EVSS 601 ECONOMIC THEORY FOR POLICY ANALYSIS: This course develops and applies microeconomic models and theories to the analysis of contemporary public sector issues. Attention is given to the conceptual and practical problems associated with resource allocation decisions when there is conflict among efficiency, equity and limited information in policy making. The foundations of welfare economy and techniques and applications of cost-benefit analysis as they relate to specific policy areas and programs are examined as well.

EVSS 602 PUBLIC POLICY: This course seeks to develop a firm understanding of the public policy making process in the United States. Students study policy making though various perspectives on implementation. The roles of major institutions including the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches of government, the bureaucracy and interest groups in this process are addressed. Integrated within this study of the process are various perspectives and interpretations of policy making, including incrementalism, rationalism, pluralism and elitism. Selected areas of public policy, including transportation, poverty, energy and the environment are used to illustrate both the process and the different perspectives.

EVSS 610 ENVIRONMENTAL BIOLOGY: This course emphasizes the application of fundamental toxicological and microbiological concepts to problems which exist in the real world. The course should prepare the student interested in environmental problems with the necessary practical information to make sound judgments in assessing meaningful solutions to existing environmental problems.

EVSS 640 EARTH SYSTEMS SCIENCE: This course investigates the interactions among the atmosphere, ocean, ice, solid-Earth and biological systems. Students will study the evolution of solid-Earth, the formation of the atmosphere and oceans, and the origin of life. Rate and scale of changes of the Earth's environment will be examined through an analysis of changing climates. Finally, the course examines human evolution and technological development to gain an understanding of human impacts on the global environment.

EVSS 641 AQUEOUS GEOCHEMISTRY: A detailed examination of the chemical processes that affect ground-and-surface waters, especially those which control the migration of common water contaminants. Topics include mass transport, equilibria, chemical retardation, Eh-pH stability, stable isotopes and geochemical cycles.

EVSS 646 GRADUATE CORE SEMINAR: Seminars on contemporary topics in environmental studies acquaint students with the variety of disciplines and techniques available to natural, physical, and policy scientists working in the environmental field. Designed especially to stimulate new-to-the-program students to choose their thesis topics and/or determine the focus of their program of study. The course will be devoted to a research colloquim format (each session would be conducted by a different MES faculty member, but sessions would be organized by one MES faculty member serving as the "intructor of record").

EVSS 650 ENERGY PRODUCTION AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT: A study of the nature of energy and scientific issues relating to its production, storage, distribution and use from a physics perspective. Production methods to be studied include: Hydroelectric, fossil fuel, fission, fusion, wind, photovoltaic, bio-mass and solar-dynamic. Scientific issues will be related to the cultural and philosophical framework surrounding energy infrastructure and policy.

EVSS 659 ENVIRONMENTAL STATISTICS: This course provides an introduction to environmental statistics. Topics include probability, correlation, regression, hypothesis testing, analysis of variance, model testing, residual analysis, and nonparametric models. Environmental applications will be provided throughout the course. (Statistics prerequisite required)

EVSS 680 CASE STUDIES IN ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES: This course investigates specific case studies. Case studies impart a unique opportunity to explore basic principles of biology, chemistry, geology and physics through practical applications. This approach to problems will be similar to that used by the practitioners of science and public policy. PREREQUISITE: ALL CORE COURSES

EVSS 624 BIOMETRY: A broad treatment of statistics concentrating on specific statistical techniques used in biological research. Topics covered include sampling procedures and analysis of distributions (binomial, poisson, and normal), hypothesis testing and estimation with emphasis on analysis of frequencies, regression and correlation. Several nonparametic and multivatiate methods are also discussed. Emphasis is on application of statistical techniques and not theory, therefore a knowledge of mathematics through calculus is expected.

EVSS 659 ENVIRONMENTAL STATISTICS: This course provides an introduction to environmental statistics. Topics include probability, correlation, regression, hypothesis testing, analysis of variance, model testing, residual analysis, and nonparametric models. Environmental applications will be provided throughout the course. (Statistics prerequisite required)

EVSS 605 ENVIRONMENTAL LAW & REGULATORY POLICY: This course concentrates on the development of environmental laws and regulations in this country.  The course is taught by an attorney and will help students develop an understanding of the scope and substance of environmental laws and the methods by which these statutes address environmental issues using different regulatory techniques.

EVSS 607 ADMINISTRATIVE LAW: A study of the legislative, adjudicatory, and general policy-making powers of administrative agencies and regulatory commissions, and the scope of judicial review of administrative action. The course is directed primarily toward an analysis of the political nature of the bureaucracy, and secondarily toward the procedural requirements for administrative policy-making.

EVSS 608 PERSPECTIVES ON PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION: The study and practice of public administration in the United States in the 20th century and today. This course examines the historical development of the field of public administration and current approaches to the study and practice of public administration.

EVSS 609 ADMINISTRATIVE ETHICS AND ACCOUNTABILITY: A critical examination of the legal, political, professional, and organizational accountability demands made on administrators and their relationship to ethical decision making and ethical integrity.

EVSS 630 NATURAL RESOURCE LAW: This course is about the laws and policy that regulate and affect the use of natural resources including: (1) air, water, and sensitive ecosystems; (2) range land, wilderness areas, endangered species, fish and wildlife; (3) gold, silver, iron, copper and other "hard rock" minerals; (4) forest land and timber; (5) water in rivers, lakes, marshes and underground reservoirs; (6) energy sources such as oil, gas, coal, uranium and falling waters; (7) alternative energy sources such as geothermal resources, wind and biomass; and (8) most importantly, land.  This survey/overview course will include an introduction to the administrative law of federal agencies that regulate the use of public lands and resources.

EVSS 633 URBAN PLANNING: This course analyzes contemporary issues/problems in the urban arena and the role of planning in implementing solutions to them. An overview of urbanization and the planning process is given to begin the semester. The majority of the time, however, is spent on studying a variety of issues from economic development through the environment to homelessness. The emphasis is on connecting planning and what planners do with ideas and events in the larger society; less time is spent on dates and names of federal programs and specifics of the planning process. Students are expected to achieve a knowledge of contemporary urban issues, potential planning solutions, and apply this information to an empirical study in the metropolitan Charleston area.

EVSS 635 LAND USE LAW: This course examines zoning and land use control in the United States and incorporates illustrations and cases from South Carolina in particular. It focuses on enabling legislation for local governments, regulation, the process of development, eminent domain, contract and conditional zoning, and enforcement and violation of land use regulations.

EVSS 637 WETLANDS POLICY: This seminar will provide graduate students with a broad understanding of the social origins, philosophies, and political, economic, and cultural impacts of wetlands protection in the United States. What are the goals of wetlands protection? What are the problems associated with the implementation of wetlands regulations? How have policymakers addressed these problems? What innovative solutions are policymakers, developers, nonprofit organizations, and consulting firms proposing to address the land use and other conflicts and implementation difficulties innate in wetlands policy? These and related questions will be explored from a variety of points of view. Those whose views are critical or uncertain about the protection of wetlands, as well as those who are sympathetic to it, are welcome in the seminar. Throughout this course, substantial attention is placed on the citizen’s role in the protection of wetlands and local level approaches to wetlands policy. There is no specific graduate course that students need to have taken before enrolling in this seminar. Several field trips to locations such as Caw Caw Interpretive Center, Hampton Plantation along the Santee, and Bull Island in the Cape Romaine National Wildlife Refuge are included in this course to promote connections between real world cases and academic research.

BIOLOGY

EVSS 620 BIOLOGY OF CORAL REEFS: An introduction to the biology and ecology of reef-building corals and coral reefs. Topics to be covered include coral ecology (nutrition, reproduction,growth, population structure), taxonomy and systematics, distribution,reef-building processes, and natural and human induced disturbances.

EVSS 620 PHYSIOLOGY & CELL BIOLOGY OF MARINE ORGANISMS: A study of the regulatory mechanisms found in marine organisms especially as they relate to interactions between the organism and the environment. Mechanisms will be discussed at the organismal, organ-system, tissue, and cellular levels.

EVSS 622 ECOLOGY OF MARINE ORGANISMS: The study of living organisms in the marine environment - population and community ecology, reproduction and life histories, productivity, evolution and biogeography. A broad overview of these elements is followed by detailed consideration of major coastal and oceanic ecosystems around the world.

EVSS 623 PHYSICAL OCEANOGRAPHY: A study of the physics and chemistry of ocean and estuarine water, circulation, waves, and tides. Lecture and laboratory work will emphasize the interrelationships of physical, chemical, geological, and biological processes in the sea.

EVSS 626 ENVIRONMENTAL IMMUNOLOGY: This course provides an introduction to the field of basic immunology, an understanding of scientific approaches and techniques used for assessing the effects of environmental stressors on human and wildlife populations, and training in the critical review and presentation of literature in the areas of immunotoxicology, clinical and comparative immunology.

EVSS 627 MARINE TETRAPOD BIOLOGY: This lecture, laboratory, and field course emphasizes both the diversity and common themes of the physiological, behavioral, and anatomical adaptations that characterize certain lineages of reptiles, birds, and mammals that exploit a wide array of marine habitats. Highlighting the faunas of South Carolina, we will evaluate marine tetrapods as models for advanced studies in evolution, physiology, behavior, ecology, and conservation.

EVSS 628 PLANT ECOLOGY: Plant Ecology will explore the population ecology of plants covering the genetic, spatial, age, and size structure of plant populations. The focus will be on understanding the origin of these different kinds of structured, understanding how they influence each other, and understanding why they change with time.

EVSS 629 CONSERVATION BIOLOGY: A course exploring the origin, maintenance, and preservation of biodiversity at all levels: genetic, population, community, ecosystem and biosphere. The focus will be on applying ecological, genetic, and evolutionary principles to problems in conservation. The lab component of this course will consist primarily of field trips that emphasize local and regional conservation issues.

EVSS 721 AQUACULTURE: This course will take a holistic perspective on aquaculture and how it is practiced in both freshwater and saltwater, domestically and globally.

EVSS 722 MARINE INVERTEBRATE ZOOLOGY: A study of the functional morphology, life history, taxonomy, and other selected aspects of the biology of marine invertebrates.

EVSS 723 BIOLOGY OF CRUSTACEA: A study of the biology of crustacean arthropods. Topics include evolution, taxonomy, functional morphology, physiology, embryology, ecology, behavior, commercial management and aquaculture.

EVSS 724 ICHTHYOLOGY: A study of fishes, emphasizing diversity and evolution, morphology, physiology, ecology, life histories, behavior, systematics and biogeography. Laboratory work will focus on groups important in the local fauna.

EVSS 725 MARINE BOTANY: Introduction to taxonomy, morphology, phylogeny, and ecology of marine plants. Major groups of planktonic and benthic algae and vascular plants from the coast of South Carolina are studied.

EVSS 726 FISHERIES SCIENCE: A general introduction to methods of harvesting aquatic resources and collection and evaluation of biological data to effectively manage these resources. Topics include age and growth analysis; mortality, recruitment, and yield; production and early life history; stock assessment techniques; and detailed study of certain important fisheries.

EVSS 746 AQUATIC TOXICOLOGY: An introduction to assessing the effects of toxic substances on aquatic organisms and ecosystems. Topics include general principles of toxicology, fate and transport models, quantitative structure-activity relationships, single-species and community-level toxicity measures, regulatory issues, and career opportunities. Examples will be drawn from marine, freshwater and brackish-water systems.

GEOLOGY

EVSS 638 INTRODUCTORY HYDROGEOLOGY: Course provides introduction to quantitative nature of water flow within geologic media. Discuss significance of water flow theory and the dynamics of many natural flow systems in geologic settings. Quantitative analysis of water resources in a decision making format.

EVSS 639 WETLANDS HYDROGEOLOGY AND BIOGEOCHEMISTRY: Introduction to water flow and biogeochemical processes in wetland systems. Discuss the significance of hydrology in wetlands and importance of biogeochemical cycles on water quality in wetlands. Quantitative analysis of water budgets and biochemical. Lectures and student-led seminars.

EVSS 642 GEOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS OF REMOTE SENSING: Course will cover the fundamentals and applications of remote sensing. Topics include: remote sensing theory, data collection, reduction and application, computer software tools, data acquisition and ties to geographic information systems (GIS). The course emphasis is on environmental problems.

EVSS 645 COASTAL ISSUES AND PROCESSES: This course will provide an in-depth understanding of the coastal environment, including coastal policies and environmental issues that result from the activity of humans. Subjects that will be covered include: origin of coastlines, physical processes, coastal hazards, and coastal zone management.

EVSS 649 GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS: This course will covers spatial types and quality, data input operations, database management, data analysis, and software design concerns. We will also examine institutional and political concerns for using GIS. Computer-based GIS software (Unix, PC, and Mac) will be used throughout the course.

PHYSICS

EVSS 656 ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCE: An introduction to the study of the Earth's atmosphere. Topics covered include composition and distribution of the components of the atmosphere, atmospheric thermodynamics, synoptic meteorology, atmospheric aerosol, nucleation processes, microphysics of warm and cold clouds, cloud morphology, violent storms, and artificial modification of clouds and precipitation.

EVSS 657 SATELLITE METEOROLOGY: Satellite meteorology is the measurement of weather by sensors aboard Earth-orbiting satellites. Topics include satellite orbits and navigation; electromagnetic radiation; instrumentation; image interpretation; atmospheric temperature; wind, clouds, precipitation, and radiation.

EVSS 658 CLIMATE CHANGE: An introduction to the study of the physics of the Earth's climate. Topics include climatic change and classification; the spectrum of radiation; absorption; scattering; transmission; radiation; the tropospheric balance; the energy balance at the Earth's surface; time variations in the energy balance; apparent forces in a rotating coordinate system; the horizontal and vertical equations of motion; the continuity equation; the primitive equations; thermally driven circulation; the atmospheric transport of energy; the atmosphere as a heat engine; the ozone problem.

Recent Special Topics (EVSS 695) courses are listed below. New Special Topics Courses are also offered on a regular basis.

EVSS 695 ADVANCED GIS: Advanced study of spatial types and quality, data input operations, database management, data analysis, and software design concerns. We will also examine institutional and political concerns for using GIS. Computer-based GIS software (Unix, PC, and Mac) will be used throughout the course.

EVSS 695 CLIMATE CHANGE MODELING: An introduction to the study of the physics of the Earth's climate. Topics include climatic change and classification; the spectrum of radiation; absorption; scattering; transmission; radiation; the tropospheric balance; the energy balance at the Earth's surface; time variations in the energy balance; apparent forces in a rotating coordinate system; the horizontal and vertical equations of motion; the continuity equation; the primitive equations; thermally driven circulation; the atmospheric transport of energy; the atmosphere as a heat engine; the ozone problem.

EVSS 695 ECOPRENEURSHIP: This course approaches environmental problems as entrepreneurial opportunities and sees entrepreneurs as influential in creating social and economic change. This course will help students recognize opportunities to create new businesses that move us towards a more sustainable economy. Industry sectors with strong representation the Lowcountry with a high need and/or possibility for improvement in environmental sustainability will be a particular focus. Students will learn about these sectors through speakers, case studies and industry research. Students will also learn about the business case for sustainability and about creating value for all of an organization’s stakeholders. Students will work to develop a well-defined sustainable new business concept..

EVSS 695 ENVIRONMENTAL COMMUNITY OUTREACH: The course researches experiences with environmental community outreach. Class members participant observe; interview stakeholders such as residents, town administrators, enforcement personnel, etc.; and perform quantiative, qualitiative, and Geographic Informations Systems (GIS) analyses to create an outreach document. Through the class, students will be trained in strategic planning for community outreach, sharing science, and innovative techniques for evaluating environmental regulation.

EVSS 695 ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE: This class critically examines social justice aspects of environmental problems, and focuses on the historic and current roles that economic systems, science, discourse, race, ethnicity, and gender play in shaping human interactions with the environment. It explores how these interactions impact human communities, as well as what can be done to mitigate differential impacts through movements of environmental justice. In particular, this course takes on and explores in-depth contentious issues such as population growth, resource use, the framing of environmental 'risks,' global climate change, consumer-based social movements surrounding alternative trade and development, food biotechnology, toxic waste disposal and facility citing.

EVSS 695 ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT: This course offers an interdisciplinary examination of environmental planning and management theories, concepts, and practices. Specifically, we will consider collaborative, land conservation, natural resource management, ecosystem, and watershed approaches from the perspective of the social science and planning literatures.

EVSS 695 GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE: This course will explore various human dimensions of global climate change including the physical science, present and projected effects, and legal, economic, and political policy solutions. The core of the course will revolve around post-Kyoto climate negotiations, where each student will represent a "key" country of their choice. The course will culminate with a mock Post-Kyoto Climate Conference where students will represent their country in negotiating the "2009 Charleston Climate Accord." This will be an experiential course and will be highly interactive in that it will not only cover the substance of climate change, but will engage in online and classroom debate and negotiation .

EVSS 695 LIGHT POLLUTION: This course examines the subject of light pollution in the United States. Students will review the physics and chemistry of light emission and investigate how that knowledge is used in lighting. The student will see how the environment and human vision are affected by the choices made in lighting design and use. Various remedies will be evaluated and some case studies will be presented. Pollution across the electromagnetic spectrum will be outlined..

EVSS 695 LOCAL AND REGIONAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT - POLICY AND PRACTICE: This course examines the forces that drive regional growth and change and assesses the policies and practices that are commonly used in pursuit of economic growth, including industrial targeting, incentives, and human capital development.

EVSS 695 POLITICAL ECOLOGY:This class critically examines the relationship between humans and their  environments, focusing on the politically volatile nature of human resource  use, how  resource distribution occurs (evenly or unevenly), who controls the  distribution, and how the distribution impacts local and global economic,  social, and ecological systems .

EVSS 695 POLLUTION IN THE ENVIRONMENT: The main goal of this course is to help understand fundamental physical, chemical, and biological processes that affect transport and fate of both human-induced and natural pollutants in the environment. This course is designed for students that have strong interests in environmental sciences and have had basic preparation in sciences such as chemistry, geology, and/or biology. This course will provide the scientific basis that will allow making prudent decisions in managing and mitigating pollution of the natural world. In general, pollution is defined as excessive accumulation or release of various physical, chemical, and biological substances within or into the environment with, sometimes, catastrophic consequences. Pollution is ubiquitous and can occur on or within land, oceans, and in the atmosphere. Given its complex nature, this course will take a multidisciplinary approach to address environmental pollution issues. Also, for the same reason, this will serve as a broad survey and will mostly focus on the geological environment. You will, however, have the opportunity to pursue any of the topics from this course in detail on your own as a research project.

EVSS 695 URBAN AND REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT: This course provides students with a rigorous introduction to theories of urban and regional development.  The goal of this course is to give students the basic toolkit required to think critically and coherently about urban and regional economic development.  The major themes of this course are why industries locate where they do; why there are tendencies toward the geographic concentration and dispersion of economic activity; why economic activity tends to concentrate in cities; how globalization affects these processes; and whether regions tend to become more similar or remain distinct in the process of economic development.  Students will learn the basic models for explaining these processes, though there will be no formal modeling in this class.  An understanding of microeconomic theory is recommended, but not required.

EVSS 695 URBAN TRANSPORTATION: PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS: Transportation planning is a policy tool, and while it is generally carried out with the goal of facilitating movement in the city, that is rarely the only goal.  Other goals include encouraging overall economic development, fostering specific kinds of development in specific places, reducing energy consumption and environmental pollution, promoting growth in the construction and transport machinery industries, creating a more equitable society, isolating “undesirable” neighborhoods, creating a sense of community, and building impressive engineering monuments.  These other goals, some of which are contradictory as you can see, frequently co-exist with the primary goal of facilitating movement and often impose conflicting demands on proposed solutions. This course will focus primarily, though not exclusively, on transportation and land use issues in the U.S. context. 

EVSS 695 WILDLIFE LAW: The course goes beyond the Endangered Species Act to look at other U.S. statutes dealing with wildlife, as well as international treaties and conventions. Topics include public and private interests in wildlife, protection for biodiversity and ecosystems, federal land issues, perhaps some state fish and game law administration, fisheries, and definitely, international wildlife law. This course is of particular interest to students interested in fisheries, turtles, dolphins and endangered species conservation. There are no prerequisites. Although a standard law school casebook will be used, suitable for a graduate level course, it is not necessary to have had a prior law class.