Earth and Environmental Sciences - Senior

Course # EAES 4881

Credits 6

Course # EAES 4752

Credits 3

Course # EAES 4880

Credits 9

Course # ECON 1002

Credits 6

Pre-requisites and Co-requisites: introduction to microeconomics and pre-calculus

Course Description

Introductory macroeconomics is one of the fundamental courses in economics program for freshman students at UCA. It provides students with key concepts and principles of contemporary macroeconomic theory. Topics covered in the course pertain to the analysis of national income, the real economy, fiscal and monetary policy in the long run. Open economy and short-run economic fluctuations are also explored in the course. Existing debates over macroeconomic policy faced by policy makers and government agencies both in developed and developing countries are discussed. 

Course Learning Outcomes

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

• Define key macroeconomic concepts and principles;
• Calculate basic macroeconomic indicators related to GDP and cost of living within a group of countries or individual states;
• Explain how the real economy operates in the long run from production and growth perspectives;
• Explain the role of monetary and fiscal policies to tackle inflation and unemployment;
• Discuss advantages and disadvantages of the open economy;
• Use the concept of aggregate demand and aggregate supply to explain main facts about economic fluctuations;
• Explain both potential and limits of economic policy aimed at macroeconomic stabilization and long-term economic growth;

Course Assessments and Grading

Course # ECON 3246

Credits 6

Pre-requisites and Co-requisites:

Course Description

This course focuses on processes of economic development within the context of low and middle-income countries, emphasizing the implications for development strategies and policies. Key issues include the level and nature of inter-relationships between rural and urban development, the processes of economic transformation, and the role of institutions and policies in development. The analytical approach and many of the issues discussed are drawn from development economics, although these will be positioned within the broader geographical, social and political context of Central Asia. The course employs theories and skills learnt in other economics courses and applies them in a less abstract way through collection and analysis of data from various sources. By the end of the course, the students should be able to identify relevant problems constraining the economic (rural and urban) development of the individual Central Asian republics and approach these problems in a rigorous and critical way.

Course Learning Outcomes

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

• Discuss economic theories that have shaped growth and development
• Explain the causes and consequences of underdevelopment, poverty and income inequality
• Apply the tools of economic analysis to problems of rural and urban development
• Analyze policy initiatives undertaken to spur economic growth and their economic, social and environmental impact
• Employ theory and data to conduct basic economic analyses on issues specific to economic development
• Evaluate empirical work in development.

Course Assessment and Grading

Course # ECON 4246E

Credits 6

Pre-requisites and Co-requisites: An introductory course in statistics

Course Description

This course provides an overview of the issues and methods involved in measuring the impact of policies, programs, and interventions, with a focus on developing countries. Through lectures, case studies, and real-world examples, you learn how to quantify the causal effect of interventions by carefully understanding attribution and the practical applications of methodologies. The course explores the steps involved in designing an evaluation, including conceptualization, developing a theory of change, understanding the different methodologies for conducting impact evaluation and choosing the most appropriate methodology given the set of circumstances. You learn about four methods of impact evaluation (randomized controlled trials (RCTs), instrumental variables, regression discontinuity designs, and difference-in-differences), and the weaknesses and strengths, as well as their appropriateness to real life evaluation scenarios.  The goal of this course is to equip you with the skills to design and conduct rigorous evaluations and so that you can make a real positive impact in the world, whether it be in academia, non-profit work, social entrepreneurship, private philanthropy or government.

Course Learning Outcomes

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

• Explain the theory of change underlying the causal relationship between an intervention and its outcomes.
• Develop evaluation questions that effectively measure the impact of a program or policy.
• Evaluate and select appropriate comparison groups that approximate the counterfactual in various real-life scenarios.
• Apply experimental and quasi-experimental designs to evaluate the impact of interventions.
• Assess the strengths and weaknesses of different impact evaluation methodologies and make informed decisions on the most appropriate methodology for a given situation

Course Assessment and Grading

Course # EAES 4216E

Credits 6

Pre-requisites and Co-requisites: Physics, Introduction to the Earth and Environmental Sciences, and Environmental Governance: Water, Air, Land and Biosphere.

Course Description 

Water resources are experiencing increased environmental, social, political, and economic impacts. To address these impacts, it is highly important to have a comprehensive understanding of science and policy related to water resources management for further sound and sustainable decision-making. This interdisciplinary course adopts a holistic approach to water management with a specific focus on technical, economic, and social aspects. Students are expected to gain practical experience by solving a set of exercises, attend field trips including a local water treatment plant and a hydropower plant as well as participate in an engaging role-play simulation game related to promotion of the Water-Food-Energy approach which would enhance their understanding of scientific and policy aspects of water management.

Course Learning Outcomes

Upon completion, students will be able to:

• Explain the hydrological cycle including hydrological processes and their interactions.
• Apply surface water hydrology and hydrogeology analysis including derivation of unit hydrograph, flow duration curves, flood frequency and setting up groundwater balance for various scenarios.
• Estimate agricultural, urban and hydropower demands for meeting human needs.
• Explain the basic water quality parameters such as temperature, DO, pH and turbidity.
• Explain the conventional water treatment and municipal wastewater treatment processes along with physical, chemical, microbiological and radiological characteristics of water and wastewater.
  Describe water allocation frameworks including national, basin, regional/sub-basin and individual as well as water allocation challenges.
  Describe the water conflict and cooperation scholarship including causes of water conflicts, role of stakeholders as well as tools and tracks of water diplomacy.
  Examine the main principles and mechanisms of international environmental law relevant to water resources management and their implementation in water legislation of Central Asia.
  Discuss the existing challenges of transboundary water cooperation including interactions between water, food, and energy sectors.

Course Assessments and Grading

Course # HUSS 3001E

Credits 3

Pre-requisites and Co-requisites: Tajik Language on Specilaity. Students are required to have an upper-intermediate (B2) to advanced (C1) proficiency in Tajik.

Course Description

Professional Tajik language is a practical course for students who need to develop their skills in using professional Tajik language, both in written and verbal form, and who wish to improve their language proficiency in the context of business communications. The course is useful for students for both native Tajik speakers and foreign students. However, due to the nature of the course, all students are required to be proficient in Tajik language at an advanced level. The course includes various forms of business documents, as well as grammar, syntax, and style to help students easily adapt to formal and professional contexts.

Course Learning Outcomes

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

• Speak clearly, fluently, and eloquently, according to the rules of Tajik language
• Communicate effectively in professional environments using Tajik in offices, schools, and other formal settings
• Participate confidently in formal communications, during interviews, meetings and other formal events
• Read and comprehend complex academic and professional texts in Tajik
• Develop professional content in Tajik, including reports, posters, and presentations, with correct format and style
• Write formal letters and emails with proper structure, tone, and etiquette according to Tajik language conventions
• Use technical and scientific terms accurately in both written and spoken Tajik
• Listen to and respond in Tajik accurately, engaging in both informal and formal discussions.

Course Assessment and Grading

Course # ECON 4263E

Credits 3

Pre-requisites and Co-requisites: Introduction to Microeconomics

Course Description

The course introduces you to cutting-edge research in the economics of AI and the implications for economic growth and labor markets. We start by analyzing the nature of intelligence and information theory. Then we connect our analysis to modeling production and technological change in economics, and how these processes are affected by AI. Next, we turn to how technological change drives aggregate economic growth, covering a range of scenarios including potential growth singularity. We also study the impact of AI-driven technological change on labor markets and workers, evaluating to what extent fears about technological unemployment are well-founded. We continue with an analysis of economic policies to deal with advanced AI. Finally, we evaluate the potential for transformative progress in AI to lead to significant disruptions and study the problem of how humans can control highly intelligent AI algorithms.

Course Learning Outcomes

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

• Understand the nature of intelligence
• Explore the relationship between agency, goals and intelligence
• Learn basic concepts in information theory
• Describe technological progress in economic models
• Capture the potential biases of technological progress
• Analyze the distributive implications of technological progress
• Review how different economic models capture different epochs of economic development
• Explore the vast range of possibilities from transformative AI for economic growth
• Analyze labor market effects of technological progress
• Study effects of automation by decomposing jobs into tasks
• Evaluate effects of technological change on social welfare
• Design economic policies to increase social welfare
• Analyze an economy of artificially intelligent agents (AIAs)
• Study the AI control problem

Course Assessments and Grading

Course # EAES 4236E

Credits 6

Pre-requisites and Co-requisites: Chemistry, Introduction to Earth and Environmental Sciences.

Course Description

This course provides students with an overview of the municipal solid waste management situation in low- and middle-income countries. It covers key elements of the waste management system, such as its technical, environmental, social, financial, and institutional aspects. Besides understanding the challenges, students will be introduced to appropriate and already applied solutions through selected case studies.

Course Learning Outcomes

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

• Explain physical elements of municipal solid waste management such as municipal waste generation and characterization, waste collection and transport, recycling municipal waste and waste disposal.
• Describe governance aspects of municipal solid waste management including the role of stakeholders, legislative issues, and financial mechanisms.
• Explain the two common organic waste treatment technologies: composting and anaerobic digestion.
• Explain special waste fractions such as hazardous waste, healthcare waste, e-waste, plastic waste and construction and demolition waste and the key challenges and opportunities for an improved management in low- and middle-income settings.
• Examine strategic and planning aspects of municipal solid waste management including examination of impact of solid waste on the environment, improvement of municipal solid waste management and ways of addressing the issue of solid waste by the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

Course Assessment and Grading

Course # EAES 1062

Credits 3

Pre-requisites and Co-requisites: Basics of Entrepreneurship

Course Description

The business planning course includes theoretical fundamentals of business planning as well as practical skills in developing organizational, production and financial planning, financial analysis and risk assessment. The course is designed for the students who wish to gain skills in business planning or open their own business in the future in both local and national markets.

The program leads participants through the entrepreneurial journey, using lean start-up and successful entrepreneur methodology, helping students to develop their own business model, business plan, develop their own strategy to launch and grow their business. The program includes business management training including risk analysis, time management, resource management, etc.; the use of marketing tools including digital marketing. In the process of training, participants will acquire practical entrepreneurial skills.  

Course Learning Outcomes

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

• Define difference between business and social entrepreneurship in the local and global context
• Generate business ideas;
• Apply modern marketing tools in practice;
• Determine the place and niche of business in the local market;
• Calculate the cost of products and services, determine the behavior of costs and their impact on the cost of products or services;
• Decide how to determine and assign a price to products;
• Plan the production and sales volume of a product and service depending on the effects of seasonality;
• Optimize the relationship between revenues and costs;
• Develop a business plan;

Course Assessments and Grading