ENV105
- INTRODUCTION TO ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
Spring 2004
Westminster
College
SYLLABUS
Instructor:
Dr. Alan Goldin; Room: Coulter 140
Office hours: MWF 10 A.M., T 11 A.M.
Phone:
592-5015 (goldina@jaynet.wcmo.edu)
Class:
TH 9:25-10:40 A.M.
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COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This
course investigates global, national, regional, and local environmental
issues
by critically analyzing available data and examining alternative
situations. Emphasis is placed on the
use of scientific methods to investigate and solve environmental
problems. Students explore and practice
effective
advocacy techniques. Off-campus field
trips are required. Class projects seek
to extend the implications of the course material to the campus and
local communities.
This
course satisfies Tier 2: Scientific Inquiry Context.
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CONTENTS OF COURSE, CALENDAR, AND READING ASSIGNMENTS
Date
Lecture Topic
Chapter
Reading*
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Jan.
15, 20 Introduction, Themes and
Science of
1,2
Environmental
Science
Jan.
22,27 Earth
Systems and Cycles
3,4
**EXAM
1 January 29 **
Feb. 3,
5
Ecosystems:
plant, animal and human
5,6
Feb.
10, 12
Succession,
Biological Diversity
9,7
**EXAM
2 February 17 **
Feb.
19, 24
Productivity
and Energy Flow
8
Feb.
26,Mar.2Agriculture and Its Effects on the Environment 10,11
**EXAM
3 March 4 **
Mar. 9,
11 Wild Living
Resources, Landscapes
and Seascapes 12,13
Mar.
16, 18 Environmental
Health and
Toxicology
14
Mar. 30
Energy and Fossil
Fuels
15, 16
**EXAM
4 April 1 **
April
6, 8 Alternative
Energy and Nuclear
Energy
17,18
April
13
Water
19, 20
**EXAM
5 April 15 **
April
20,22 Atmosphere
21
April
27,29 Air Pollution
22
EXAM
6 - Wednesday May 5, 8:30 A.M.
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TEXTBOOK:
Required:
Environmental Science by Daniel Botkin and Edward Keller, Fourth
Edition, John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 2003.
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COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
1. Six
exams will be given: January 29, February 17, March 4, April 1, 15 and
May 5
during final exam week. These exams
will be a combination of multiple choice, fill-in, definition, and
essay. All exams will cover only material
discussed
since the previous exam. NO (repeat,
No) make-up exams will be given. The
lowest
exam grade will be dropped. All
students with an average of 79.9 or lower by April 22 are required to
take the
last exam. Unusual circumstances in
which two exams are missed must be discussed with the instructor as
soon as
possible. A possible alternative to one
exam is writing a 5- to 10-page paper on an environmental topic. Use of this alternative must be approved by
the instructor. Title is due March 9
and paper deadline is April 8. No
extensions.
2. Each
student will choose a college or university from the class list and
determine
its environmental policies. Provide
these policies directly from your source, summarize them, and from
these
policies, recommend appropriate actions for Westminster College to make
the
college more environmentally conscious.
Your most likely sources are the college's website and actually
calling
the college. Deadline is February 5.
3. Each student will choose a state and
determine the ten most important environmental issues in that state. The most likely reference is the state's
department of natural resources or department of environmental quality
or its
consumer relations department. Deadline
is February 26.
4. Each student will choose a president to
determine the most important environmental issues that occurred in that
president's term(s) in office. Deadline
is March 18.
5. Each pair of students will choose a
war/conflict and develop a poster (2'x3') explaining the effects of
that war on
the environment. Examples are the
French and Indian War, the Peloponnesian wars, the Crusades,
Franco-Prussian
War, Napoleonic Wars, Seven Years War, Indian Wars, and World War I. The actual posters will be graded and hang
in public (Coulter atrium?) the last two weeks in April.
The poster will include the title, authors,
and a mixture of visual and verbal materials that can be
read/interpreted from
a distance of three feet. Deadline is
April 8. Most likely source is the
World Wide Web.
6.
Attending class is an essential part of your grade. You are allowed a
maximum
of three excused (or unexcused) absences.
Each absence is worth 5 points.
If you use <3 for the semester, your attendance grade will be
100. If you are absent 4 or more times,
each of
the absences will count its five-point grade loss, so that with four
absences,
your attendance grade will be 80. It is
YOUR responsibility to give me a doctor or coach's note for each and
every
absence. This note MUST be delivered no
later than the next class or the absence counts as "unexcused." The note from the coach can be similar to
the following: "Mary Jones is on the softball team.
She missed your class on February 4 due to
her participation in a softball game in Springfield, Illinois." It MUST
be
signed and dated. Similarly, the
physician's note must be specific. It
is YOUR responsibility to get this note delivered on time.
It is also your responsibility to sign in
for class each day as well as to deliver ALL assignments on time. Lateness of assignments will result in a
10-point grade loss immediately after class ends and for each 24 hours
thereafter.
7.
Several required field trips will be taken in April.
Questions about them will be on the exams.
8. Class notes: This is mostly a
lecture-oriented class, but class participation is encouraged and
expected. You should expect to be
called upon to express your understanding.
Your responses will affect your grade.
Everyone should have a notebook and take appropriate notes. Exam questions will come from lectures,
class discussions, and readings.
9. Reading assignments: The chapter for
each lecture topic should be read before class and reviewed after class
to get
the full benefit. The lectures will
cover about one chapter per class period.
10. Be sure to check our web folder
regularly. I will communicate with you
in this fashion outside of class.
Any
student who feels that he or she may need an accommodation based on the
impact
of a disability should contact the instructor to arrange an appointment
at
his/her earliest convenience. At that
time, we can discuss the course format, anticipate your needs, and
explore
possible accommodations. Westminster's
ADA policy can be found on the college's website for from the Learning
Disability in the basement of Westminster Hall.
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GRADE DETERMINATION:
Due Dates
Five exams
65%
Poster
11% April
8
College environmental policy
8%
February
5
State project
8% February
26
President project
8% March 18