ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS (ESCI-210)



GALEN UNIVERSITY

COURSE SYLLABUS

Course Number: ESCI 210

Course Title: Environmental Problems

Credits: 3

Semester and Year: Spring 2006

Time: TBA

Location: TBA

Office Hours: TBA

Instructor: Colin A. Young, Ph.D.

Office hours: TBA

Office Location: Main Building

Office Phone: 501-824-3226

Email address: cyoung@galen.edu.bz

Course Description:

With the burgeoning human population growth and the concomitant need to produce more goods and services, impacts on the environment are at unprecedented levels. This course will focus on global, regional, and local environmental problems in which humans are playing a role. In particular, the more pressing environmental problems such as rapid population growth, soil erosion, water availability and quality, forest conversion and concomitant loss of biodiversity, global warming and climate change, solid waste management, liquid waste management, poverty, and desertification will be discussed. Environmental problems specific to Belize will be a central focus during the course. The varied and often complex causes and issues surrounding these environmental problems will be assessed. As such, scientific principles from the social, ecological, and physical sciences will be introduced in order to provide a context to evaluate these environmental problems. Case studies of successful solutions to environmental problems and their applicability and feasibility to will also be examined.

Course Objectives:

At the end of the course, students should be able to (i) identify and discuss the major global, local, and regional environmental problems, (ii) identify and discuss Belize’s major environmental problems, (iii) critically assess, interpret, and evaluate scientific studies, (iv) evaluate a project’s potential for creating environmental problems and discuss sustainable solutions to potential problems (v) discuss national and international environmental regulations that governs the use of natural resources, and (vi) apply and relate materials from the course in their daily lives.

Course Materials:

Materials for this course will come from a variety of sources including the Internet, journals, governmental reports, and texts. There will not be a single text for this course. Each reading assignment will be available online or within the course folder on the Galen University network. The following website contains pertinent information on global problems with which students should become very familiar.

Kitano, Masaru . n.d. Global Environmental Problems.

May 17, 2006

Other Course Materials:

Brown, L. R. et al. (1997). State of the World: A world watch institute report on progress

toward a sustainable society.

Gudynas, E. The Search for an ethic of sustainable development in Latin America: 139-

149.

IUCN (1980). World Conservation Strategy: living resource conservation for sustainable

development.

Methods of Evaluation:

Grades will be computed as follows:

i) Class attendance participation 10%

ii) Environmental essays (2) 20%

iii) Midterm exam 20%

iv) Quizzes 10%

v) Oral Presentations 15%

vi) Final Exam 35%

Class Participation:

Active class participation is encouraged in course. In order to get full points for participation, students are expected to do more that just show up for classes. Students will be expected to come to class prepared and ready to participate and lead discussions of particular environmental problems. In addition, students are expected to attend field trips that are a part of the course.

Environmental Essays:

Two environmental essays, each between 10-15 double-space pages, will be required during the course. Both essays will rely on secondary data sources and/or primary data collection (e.g., interviews with relevant stakeholders). For each essay, students will be expected to discuss, in dept, an environmental problem of interest to them, and recommend practical recommendations of how these problems can be solved within the context of Belize. Each essay should be complete with in-text citations and a proper cited bibliography.

Midterm Exam:

Midterm will cover all lectures/materials from the first half of the semester. All questions with be short answer questions and very few ‘fill in the blank’ questions. No multiple choice questions will be given on exams. Exams must be taken on the schedule date; failure to show up for an exam will result in a zero being awarded.

Quizzes:

A total of four unannounced quizzes will be give throughout the semester. Quizzes will always be given at the beginning of class; As a result, students are expected to come to class on time and prepared for a quiz. No opportunities to make up quizzes will be give, except during documented emergencies.

Oral Presentations:

Each student will be expected to present two PowerPoint presentations to the class, other students and faculty of two environmental problems. Once of the two presentations must related to one of environmental problem discussed in the environmental essay. The second presentation must be a topic unrelated to the environmental essays. No written material is expected for the presentation. Each presentation will be for a maximum of 15 minutes leaving five minutes for questions.

Final Exam:

The final exam will be comprehensive. However, up to 60 percent of the questions will come from the second half of the course (e.g., after the midterm).

Field Trips.

At least two field trips to places of interest and relevance to the course will be schedule during the course of the semester. Attendance on field trips is mandatory.

Course Policies

1. Attendance and Punctuality: Students are expected to attend all classes

and be on time. Excused or unexcused absence for more than 20 percent of the total classes will result in F for the course.

2. All assignments are expected on their due dates. Five points will be

deducted per day (not per class) for late assignments.

3. Exam policy: Make up exams/quizzes will not be given. You may be allowed to take an exam/quiz early if you know in advance that you will be out of town. In the event that you miss a scheduled exam without notification and approval, a grade of zero will be entered.

4. There are no plans to curve grades in this course. Galen’s standard scale for grading will be used: A = 93-100; A- = 90-92; B+ = 87-89; B = 83-86; B-, 80-82; range is C+ = 77-79; C = 73-76; C- = 70-72; D+ = 67-69; D = 63-66; D- = 60-62; F = 0-69.

Intellectual Integrity

Intellectual Integrity is one of the ideals for which Galen University stands. Students are expected to adhere to high standards of intellectual integrity and honesty. Cheating and plagiarism are contrary to the ideals of Galen University. Cheating is defined as dishonesty of any kind in connection with assignments and examinations. It applies to both giving and receiving unauthorized help. Plagiarism is defined as presenting the work of someone else as one’s own. Cheating and plagiarism include, but are not limited to, the following:

·          Using any unauthorized aids on an exam or test

·          Representing someone else’s work as your own

·          Falsifying documents or grades

·          Submitting someone else’s work as your own

·          Submitting the same essay or report in more than one course (without permission)

·          Looking at someone else’s answers during an examination or test

·          Impersonating another person at an examination or test or having someone

impersonate you

·          Making up sources or facts for an essay or report

Cheating and plagiarism will be treated as a disciplinary offence in addition to failure in that particular assignment or examination. (Taken from Galen University’s Academic Policies).

Students are encouraged you to work with and collaborate with one another; however, any written work you hand in must be your own.

I am very strict on plagiarism and I pursue each case fully. I will often search the internet to find sources that were plagiarized. If you are caught, you will be given a zero for that assignment and a record will be placed on your permanent file.

Lecture Schedule and Reading Assignments*

|Date |Topic |Assigned reading |

|Week 1 |Introduction to Environmental problems: the |Lubchenco, 1998 and Hossay 2005; pp1-41 |

| |trouble we’re in | |

|Week 2 |How did we get into this mess? |Hossay, 2006 pp 42-82 |

|Week 3 |Global Warming | |

|Week 4 |Ozone Depletion | |

|Week 5 |Deforestation | |

|Week 6 |Loss of biodiversity; Environmental Problem Essay | |

| |#1 due | |

| |Midterm Exam | |

|Week 7 |Desertification |; & |

| | | |

|Week 8 |Soil and water |; Rijsberman, 2004 |

| | |Rahaman & Varis, 2005 |

|Week 9 |Waste: Solid waste and Liquid waste | and Belize’s Drinking |

| | |Water and Sanitation Assessment 2000 |

|Week 10 |Environmental Problems PPT #1 | |

|Week 11 |Marine Pollution |; Belize Environmental |

| | |Report |

|Week 12 |Poverty |Agenda 21 and Belize Poverty Report and Plan of Action for the |

| | |Eradication of Poverty in Belize |

|Week 13 |Communicable Diseases |Lombord, 2004 Chapter 3 pp 62-105 |

|Week 13 |Environmental Problems PPT Presentations; | |

| |Environmental Problem essay #2 due | |

| |Final Exam | |

*Disclaimer:

Lecture schedule and reading assignments are subject to change.

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