Courses :: ETOX

Lower Division Upper Division Graduate Courses

See updated course descriptions in the UC Davis general catalog here.

Lower Division Courses

10. Introduction to Environmental Toxicology (3)

Lecture—3 hours. Hazardous substances, their effects on humans and their actions and movement in the environment. Emphasis on substances of current concern. GE credit: SciEng | SE, SL. (Fall, Winter, Spring) La Merrill.

20. Introduction to Forensic Science (3)

Lecture—3 hours. Basic principles of forensic science, types of information on which investigations focus, how information is obtained and used in criminal investigations, types of scientific skills required to practice forensic science, guidance on training. Real cases discussed; demonstrations of methods provided. GE credit: SciEng, Wrt | SE, SL, VL. (Winter) Wood.

30. Chemical and Drug Use and Abuse (3)

Lecture—3 hours. An overview of chemical use and abuse in our society. The effects of chemicals (therapeutic drugs, pesticides, food additives, herbal remedies, environmental contaminants, and recreational drugs) on humans and other living systems. GE credit: SciEng | SE. (Spring) Ehrlich, Wood.

40. Contaminants in Our Environment (3)
Lecture/Discussion—3 hours. Contaminants in the environment (air, water, and soil) that influence the health of the environment, wildlife, and humans. An emphasis on contaminant properties, sources, and movement, public policy, and applying quantitative reasoning. GE credit: SciEng (SE), Scientific Literacy (SL) (Winter) Poulin.

92. Internship (1-12)

Internship—3-36 hours. Prerequisite: lower division standing and consent of instructor. Work experience off and on campus in all subject areas offered in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Internships supervised by a member of the faculty. (P/NP grading only.) GE credit: SE.

99. Special Study for Undergraduates (1-5)

Prerequisite: consent of instructor. (P/NP grading only.) GE credit: SE.

Upper Division

101. Principles of Environmental Toxicology (4)

Lecture—3 hours; discussion—1 hour. Prerequisite: Chemistry 8B, 118B, or 128B and Biological Sciences 1A. Principles of toxicology with a focus on environmental, industrial, and natural chemicals. Topics include fate and effects of chemicals in organisms and the environment, air pollutants, insecticides, aquatic toxicology, endocrine disruptors, biomarkers and bioassays, and risk assessment. GE credit: SciEng | SE, SL. (Fall) Nicklisch, Wood.

102A. Environmental Fate of Toxicants (4)

Lecture—3 hours; discussion—1 hour. Prerequisite: Chemistry 8B, 118B, 128B or consent of instructor. Properties of toxic chemicals influencing their distribution and transformations; action of environmental forces affecting toxicant breakdown, movement, and accumulation; sources and occurrence of major classes of environmental toxicants. Not open for credit to students who have completed course 112A. GE credit: SciEng | QL, SE, SL, VL, WE. (Winter) Nguyen.

102B. Quantitative Analysis of Environmental Toxicants (5)

Lecture—3 hours; laboratory—3 hours; discussion—1 hour. Prerequisite: course 102A. Sample preparation methods for trace analysis of environmental toxicants. Concept and techniques of advanced analytical instrumentation. Interpretation and use of analytical data. Not open for credit to students who have completed course 112B. GE credit: SciEng | SE, VL. (Spring) Hengel. Course materials and service fee, $62.**

103A. Biological Effects of Toxicants (4)

Lecture—3 hours; discussion—1 hour. Prerequisite: Biological Sciences 102; course 101 and Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior 101 recommended. Biological effects of toxic substances in living organisms. Metabolism, cellular and tissue targets, mechanisms of action, and pathological effects. Not open for credit to students who have completed course 114A. GE credit: SciEng | SE. (Winter) Nicklisch.

103B. Biological Effects of Toxicants: Experimental Approaches (5)

Lecture—3 hours; laboratory—3 hours; discussion—1 hour. Prerequisite: course 103A. Experimental approaches for assessing the biological effects of toxicants. Not open for credit to students who have completed course 114B. GE credit: SciEng | SE, VL, WE. (Spring) Wood. Course materials and service fee, $65.**

104. Environmental and Nutritional Factors in Cellular Regulation and Nutritional Toxicants (4)

Lecture—3 hours; discussion—1 hour. Prerequisite: Biological Sciences 101; Biological Sciences 103 or Animal Biology 103. Cellular regulation from nutritional/toxicological perspective. Emphasis: role of biofactors on modulation of signal transduction pathways, role of specific organelles in organization/regulation of metabolic transformations, major cofactor functions, principles of pharmacology/toxicology important to understanding nutrient/toxicant metabolism. (Same course as Nutrition 104.) GE credit: SciEng | OL, SE, SL. (Fall) Haj, Oteiza

110. Toxic Tragedies and Their Impact on Society (2)

Lecture—2 hours. Prerequisite: Biological Sciences 10 or the equivalent or consent of instructor; Chemistry 118A recommended. Examination of toxic tragedies, their origins, consequences, and effects on toxic regulation. GE credit: SciEng, Wrt | OL, SE, SL, WE. (Winter) Rice

111. Introduction to Mass Spectrometry (3)

Lecture—3 hours. Prerequisite: Chemistry 118C. Introduction to mass spectrometry, including ionization techniques, mass analyzers, interpretation of mass spectra, and applications of mass spectrometry. Emphasis on fundamental concepts of mass spectrometry necessary to identify and quantify organic molecules. GE credit: SciEng | SE. (Winter) Nguyen.

120. Perspectives in Aquatic Toxicology (4)

Lecture—3 hours; discussion—1 hour. Prerequisite: Chemistry 8B, 118B or 128B, Biological Sciences 1A, or consent of instructor. Toxic substances, their fate in marine and freshwater systems, and their effects on aquatic organisms, populations, and ecosystems. Emphasis on substances and issues of current concern. Offered in alternate years. GE credit: SciEng | OL, SE, SL, VL, WE. (Winter) Pasparakis, Whitehead.

127. Environmental Stress and Development in Marine Organisms (10)

Lecture—4 hours; laboratory—12 hours; discussion—2 hours. Prerequisite: course 101 or Biological Sciences 102 or 104 or the equivalent; course 114A or Nutrition 114 recommended. Course taught at Bodega Marine Laboratory. Effects of environmental and nutritional stress, including pollutants, on development and function in embryos and larvae of marine organisms. Emphasis on advanced experimental methods. (Same course as Nutrition 127.) GE credit: SciEng | OL, QL, SE, SL, VL, WE. (Summer) Pasparakis.

128. Food Toxicology (3)

Lecture—3 hours. Prerequisite: Biological Sciences 102 and 103. Chemistry and biochemistry of toxins occurring in foods, including plant and animal toxins, intentional and unintentional food additives. The assessment of food safety and toxic hazards. (Same course as Food Science and Technology 128.) GE credit: SciEng | SE. (Spring) Nicklisch.

131. Environmental Toxicology of Air Pollutants (3)

Lecture—3 hours. Prerequisite: Chemistry 8B (may be taken concurrently) or the equivalent; Biological Sciences 102 recommended. Field trip required. Toxicology of air pollutants in the ambient, indoor, and occupational environments. Health effects, sources, environmental fates, pulmonary responses, sampling and analyses, and air-quality criteria and standards. GE credit: SciEng | SE, VL. (Fall) Kado. Course materials and service fee, $36.**

135. Health Risk Assessment of Toxicants (3)

Lecture—3 hours. Prerequisite: course 101; course 114A recommended. Current practices of health risk assessment of environmental chemicals using toxicological principles and their application to regulatory control of these chemicals. GE credit: SciEng | QL, SE, SL, VL. (Fall) Marder.

138. Legal Aspects of Environmental Toxicology (3)

Lecture—3 hours. Prerequisite: course 10 or 101 recommended. Federal and California legislation concerning air and water pollution, pesticide use, food and feed additives, consumer protection, and occupational exposure to toxic substances; roles of federal regulatory agencies; alternatives to government control. GE credit: SciEng | SE, VL, WE. (Winter) Riveles.

146. Exposure and Dose Assessment (3)

Lecture—3 hours. Prerequisite: course 112A; course 135 recommended. The exposure component of risk assessment; specifically, the presence and/or formation of toxic substances in environmental media, their movement within and between contaminated media, and the contacts of human populations with those media. Offered in alternate years. GE credit: SciEng | QL, SE, SL, VL. (Spring) Bennett.

150. Evolution in Human-Altered Environments (4 units)

Lecture: Effects of recent human alterations to the natural environment on the evolutionary trajectories of diverse species, including our own. GE credit: SciEng | SE, SL, WE. (Spring) Whitehead.

180. Chemistry and Toxicology of Metals (4 units)

Lecture / Discussion - Metal contaminants in the environment (air, water, and soil) and their effects on the health of the environment and humans. How the chemistry of metals ultimately controls their environmental fate and toxicity, application of numerical models, and discussion of case studies. GE credit: SciEng | QL. (Spring) Poulin

190. Seminar (1)

Seminar—1 hour. Prerequisite: consent of instructor. Selected topics presented by students, faculty, or outside speakers covering current research and instructional activities within environmental toxicology. Reports and discussion concerning oral and written presentations, literature sources, and career opportunities. (P/NP grading only.) GE credit: SciEng | SE. (Fall, Winter, Spring)

190C. Research Group Conference (1)

Discussion—1 hour. Prerequisite: consent of instructor. Weekly conference of advanced research methods and the interpretation of research results. (P/NP grading only.) GE credit: SE. (Fall, Winter, Spring)

190S. Environmental Toxicology Career Seminar (1)

Seminar—1 hour. Careers in environmental toxicology; discussions with graduates from the Department of Environmental Toxicology and other experts in the field. (P/NP grading only.) GE credit: SE. (Fall)

192. Internship (1-12)

Internship—3-36 hours. Prerequisite: completion of 84 units and consent of instructor. Work experience off and on campus in all subject areas offered in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Internships supervised by a member of the faculty. (P/NP grading only.) GE credit: SE.

194HA. Honors Research (3)

Discussion—1 hour; laboratory—6 hours. Prerequisite: senior standing; minimum GPA of 3.250; consent of instructor. Specific research project conducted under the supervision of a faculty sponsor. Experience to include experimental design, learning new techniques, data analysis and interpretation of findings. (P/NP grading only; deferred grading pending completion of sequence.) GE credit: SciEng | SE. (Fall, Winter, Spring)

194HB. Honors Research (3)

194HC. Honors Research (3)

Laboratory—6-9 hours; discussion—1 hour. Prerequisite: senior standing; minimum GPA of 3.250; and consent of instructor. Continuation of course 194HA-194HB. (P/NP grading only.) GE credit: SE.

197T. Tutoring in Environmental Toxicology (1-5)

Hours and duties will vary depending upon course being tutored. Prerequisite: advanced standing in Environmental Toxicology, a related major, or the equivalent experience and consent of instructor. Teaching toxicology including conducting discussion groups for regular departmental courses under direct guidance of staff. May be repeated for credit up to a total of 5 units. (P/NP grading only.) GE credit: SE.

198. Directed Group Study (1-5)

Prerequisite: consent of instructor. (P/NP grading only.) GE credit: SE.

199. Special Study for Advanced Undergraduates (1-5)

Undergraduate research experience on or off campus in Environmental Toxicology. Supervised by a member of the faculty. (P/NP grading only.) GE credit: SE.

Graduate Courses

203. Environmental Toxicants (4)

Lecture—3 hours; discussion—1 hour. Prerequisite: Chemistry 128C (or the equivalent), or Chemistry 8B and consent of instructor. Toxic chemicals: selected topics illustrating their occurrence, structure, and the reactions underlying detection, toxicity, fate, and ecological importance. Offered in alternate years. (Spring). Walse.

214. Mechanisms of Toxic Action (3)

Lecture—3 hours. Prerequisite: Biological Sciences 102, 103, and consent of instructor. Chemical, biochemical, and molecular mechanisms underlying the adverse effects of toxic chemicals. Students are required to write a grant proposal and participate in a grant review panel. Offered in alternate years. (Spring). Walse, Wood.

220. Analysis of Toxicants (3)

Lecture—3 hours. Prerequisite: coursework in organic chemistry. Principles of microanalysis of toxicants. Theoretical considerations regarding separation, detection and quantitative determination of toxicants using chemical and instrumental techniques. (Same course as Forensic Science 220.) (Fall) Zhang.

220L. Analysis of Toxicants Laboratory (2)

Laboratory—6 hours. Prerequisite: course 220 (may be taken concurrently) and consent of instructor. Laboratory techniques for microanalysis of toxicants. Separation, detection, and quantitative determination of toxicants using chemical and instrumental methods. (Fall) Zhang. Course materials and service fee, $50.**

234. Current Topics in Neurotoxicology (3)

Lecture—3 hours. Prerequisite: core courses in one of the following graduate programs: Pharmacology and Toxicology, Agricultural and Environmental Chemistry, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Cell and Developmental Biology, Immunology, Molecular Cellular and Integrative Physiology or Neuroscience. Restricted to upper level undergraduate students must obtain permission from the course coordinator. General principles of neurotoxicology, the cell and molecular mechanisms and health impacts of specific neurotoxicants and the contribution of neurotoxic compounds to complex neurodevelopmental disorders and neurodegenerative diseases. (Same course as Molecular Biosciences 234 and Molecular, Cellular, and Integrative Physiology 234.) (Spring) Lein.

240. Ecotoxicology (3)

Lecture—3 hours. Prerequisite: elementary course in toxicology and ecology or the equivalent, or consent of instructor. Principles of toxicology as applied to chemical action on natural populations, communities, and ecosystems. Physical, chemical, and biological characteristics which influence ecotoxic effects, modeling, and field research. Selected case histories are analyzed and presented in class. (Spring) Whitehead.

260. Immunotoxicology (3)

Lecture—3 hours. Prerequisite: undergraduate or graduate introduction to immunology coursework recommended, but not required; graduate standing or consent of instructor. Provides students with skills and knowledge for evaluating and applying research on the impact of environmental toxicants on immunological function in human and wildlife populations. Offered in alternate years. Ehrlich, Miller.

278. Molecular Techniques (3)

Lecture—3 hours. Prerequisite: graduate standing or consent of instructor. Recombinant DNA technology and its applications. (Same course as Forensic Science 278.) Offered in alternate years. (Fall) Parker.

280. Forensic DNA Analysis (3)

Lecture—3 hours. Prerequisite: coursework in genetics and molecular biology. Graduate standing; consent of instructor required for all students not enrolled in the MS Forensics program. Foundation in theory and practice of forensic DNA analysis; past, present, and emerging technologies; legal and quality assurance issues. DNA extraction, DNA quantitation, multiplex amplification of STR loci, capillary electrophoresis of amplified products, and analysis of STR typing data. (Same course as Forensic Science 280.) (Winter) Hall.

281. Principles and Practice of Forensic Serology and DNA Analysis (3)

Lecture—2 hours; lecture/discussion—3 hours. Prerequisite: Forensics/course 278 or Forensics/course 280, or equivalent; consent of instructor. Restricted to students enrolled in the M.S. in Forensic Science Program or by consent of Forensic Science Program Director. Comprehensive overview of forensic serology and DNA typing techniques and technologies. Strong emphasis on real-world applications, including preservation and tracking of biological evidence, detection and identification of bodily fluids, and methods to extract, quantify, and type human DNA. (Same course as Forensic Science 281.) (Spring) Hall.

290. Seminar (1)

Seminar—1 hour. Current topics in environmental toxicology. (S/U grading only.) (Fall, Winter, Spring)

290C. Advanced Research Conference (1)

Lecture/discussion—1 hour. Prerequisite: consent of instructor. Presentation and critical discussion of advanced research methods and interpretation of research results. Designed primarily for graduate students. (S/U grading only.)(Fall, Winter, Spring)

297T. Tutoring in Environmental Toxicology (1-5)

Hours and duties will vary depending upon course being tutored. Prerequisite: graduate standing in Environmental Toxicology, a related major, or the equivalent experience, and consent of instructor. Teaching toxicology including conducting discussion groups for regular departmental courses under direct guidance of staff. May be repeated for credit up to a total of 5 units. (S/U grading only.)

298. Group Study (1-5)

299. Research (1-12)

(S/U grading only.)

Professional

396. Teaching Assistant Training Practicum (1-4)

Prerequisite: graduate standing. May be repeated for credit. (S/U grading only.) (Fall, Winter, Spring)

Irregularly Offered Courses

These courses are not offered on a regular schedule. Consult with the academic advisors and/or Instructors of Record regarding course availability.

130. The Role and Applications of Toxicology in Modern Industry (3)

Lecture—3 hours. Prerequisite: course 101 required; course 103A recommended. Role of toxicology in industry research and development, human health and environmental protection, hazard and risk evaluations, risk management and communications, product stewardship, and regulatory compliance. Scientific principles and methods of toxicology in chemical, energy, pharmaceutical, pesticide, biotechnology industries. GE credit: SciEng | OL, SE, SL, VL, WE. (Fall)

140. Genes and the Environment (3)

Lecture/discussion—3 hours. Prerequisite: Biological Science 101 required or permission of instructor; coursework in genetics and molecular biology and/or environmental toxicology recommended. Evaluation of evidence that human health and disease susceptibility result from complex interactions between genes and the environment. Emphasis on cancer, metabolic, cardiovascular, and neurological health outcomes assessed by genotoxicity and toxicogenomic methods. Offered in alternate years. (Fall) La Merrill.

228. Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry of Toxic Chemicals (3)

Lecture—1 hour; discussion—1 hour; laboratory—3 hours. Prerequisite: course 220 and Chemistry 129C; or consent of instructor. Application of GC/MS techniques to investigate toxic chemicals. Mass spectral fragmentations and their application to the structural elucidation. Practical application of GC/MS in current research. Preference given to environmental toxicology graduate students.

250. Reproductive Toxicology (3)

Lecture—1.5 hours; lecture/discussion—1.5 hours. Prerequisite: Physiology 220 or Pharmacology—Toxicology 203. Application of toxicological principles in reproductive studies. Effects of toxicants on the male, female, and developing embryo/fetus. Critical evaluation of reproductive toxicity studies and development of mechanistic approaches to understanding how chemical exposure can adversely affect reproduction.

270. Toxicology of Pesticides (3)

Lecture—3 hours. Prerequisite: one course each in (a) Organic Chemistry, (b) Biochemistry, (c) Toxicology (course 101 or equivalent), or consent of instructor; graduate standing. Classification and chemical properties of pesticides, their mode of action, metabolism and disposition, pesticide resistance, effects on human health and ecological health and methods of risk benefit analyses.

284. Non-Human Forensic DNA—Theory and Casework Application (2)

Lecture—2 hours. Prerequisite: consent of instructor required for all students not enrolled in the MS Forensics program; upper division Molecular Biology and Genetics or its equivalent. Restricted to graduate standing. Provides a comprehensive understanding of plant and animal forensic biology in terms of sample collection, preservation, analytical methods, and of the invaluable lines of inquiry these forensic evidence may permit. (Same course as Forensic Science 284.)

**For courses requiring a course materials and service fee, students may apply for a waiver by submitting this form to their academic advisor: https://ucdavis.app.box.com/s/i18iatocmqj88k8fk781r56dd6yfcc83