SMEA Courses

The following is a list of commonly offered SMEA courses. For the full list of SMEA offerings please see the UW course catalog. Note that some courses listed in the catalog are no longer offered regularly.

SMEA 103 Society and the Oceans NSc/SSc, DIV (credits: 5) Explores the social, justice, and policy dimensions of the ocean environment and ocean management policy. Pays attention to how human values, institutions, culture, and history shape environmental issues and policy responses. Examines case studies and influential frameworks, such as the ocean as “tragedy of the commons.” Offered: jointly with ENVIR 103/JSIS B 103.

SMEA 201 Climate Governance: How Individuals, Communities, NGOs, Firms, and Governments Can Solve the Climate Crisis SSc/NSc, DIV (credits: 5) Examines climate change, its causes and impacts (on ecosystems, water availability, extreme weather, communities, health, and food) globally, nationally, and locally. Surveys its solutions (mitigation, adaptation, migration, and just transition), actors that implement them (governments, firms, NGOs, activists, communities, individuals) and approaches they use (regulation, markets, planning, innovation, social movements, behavioral change). Offered: jointly with ENVIR 201.

SMEA 500 Marine and Environmental Affairs Theory and Practice (credits: 3) Explores interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary perspectives and multiple ways of knowing in marine and environmental affairs, approaches to collaborative problem-solving and decision-making, and ethical engagement with communities in environmental management contexts. Reading, writing, communication, and teamwork activities provide a foundation for working in diverse teams in policy, research, and community-engagement settings.

SMEA 505 Coastal Management Field Experience (credits: 3) Students participate in field trips and site visits to learn about management and stewardship practices around Puget Sound. Sites represent natural assets, environmental stewardship and restoration, urban use, natural resource management, food production, and cultural heritage. Managers and stakeholders share stories and experiences. Associated readings provide additional context for each field trip. Credit/no-credit only.

SMEA 510 Topics in Marine Ecology (credits: 3) Study of ecological principles as they apply to marine species, populations, and ecosystems, using current examples from the primary literature, including contemporary issues such s species declines, species additions, pollution, and global change.

SMEA 515 U.S. Coastal and Ocean Law (credits: 3) Study of the legal framework in the United States controlling allocation and use of coastal and marine resources. Topics include coastal zone management, fisheries management, protection of marine mammals and endangered species, marine pollution, offshore oil and gas development, and marine transportation.

SMEA 519 Marine Policy Analysis (credits: 3) Goal is appreciation for and basic working knowledge of techniques used in policy analysis. Techniques are explored in both quasi-realistic settings and in application to real world problems of marine policy.

SMEA 521 Climate Change Governance (credits: 3) Exploration of major scientific, policy, and legal issues pertaining to governance of global climate change mitigation and adaptation by a diverse set of governmental and non-governmental actors.

SMEA 536 Applied Microeconomics for Marine Affairs  (credits: 3) Acquaints students with microeconomic tools commonly employed in policy analysis. Emphasis is placed on mastery of basic concepts, definitions, and models useful to marine policy, including determinants of price and outputs in competitive markets, effects of other market structures, market failure, and applied welfare economics.

SMEA/FISH 539 U.S. Fisheries Management and Policy (credits: 3) Examination of basic laws and policies in the US that govern fisheries management and their implementation by managers at federal, tribal, state, and international levels. Includes lectures, guest speakers, and field trips.

SMEA 572 Environmental Justice and Political Ecology Field Course: Indigenous Perspectives, Coalitions, and Activism (credits: 5) Helps to familiarize students, especially those concerned with environmental justice, with Indigenous perspectives, leaders and activists. Prepares students for forging stronger interracial, environmental protection coalitions. Students not only read on these issues but are also introduced to them, via field excursions around the Puget Sound.

SMEA 574 Environmental Justice in a Changing World (credits: 3) Explores social movements, critical environmental science, policy approaches, and theoretical frameworks. Students reflect on how their backgrounds inform their work as scholars and professionals.

SMEA 580 Coding in R for Marine and Environmental Affairs (credits: 3) Provides an introduction to R programming language and gives students the tools to become autonomous users. Includes topical presentations and time to work through individual projects. Credit/no-credit only.

SMEA 584 Statistics for Marine and Environmental Policy (credits: 3) Surveys statistical approaches to data analysis with applications to marine and environmental policy, including descriptive statistics, data visualization, and hypothesis testing. Students learn how to make and use data-based claims, critically examine properties and limitation of various datasets relevant for marine and environmental policy, and use appropriate statistical software

SMEA 586 Introduction to Spatial Data Manipulation and Visualization (credits: 3) Introduces available technologies for programmatic spatial data manipulation and visualization using the R software environment. Focuses on technology, but intersperses tips for good map making. Recommended: knowledge of the R programming language and familiarity with the dplyr and ggplot packages from the Tidyverse.

SMEA 587 Qualitative Methods: Theory and Practice for Environmental Social Science (credits: 3) Considers paradigms, methodologies, and techniques for the qualitative understanding of human-ecological phenomena, relationships, and systems. Addresses each phase of the qualitative research process: problem scoping and research design, data gathering, analysis, and writing/representation. Students identify the frameworks, approaches, and practices most appropriate to an emerging, ongoing, or imagined research project.

SMEA 591 Marine Science in the Coastal Zone (credits: 3) Presentation and analysis of the marine science of estuarine, coastal, and open ocean systems, including evaluation and interpretation of scientific information necessary for management. Lectures, discussions, and readings emphasize the relevance of natural processes to marine environmental management and decision-making.

SMEA 550 Special Topics Courses (credits: 1 – 3) These courses vary each quarter but topics in the past year have included:

SMEA 600 Independent Study or Research (8 credits max)

SMEA 650 Marine and Environmental Affairs Capstone Project (9 credits)

SMEA 700 Master’s Thesis (15 credits)

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