Fundamentals of Environmental Science ES 103 Spring 2018 Class time: Monday & Tuesday 4:10-5:25 p.m. Location: Culpin Room Name of Faculty: Dr. Noah Gordon Contact details: E-mail: ng62@evansville.edu Office hours: Wednewday 1:30-3:30 p.m. or by appointment Course Description ES 103 Fundamentals of Environmental Science (3 credits) is a course for non-science majors. It introduces the interdisciplinary nature of problems relating to the human environment, including social, political, and economic aspects. Credit Hour Policy Statement This class meets the federal credit hour policy of: Standard lecture e.g. 1 hour of class with an expected 2 hours of additional student work outside of class each week for approximately 15 weeks for each hour of credit, or a total of 45-75 hours for each credit. General Education Objective This course meets the General Education requirements for: Outcome 8 Scientific Literacy. Learning Objectives Listed below are the Learning Objectives for the course: Students will demonstrate a thorough familiarity with important vocabulary, facts, and theories of environmental studies. Students will demonstrate an understanding of fundamental scientific principles, relationships and unifying theories of environmental studies. Students will develop their discussion and presentation skills. Students will enhance their awareness of environmental concerns. Further Information about the Course Lecture The lecture topics will follow the schedule on this syllabus (below). You are responsible for reading the chapters or sections that match each lecture. At a minimum, look over the chapter review and summary of key concepts PRIOR to coming to class so you are familiar with the topic to be covered. Then read the chapter for detail after class. Make-up for missed work/late work All homework is due prior to class or lab on the assigned due date. It is the student s responsibility to keep track of due dates. Your participation is integral to this course. Attendance is expected for all class
and lab periods. There is no make-up work. No make-ups for missed exams or homework will be allowed. Students may be excused from participation only for official Harlaxton College business and only after sufficient notification and documentation is provided to the instructor. Students excused by the instructor for official Harlaxton College business may be required to submit work prior to the announced due date at the instructor s discretion. Late work will not be accepted. Exams will only be given on the scheduled dates. Exceptions to these policies are solely at the instructor s discretion and may require documentation (e.g. a copy of an obituary). Cell Phone policy: Students should not have cell phones turned on during class. Phones should be stored. If a student has a cell phone out during an exam, that student will receive a zero for that exam and will be referred to the honor council for an honor code violation. Teaching Methods Key Text(s): Raven and Berg Environment. John Wiley & Sons, Inc, 9th edition, 2015. 55.99 Michael McCarthy The Moth Snowstorm: Nature and Joy. 2015 ISBN: 9781444792799. 9.99 Aldo Leopold A Sand County Almanac and Sketches Here and There. 1949. 8.99 Note: Textbooks will be available to purchase at Harlaxton on arrival at prices listed. Primary literature to augment discussions Teaching Methods: Fundamentals of Environmental Science includes lectures and in-class discussions. Students will also participate in lecture, create presentations and generate short essay assignments. Schedule of Topics & Assignments Remember: All homework is due prior to class or lab on the assigned due date. It is the student s responsibility to keep track of due dates. This schedule may be modified to enhance learning opportunities. week Date Topic ASSIGNMENTS DUE 1 8-Jan Introduction; Ch 1 in Raven & Berg. 9-Jan Plagiarism & Questionnaire 2 15-Jan Discuss Forward, January, & Prairie Birthday in Leopold; A Singular Window in McCarthy; 16-Jan Ethics, Ecosystems and Energy: Ch 2 and 3 in Raven & Berg. 22-Jan Discuss Good Oak and Odyssey in Leopold; 3 Ecosystems and Physical Enviro and Living 23-Jan Organisms: Ch 4 and 5 in Raven & Berg. 29-Jan Discuss Stumbling Upon Wilderness in McCarthy; 4 Major Ecosystems of the World & Population 30-Jan Change: Ch 6 and 8 in Raven & Berg. 5-Feb Discuss Come High Water, Marshland Elegy, 5 Flambeau, and Clandeboye in Leopold; Discuss The 6-Feb Bond and the Losses in McCarthy; Problems of News Response Assignment 1
Overpopulation & Urban World: Ch 9 and 10 in Raven & Berg. 6 12-Feb Review and catch up 13-Feb Exam I 7 19-Feb Fossil Fuels, Nuclear & Renewable Energy: Ch 11 20-Feb and 12 in Raven & Berg. 8 26-Feb Air Pollution: Ch 19 in Raven & Berg. 27-Feb No Class - British Studies Field Trip 8 28-Feb Discuss The Great Thinning in McCarthy; Air Pollution: Ch 19 in Raven & Berg. 9 5-Mar Discuss Joy in the Calendar in McCarthy; Water 6-Mar Pollution: Ch 20 in Raven & Berg. 10 11 12 13 14 final 12-Mar 13-Mar Discuss Joy in the Beauty of the Earth in McCarthy; Climate Change: Ch 21 in Raven & Berg. 19-Mar Tragedy of the Commons Hardin; VIDEO; Discuss 20-Mar Wonder in McCarthy; News Response Assignment 2 26-Mar Discuss On a Monument to the Pigeon, Thinking Like a Mountain, Cheat Takes over and All of PART III in Leopold; Discuss A New Kind of Love in 27-Mar McCarthy; Review and catch up for exam 2-Apr Exam II 3-Apr 9-Apr 10-Apr?-Apr Student Presentations Cumulative Final Exam (Includes Books, Presentations, and all material covered). Presentations due Assessment and Grading Criteria Grades will be based on lecture participation (5% of course grade), exams (60% of course grade), presentations (10% of course grade), news response assignments (20% of course grade), and quizzes (5% of course grade). Students can drop their two lowest quiz grades. There is no make-up work. THERE IS NO EXTRA CREDIT. The grading scale in percent for this course is as follows, based on percentage of total points earned over the entire semester: 93-100 = A 90-92 = A- 87-89 = B+ 83-86 = B 80-82 = B- 77-79 = C+ 73-76 = C 70-72 = C- 67-69 = D+ 60-66 = D <60 = F
Attendance Policy Harlaxton College operates a mandatory attendance policy that is binding on all faculty and students. The number of unexcused absences that are allowed before incurring a penalty is related to the number of times a class meets during a week. This means that for courses which meet three times a week students are allowed a maximum of three unexcused absences during the semester without attracting penalty points, for courses meeting twice a week two such absences are permitted and for courses meeting just once a week a single absence is allowed. Additional unexcused absences will attract a grade penalty of 5% of the final course grade per absence. Note that not bringing a hard copy of the reading assignment to class can count as an absence. Students are responsible for the academic consequences of their failure to attend class. If any assessment (e.g. in-class test, exam, paper, presentation, etc.) is missed, there is no expectation or requirement that a faculty member will accept the work after it is due, provide an extension to a deadline, or offer an alternative assessment opportunity for a student with an unexcused absence. Drop/Add and Withdrawal Policy There is normally about a 10 day period at the beginning of semester when a student may drop and class and/or add a class. The deadline date is published in the Semester Guidance handbook. Drop/Add forms are available from the library and completed forms should be returned to the same place. Faculty signatures are required for all classes being added Students may withdraw from a class, with the exception of British Studies, for a longer period of time. Again the deadline date is published in the Semester Guidance handbook. Forms are available from the College Secretary, to whom completed forms should be returned. Forms must be signed by the faculty member of the class being withdrawn from and the Principal. All students must register for, and be continuously enrolled in, 12 credit hours of study to be eligible to study at Harlaxton and remain in the United Kingdom. Disability Policy It is the policy of the University of Evansville (Harlaxton College) to make reasonable accommodations for students with properly documented disabilities. University of Evansville students should contact the Office of Counselling and Health Education to seek help with this. Students from Partner Universities/Colleges should contact their own relevant student support office. For assistance whilst at Harlaxton students should contact the College Secretary whose office is located adjacent to the Principal s office. Written notification to faculty from the College Secretary is required for academic accommodations to be implemented.
Honor Code All students at the University of Evansville (Harlaxton College) agree to and are bound by the principles and practice of the honor code: I understand that any work I submit for course credit will imply that I have adhered to this Academic Honor Code: I will neither give nor receive unauthorized aid, nor will I tolerate an environment that condones the use of unauthorized aid. The full Honor Code is available online: https://www.evansville.edu/offices/deanstudents/downloads/honorcode.pdf Academic Honesty Plagiarism, cheating, and other forms of academic dishonesty are always serious matters and will not be acceptable in this course under any circumstances. Any use of someone else s ideas, words, etc. in any form must be cited and given appropriate credit. When writing, all citations must be properly referenced. If you are unclear on how to cite sources in scientific writing, consult the professor. Do not use un-cited text from any source, even with minor modifications. Collaboration on assignments is encouraged, but all written assignments must be your own work. Giving or receiving help of any kind on exams and quizzes is not allowed. Academic dishonesty will be at a minimum penalized with a grade of 0. Furthermore, violations will be reported to the Dean of Students for evaluation of further penalties.