Office: P253
Office Hours: 9:30-10:50 MTRF, 1:00-2:00 pm W, or make an appointment via email
Text:
Environmental Science: A Global Concern, 9th Ed.
W. P., Cunningham, M. A. Cunningham, and B. W. Saigo. 2005. McGraw-Hill Co., Inc.
Course Purpose: To provide students with the fundamentals of human-environmental interaction; a grasp of how these interactions create problems; and how the elements of social, technological, and personal choices combine to overcome them.
Course Objectives:
1) To understand the interconnections among Earth Systems and humans and their societies.
2) To understand the global nature of environmental problems.
3) To understand the meanings of conservation.
4) To understand the problems of resource scarcity and pollution which conservation measures attempt to control.
5) To understand the programs, policies, and practices designed to control environmental efforts.
6) To understand the basic issues, trade-offs, and controversies spawned by conservation efforts.
7) To understand the need for developing a conservation ethic.
8) To understand the structure of environmental rhetoric and be able to critically evaluate the quality, accuracy, and completeness of information used by both sides of a given environmental debate.
Course Prerequisites: An open and inquisitive mind.
Grading: The final letter grade will be based on points awarded for the grading components shown below. Final grades will be assigned based on a distribution curve where: A ³ 90%, A- = 89%, B+ = 88%, B = 87%-80%, B- = 79%, C+ = 78%, C = 77%-70%, C- = 69%, D+ = 68%, D 67%-60%, D- = 59%, F < 59%.
Test 1 = 100 points/ 20% of course grade
Test 2 = 100 points/ 20% of course grade
Test 3 = 100 points/ 20% of course grade
Ecofootprint assignment = 50 points/ 10% of course grade
Garbology assignment = 50 points/ 10% of course grade
Dream vehicle assignment = 50 points/ 10% of course grade
*In-class participation = 50 points/ 10% of course grade
*In-class participation will be based on satisfactory completion of in-class assignments (e.g., debates, pop quizzes, think-pair-share writing tasks, video reviews). In-class assignments cannot be made up, even if you have an excused absence. But, you can miss four in-class assignments without penalty. Four in-class assignment "amnesties" per student per semester will be factored into the grading scheme.
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Subject to change without notice
Last updated 19 January 06
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