Earth and Environmental Sciences - Senior

Course # EAES 4146

Credits 6

Prerequisites: Geomorphology

Course Description

Natural hazards continually modify landscapes, sometimes slowly (chronic hazards) and often episodically. They can be defined as phenomena that originate in the lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, or biosphere that have the potential to exert either an extreme impact on humans and/or the natural environment or a more progressive, cumulative impact. When these hazards cause damage to property, infrastructure, environmental investments, or affect people, they become disasters. Natural hazards and related disasters are global phenomena and are becoming increasingly important in Central Asia. Effectively managing hazard risk reduces the human, economic, and environmental consequences. The course primarily focuses on hazards that occur in mountain environments in a global context; however, many examples are taken from the Central Asia region and similar areas. As such, the primary focus of the course is on erosion processes of all types, related hydrological hazards, and mass wasting (e.g., floods, landslides, debris flows, rock fall, extreme soil erosion, desertification, glacial lake outburst floods), as well as the atmospheric or seismic phenomena driving these hazards. Also, an overview of hazard risk and vulnerability, earth and volcanic hazards, drought, and cold region hazards will be presented. For each hazard, the intrinsic physical processes are introduced along with the consequences of the potential disasters. For those hazards affected by human activities (e.g., sediment hazards), interactions with land use will be covered. Where relevant, the effects of climate change and climate perturbations on hazard occurrence and severity will be discussed. Central to all hazard lectures is the consideration of hazard risk and risk mitigation.

Course learning outcomes

Upon completion of the course students should be able to:

• Articulate the concept of risk related to hazards and apply this to various hazard scenarios.
• Distinguish between chronic and episodic hazards and relate this to the types of disasters that may occur.
• Understand and assess the processes that initiate and perpetuate a wide of natural hazards.
• Predict where different hazards are likely to occur and why.
• Appraise how hazard vulnerability and resilience affect hazard risk.
• Identify how climate change and climate perturbations may affect various hazards in the future.
• Evaluate how human activities affect the magnitude and frequency of certain hazards.
• Develop problem solving skills related to complex hazard scenarios and their mitigation.

Course Assessments and Grading

Course # DMNS 2076

Credits 6

Prerequisites: None

Course description 

This course covers the field of ecology, focusing on the interactions between living organisms and their physical environments. Students explore the structure and functionality of various ecological systems, including populations, communities, and ecosystems. The course aims to ensure students master major concepts and basic terminology of ecology, comprehend how evolution and ecology complement each other, and become familiar with different approaches to ecological study, such as theory, observations, and experiments. By the end of the course, students achieve a comprehensive understanding of the complex interrelationships that define ecological systems. 

Course Learning outcomes 

Upon the completion of this course student will be able to:

• Explain the environmental characteristics of different ecosystems, evolution, and adaptation of organisms to environmental conditions.
• Define the energy flow and nutrient cycle.
• Recognize and evaluate examples of human impact on the natural world.
• Analyze the global processes such as water cycle, climate change etc.
• Recognize and evaluate examples of human impact on the natural world
• Course assessment and grading 

Course # EAES 3027E

Credits 6

Prerequisites and/or Corequisites: Introduction to Earth and Environmental Sciences

• Course Description

Introduction to methods is used in academic and professional endeavors to formulate and answer earth and environmental research questions. Students will practice using qualitative and quantitative methodologies and research methods including use of academic, public domain and other literature, interviews, field studies data collection, surveys, and primary and secondary data, as well as approaches such as case studies and participatory research. Using an inquiry approach, students will gain practical experience in research design, data collection, and data analysis.

• Course Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• Locate relevant earth and environmental information of all types.
• Evaluate and synthesize the information from a variety of quantitative and qualitative sources and viewpoints.
• Formulate relevant and testable research questions about the earth and environment.
• Construct a plan to answer such questions using appropriate research methods.
• Communicate a coherent synthesis and analysis of earth and environmental information, orally, graphically, and in writing.

• Course Assignments and Grading

Course # MDIA 3045E

Credits 6

Course pre-requisites and co-requisites:

Introduction to Earth and Environmental Sciences, Introduction to Geological Materials and Resources

Course Description

Geophysics is an interdisciplinary and applied science which involves geology and physics. This course introduces students to various subdisciplines of geophysics (gravity, geomagnetism, seismology, resistivity and geothermics) and their applications in study of the interior and crust of the Earth and applications in prospecting for water, oil and mineral resources. The course presents a broad overview of size and shape of the earth; seismology and the interior structure of the earth; heat flow in the earth and geothermics; gravity and variation of density; geomagnetic field and paleomagnetism; electrical properties of the Earth; and application of the physical properties for exploration purposes.

Course Learning Outcomes:

Upon the completion of the course, students will be able to:

• Describe the physical behavior of Earth's different layers, including the crust, the lithosphere, the mantle and the core.
• Select appropriate geophysical techniques for investigating specific geological, environmental, and resource-related problems.
• Process and interpret geophysical data, including seismic and earthquake data, thermal data, electrical resistivity, and gravity anomalies
• Apply mathematical tools to explain geophysical behaviors and processes of Earth materials
• Apply quantitative geophysical methods and integrate geophysical observations with geological information to develop reasonable interpretations of subsurface structure.

Course Assessments and Grading

Course # EAES 3029E

Credits 6

Course pre-requisites and co-requisites:

• Introduction to GIS and Remote Sensing (EAES 3001)

Course Description

This course builds on Introduction to GIS and Remote Sensing (EAES 3001). On the GIScience side, it covers the nature and uncertainty of geographic data, database management systems, and advanced spatial analysis, including machine learning. On the remote sensing side, it covers data types, acquisition, and analysis processes. Together these give students a solid foundation in GIScience research methods and in applying GIS to real problems in natural resource management and other fields. The course also examines the role GIS and remote sensing play in decision-making across the social and physical sciences, and discusses what's required to work as a GIS professional or GIScience practitioner, or to bring GIS expertise into decision-making in other fields.

Course Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the course, students will be able to:

• Synthesize multi-sensor remote sensing imagery and heterogeneous spatial datasets to model complex environmental and natural resource challenges.
• Run advanced spatial analyses and resolve multi-criteria geospatial problems.
• Use machine learning and advanced image-processing techniques to extract high-accuracy thematic information from satellite imagery.
• Use cloud-computing platforms to manipulate, analyze, and visualize planetary-scale geospatial big data.

Course Assessments and Grading

Course # EAES 4751E

Credits 6

Prerequisites and/or Corequisites:  Information Technology course

Course Description

Programming in Python is an introductory course that covers programming techniques and tools to manipulate, manage, and analyze relevant data. The course focuses on the Python programming language that students will use to solve statistical analysis and GIS problems, apply Machine Learning and Deep Learning techniques, and create a website using Django framework. The tasks will be accomplished by identifying and using existing Python packages as well as appropriate open-source software extensions. The course introduces basic to advanced statistical functions, data visualization, and data manipulation techniques. The relevant functions in data science are explained. The main goal of this course is to give students an understanding of the breadth of different programming applications. In particular, students will be taught how to design and write effective code using Python to perform routine and specialized data manipulation, management, statistical analysis, GIS analysis, and web application development tasks.

Course Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, every student will be able to:

• Explain the theoretical concepts of different data types
• Conceptualize and create loops and if/else statements in Python
• Create specialized functions in Python to handle results
• Manipulate data for descriptive statistical analysis in Python
• Use Django framework for development of different types of websites, in particular, a highly customizable app, such as an internet magazine website
• Use special packages, such as panda, to create graphs and convert plain text to formatted text.
• Using the packages NumPy, Matplotlib, Pandas and Skikit-Learn for various mathematical calculations, data manipulation, graphing and creating machine learning algorithms.
• Course Assignments and Grading

Course # ECON 3006

Credits 6

Prerequisites and/or Corequisites: Principles of Microeconomics or an equivalent course.  

Course Description 

This course introduces undergraduate students in the Global Economics program to the economic, social, environmental, and institutional dynamics governing natural systems and resource allocation. It applies microeconomic concepts, market-based mechanisms, and policy instruments to issues arising from the growth, extraction, depletion, and degradation of land, water, energy, and ecosystems.

Through empirical case studies, interactive discussions, qualitative analysis, and quantitative exercise evaluations, students examine how economic incentives can be aligned with sustainability goals. Special emphasis is placed on climate change economics (mitigation and adaptation), common-property resource governance, and environmental policy challenges relevant to mountain territories and developing economies. The course encourages research-oriented learning by helping students interpret socio-economic and environmental data, evaluate trade-offs between efficiency and equity, and connect natural resource economic theory with real-world regional policy problems.

Course Learning Outcomes 

Upon the completing this course, students should be able to:

• Explain the primary microeconomic, social, and political dynamics of natural resource allocation and climate change within a global and regional context.
• Apply analytical tools (rhetorical, graphical, and quantitative) to assess market failures, property rights structures, and environmental externalities.
• Compare policy instruments (taxation, cap-and-trade, community governance) across diverse resource sectors using economic reasoning and empirical evidence.
• Apply basic qualitative and quantitative approaches to analyze non-market valuation, benefit-cost frameworks, and intertemporal resource sustainability trade-offs.
• Interpret socio-economic and environmental data outputs to critically evaluate resource depletion, dynamic efficiency, and climate adaptation strategies.
• Evaluate policy interventions aimed at promoting sustainable and inclusive resource governance, particularly in fragile ecosystems and mountainous regions.
• Communicate economic arguments effectively through structured presentations, class discussions, and written analytical assignments.

Course Assessment and Grading 

Course # DMNS 2012

Credits 3

Course Description

Linear Algebra is a foundational course at UCA. It can be applied in business, economics, sociology, ecology, demography, engineering and other areas.

In this course, students will study mathematics that deals with the system of linear equations and their applications, operations with matrices, applications of Markov chains, applications of determinants, eigenvalues and eigenvectors and their applications. 

Course Learning Outcomes

Upon the completion of this course, students should be able to:

• Set up and solve a system of equations to fit a polynomial function to a set of data points.
  Use matrices and Gaussian and Gauss – Jordan eliminations to solve a system of linear equations.
• Do operations with matrices.
• Find the inverse of a matrix.
  Use a stochastic matrix to find the nth  state matrix of a Markov chain.
  Find steady state matrices of absorbing Markov chain.
  Use matrix algebra to analyze an economic system (Leontief input- output model).
  Find the least square regressions line for a set of data.
  Use Cramer’s rules to solve a system of n linear equations in n variables.
  Model population growth using an age transition matrix and an age distribution vector.
  Solve Linear Algebra problems wit the application of R studio.

Course Assessments and Grading

Course # ECON 1001

Credits 6

Prerequisites and/or Corequisites: None

Course Description

Introduction to Microeconomics covers interactions between individual households and businesses. The course explains how prices of different commodities and factors of production are determined. It helps students understand how the free-market economy works and introduces basic economic concepts. The course introduces the concepts needed to understand economic policies and their effects on society and shows which policies can enhance productive efficiency and may result in greater social welfare. In brief, the course explains how a capitalist economy works. Students will develop quantitative reasoning skills through problem-solving, graphical analysis, and real-world applications.

Course Learning Outcomes

Upon the completing this course, students should be able to:

• Explain the three main building blocks of supply and demand analysis – demand curves, supply curves, and the concept of market equilibrium.
• Apply utility functions in the analysis of preferences with a single and multiple goods.
• Calculate expected utility as a way to evaluate risky outcomes.
• Derive the equation of an isoquant from the equation of the production function.
• Describe the conditions that characterize different types of market structure.
• Explain why some kinds of games can lead players to cooperate, while other kinds do not.
• Explain why externalities and public goods are a source of market failure.

Course Assessments and Grading