ENVS& 100: Survey of Environmental Science

Transcription

1 ENVS& 100: Survey of Environmental Science Instructor: Kate Tsyrklevich Office hours: TBA Class Time & Location: M/W 2:15-4:25 PM, LSC-111 COURSE CATALOG DESCRIPTION A introductory non-lab natural science course designed to develop the ability to critically analyze environmental concepts and issues. The course will cover essential topics in scientific analysis, ecosystems, pollution, population, urbanization, natural resources, and other environmental issues. Field trip required. TEXTBOOK The textbook you will be using is Environmental Science A Study of Interrelationships 14th Ed, ISBN , by Enger & Smith. PARTICIPATION EXPECTATIONS As the Instructor, my responsibility is to come to class prepared with lecture material, points of discussion, and exams. Expectations for the course are laid out in this syllabus. I will schedule our class to use school facilities such as the computer lab for group activities. I will make sure that this class flows well in terms of time and topics presented. I will explain all topics in a way that students will be able to understand- you can help me by asking questions It is also my responsibility to answer s in a timely fashion (within 2 days) and to grade and return work and exams in a timely fashion (within 1 week). Lastly, I will post your grades and all lecture/lab material necessary for the course to Canvas. You are expected to attend all lecture and laboratory sessions. For your success, follow along lecture by taking notes. Read assigned chapters BEFORE class and take notes on the assigned reading. The students who will be most prepared for exams are those who take the time to rewrite chapter notes. There will be online discussion activities on current topics- students who actively contribute will get higher scores. This is a College Course, you are expected to take responsibility for your own success. Please make sure that you understand lecture and reading material, if something is not clear, ask questions. You are responsible for completing work on time without being reminded. The amount of effort you put into this class does translate into which grade you receive.

2 WEEK 1 (1/2-1/8) EVNR& 100 CLASS OUTLINE Topics Covered Issues and Ethics Classes begin January 4th Chapters 1 WEEK 2 (1/9-15) Economics and Science Background 2, 3 WEEK 3 (1/16-22) Ecology, Ecosystems and Communities No Class Monday January 16th: MLK Day 4, 5 WEEK 4 (1/23-29) Population and Energy Consumption 6, 7 WEEK 5 (1/30-2/5) Renewable and Nonrenewable Energy 8, 9 WEEK 6 (2/6-12) Biodiversity and Land Use No Classes Thursday and Friday February 9, 10 10, 11 WEEK 7 (2/13-19) Soil and Agriculture 12, 13 WEEK 8 (2/20-26) Water and Air No Class Monday, February 20th 14, 15 WEEK 9 (2/27-3/5) Climate Change 16, 17 WEEK 10 (3/6-12) Waste Management 18, 19 WEEK 11 (3/13-20) Environmental Policy Presentations of Community Service Work. 20 Final exam 3/21 Final exam is Tuesday, March 21 from 2:15-4:15pm

3 GRADING Exams (3 100pts each, Final- 200pts) Exams will cover materials from lecture as well as chapter reading. Exams will be on 1/20, 2/10, and 3/3 and Final Exam on 3/23. All exams will be administered online via Canvas. Exams have to be complete during the class period, late exams will be worth half credit. Participation (10-20pts each) These will be mostly online discussions. On a few occasions we might have inclass debates, presentations or group papers. This will help students develop critical thinking skills and public speaking skills. Topic will be related to material covered that week and current events. Community service project and presentation You will do 10 hours of community service that relates to any course topic and make a presentation about the service. This will help to relate and apply topics covered in class to real life scenarios. Community service paper You will write a four page paper about your community service. Use 1 margins, 12 pt Times New Roman Font, and 1.5 spacing. This will be due on 3/9/17 and you will be able to submit a copy online. TOTAL POINTS Your final grade will be determined by the total points earned divided by the total points assigned for the course. The grading scale used is a no-curve, straight scale regulated by the science department = 95%+ 3.4 = 89% 2.8 = 83% 2.2 = 77% 1.6 = 71% 1.0 = 65% 3.9 = 94% 3.3 = 88% 2.7 = 82% 2.1 = 76% 1.5 = 70% 0.0 <65% 3.8 = 93% 3.2 = 87% 2.6 = 81% 2.0 = 75% 1.4 = 69% 3.7 = 92% 3.1 = 86% 2.5 = 80% 1.9 = 74% 1.3 = 68% 3.6 = 91% 3.0 = 85% 2.4 = 79% 1.8 = 73% 1.2 = 67% 3.5 = 90% 2.9 = 84% 2.3 = 78% 1.7 = 72% 1.1 = 66% MAKE-UP WORK Make-up will NOT be allowed, except for students who have pre-arranged absences or reasonable explanations for missing.

4 BONUS OPPORTUNITIES There may be bonus opportunities to improve your grade. This requires out-of-class time participation. I will give as much advanced notice as possible. Note: I reserve the right to change the syllabus, as needed. ACADEMIC PROFESSIONALISM & INTEGRITY You will be expected to follow the Student Code of Conduct. policy/studentrr (Links to an external site.) I do not tolerate cheating or plagiarism (copying from another source without using citation) or copying from peers. If caught doing so, you will be failed. A first offense of cheating on an assignment will result in a 0 for the assignment. The second offense of cheating or if ever caught cheating on an exam will always results in a 0.0 for the course and you will be reported to the Dean of Student Success. I expect maturity and focus during lecture and lab. Please refrain from conversation while I am speaking. *** Cell phone use (talking or texting) is prohibited in the classroom. *** ACCESS & DISABILITY SERVICES (Links to an external site.) Your experience in this class is important to me, and it is the policy and practice of Pierce College to create inclusive and accessible learning environments consistent with federal and state law. If you experience barriers based on disability, please seek a meeting with the Access and Disability Services (ADS) manager to discuss and address them. If you have already established accommodations with the ADS manager, please bring your approved accommodations (green sheet) to me at your earliest convenience so we can discuss your needs in this course. ADS offers resources and coordinates reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities. Reasonable accommodations are established through an interactive process between you and the ADS manager, and I am available to help facilitate them in this class. If you have not yet established services through ADS, but have a temporary or permanent disability that requires accommodations (this can include but not be limited to; mental health, attention-related, learning, vision, hearing, physical or health impacts), you are encouraged to contact ADS at (Fort Steilacoom) or (Puyallup). TUTORING SERVICES (Links to an external site.) The Tutoring Center at Pierce College Fort Steilacoom provides FREE drop-in, appointment, and online tutoring services in most subjects offered at Pierce College, to include: math (basic through calculus), statistics, chemistry, biology, physics, English (grammar to essay development), world languages, business, and much more. The fundamental basis for tutoring is to foster in each student a productive level of confidence and self-reliance through the development of effective study skills, increased content comprehension, and critical thinking techniques. The majority of our students achieve over a 3.0 GPA in the course for which they were being tutored.

5 Course Outcomes for ENVS& Define environmental science and explain why environmental sustainability is an important concern. (Week 1) 2. Summarize the history of environmentalism and the progress made in environmental awareness and cleanup. (Week 11) 3. Using the scientific method, describe the major components of solving environmental problems. (Week 1) 4. Explain how risk assessment helps determine pollution and natural hazard events and longterm effects. (Week 2) 5. Distinguish between the major federal environmental laws (e.g. Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, NEPA, Endangered Species Act, etc). (Week 2) 6. Assess the role of economics in relation to pollution, enjoyment, and value of environmental components. (Week 2) 7. Differentiate the bio-geo-chemical cycles and summarize the flow of energy in an ecosystem and a food web. (Week 3) 8. Discuss the role of solar energy in the Earth system. (Week 5) 9. Summarize the roles of the atmosphere, lithosphere, and hydrosphere within the Earth system and relate each to the biosphere. (Week 2,3) 10. Relate the role of humans to natural hazards in the environment. (Week 4) 11. Define ecology, explain symbiosis, and distinguish the various ecological levels. (Week 3) 12. Sketch and explain the pyramids of numbers, biomass, and energy. (Week 4) 13. Define a biome and describe the major terrestrial biomes in relation to natural vegetation and climate. (Week 4) 14. Give examples of how water conservation can be practiced by industry, agriculture, and homes. Contrast the advantages and disadvantages in utilizing surface water and groundwater resources. (Week 8) 15. List and describe at least five categories of water pollutants and air pollutants.(week 8) 16. Describe the distribution, growth, and dynamics of the world human population and analyze the impact of the human population on the environment. (Week 4) 17. Information Competency: Demonstrate the ability to use the library and the Internet as a resource tool for locating and analyzing environmental data and information. (group projects) 18. Effective Communication: Ability to do field observation and make field notes of local animal and plant communities and formulate the data gathered into concise reports and presentations. (Field trips) 19. Multiculturalism: Understand, appreciate, and discuss the different environmental viewpoints of various world cultures. (group project) 20. Responsibility: Examine the relationship between self and the environment, evaluate potential impacts of actions, and make choices based on that examination and evaluation. (group project and class discussion)