during the preceding summer. | ||
| ENVR 451 | Research in Panama. 2 | 6 |
Research in Panama. Terms offered: Winter 2027 Research projects will be developed by instructors in consultation with Panamanian universities, government agencies and non-governmental organizations. Project groups will consist of four to six students working with a Panamanian institution. Topics will be relevant to Panama: e.g., protection of the Canal watershed, economical alternatives to deforestation, etc. | ||
| FSCI 444 | Barbados Research Project. 2 | 6 |
Barbados Research Project. Terms offered: Fall 2026 A research project that is supervised by McGill academic staff and is conducted in collaboration with local partners. The project topic must relate to the field of sustainability relating to the Caribbean or Barbados specifically. | ||
| GEOG 451 | Research in Society and Development in Africa. | 3 |
Research in Society and Development in Africa. Terms offered: Winter 2027 Three intersecting components: 1) core development themes including culture change, environmental conservation, water, health, development (urban and rural), governance and conflict resolution, 2) research techniques for topics related to core themes, including ethics, risk, field methods and data analysis, 3) field documentation, scientific recording and communication. | ||
- 2
3 credits will be applied to the program; extra credits will count as electives.
Statistics
3 credits from:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| AEMA 310 | Statistical Methods 1. | 3 |
Statistical Methods 1. Terms offered: Fall 2026, Winter 2027 Measures of central tendency and dispersion; binomial and Poisson distributions; normal, chi-square, Student's t and Fisher-Snedecor F distributions; estimation and hypothesis testing; simple linear regression and correlation; analysis of variance for simple experimental designs. | ||
| GEOG 202 | Statistics and Spatial Analysis. | 3 |
Statistics and Spatial Analysis. Terms offered: Fall 2026 Exploratory data analysis, univariate descriptive and inferential statistics, non-parametric statistics, correlation and simple regression. Problems associated with analysing spatial data such as the 'modifiable areal unit problem' and spatial autocorrelation. Statistics measuring spatial pattern in point, line and polygon data. | ||
| MATH 203 | Principles of Statistics 1. | 3 |
Principles of Statistics 1. Terms offered: Summer 2026, Fall 2026, Winter 2027 Examples of statistical data and the use of graphical means to summarize the data. Basic distributions arising in the natural and behavioural sciences. The logical meaning of a test of significance and a confidence interval. Tests of significance and confidence intervals in the one and two sample setting (means, variances and proportions). | ||
| SOCI 350 | Statistics in Social Research. | 3 |
Statistics in Social Research. Terms offered: Fall 2026 This is an introductory course in descriptive and inferential statistics. The course is designed to help students develop a critical attitude toward statistical argument. It serves as a background for further statistics courses, helping to provide the intuition which can sometimes be lost amid the formulas. | ||
Note: Credit given for Statistics courses is subject to certain restrictions. You should consult the "Course Overlap" information in the "Course Requirements" section for the Faculty of Arts.
Economics
3 credits from:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| AGEC 200 | Principles of Microeconomics. | 3 |
Principles of Microeconomics. Terms offered: Fall 2026 The field of economics as it relates to the activities of individual consumers, firms and organizations. Emphasis is on the application of economic principles and concepts to everyday decision making and to the analysis of current economic issues. | ||
| ECON 208 | Microeconomic Analysis and Applications. | 3 |
Microeconomic Analysis and Applications. Terms offered: Summer 2026, Fall 2026, Winter 2027 A university-level introduction to demand and supply, consumer behaviour, production theory, market structures and income distribution theory. | ||
| ECON 225 | Economics of the Environment. | 3 |
Economics of the Environment. Terms offered: Winter 2027 A study of the application of economic theory to questions of environmental policy. Particular attention will be given to the measurement and regulation of pollution, congestion and waste and other environmental aspects of specific economies. | ||
Health and Environment
3 credits from:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| GEOG 403 | Global Health and Environmental Change. | 3 |
Global Health and Environmental Change. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Major themes and contemporary case studies in global health and environmental change. Focus on understanding global trends in emerging infectious disease from social, biophysical, and geographical perspectives, and critically assessing the health implications of environmental change in different international contexts. | ||
| GEOG 493 | Health and Environment in Africa. | 3 |
Health and Environment in Africa. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Exploration of key diseases of development, as well as patterns and determinants of health and disease in East Africa. Topics will focus on population and environmental health. | ||
| GEOG 503 | Advanced Topics in Health Geography. | 3 |
Advanced Topics in Health Geography. Terms offered: Fall 2026 A critical review of current themes and trends in health geography, with an emphasis on housing as a place-based determinant of health and as a setting for intervention, i.e. how changes in housing conditions can translate into improvements in health and well-being. Seminars focus on critical appraisal of conceptual and methodological approaches in health geography and related disciplines. | ||
| PARA 410 | Environment and Infection. | 3 |
Environment and Infection. Terms offered: Winter 2027 Infectious pathogens of humans and animals and their impact on the global environment are considered. The central tenet is that infectious pathogens are environmental risk factors. The course considers their impact on the human condition and juxtaposes the impact of control and treatment measures and environmental change. | ||
| PPHS 501 | Population Health and Epidemiology. | 3 |
Population Health and Epidemiology. Terms offered: Fall 2026 This course presents concepts and methods of epidemiology at the introductory level. The use of epidemiologic methods for population and public health research and practice will be illustrated. A review of selected population health questions such as the HIV/AIDS epidemic, the cardiovascular disease epidemic, cigarette smoking, or screening for disease will be presented. | ||
| PPHS 529 | Global Environmental Health and Burden of Disease. | 3 |
Global Environmental Health and Burden of Disease. Terms offered: Fall 2026 This course presents the grand challenges in global health from environmental and occupational risks along with the multi-disciplinary methods used to identify, control, and prevent them. It will introduce students to knowledge and skills in core disciplines of environmental health and approaches to environmental risk recognition, control and prevention in a global context. | ||
Nutrition
3 credits from:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EDKP 292 | Nutrition and Wellness. | 3 |
Nutrition and Wellness. Terms offered: Fall 2026 This course will examine the role of carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals and water in a balanced diet. Students will be introduced to the affects of nutrition on exercise, sport performance and wellness. The validity of claims concerning nutrient supplements will be studied. | ||
| NUTR 207 | Nutrition and Health. | 3 |
Nutrition and Health. Terms offered: Fall 2026 Provides students who have a basic biology/chemistry background with the fundamental information on how macronutrients, vitamins and minerals are metabolized in the body, followed by application to evaluate current issues of maximizing health and disease prevention at different stages of the lifecycle. | ||
| NUTR 341 | Global Food Security. | 3 |
Global Food Security. Terms offered: Fall 2026 Food insecurity is one of the most critical issues humanity has faced in history. The magnitude of this phenomenon, reflected in its worldwide presence and in the number of individuals affected, makes it an imperative component of all nations' and of all internaltional agencies' agendas. Its complexity of determinants and its numerous consequences require the involvement of multipe disciplines and sectors. McGill undergraduate students as future professionals tackling global issues require an integrated and multidisciplinary training on food security. | ||
List A:
9 credits from List A (with a maximum of 3 credits from any category):
Health and Society
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| SOCI 225 | Medicine and Health in Modern Society. | 3 |
Medicine and Health in Modern Society. Terms offered: Fall 2026 Socio-medical problems and ways in which sociological analysis and research are being used to understand and deal with them. Canadian and Québec problems include: poverty and health; mental illness; aging; death and dying; professionalism; health service organization. | ||
| SOCI 234 | Population and Society. | 3 |
Population and Society. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Introduction to the reciprocal linkages in the social world between population size, structure and dynamics on the one hand, social structure, action and change on the other. An examination of population processes and their relation to the social world. | ||
| SOCI 309 | Health and Illness. | 3 |
Health and Illness. Terms offered: Winter 2027 Health and illness as social rather than purely bio-medical phenomena. Topics include: studies of ill persons, health care occupations and organizations; poverty and health; inequalities in access to and use of health services; recent policies, ideologies, and problems in reform of health services organization. | ||
| SOCI 331 | Population and Environment. | 3 |
Population and Environment. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Main topics and controversies linking population processes and the environment. Topics include how population processes influence the environment, population responses to changing environments, policies related to these effects, variation across and within developed and developing countries. | ||
| SOCI 515 | Medicine and Society. | 3 |
Medicine and Society. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The sociology of health and illness. Reading in areas of interest, such as: the sociology of illness, health services occupations, organizational settings of health care, the politics of change in national health service systems, and contemporary ethical issues in medical care and research. | ||
Population and Place
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ANTH 451 | Research in Society and Development in Africa. 3 | 3 |
Research in Society and Development in Africa. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Instruction focuses on three goals: 1) existing research in selected core thematic areas, 2) participating in interdisciplinary team research, 3) developing powers of observation and independent inquiry. Students will be expected to develop research activities and interdisciplinary perspectives, and to become conversant with advances in local research in their field. | ||
| EDKP 204 | Health Education. | 3 |
Health Education. Terms offered: Fall 2026 A study of the teacher's role in the total school health program at both elementary and high school levels; current issues in contemporary health education. | ||
| GEOG 451 | Research in Society and Development in Africa. 3 | 3 |
Research in Society and Development in Africa. Terms offered: Winter 2027 Three intersecting components: 1) core development themes including culture change, environmental conservation, water, health, development (urban and rural), governance and conflict resolution, 2) research techniques for topics related to core themes, including ethics, risk, field methods and data analysis, 3) field documentation, scientific recording and communication. | ||
| GEOG 498 | Humans in Tropical Environments. | 3 |
Humans in Tropical Environments. Terms offered: Winter 2027 Focus on understanding of inter-relations between humans and neotropical environments represented in Panama. Study of contemporary rural landscapes, their origins, development and change. Impacts of economic growth and inequality, social organization, and politics on natural resource use and environmental degradation. Site visits and field exercises in peasant/colonist, Amerindian, and plantation communities. | ||
| HIST 335 | Science and Medicine in Canada. | 3 |
Science and Medicine in Canada. Terms offered: Winter 2027 The social and intellectual history of science and medicine in Canada, from early exploration, through the rise of learned societies, universities and professional organizations, to World War II. | ||
| HIST 510 | Environmental History of Latin America (Field). | 3 |
Environmental History of Latin America (Field). Terms offered: Winter 2027 Human-nature interactions over different scales of time in Latin America (with an emphasis on neo-tropical environments) and the application of the historical perspective to contemporary environmental issues, including historiography and methodology; cultures of environmental knowledge. | ||
| SOCI 520 | Migration and Immigrant Groups. | 3 |
Migration and Immigrant Groups. Terms offered: Winter 2027 Review of the major demographic, economic and sociological theories of internal and international migration. The main emphasis will be on empirical research on migration and immigrant groups. | ||
| SOCI 525 | Health Care Systems in Comparative Perspective. | 3 |
Health Care Systems in Comparative Perspective. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Comparative perspective to illustrate processes involved in the development and evolution of health care systems around the world. Countries examined will represent different welfare state regimes, health care system typologies, levels of development and wealth. | ||
| SOCI 550 | Developing Societies. | 3 |
Developing Societies. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Comparison of alternative explanations of underdevelopment: the impact of social stratification, relations of domination and subordination between countries, state interference with the market. Alternative strategies of change: revolution, structural adjustment, community development and cooperatives. Students will write and present a research paper, and participate extensively in class discussion. | ||
- 3
If chosen, you may take only one of the following courses: ANTH 451 or GEOG 451.
Agriculture
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| AEBI 425 | Tropical Energy and Food. | 3 |
Tropical Energy and Food. Terms offered: Summer 2026 Tropical biofuel crops, conversion processes and final products, particularly energy and greenhouse gas balances and bionutraceuticals. Topics include effects of process extraction during refining on biofuel economics, the food versus fuel debate and impact of biofuels and bioproducts on tropical agricultural economics. | ||
| AGRI 340 | Principles of Ecological Agriculture. | 3 |
Principles of Ecological Agriculture. Terms offered: Winter 2027 Focus on low-input, sustainable, and organic agriculture: the farm as an ecosystem; complex system theory; practical examples of soil management, pest control, integrated crop and livestock production, and marketing systems. | ||
| AGRI 411 | Global Issues on Development, Food and Agriculture. | 3 |
Global Issues on Development, Food and Agriculture. Terms offered: Winter 2027 International development and world food security and challenges in developing countries. Soil and water management, climate change, demographic issues, plant and animal resources conservation, bio-products and biofuels, economic and environmental issues specially in tropical and sub-tropical regions. Globalization, sustainable development, technology transfer and human resources needs for rural development. | ||
| AGRI 550 | Sustained Tropical Agriculture. | 3 |
Sustained Tropical Agriculture. Terms offered: Winter 2027 Contrast theory and practice in defining agricultural environmental "challenges" in the Neotropics. Indigenous and appropriate technological means of mitigation. Soil management and erosion, water scarcity, water over-abundance, and water quality. Explore agro-ecosystem protection via field trips and project designs. Institutional context of conservation strategies, NGO links, and public participation. | ||
Decision Making
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| AGEC 333 | Resource Economics. | 3 |
Resource Economics. Terms offered: Fall 2026 The role of resources in the environment, use of resources, and management of economic resources within the firm or organization. Problem-solving, case studies involving private and public decision-making in organizations are utilized. | ||
| ECON 440 | Health Economics. | 3 |
Health Economics. Terms offered: Fall 2026 The organization and performance of Canada's health care system are examined from an economist's perspective. The system is described and its special features analyzed. Much attention is given to the role of government in the system and to financing arrangements for hospital and medical services. Current financial problems are discussed. | ||
| PHIL 343 | Biomedical Ethics. | 3 |
Biomedical Ethics. Terms offered: Fall 2026 An investigation of ethical issues as they arise in the practice of medicine (informed consent, e.g.) or in the application of medical technology (in vitro fertilization, euthanasia, e.g.) | ||
| RELG 270 | Religious Ethics and the Environment. | 3 |
Religious Ethics and the Environment. Terms offered: Fall 2026 Environmental potential of various religious traditions and secular perspectives, including animal rights, ecofeminism, and deep ecology. | ||
Development and Ecology
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ANTH 212 | Anthropology of Development. | 3 |
Anthropology of Development. Terms offered: Winter 2027 Processes of developmental change, as they affect small communities in the Third World and in unindustrialized parts of developed countries. Problems of technological change, political integration, population growth, industrialization, urban growth, social services, infrastructure and economic dependency. | ||
| ANTH 339 | Ecological Anthropology. | 3 |
Ecological Anthropology. Terms offered: Winter 2027 Intensive study of theories and cases in ecological anthropology. Theories are examined and tested through comparative case-study analysis. Cultural constructions of "nature" and "environment" are compared and analyzed. Systems of resource management and conflicts over the use of resources are studied in depth. | ||
| ANTH 512 | Political Ecology. | 3 |
Political Ecology. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Historical, theoretical and methodological development of political ecology as a field of inquiry on the interactions between society and environment, in the context of conflicts over natural resources. | ||
| ENVR 421 | Montreal: Environmental History and Sustainability. | 3 |
Montreal: Environmental History and Sustainability. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This course will focus on the role of place and history in the cities in which we live and in our understanding of sustainability. Each year, students will work to develop a historical reconstruction of the natural environment of Montreal and of its links to the cultural landscape, building on the work of previous cohorts of students. | ||
| INTD 362 | Political Ecologies of Development | 3 |
Political Ecologies of Development Terms offered: Winter 2027 Examination of the environmental dimensions of development through the interdisciplinary framework of political ecology. Introduction to how power, inequality, governance, and economic interests shape human-environmental relations across local, national, and global scales. The theoretical foundations of political ecology and applying them to key development challenges such as resource extraction, land and water governance, conservation, urban pollution, and climate change. Critical examination of environmental problems as social and political processes. | ||
| SOCI 254 | Development and Underdevelopment. | 3 |
Development and Underdevelopment. Terms offered: Winter 2027 Competing theories about the causes of underdevelopment in the poor countries. Topics include the impact of geography, the population explosion, culture and national character, economic and sexual inequalities, democracy and dictatorship. Western imperialism and multi-national corporations, reliance on the market, and development through local participation, cooperation, and appropriate technology. | ||
| SOCI 365 | Health and Development. | 3 |
Health and Development. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Main concepts and controversies linking health to broader social and economic conditions in low income countries. Topics include the demographic and epidemiological transitions, the health and wealth conundrum, the social determinants of health, health as an economic development strategy, and the impact of the AIDS pandemic. | ||
Social Change and Influences
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ANTH 227 | Medical Anthropology. | 3 |
Medical Anthropology. Terms offered: Fall 2026 Beliefs and practices concerning sickness and healing are examined in a variety of Western and non-Western settings. Special attention is given to cultural constructions of the body and to theories of disease causation and healing efficacy. Topics include international health, medical pluralism, transcultural psychiatry, and demography. | ||
| ENVR 430 | The Economics of Well-Being. | 3 |
The Economics of Well-Being. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Definition, measurement, and determinants of subjective well-being and their implications for policy, growth, and the environment | ||
| GEOG 340 | Sustainability in the Caribbean. | 3 |
Sustainability in the Caribbean. Terms offered: Fall 2026 The local environmental, social, historical, political and economic context of Barbados and the Caribbean. The small island developing States (SIDS), and why those nations are more vulnerable to global environmental challenges. The 17 Sustainability Development Goals of the United Nations, with a focus on the leadership role played by Barbados for the entire Caribbean region. | ||
| GEOG 514 | Climate Change Vulnerability and Adaptation. | 3 |
Climate Change Vulnerability and Adaptation. Terms offered: Fall 2026 A critical examination of: the theoretical and conceptual evolution of climate change vulnerability and adaptation research; methodological developments from the role of model-driven assessments to the rise of participatory case study research, and the integration of vulnerability research into adaptation planning. | ||
| HIST 249 | Health and the Healer in Western History. | 3 |
Health and the Healer in Western History. Terms offered: Fall 2026 The natural history of health and disease and the development of the healing arts, from antiquity to the beginning of modern times. The rise of "western" medicine. Health and healing as gradually evolving aspects of society and culture. | ||
| INTD 362 | Political Ecologies of Development | 3 |
Political Ecologies of Development Terms offered: Winter 2027 Examination of the environmental dimensions of development through the interdisciplinary framework of political ecology. Introduction to how power, inequality, governance, and economic interests shape human-environmental relations across local, national, and global scales. The theoretical foundations of political ecology and applying them to key development challenges such as resource extraction, land and water governance, conservation, urban pollution, and climate change. Critical examination of environmental problems as social and political processes. | ||
| INTD 364 | Climate Change, Culture and Power. | 3 |
Climate Change, Culture and Power. Terms offered: Fall 2026 Examination of climate change as a cultural, political, andhistorical process. Drawing on anthropology, history, political economy, and environmental studies, it explores how climate change is understood, governed, and debated across different societies and scales. The relationships between environmental change, economic systems, political institutions, and social inequalities, as well as the ways climate futures are imagined and contested. Situating climate change within broader debates in international development and global environmental governance. | ||
| SOCI 307 | Globalization. | 3 |
Globalization. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Socio-economic, political and cultural dynamics related to processes of globalization. An examination of the following: key theoretical foundations of the globalization debate; the extent and implications of economic globalization; global governance and the continuing relevance of nation-states; instances of transnational activism; the diffusion of cultural practices; patterns and management of global migration and mobility. | ||
List B:
6 credits from List B (with a maximum of 3 credits from any category):
Biology Fundamentals
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| AEBI 210 | Organisms 1. | 3 |
Organisms 1. Terms offered: Fall 2026 The biology of plants and plant-based systems in managed and natural terrestrial environments. The interactions between autotrophs and soil organisms and selected groups of animals with close ecological and evolutionary connections with plants (e.g., herbivores and pollinators) will be explored in lecture and laboratory. | ||
| AEBI 211 | Organisms 2. | 3 |
Organisms 2. Terms offered: Winter 2027 Introduction to the biology of heterotrophs, focusing on animal diversity from the perspectives of phylogenetics, physiology, and ecology. Introduction to major animal taxa, comparing and contrasting these taxa, and exploration of the relationships among them. | ||
| BIOL 200 | Molecular Biology. | 3 |
Molecular Biology. Terms offered: Fall 2026 The physical and chemical properties of the cell and its components in relation to their structure and function. Topics include: protein structure, enzymes and enzyme kinetics; nucleic acid replication, transcription and translation; the genetic code, mutation, recombination, and regulation of gene expression. | ||
| BIOL 308 | Ecological Dynamics. 4 | 3 |
Ecological Dynamics. Terms offered: Fall 2026 Principles of population, community, and ecosystem dynamics: population growth and regulation, species interactions, dynamics of competitive interactions and of predator/prey systems; evolutionary dynamics. | ||
| ENVB 305 | Population and Community Ecology. 4 | 3 |
Population and Community Ecology. Terms offered: Winter 2027 Interactions between organisms and their environment; historical and current perspectives in applied and theoretical population and community ecology. Principles of population dynamics, feedback loops, and population regulation. Development and structure of communities; competition, predation and food web dynamics. Biodiversity science in theory and practice. | ||
| LSCI 211 | Biochemistry 1. | 3 |
Biochemistry 1. Terms offered: Fall 2026, Winter 2027 Biochemistry of carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, nucleic acids; enzymes and coenzymes. Introduction to intermediary metabolism. | ||
- 4
If chosen, you make take only one of the following courses: BIOL 308 or ENVB 305.
Advanced Ecology
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| AEBI 421 | Tropical Horticultural Ecology. | 3 |
Tropical Horticultural Ecology. Terms offered: Summer 2026 A comprehensive survey of the major fruit, vegetable, turf, and ornamental crops grown in Barbados. Effect of cultural practices, environment, pests and pathogens, social and touristic activities, and importation of horticultural produce on local horticulture. | ||
| BIOL 451 | Research in Ecology and Development in Africa. 5 | 3 |
Research in Ecology and Development in Africa. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Development of observation and independent inquiry skills through: 1) participation in short-term project modules in collaboration with existing researchers; 2) participation in interdisciplinary team research on topics selected to allow comparative analysis of field sites; 3) active and systematic observation, documentation, and integration of field experience in ecology and development issues. | ||
| BIOL 465 | Conservation Biology. | 3 |
Conservation Biology. Terms offered: Fall 2026 Discussion of relevant theoretical and applied issues in conservation biology. Topics: biodiversity, population viability analysis, community dynamics, biology of rarity, extinction, habitat fragmentation, social issues. | ||
| BIOL 553 | Neotropical Environments. | 3 |
Neotropical Environments. Terms offered: Winter 2027 Ecology revisited in view of tropical conditions. Exploring species richness. Sampling and measuring biodiversity. Conservation status of ecosystems, communities and species. Indigenous knowledge. | ||
| ENVB 410 | Ecosystem Ecology. | 3 |
Ecosystem Ecology. Terms offered: Fall 2026 Biotic and abiotic processes that control the flows of energy, nutrients and water through ecosystems; emergent system properties; approaches to analyzing complex systems. Labs include collection and multivariate analysis of field data. | ||
| ENVB 500 | Advanced Topics in Ecotoxicology. | 3 |
Advanced Topics in Ecotoxicology. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Exploring the impact of environmental chemicals on biological organisms in an ecological context. Basic topics in ecotoxicology, such as source and fate, routes of exposure, bioavailability, dose-response, biomarkers, and risk assessment will be covered from both theoretical and applied perspectives. The processes by which pollutants are tested, regulated, and monitored will be critically examined. | ||
| NRSC 451 | Research in Ecology and Development in Africa. 5 | 3 |
Research in Ecology and Development in Africa. Terms offered: Winter 2027 Development of observation and independent inquiry skills through: 1) participation in short-term project modules in collaboration with existing researchers; 2) participation in interdisciplinary team research on topics selected to allow comparative analysis of field sites; 3) active and systematic observation, documentation, and integration of field experience in ecology and development issues. | ||
- 5
If chosen, you may take only one of the following courses: BIOL 451 or NRSC 451.
Techniques and Management
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| AEBI 423 | Sustainable Land Use. | 3 |
Sustainable Land Use. Terms offered: Summer 2026 Management, preservation, and utilization of forage crops in sustainable tropical environments; examination of their value as livestock feed in terms of nutritional composition and impact on animal performance; land use issues as it pertains to forage and animal production in insular environments. | ||
| ENVB 529 | GIS for Natural Resource Management. 6 | 3 |
GIS for Natural Resource Management. Terms offered: Fall 2026 Applications of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and spatial analysis techniques to the presentation and analysis of ecological information, including sources and capture of spatial data; characterizing, transforming, displaying spatial data; and spatial analysis to solve resource management problems. | ||
| ENVR 422 | Montreal Urban Sustainability Analysis. | 3 |
Montreal Urban Sustainability Analysis. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Applied and experience-based learning opportunities are employed to critically assess Montreal as a sustainable city through research, discussion, and field trips. The urban environment is considered through various specific dimensions, ranging from: waste, energy, urban agriculture, green spaces and design, or transportation. | ||
| GEOG 201 | Introductory Geo-Information Science. 6 | 3 |
Introductory Geo-Information Science. Terms offered: Fall 2026 An introduction to Geographic Information Systems. The systematic management of spatial data. The use and construction of maps. The use of microcomputers and software for mapping and statistical work. Air photo and topographic map analyses. | ||
| GEOG 404 | Environmental Management 2. | 3 |
Environmental Management 2. Terms offered: Winter 2027 Practical application of environmental planning, analysis and management techniques with reference to the needs and problems of developing areas. Special challenges posed by cultural differences and traditional resource systems are discussed. This course involves practical field work in a developing area (Kenya or Panama). | ||
- 6
If chosen, you may take only one of the following courses: ENVB 529 or GEOG 201.
Immunology and Infectious Disease
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| MIMM 214 | Introductory Immunology: Elements of Immunity. | 3 |
Introductory Immunology: Elements of Immunity. Terms offered: Winter 2027 Basic immunology, organs and cells, elements of innate immunity, phagocytes, complement, elements of adaptive immunity, B-cells, T-cells, antigen presenting cells, MHC genes and molecules, antigen processing and presentation, cytokines and chemokines. Emphasis on anatomy and the molecular and cellular players working together as a physiological system to maintain human health. | ||
| MIMM 314 | Intermediate Immunology. | 3 |
Intermediate Immunology. Terms offered: Winter 2027 An intermediate-level immunology course covering the cellular and molecular basis of lymphocyte development and activation in immune responses in health and disease. | ||
| MIMM 324 | Fundamental Virology. | 3 |
Fundamental Virology. Terms offered: Fall 2026 A study of the fundamental properties of viruses and their interactions with host cells. Bacteriophages, DNA- and RNA-containing animal viruses, and retroviruses are covered. Emphasis will be on phenomena occurring at the molecular level and on the regulated control of gene expression in virus-infected cells. | ||
| MIMM 413 | Parasitology. 7 | 3 |
Parasitology. Terms offered: Winter 2027 A study of the biology, immunological aspects of host-parasite interactions, pathogenicity, epidemiology and molecular biological aspects of selected parasites of medical importance. Laboratory will consist of a lecture on techniques, demonstrations and practical work. | ||
| PARA 424 | Fundamental Parasitology. 7 | 3 |
Fundamental Parasitology. Terms offered: Winter 2027 Systematics, morphology, biology and ecology of parasitic protozoa, flatworms, roundworms and arthropods with emphasis on economically and medically important species. | ||
| PARA 438 | Immunology. | 3 |
Immunology. Terms offered: Fall 2026 An in-depth analysis of the principles of cellular and molecular immunology. The emphasis of the course is on host defence against infection and on diseases caused by abnormal immune responses. | ||
- 7
If chosen, you may take only one of the following courses: MIMM 413 or PARA 424.
Hydrology and Climate
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| AGRI 452 | Water Resources in Barbados. | 3 |
Water Resources in Barbados. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Physical environment challenges, centered on water, being faced by an island nation. Guest speakers, field study tours and laboratory tests. Private, government and NGO institutional context of conservation strategies, and water quantity and quality analyses for water management specific to Barbados. | ||
| BREE 217 | Hydrology and Water Resources. 8 | 3 |
Hydrology and Water Resources. Terms offered: Winter 2027 Introduction to water resources and hydrologic cycle. Precipitation and hydrologic frequency analysis. Soil water processes, infiltration theory and modeling. Evapotranspiration estimation methods and crop water requirements. Surface runoff estimation as a function of land use modifications. Estimation of peak runoff rates. Unit hydrograph. Design of open channels and vegetated waterways. | ||
| GEOG 321 | Climatic Environments. | 3 |
Climatic Environments. Terms offered: Winter 2027 The earth-atmosphere system, radiation and energy balances. Surface-atmosphere exchange of energy, mass and momentum and related atmospheric processes on a local and regional scale. Introduction to measurement theory and practice in micrometeorology. | ||
| GEOG 322 | Environmental Hydrology. 8 | 3 |
Environmental Hydrology. Terms offered: Fall 2026 Quantitative, experimental study of the principles governing the movement of water at or near the Earth's surface and how the research relates to the chemistry and biology of ecosystems. | ||
- 8
If chosen, you may take only one of the following courses: BREE 217 or GEOG 322.