Environment, Ecology, and Energy Program

Introduction

The Environment, Ecology, and Energy Program (E3P) offers diverse and multidisciplinary undergraduate degree programs in environmental science (B.S.) and environmental studies (B.A.). Faculty throughout the University, including the College of Arts and Sciences and the schools of business, government, law, and public health, mentor students through courses, internships, and research opportunities. This unique approach provides students an opportunity to explore the knowledge base needed to understand the environment and its relationship to society, as well as the applications of that knowledge in areas such as environmental modeling; aquatic systems; environmental behavior and decisions; environmental change and human health; ecology, conservation, and biodiversity; energy management; and population and the environment. The degrees combine traditional classroom teaching with extensive use of interdisciplinary, team-based projects, internships, study abroad opportunities, and research.

Advising

E3P maintains an advising system for students with an environmental interest. Students are encouraged to contact the director of undergraduate studies as early as they wish in their academic plan to discuss options and be assigned to a faculty advisor. Students may use the advising system from the time they enter UNC–Chapel Hill, obtaining advice from specialists in the various environmental fields. This advising system includes opportunities to meet with professionals from government, industry, and consulting to learn about the skills needed to work effectively in those fields if students are interested. In addition we routinely schedule seminars and host visitors who showcase career opportunities by their example in their respective fields.

Facilities

Program faculty and staff, including the EcoStudio Internship Incubator, occupy offices and laboratories in Venable/Murray Halls (third and fourth floors).  Faculty are also located at facilities in Manteo, Morehead City, and Highlands, N.C. 

Graduate School and Career Opportunities

A major in environmental science or studies prepares students for a variety of career options, including marine scientist, ecologist, environmental modeler, energy project manager, environmental policy maker, conservation advocate, land use planner, and environmental educator. Combining either major with other studies at the undergraduate or graduate level can lead to careers as an environmental lawyer, epidemiologist, or environmental geneticist, to cite a few examples.

Affiliated Professors

Carol Arnosti (Earth, Marine, and Environmental Sciences), Todd Bendor (City and Regional Planning), Jaye Cable (Earth, Marine, and Environmental Sciences), Karl Castillo (Earth, Marine, and Environmental Sciences), Joel Fodrie (Earth, Marine, and Environmental Sciences), Clark Gray (Geography), Elizabeth Havice (Geography), Donald Hornstein (School of Law), Allen Hurlbert (Biology), Rich Kamens (Environmental Sciences and Engineering), Joel Kingsolver (Biology), Paul Leslie (Anthropology), Christopher Martens (Earth, Marine, and Environmental Sciences), Charles Mitchell (Biology), Laura J. Moore (Earth, Marine, and Environmental Sciences), Rachel Noble (Institute for Marine Sciences), Tamlin Pavelsky (Earth, Marine, and Environmental Sciences), David Pfennig (Biology), Karin Pfennig (Biology), Michael Piehler (Institute for Marine Sciences), Maria Servedio (Biology), Conghe Song (Geography), Andrew Yates (Economics).

Affiliated Associate Professors

Angel Hsu (Public Policy), Adrian Marchetti (Earth, Marine, and Environmental Sciences), Aaron Moody (Geography), Janet Nye (Earth, Marine, and Environmental Sciences), Diego Riveros-Iregui (Geography), Colin West (Anthropology).

Affiliated Assistant Professors

Benjamin Bridges (American Studies), Amanda DelVecchia (Geography), Miyuki Hino (City and Regional Planning), Noah Kittner (Environmental Sciences and Engineering), Sophie McCoy (Biology), Caela O'Connell (Anthropology), Antonia Sebastian (Earth, Marine, and Environmental Sciences), Paul Tallie (Geography). 

Research Faculty

Richard Andrews (Emeritus, Public Policy), Dick Bilsborrow (Biostatistics), Jim Costa (Western Carolina University), Elizabeth Dickinson (Kenan–Flagler Business School), Lindsay Dubbs (Coastal Studies Institute), Rich Kamens (Environmental Sciences and Enginnering), David McNelis (Institute for the Environment), Robert Peet (Emeritus, Biology), Rada Petric (Western Carolina University), Johnny Randall (N.C. Botanical Gardens), Elizabeth Shay (Appalachian State University), Alan Weakley (NC Botanical Garden), Gary Wein (Highlands Trust), Peter White (Emeritus, Biology), Haven Wiley (Emeritus, Biology).

Teaching Professors

Geoffrey Bell, Greg Gangi.

Teaching Associate Professor

Amy Cooke.

Teaching Assistant Professors

Lama BouFajreldin, Léda Gerber Van Doren.

Lecturer

Brian Naess.

ENEC–Environment, Ecology, and Energy

Undergraduate-level Courses

IDEAs in Action General Education logoENEC 51.  First-Year Seminar: Balancing the Environment: Science, Human Values, and Policy in North Carolina.  3 Credits.  

This course examines the ways in which scientific information, human values, and the policy process interact to produce environmental change, economic growth, and social justice in North Carolina.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FY-SEMINAR.
Making Connections Gen Ed: SS.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoENEC 89.  First Year Seminar: Special Topics.  3 Credits.  

Special topics course. Content will vary each semester.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FY-SEMINAR.
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ENEC 101.  Global Environmental Change.  3 Credits.  

Interdisciplinary course exploring the intersection between the natural world and society. Students will learn about how natural systems work, the ecosystem services they provide to societies, how global change has impacted these services on local and global scales, and how science is used to find solutions to these problems and inform environmental policy.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ENEC 108.  Our Energy and Climate Crises: Challenges and Opportunities.  4 Credits.  

Students quantify global depletion of energy resources and accompanying environmental degradation, hence discovering the profound changes in attitudes and behavior required to adjust to diminished fossil fuels and modified climate.

Rules & Requirements  
Making Connections Gen Ed: PL, GL.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: PWAD 108.  
ENEC 191.  Peoples of Siberia.  3 Credits.  

Comparative study of the cultural and biological diversity of peoples of Siberia from prehistoric through contemporary times. Course topics include the biological diversity, culture, behavior, and history of Siberian populations.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: ANTH 191.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoENEC 201.  Introduction to Environment and Society.  4 Credits.  

Human-environment interactions are examined through analytical methods from the social sciences, humanities, and sciences. The focus is on the role of social, political, and economic factors in controlling interactions between society and the environment in historical and cultural contexts. Three lecture hours and one recitation hour a week. Honors version available.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FY-LAUNCH (only designated sections), FC-GLOBAL or FC-POWER.
Making Connections Gen Ed: SS, GL.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoENEC 202.  Introduction to the Environmental Sciences.  4 Credits.  

Examines fundamental processes governing the movement and transformation of material and energy in environmental systems. Focuses on the role of these processes in environmental phenomena and how society perturbs these processes. Integrates methods from a range of scientific disciplines. Three lecture hours and three computer laboratory hours a week.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-NATSCI, FC-LAB.
Making Connections Gen Ed: PX.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoENEC 203.  Introduction to Environmental Science Problem Solving.  3 Credits.  

A quantitative introduction to selected topics in environmental sciences with an emphasis on developing and solidifying problem-solving skills.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-NATSCI or FC-QUANT.
Requisites: Prerequisite, MATH 231.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ENEC 204.  Environmental Seminar.  1-3 Credits.  

This course will provide an intellectual focus on the interface between environment and society by examining the relationship among science, policy, and actual management practices on a chosen topic.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ENEC 208.  New Frontiers: Environment and Society in the United States.  3-4 Credits.  

By employing a multidisciplinary approach, this class will give students a sense of the role that the environment has played in shaping United States society and the role that our society plays in producing environmental change at the national and global level. Honors version available.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ENEC 210.  Energy in a Sustainable Environment Seminar.  1 Credits.  

This seminar series will provide a general introduction to energy sources, resources, technologies, and societal use from a sustainability perspective.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ENEC 220.  North Carolina Estuaries: Environmental Processes and Problems.  3 Credits.  

Natural processes and human impacts on estuarine systems using the Neuse River estuary as a case study. Course includes one week of intensive field work based at the Institute of Marine Sciences. A student may not receive credit for this course after receiving credit for ENEC 222. Course previously offered as MASC 220.

Rules & Requirements  
Making Connections Gen Ed: PX, EE- Field Work.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: EMES 220.  
ENEC 222.  Estuarine and Coastal Marine Science.  4 Credits.  

Introduction to the estuarine and coastal environment: geomorphology, physical circulation, nutrient loading, primary and secondary production, carbon and nitrogen cycling, benthic processes, and sedimentation. Consideration given to human impact on coastal systems with emphasis on North Carolina estuaries and sounds. Includes a mandatory weekend field trip and laboratory.

Rules & Requirements  
Making Connections Gen Ed: PL, QI.  
Requisites: Prerequisites, MATH 231 and either CHEM 101 or PHYS 114.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoENEC 237.  Food, Environment, and Sustainability.  3 Credits.  

Explores the nexus of agricultural, ecological, and food systems as they dynamically interact. The class examines case studies from North Carolina and other parts of the world. Themes include nutrition, food security, agroecology, and sustainable livelihoods. Students engage in readings, class projects, and hands-on activities in a laboratory setting.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-KNOWING.
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: ANTH 237.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoENEC 238.  Human Ecology of Africa.  3 Credits.  

Course examines human adaptations to environments across Africa. Focuses on livelihood systems such as farming, herding and hunting/gathering.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-GLOBAL.
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: ANTH 238.  
ENEC 241.  Energy and Culture Seminar for the Thailand Field Site.  1 Credits.  

This one credit hour course meets the semester before UNC students go to study abroad at the Institute for the Environment Thailand Field Site. The course will prepare students for the research portion of the program. Student should be applying to the field site when taking this course.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ENEC 242.  Ecology and Culture Seminar for Ecuador Field Site.  1 Credits.  

This one credit hour seminar is only open to students who are planning to participate in the spring research semester in Ecuador. The main purpose of this seminar is to prepare students for this six-month experience in Ecuador by discussing both research methods and Ecuadorian society.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ENEC 253.  Introduction to Atmospheric Processes.  4 Credits.  

Includes one-hour laboratory. Atmospheric processes including radiation, dynamics, and thermodynamics are emphasized. Circulations across a range of temporal and spatial scales are described. Links between environmental problems and the atmosphere are explored.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisites, MATH 231 and either CHEM 102 or PHYS 114.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: GEOG 253.  
ENEC 254.  International Environmental Politics.  3 Credits.  

Covers the politics of environmental issues, with a focus on issues that have become internationalized. It focuses on the special problems that arise in creating rules for environmental management and regulation when no single government has authority to enforce those rules.

Rules & Requirements  
Making Connections Gen Ed: SS, GL.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: POLI 254.  
ENEC 256.  Mountain Biodiversity.  4 Credits.  

Introduction to the new field of biodiversity studies, which integrates approaches from systematics, ecology, evolution, and conservation. Taught at off-campus field station.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: BIOL 256.  
ENEC 259.  Coral Reef Ecology and Management.  3 Credits.  

The course familiarizes students with the natural history, ecology, and physical and chemical characteristics of the coral reef environment. Policy and management issues are also examined.

Rules & Requirements  
Making Connections Gen Ed: EE- Field Work.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ENEC 263.  Environmental Field Studies in Siberia.  4 Credits.  

This course explores the biogeography of Siberia and gives students practical training on how to do field work in field ecology and physical geography.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: GEOG 263.  
ENEC 264.  Conservation of Biodiversity in Theory and Practice.  3 Credits.  

This course will give students a multidisciplinary introduction to growing field of biodiversity preservation.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, ENEC 201; permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: GEOG 264.  
ENEC 266.  Contemporary Africa: Issues in Health, Population, and the Environment.  3 Credits.  

A seminar that introduces students to non-Western perspectives and comparative study of ecological, social, and economic factors that influence the welfare of contemporary African communities. Examination of famine, population growth, and health issues within the context of African cultural and social systems.

Rules & Requirements  
Making Connections Gen Ed: SS, BN.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ENEC 272.  Local Flora.  3 Credits.  

Open to all undergraduates. North Carolina's flora: recognition, identification, classification, evolution, history, economics, plant families, ecology, and conservation. Three lecture hours per week.

Rules & Requirements  
Making Connections Gen Ed: PX.  
Requisites: Prerequisites, BIOL 101, and 101L or 102L; Corequisite, BIOL 272L.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: BIOL 272.  
ENEC 272L.  Local Flora Lab.  1 Credits.  

Open to all undergraduates. North Carolina's flora: recognition, identification, classification, evolution, history, economics, plant families, ecology, and conservation. Three laboratory hours per week.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisites, BIOL 101, and 101L or 102L; Corequisite, BIOL 272.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: BIOL 272L.  
ENEC 304.  Restoration Ecology.  4 Credits.  

Explores ecological theory and its application to the restoration of terrestrial, aquatic, and marine ecosystems. Requires 30 hours of service to a local restoration project in which students will collect ecological data for a final case study project.

Rules & Requirements  
Making Connections Gen Ed: EE- Service Learning, EE- Mentored Research.  
Requisites: Prerequisite, BIOL 201 or ENEC 202.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ENEC 305.  Data Analysis and Visualization of Social and Environmental Interactions.  4 Credits.  

Principles of spatial and temporal data analysis are applied to issues of the role of society in producing environmental change. Methods include statistical analysis, model development, and computer visualization. Three lecture hours and one laboratory hour a week.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, ECON 400, ENEC 201, MATH 231, or STOR 155.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ENEC 307.  Energy and Material Flows in the Environment and Society.  3 Credits.  

Examines regional to global scale flow of materials and energy through materials extractions, processing, manufacturing, product use, recycling, and disposal, including relevance to policy development. Reviews natural cycles, basic physics, and technology of energy production.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisites, ENEC 201 and MATH 231 or MATH 152; permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ENEC 308.  Environmental History.  3 Credits.  

Historical development of the system of beliefs, values, institutions, etc, underlying societal response to the environment in different cultures is analyzed. The approach is interdisciplinary, drawing on methods from history, philosophy, psychology, etc. Three lecture hours a week.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ENEC 309.  Environmental Values and Valuation.  3 Credits.  

Introduction to the methods for assigning value to aspects of the environment and to interhuman and human-environment interactions. The approach is interdisciplinary, drawing on methods from philosophy, ecology, psychology, aesthetics, economics, religion, etc. Online course.

Rules & Requirements  
Making Connections Gen Ed: SS.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ENEC 310.  Coastal Environmental Change.  3 Credits.  

An exploration of the large-scale evolution of coastal environments, including relevance of geologic setting, wave and sediment transport processes, the evolution of beach and barrier island morphology, and issues of coastal environmental management. Course previously offered as GEOL 310/MASC 316.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, EMES 101,103, 200, 201, or 401; permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: EMES 310.  
ENEC 312.  Risk-Based International Environmental Decisions.  3 Credits.  

A Web-based course on the methods and roles of risk assessment in the international setting, with a primary focus on United States-European Union applications in environmental policy decisions.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ENEC 320.  The Future of Energy.  3 Credits.  

This course takes a deep dive into the global energy transition, studying the rapidly-evolving renewable energy and energy-efficiency technologies, prices for new energy sources like solar and wind, and competition with fossil and nuclear fuels. Honors version available.

Rules & Requirements  
Making Connections Gen Ed: SS, GL.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoENEC 324.  Water in Our World: Introduction to Hydrologic Science and Environmental Problems.  3 Credits.  

This introductory course will cover two broad themes: the physical processes of the hydrologic cycle and how human use (and abuse) of freshwater resources can lead to major environmental problems. PX credit for ENEC/EMES 324 + 324L. PL credit for ENEC/EMES 324. Course previously offered as GEOL 324.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-NATSCI.
Making Connections Gen Ed: PX.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: EMES 324.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoENEC 324L.  Water in Our World Laboratory.  1 Credits.  

Students will conduct laboratory and field experiments to reinforce the topics covered in ENEC/GEOL 324. PX credit for ENEC/EMES 324 + 324L. Course previously offered as GEOL 324L.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-LAB.
Requisites: Pre- or corequisite, ENEC/GEOL 324.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: EMES 324L.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoENEC 325.  Water Resource Management and Human Rights.  3-4 Credits.  

This course explores logistical, political, social, and economic challenges in supplying every human with adequate access to clean water, the most basic human right. Honors version available.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-POWER or FC-VALUES.
Making Connections Gen Ed: PH, GL.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ENEC 330.  Principles of Sustainability.  3 Credits.  

This course introduces students to theories, principles, and measurement of sustainability. It also provides an overview of sustainability in national and international contexts.

Rules & Requirements  
Making Connections Gen Ed: SS, GL.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: PLAN 330.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoENEC 350.  Environmental Law and Policy.  3 Credits.  

This course gives students an overview of environmental law and some practical experience in environmental policy making.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-VALUES.
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ENEC 351.  Coastal Law and Policy.  3 Credits.  

The utilization of common coastal resources, the management of fisheries, and coastal zone management guide an examination of coastal laws, policies, and regulations at the federal, state, and local levels. Taught at off-campus field station.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ENEC 352.  Marine Fisheries Ecology.  3 Credits.  

Gives students a foundation in population biology and the ecological processes that influence populations of economically important fish and shellfish. Students will gain practical quantitative skills including statistical analyses, model development, and data visualization. Familiarity with introductory statistics concepts is preferred but not necessary.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, EMES 103, 401, or ENEC 202.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: EMES 352.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoENEC 368.  Living Things, Wilderness, and Ecosystems: An Introduction to Environmental Ethics.  3 Credits.  

The meaning of environmental values and their relation to other values; the ethical status of animals, species, wilderness, and ecosystems; the built environment; environmental justice; ecofeminism; obligations to future generations.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-VALUES.
Making Connections Gen Ed: PH, GL.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: PHIL 368.  
ENEC 370.  Agriculture and the Environment.  3 Credits.  

Introduction to the ecology of agricultural practices and the impact of food production on the environment. Particular attention will be paid to the constraints on agriculture which must be overcome to feed the planet's growing population. Honors version available.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoENEC 371.  Energy Policy.  3 Credits.  

This course will provide an overview of some of the most challenging energy issues of the 21st century and will cover the tools and perspectives necessary to analyze those problems.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-GLOBAL.
Making Connections Gen Ed: SS.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: PLCY 371.  
ENEC 372.  Global Environment: Policy Analysis and Solutions.  3 Credits.  

Explores linkages among nations, global environmental institutions, and the environmental problems they cause and seek to rectify. Introduces pressing challenges of the global environment such as China and India's energy and climate policies, the environmental impacts of coal, nuclear energy, shale gas and fracking, and marine pollution. Discusses perspectives of nations, the role of financial markets and NGOs, and the international community involved in crafting policy solutions.

Rules & Requirements  
Making Connections Gen Ed: SS.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: PLCY 372.  
ENEC 373.  Confronting Climate Change in the Anthropocene.  3 Credits.  

Climate change-perhaps the defining issue of the 21st century-is a highly complex problem that requires interdisciplinary collaboration to develop policy responses. This course explores the science of climate change and uses theories from multiple disciplines, including law, political science, economics, and earth and atmospheric sciences, to frame solutions to this global challenge. Students will apply quantitative and qualitative tools to understand causes and impacts of climate change, as well as policy responses.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: PLCY 373.  
ENEC 375.  Environmental Advocacy.  3 Credits.  

Explores rhetorical means of citizen influence of practices affecting our natural and human environment; also, study of communication processes and dilemmas of redress of environmental grievances in communities and workplace.

Rules & Requirements  
Making Connections Gen Ed: PH, CI.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: COMM 375.  
ENEC 380.  Environmental Economics.  3 Credits.  

This course develops a set of core principles that are essential to understand and evaluate environmental policy and renewable resource use. These principles are primarily economic, but our discussion will also include insights from politics and ethics.

Rules & Requirements  
Making Connections Gen Ed: SS.  
Requisites: Prerequisite, ECON 101.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoENEC 393.  Internship in Sustainability.  3 Credits.  

Permission of the instructor. This course provides an internship with an organization on sustainability topics and public engagement. Pass/Fail only.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: HI-INTERN.
Making Connections Gen Ed: EE- Academic Internship.  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit. 6 total credits. 2 total completions.  
Grading Status: Pass/Fail.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoENEC 395.  Research in Environmental Sciences and Studies for Undergraduates.  1-3 Credits.  

Permission of the instructor. Research in an area of environmental science or environmental studies.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: RESEARCH.
Making Connections Gen Ed: EE- Mentored Research.  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit. 6 total credits. 6 total completions.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ENEC 396.  Directed Readings.  1-4 Credits.  

Permission of the instructor. A specialized selection of readings from the literature of a particular environmental field supervised by a member of the Carolina Environmental Faculty group. Written reports on the readings or a literature review paper will be required. Cannot be used as a course toward the major.

Rules & Requirements  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit. 8 total credits. 2 total completions.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  

Advanced Undergraduate and Graduate-level Courses

ENEC 403.  Environmental Chemistry Processes.  3 Credits.  

Required preparation, a background in chemistry and mathematics, including ordinary differential equations. Chemical processes occurring in natural and engineered systems: chemical cycles; transport and transformation processes of chemicals in air, water, and multimedia environments; chemical dynamics; thermodynamics; structure/activity relationships.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Pre- or corequisite, CHEM 261.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: ENVR 403, CHEM 403.  
ENEC 405.  Mountain Preservation.  4 Credits.  

Introduces students to approaches used to preserve the natural and cultural heritage of the Southern Appalachians. Taught at off-campus field station.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ENEC 406.  Atmospheric Processes II.  4 Credits.  

Principles of analysis of the atmosphere are applied to the analysis of environmental phenomena. The link between the atmosphere and other environmental compartments is explored through environmental case studies.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: GEOG 406.  
ENEC 407.  Principles of Energy Conversion.  3 Credits.  

Recommended preparation, ENEC 201, and MATH 152 or 231. This course will get students familiar with the principles governing the conversion of a variety of non-renewable and renewable resources to energy services. Physical, chemical, and biological principles involved in the design and analysis of these systems will be reviewed. The basics of project economics applied to the design of energy conversion systems will also be introduced.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ENEC 410.  Earth Processes in Environmental Systems.  4 Credits.  

Principles of geological and related Earth systems sciences are applied to analyses of environmental phenomena. The link between the lithosphere and other environmental compartments is explored through case studies of environmental issues. Three lecture hours and one laboratory hour a week.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisites, CHEM 102, GEOL 200, and MATH 231; and PHYS 115 or 119; permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisites.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: EMES 410.  
ENEC 411.  Oceanic Processes in Environmental Systems.  4 Credits.  

Principles of analysis of the ocean, coast, and estuarine environments and the processes that control these environments are applied to the analysis of environmental phenomena. Case studies of environmental issues. Three lecture hours and one laboratory hour a week.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, BIOL 101, CHEM 102, ENEC 222, MATH 231, PHYS 115 or PHYS 119; permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisites.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: EMES 411.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoENEC 412.  Principles and Methods of Teaching Earth Science.  4 Credits.  

Required preparation, any introductory geology course. This course develops the knowledge and skills teachers need to implement inquiry-based earth science instruction: conceptual knowledge of earth sciences and mastery of inquiry instructional methods. Students study inquiry in cognitive science and learning theory. This course is a requirement for the UNC-BEST program in geological sciences. Course previously offered as GEOL 412.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: HI-SERVICE.
Making Connections Gen Ed: EE- Service Learning.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: EMES 412.  
ENEC 415.  Environmental Systems Modeling.  3 Credits.  

This course explores principles and strategies for studying environmental phenomena, and presents methods for developing explanatory and predictive models of environmental systems, e.g., predator-prey, estuaries, greenhouse gases, and ecosystem material cycles.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, MATH 383; pre- or corequisite, PHYS 115 or 118, and COMP 116.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: EMES 415.  
ENEC 416.  Environmental Meteorology.  3 Credits.  

This course explores atmospheric processes most important to environmental problems such as the transport and transformation of air pollutants and weather systems involved in intercontinental transport of gases and particles.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ENEC 417.  Surface Processes and Landscape Evolution.  4 Credits.  

The interplay among the fluxes of water, energy, and sediment through geologic time sculpt landscapes and drive environmental change. In both lectures and laboratory exercises, students will learn how simple physical principles applied to rivers and hillslopes allow us to understand the evolution of topography and mountain belts, predict hazards arising from floods, landslides and debris flows, and lead to sustainable management of natural resources such as soil. Previously offered as GEOL 417.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Pre- or corequisites, EMES 200 and EMES 201; permission of the instructor for students lacking the pre- or corequisites.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: EMES 417.  
ENEC 420.  Community Design and Green Architecture.  3 Credits.  

The impact of building on the environment and health will be examined by looking at the major areas of: land use planning, water resource use, energy, materials and indoor environment.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: PLAN 420.  
ENEC 421.  Textiles: Environmental Impacts, Issues, and Innovations.  3 Credits.  

Textiles are pervasive in our lives, from clothing to upholstery, yet have major impacts on our environment and health, from the products' cradle to grave. This course examines the environmental and social costs of producing our clothing, carpet, and other textiles in daily life. We will also consider possible solutions currently offered by industry and entrepreneurs.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Pre- or co-requisite, ENEC 201 or 202; permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ENEC 431.  Sustainable Cities: Exploring Ways of Making Cities More Sustainable.  3 Credits.  

Recommended preparation, ENEC 330. For the first time in history, a majority of the world's people live in cities with huge implications for sustainability. Students will examine the factors driving the trend toward urbanization worldwide, the challenges posed by this trend, and the efforts by cities to become more sustainable.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ENEC 432.  Environmental Life Cycle Assessment.  3 Credits.  

Recommended preparation, ENEC 201, and MATH 110 or 130. This class will introduce students to environmental life cycle assessment (LCA). The methodology to calculate the environmental impacts associated with a product, a service, or a system will be reviewed through case studies in the field of energy systems, waste management, and eco-design. Students will also get a chance to learn how to perform a full LCA through a hands-on project using LCA software and databases.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ENEC 433.  Wetland Hydrology.  3 Credits.  

Study of wetland ecosystems with particular emphasis on hydrological functioning, the transition from terrestrial to aquatic systems, wetlands as filtration systems, and exchange between wetlands and other environments. Course previously offered as MASC 433.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: EMES 433.  
ENEC 435.  Principles of Environmental Consulting: Mechanics of Groundwater Flow.  3 Credits.  

Water is an essential resource for all life, and the availability of clean water will become one of the most important socio-political and economic discussions over the coming decades. This course covers fundamentals of groundwater storage, subsurface flow, and contaminant transport, emphasizing the role of groundwater in the hydrologic cycle, the relation of groundwater flow to geologic structure, and the management of contaminated groundwater and drinking water resources. Course previously offered as GEOL 435.

Rules & Requirements  
Making Connections Gen Ed: QI.  
Requisites: Prerequisite, EMES 324; MATH 232; PHYS 114 or 118; permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisites.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: EMES 435.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoENEC 437.  Social Vulnerability to Climate Change.  3 Credits.  

How does climate change affect vulnerable human populations? We will attempt to answer a shared research question on this topic by reading the peer-reviewed literature and by conducting a semester-long data analysis project incorporating social and climate data from around the world. This is a course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE).

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-GLOBAL, RESEARCH.
Making Connections Gen Ed: EE- Mentored Research, GL.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: GEOG 437.  
ENEC 441.  Marine Physiological Ecology.  3 Credits.  

This course introduces students to the physiological, morphological, and behavioral factors employed by marine organisms to cope with their physical environment. Emphasis will be placed on the response of marine organisms to environmental factors such as seawater temperature, light, water salinity, ocean acidification, etc. Course previously offered as MASC 441.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: EMES 441.  
ENEC 444.  Marine Phytoplankton.  3 Credits.  

For junior and senior science majors or graduate students. Biology of marine photosynthetic protists and cyanobacteria. Phytoplankton evolution, biodiversity, structure, function, biogeochemical cycles and genomics. Harmful algal blooms, commercial products, and climate change. Three lecture/practical session hours per week. Course previously offered as MASC 444. Permission of the instructor.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: EMES 444, BIOL 456.  
ENEC 448.  Coastal and Estuarine Ecology.  4 Credits.  

A field-intensive study of the ecology of marine organisms and their interactions with their environment, including commercially important organisms. Laboratory/recitation/field work is included and contributes two credit hours to the course. Course previously offered as MASC 448.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisites, CHEM 102 and MATH 231.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: EMES 448.  
ENEC 450.  Biogeochemical Processes.  4 Credits.  

Principles of chemistry, biology, and geology are applied to analysis of the fate and transport of materials in environmental systems, with an emphasis on those materials that form the most significant cycles. Three lecture hours and one laboratory hour a week. Previously offered as GEOL 450/MASC 450.

Rules & Requirements  
Making Connections Gen Ed: PL.  
Requisites: Prerequisites, CHEM 101 or permission of instructor.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: EMES 450.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoENEC 451.  Population, Development, and the Environment.  3 Credits.  

Introduction to contemporary and historical changes in human population, international development, and the global environment and how these processes interact, drawing on population geography as an organizing framework. Previously offered as GEOG 450.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-GLOBAL.
Making Connections Gen Ed: GL.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: GEOG 451.  
ENEC 459.  Ecological Anthropology.  3 Credits.  

Examines how human-environmental adaptations shape the economic, social, and cultural lives of hunter-gatherers, pastoralists and agriculturalists. Approaches include optimal foraging theory, political ecology and subsistence risk.

Rules & Requirements  
Making Connections Gen Ed: SS.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: ANTH 459.  
ENEC 460.  Historical Ecology.  3 Credits.  

Historical ecology is a framework for integrating physical, biological, and social science data with insights from the humanities to understand the reciprocal relationship between human activity and the Earth system.

Rules & Requirements  
Making Connections Gen Ed: HS, GL.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: ANTH 460.  
ENEC 461.  Fundamentals of Ecology.  4 Credits.  

Students will develop a comprehensive understanding of the field of ecology, including modern and emerging trends in ecology. They will develop literacy in the fundamental theories and models that capture ecological processes; emphasis will also be placed on the relevance of ecology and ecological research for human society.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisites, BIOL 201; or BIOL 103, BIOL 104, and BIOL 260.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: BIOL 461.  
ENEC 462.  Ecosystem Management.  3 Credits.  

Explores the ecological concepts underlying ecosystem management (e.g., genetic and species diversity, stability, resilience, landscape ecology, etc.), the tools used in the approach, and case studies of how communities are implementing ecosystem management.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, BIOL 101.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoENEC 463.  Corporate Environmental Stewardship.  3 Credits.  

This course explores the intersection of business/economic growth and the major sustainability issues affecting the environment and societal well-being and raises questions about business ethics and the moral responsibility of business leaders, consumers, and citizens. Previously offered as ENEC 306.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-GLOBAL or FC-VALUES.
Making Connections Gen Ed: PH, CI, GL.  
Requisites: Prerequisite, ENEC 201.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: BUSI 463.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoENEC 465.  Global Biodiversity and Macroecology.  3 Credits.  

We will explore global patterns of diversity of plants, animals, fungi, and microbes, and the insights gained by taking a statistical approach to describing these and other broad-scale ecological patterns.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-NATSCI or FC-QUANT, RESEARCH.
Requisites: Prerequisites, BIOL 201; or BIOL 103, BIOL 104, and BIOL 260; or permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisites.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: BIOL 465.  
ENEC 468.  Temporal GIS and Space/Time Geostatistics for the Environment and Public Health.  3 Credits.  

Reviews geographical information systems (GIS). Covers geostatistics theory for the interpolation of environmental and health monitoring data across space and time. Uses publicly available water and air quality monitoring data to create maps used for environmental assessment, regulatory compliance analysis, exposure science, and risk analysis.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, MATH 232; permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: ENVR 468.  
ENEC 470.  Environmental Risk Assessment.  3 Credits.  

Required preparation, one course in probability and statistics. Use of mathematical models and computer simulation tools to estimate the human health impacts of exposure to environmental pollutants. Three lecture hours per week.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: ENVR 470.  
ENEC 471.  Human Impacts on Estuarine Ecosystems.  4 Credits.  

A cohesive examination of the human impacts on biological processes in estuarine ecosystems. Laboratory/recitation/field work is included and contributes two credit hours to the course. Taught at off-campus field station.

Rules & Requirements  
Making Connections Gen Ed: EE- Field Work.  
Requisites: Prerequisites, CHEM 102 and MATH 231.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: EMES 471.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoENEC 473.  Business and Finance Fundamentals for Change Makers.  3 Credits.  

This course is designed to develop basic finance skills along with familiarity with core business concepts. The goal of the course is to empower non-business majors with the skills and vocabulary required to advance the goals of pro-environment businesses and social entrepreneurs.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-QUANT.
Making Connections Gen Ed: QI.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ENEC 474.  Sustainable Coastal Management.  3 Credits.  

This course explores the environmental history of the Albemarle estuary and its larger watershed and explores ways in which humans can utilize this region in a more sustainable manner. Taught at off-campus field station.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ENEC 475.  The Political Economy of Food.  3 Credits.  

This course examines the political and economic dimensions of the food we eat, how it is produced, who eats what, and related social and environmental issues, both domestic and international, affecting the production, pricing, trade, distribution, and consumption of food. Honors version available.

Rules & Requirements  
Making Connections Gen Ed: SS, GL.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: PLCY 475.  
ENEC 479.  Landscape Analysis.  3 Credits.  

This course utilizes GIS, GPS, and remote sensing technologies to gather data on geology, watersheds, soils, integrated moisture indices. The class also develops habitat maps and derives species diversity indices. Taught at off-campus field station.

Rules & Requirements  
Making Connections Gen Ed: EE- Field Work.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ENEC 481.  Energy Economics.  3 Credits.  

This course develops a core set of principles to understand and evaluate energy markets, policies, and regulations. Topics include oil markets, electric vehicles and CAFÉ standards, pollution permit markets and C02 regulations, and electricity markets.

Rules & Requirements  
Making Connections Gen Ed: SS.  
Requisites: Prerequisite, ECON 101.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ENEC 482.  Energy and the Environment: A Coastal Perspective.  3 Credits.  

Explores coastal and offshore energy issues, including energy demand, present-day and innovative sources of energy to meet that demand, economics, policy, and environmental and human health outcomes of different energy sources. Summer session only; online and field trip hybrid course, with a mandatory 8-day field site component on the Outer Banks. Housing and field activities arranged by the instructor, which will carry a fee. Taught at off-campus field station.

Rules & Requirements  
Making Connections Gen Ed: EE- Field Work.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ENEC 485.  Coastal Resource Economics and Policy.  3-4 Credits.  

This course develops and applies core principles essential to understanding and evaluating coastal environmental policy and renewable resource use. The principles include the economics of pollution, public choice, information and cost-benefit analysis, property rights, incentive-based regulation, and the economics of renewable resources. Includes insights from politics and ethics. Taught at off-campus field station.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, ECON 101.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ENEC 489.  Ecological Processes in Environmental Systems.  4 Credits.  

Principles of analysis of the structure and function of ecosystems are applied to environmental phenomena. The link between the biosphere and other environmental compartments is explored through case studies of environmental issues. Three lecture hours and one laboratory hour a week. Taught at off-campus field station.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ENEC 490.  Special Topics in Environmental Science and Studies.  1-12 Credits.  

Advanced topics from diverse areas of environmental science and/or environmental studies are explored. Honors version available.

Rules & Requirements  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit; may be repeated in the same term for different topics; 12 total credits. 4 total completions.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ENEC 491.  Effective Environmental Communication.  3 Credits.  

Combines theory and application to explore effective communication in various environmental contexts and professions. Offers students from diverse disciplines tools to effectively and credibly communicate about environmental topics using a spectrum of strategies, and offers methods for effective thinking, writing, and speaking.

Rules & Requirements  
Making Connections Gen Ed: CI.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ENEC 492.  Social Science Research Methods.  3 Credits.  

Students learn quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods research skills and their application to public policies and management of natural resources.

Rules & Requirements  
Making Connections Gen Ed: SS, EE- Mentored Research.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoENEC 493.  Environmental Internship.  1-4 Credits.  

Permission of the instructor. This course provides an internship with an organization related to environmental sciences or studies. Pass/Fail only.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: HI-INTERN.
Making Connections Gen Ed: EE- Academic Internship.  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit. 6 total credits. 6 total completions.  
Grading Status: Pass/Fail.  
ENEC 510.  Policy Analysis of Global Climate Change.  3 Credits.  

Provides a real-world and relevant case study in which to apply material from multiple disciplines including public policy, economics, environmental science, and international studies. Teaches techniques for building policy models not covered elsewhere.

Rules & Requirements  
Making Connections Gen Ed: SS, GL.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ENEC 511.  Stable Isotopes in the Environment.  3 Credits.  

Introduction to the theory, methods, and applications of stable isotopes to environmental problems. Primary focus will be on the origin, natural abundance, and fractionation of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen isotopes. Course previously offered as GEOL 511.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, CHEM 102.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: EMES 511.  
ENEC 512.  Advanced Coastal Environmental Change.  3 Credits.  

This 3-credit seminar-style class for graduate students and advanced undergraduate students focuses on developing a deeper understanding of coastal environmental change as illuminated by the scientific literature, including topics such as climate change impacts; coupled human-natural coastal dynamics; feedbacks between biological and physical processes; carbon storage and flux; adaptive coastal management; and the role of science, policy and communication in coastal resilience. Course previously offered as ENEC 710/GEOL 710/MASC 730.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, EMES 303, 310, 410, 417, or 503; permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite.  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit. 12 total credits. 4 total completions.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: EMES 512.  
ENEC 514.  Flood Hydrology: Models and Data Analysis.  3 Credits.  

River floods are critically important in the global hydrologic cycle. While seasonal floods can be environmentally restorative, they can also have devastating socio-economic and public health consequences. Beginning with the hydrologic cycle, this course will cover concepts related to rainfall runoff and hydrologic response, flood frequency analysis, the mechanics of open channel flow, and overland and channel routing. Students will also gain experience working with real-world data and engineering software. Previously offered as GEOL 514.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisites, EMES 201, EMES 324, MATH 232, and PHYS 114 or 118; or permission of instructor for students missing prerequisites or graduate students.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: EMES 414.  
ENEC 522.  Environmental Change and Human Health.  3 Credits.  

The course will provide students with a multidisciplinary perspective of environmental changes to encompass both human health and ecological health.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, ENEC 201 or 202.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: ENVR 522.  
ENEC 530.  Principles of Climate Modeling.  3 Credits.  

Recommended preparation, MATH 383. Develops explanatory and predictive models of the earth's climate. The level is introductory and the emphasis is on modeling past climate with the hope of understanding its future.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisites, MATH 231, 232, and 233; PHYS 118 and 119.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ENEC 547.  Energy, Transportation, and Land Use.  3 Credits.  

This course explores the reciprocal connections between energy (production/conversion, distribution, and use), land use, environment, and transportation. Evaluation of federal, state, and local policies on energy conservation and alternative energy sources are emphasized. Students gain skills to analyze impacts, interdependencies, and uncertainties of various energy conservation measures and production technologies.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: PLAN 547.  
ENEC 548.  Sustainable Energy Systems.  3 Credits.  

This course will provide an introduction to urgent topics related to energy, sustainability, and the environment. The course material will focus on new technologies, policies, and plans in cities and different governing bodies in the energy system with a focus on developing tools to analyze energy for its sustainability, impact on people, the environment, and the economy.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: PLAN 548, ENVR 548.  
ENEC 562.  Statistics for Environmental Scientists.  4 Credits.  

Introduction to the application of quantitative and statistical methods in environmental science, including environmental monitoring, assessment, threshold exceedance, risk assessment, and environmental decision making.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisites, BIOL 103 and BIOL 104, and either STOR 120 or STOR 155; or permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisites.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: BIOL 562.  
ENEC 563.  Statistical Analysis in Ecology and Evolution.  4 Credits.  

Application of modern statistical analysis and data modeling in ecological and evolutionary research. Emphasis is on computer-intensive methods and model-based approaches. Familiarity with standard parametic statistics is assumed.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisites, BIOL 103, BIOL 104, MATH 231, and either STOR 120 or STOR 155; or permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisites.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: BIOL 563.  
ENEC 565.  Environmental Storytelling.  3 Credits.  

An interdisciplinary course for students interested in environmental issues or journalism to produce stories about environmental issues that matter to North Carolinians. Students learn to identify credible sources, manage substantial amounts of information, and find story focus as they report on technical and often controversial subjects in a variety of media.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: MEJO 565.  
ENEC 567.  Ecological Analyses and Application.  3 Credits.  

This course provides an overview of natural and social science approaches to addressing biodiversity conservation and resource management. Concepts and methods from population biology, evolutionary ecology, community ecology, and conservation biology will be complemented with approaches from common property theory, indigenous resource management, and human evolutionary ecology.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ENEC 569.  Current Issues in Ecology.  3 Credits.  

Required preparation, previous course work in ecology. Permission of the instructor. Topics vary but focus on interdisciplinary problems facing humans and/or the environment. May be repeated for credit.

Rules & Requirements  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit. 6 total credits. 2 total completions.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ENEC 570.  Uncertainty, Decisions, and the Environment.  3 Credits.  

Required preparation, one course in probability and statistics. Use of quantitative tools for balancing conflicting priorities (such as costs versus human health protection) and evaluating uncertainties when making environmental decisions.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: ENVR 570.  
ENEC 580.  Environmental Markets: Science and Economics.  3 Credits.  

Examines the interplay of science and economics in the design of environmental markets. The first part introduces the principles of environmental economics. The second part considers several case studies that illustrate the critical role that scientific models of natural systems play in the design of environmental markets.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ENEC 581.  Water Resource Planning and Policy Analysis.  3 Credits.  

Water resources demand-supply relationships, United States water resource and related water quality policy, legal structure for water allocation, planning, project and program evaluation, and pricing. Strategies for coping with floods, droughts, and climate change will be explored. Extensive use of case studies.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ENEC 586.  Water Quality Policies and Planning.  3 Credits.  

Introduction to the management of water quality at the local and basinwide scales. Topics include theory and management frameworks; state and federal statutes and programs; water contaminants, their fate and transport; alternatives for improving and protecting water quality; and the technologies and management practices of selected basinwide comprehensive strategies.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisites, BIOL 101 and MATH 231.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoENEC 593.  Environmental Practicum.  1-3 Credits.  

Permission of the instructor required. Students receive service-learning credit through active participation in a community, campus, or other approved group project.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: HI-INTERN.
Making Connections Gen Ed: EE- Academic Internship.  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit. 6 total credits. 6 total completions.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ENEC 602.  Professional Development Skills for Ecologists and Biologists.  3 Credits.  

The goal of this course is to help students who intend to become professional ecologists or biologists acquire critical skills and strategies needed for achieving their career goals.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: BIOL 602.  
ENEC 608.  Continuum Mechanics in the Earth Sciences.  3 Credits.  

Applications of continuum mechanics in the earth sciences, including stress, strain, elasticity, and viscous flow. Numerical solutions to problems in heterogeneous finite strain including finite element analysis. Course previously offered as GEOL 608.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisites, EMES 302, and PHYS 114 or 118.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: EMES 608.  
ENEC 635.  Energy Modeling for Environment and Public Health.  3 Credits.  

Recommended preparation, MATH 231. This course will equip students with an overview of contemporary issues in energy modeling and energy systems analysis, with a focus on environmental and public health impacts of energy systems. Students will gain exposure to a variety of research methodologies, analytical tools, and applications of energy modeling applied to environmental and public health related problems such as climate change, air pollution, and water footprints of energy systems.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: ENVR 635, PLAN 635.  
ENEC 641.  Watershed Planning.  3 Credits.  

This course explores the functions of ecosystems, land development activities that impact such functions, and the land use management tools to create strategies for mitigating and restoring environmental damage. Course goals include understanding the ecological context of planning and how ecological principles may inform planning decisions. Prepares planners to engage effectively with biologists, natural resource managers, park managers, and other professionals from the natural sciences.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: PLAN 641.  
ENEC 669.  Seminar in Ecology.  1-3 Credits.  

May be repeated for credit.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, BIOL 201 or BIOL 260; or permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite.  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit; may be repeated in the same term for different topics; 12 total credits. 12 total completions.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: BIOL 669.  
ENEC 675.  Environmental Communication and the Public Sphere.  3 Credits.  

Examines communication practices that accompany citizen participation in environmental decisions, including public education campaigns of nonprofit organizations, "risk communication," media representations, and mediation in environmental disputes.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ENEC 685.  Environmental and Resource Economics.  3 Credits.  

Theory and methods of environmental economics. Topics covered include cost-benefit analysis and environmental policy analysis, economic concept of sustainability, optimal use of natural resources, nonmarket valuation, and economic instruments.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, ECON 310.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoENEC 693H.  Honors Research in Environmental Sciences and Studies.  3 Credits.  

Permission of the director of undergraduate studies. First of two course sequence leading to the honors designation.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: RESEARCH.
Making Connections Gen Ed: EE- Mentored Research.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoENEC 694H.  Honors Project in Environmental Sciences and Studies.  3 Credits.  

Permission of the director of undergraduate studies. Independent project leading to the honors designation. Includes weekly research seminar.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: RESEARCH.
Making Connections Gen Ed: EE- Mentored Research.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ENEC 698.  Capstone: Analysis and Solution of Environmental Problems.  3 Credits.  

Interdisciplinary, team-based analyses of environmental phenomena are performed and applied to problems of the selection of effective environmental strategies. Students may select from a wide range of examples and venues.

Rules & Requirements  
Making Connections Gen Ed: EE- Mentored Research.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  

Environment, Ecology, and Energy Program

Visit Program Website

3202 Murray Hall, CB# 3275

(919) 962-1270

Chair

Drew Coleman

dcoleman@unc.edu

Director of Undergraduate Studies

Amy E. Cooke

amycooke@unc.edu

Student Services Manager

Heratia Brelland

heratiab@unc.edu