Below is a listing of the courses typically offered through Marine Affairs. More details can be found for each course by clicking on its link. To see if a course will be offered in a particular semester, first check on eCampus. If you don’t see it listed for the upcoming semester, you can reach out to the instructor for additional information.

Course ID	Course Title	Required for	Gen Eds	Typical Semester	Typically Taught By	Catalog Description
MAF 100	Human Use and Management	BA, BS	A2, C1	Fall & Spring	Whit Saumweber / Beth Mendenhall	An introduction to major human uses of marine and coastal environments and the institutions that govern and manage those uses, with an emphasis on sustainability and policy tradeoffs.
MAF 120	New England and the Sea	BA, BS		Fall	Mateja Nenadovic	Examines the historical, social, economic, and environmental relationships between New England communities and the sea.
MAF 213G	Energy and the Environment	Elective	A1, C2, G	Spring	David Bidwell	Explores relationships between energy production, environmental impacts, and public policy. Covers fossil fuels, renewable energy, and sustainability tradeoffs.
MAF 220	Intro Coastal and Ocean Law	BA, BS	A2, C1	Fall	Jesse Reiblich	Introduces legal frameworks governing coastal and ocean environments in the United States, including fisheries, pollution, and coastal development.
MAF 280	Introduction to Climatology	Elective		Fall	Ambarish Karmalkar	Introduces the physical mechanisms that govern Earth’s climate system, including atmospheric and oceanic circulation, energy and moisture balance, and weather and climate variability.
MAF 310	Communications for MAF	Elective		Spring	Emily Diamond	Develops professional communication skills for marine and environmental policy contexts, including writing, presentations, and public engagement.
MAF 312	International Politics of the Ocean	Elective	C2, D1	Spring	Beth Mendenhall	Examines political forces shaping ocean governance at the international level, including security, fisheries, and maritime boundaries.
MAF 314	US Politics of the Ocean	Elective		TBD	Whit Saumweber	Explores U.S. political institutions and decision-making processes related to ocean and coastal policy.
MAF 320	Shipping and Ports	Elective	B4, C2	Fall	Simona Trandafir	Introduces maritime transportation systems, port operations, and the economic and policy dimensions of shipping.
MAF 330	World Fishing	Elective		Fall	Mateja Nenadovic	Examines global fisheries, fishing communities, and management systems, with attention to sustainability challenges.
MAF 340	Environmental Sociology	Elective		Fall	Jon Nelson	Explores relationships between society and the environment, emphasizing institutions, power, and environmental decision-making.
MAF 350	Global Issues in Sustainable Development	Elective	A2, C2	Fall & Spring	Rotates	Examines environmental, economic, and social dimensions of sustainable development in global contexts.
MAF 373	Environmental Injustice	Elective	C3	Fall	Jessie Frazier	Explores links between environmental conditions, inequality, and public policy, with case studies of environmental injustice.
MAF 380	Practical Ocean Policy	Elective		TBD	Whit Saumweber	Focuses on applied analysis of ocean policy and management issues using real-world case studies.
MAF 410	Senior Capstone	BA, BS		Spring	Jesse Reiblich / David Bidwell	Senior capstone course emphasizing applied problem solving in marine and coastal affairs.
MAF 412G	Governing Intl Waters	Elective	C2, D1, G	Spring	Beth Mendenhall	Explores governance of international and transboundary marine waters, including treaties and institutions.
MAF 413	Peoples of the Sea	Elective		Fall	Carlos Garcia-Quijano	Examines cultural relationships between human societies and the marine environment.
MAF 415	Marine Pollution	Elective		Spring	Rick Burroughs	Examines sources, impacts, and regulation of marine pollution.
MAF 416X	Aquatic Ethnoecology	Elective		Fall	Carlos Garcia-Quijano	Explores Indigenous, Traditional, and Local Ecological Knowledge related to aquatic ecosystems and management.
MAF 420	Regional Climate Dynamics & Modeling	Elective			Ambarish Karmalkar	Examines regional-scale climate processes and modeling approaches.
MAF 422	Applied Climate Science	Elective			Ambarish Karmalkar	Applies climate science to real-world environmental, planning, and policy problems.
MAF 445	Environmental Behavior	Elective		Fall	David Bidwell	Explores behavioral influences on environmental decision-making.
MAF 461	Coastal Zone Management	Elective		Spring	Tracey Dalton / Sarah Smith	Examination of activities and management efforts in the coastal zone of both developed and developing countries and their impacts on the environment. Resolution of use conflicts.
MAF 465	Coastal Applications of GIS	Elective		Spring	Mike Bradley / Austin Becker	Introduces geographic information systems for coastal and marine management applications.
MAF 471	Critical Island Studies	Elective		Spring	Hilda Lloréns	Examines islands as social, political, and ecological spaces.
MAF 472	Tourism and Ecotourism	Elective		Spring	Sarah Smith	Explores tourism development and sustainability in environmental and coastal contexts.
MAF 475	Coastal Hazards	Elective		Fall	Sarah Smith	Examines natural and human-induced hazards affecting coastal communities.
MAF 482	Quantitative Methods	BA, BS		Fall	Jason McNamee	Introduces quantitative methods for research and policy analysis in marine affairs.
MAF 494	Cases in Federal Ocean Policy	Elective		Spring	Whit Saumweber	Analyzes U.S. federal ocean policy through in-depth case studies.
MAF 4XX	Race, Gender, Colonialism and Science	Elective		Fall	Yoshitaka Ota	Explores how race, gender, and colonial histories shape scientific knowledge and practice.
MAF 502	Research Methods	MA, PhD		Spring	David Bidwell	Introduces interdisciplinary research design and methods in marine affairs.
MAF 511	Ocean Uses	MMA, MA, PhD		Fall	Rick Burroughs / Whit Saumweber	Examines major ocean uses and the governance systems that regulate them.
MAF 515	Marine Pollution Policy	Elective		Fall	Rick Burroughs	Examines policy responses and regulatory frameworks addressing marine pollution.
MAF 520	Critical Ocean Equity	Elective		Spring	Yoshitaka Ota	Explores equity and justice issues in ocean governance and resource use.
MAF 521	Coastal Zone Law	MMA, MA. PhD		Spring	Jesse Reiblich	Advanced examination of legal frameworks governing coastal and ocean environments.
MAF 522/COMM 522	Media and the Environment	Elective		Fall	Emily Diamond	Examines media coverage and communication of environmental issues.
MAF 523	Fisheries Law & Mgmt	Elective		Spring	Mateja Nenadovic	Examines legal and policy frameworks governing fisheries management.
MAF 526	Management of MPAs	Elective		Fall	Tracey Dalton	Explores design and management of marine protected areas.
MAF 531	Environmental Justice	Elective		Spring	Hilda Lloréns	Advanced examination of environmental justice from governance perspectives.
MAF 545	Environmental Behavior	Elective		Fall	David Bidwell	Advanced study of environmental behavior and policy implications.
MAF 547	Political Ecology	Elective		Fall	Patrick Baur / Melva Treviño	Examines environmental issues through political and economic lenses.
MAF 564	Port Planning and Policy	Elective		Spring	Austin Becker	Examines seaport planning, operations, governance, and climate resilience.
MAF 570	Ocean Governance (Online)	Elective		Online	Rotates	Introduces legal, institutional, and policy frameworks for ocean governance.
MAF 577	International Ocean Law	MMA, MA, PhD		Fall	Beth Mendenhall	Examines international legal principles governing the oceans.
MAF 582	Ecosystem Governance	Elective		Spring	Rick Burroughs	Examines governance approaches to ecosystem-based management.
MAF 583	Quantitative Methods	MMA, MA, PhD		Spring	Jason McNamee	Advanced applications of quantitative methods in marine affairs.
MAF 5XX	Global Ocean Health and Security	Elective		Spring	Whit Saumweber	Examines links between ocean health, security, and governance.
MAF 602	Federal Ocean Policy & Organizations	Elective		Fall	Whit Saumweber	Examines U.S. federal institutions responsible for ocean policy and the politics and tradeoffs involved in U.S. ocean policy decisions.
MAF 650	MAF PhD Seminar (1 credit)	PhD		Fall	David Bidwell	Doctoral seminar focused on research development and scholarly practice.
MAF 651	Navigating Marine Affairs	MMA, MA, PhD		Fall	Austin Becker	Graduate seminar examining contemporary marine affairs and professional development.
MAF for URI 101	Intro to URI (1 credit)	BA, BS		Fall	Beth Mendenhall / Simona Trandafir	Introduces students to the University of Rhode Island and the Marine Affairs program.
MAF/BES 505	Ethnographic Methods	Elective		Spring	Melva Trevino-Pena	Introduces ethnographic and qualitative research methods used in social science and environmental research. Emphasizes participant observation, interviewing, ethics, and data interpretation, with applications to marine and environmental contexts.
MAF/COM 525	Science of Science Communication	Elective		Fall	Emily Diamond	Examines how scientific information is communicated to public, policy, and stakeholder audiences. Focuses on evidence-based communication strategies, framing, and engagement.
MAF/EEC 434/534	Economics of Natural Resources	MMA, MA, PhD		Spring	Hiro Uchida	Covers economic principles related to the use and management of natural resources. Topics include scarcity, valuation, property rights, and policy tools for managing renewable and non-renewable resources.
MAF/EEC 435/535	Environmental Economics	MMA, MA, PhD		Spring	Emi Uchida	Introduces economic approaches to environmental problems, including pollution control and resource conservation. Emphasizes market failure, regulatory instruments, and policy design.