Course objectives / Learning modules and goals



|Environmental Science |

Environmental Science: ES 1

syllabus Fall, 2012

Instructor: R. Morales

Lecture: Friday 8:10 am -11:15 am Room LS 102

Lab: Friday 11:20 am – 2:25 pm Room LS 102

Course description

This course is intended to provide students with an introduction to environmental science and critical thinking in areas of informed decision making on issues related to use of natural resources including those related to energy, transportation, land use and waste. The first half of the course is devoted to developing and understanding of how ecosystems operate. During the second half of the course various issues related to use of natural resources by growing human populations are examined.

Student Learning Outcomes:

• Summarize the methods, applications, and limitations of the scientific method.

• Define the term environment science and identify some important environmental concerns we face today

• Describe how environmental factors determine which species live in a given ecosystem and where or how they live.

• Summarize the major biogeochemical cycles, including the hydrologic cycle, and how each is balanced over time in the hydrosphere, lithosphere, and atmosphere.

• Recognize the characteristics of major aquatic and terrestrial biomes, understand the most important factors that determine the distribution of each type, and describe the ways in which humans disrupt or damage each of these ecosystem types.

• Diagram and categorize the relationships between organisms of various trophic levels within a community and explain the functioning of a food web.

• Appreciate the potential of exponential growth and define fecundity, fertility, birth rates, life expectancy, death rates, and survivorship; compare and contrast density-dependent and density-independent population processes.

• Evaluate the major environmental risks we face and how risk assessment and risk acceptability are determined.

• Identify ways to reduce the ecological footprint of food and evaluate the movements of localism and organic as effective strategies in sustainable food systems.

• Summarize some of the benefits we derive from biodiversity.

• Recognize the origins and current problems of national parks in America and other countries.

• Analyze human contributions to global climate change and what effects our modifications are having on physical and biological systems.

• Analyze personal water consumption and evaluate water-saving strategies.

• Summarize our current supply and needs, including the costs/benefits of all conventional energy sources, and explain briefly how energy use has changed through history.

• Appreciate the opportunities for energy conservation and renewable energy sources available to us.

• Recognize opportunities for making a difference through the goods and services we choose, as well as the limits of green consumerism.

• Evaluate how green politics and environmental citizenship can help protect the earth.

• Formulate their own philosophy and action plan for what they can and should do to create a better world and a sustainable environment.

Lecture Exam: 350 points -Three midterms (lowest will be worth ½ credit) and a comprehensive Final.

There will be two Midterm exams consisting of multiple-choice, fill-in and short answer/essay type question(s). Top midterm exams is worth 10% lowest is worth 5% of your grade and covers the material from lecture, and laboratory exercises. Note that Service Learning exercises, assignments, and reading material will be on exams and/or quizzes. There will also be a comprehensive Final worth 10% of your grade given at the end of the semester.

Homework Assignments: 100 points Mini-writing excercises

Mini-writing exercises are assigned. Due each Friday that we do not have a test.

For the week of each of the assigned Fridays, select an article from a recent (within the past week) newspaper, magazine or internet news source about an issue concerning the environment and write a TWO PARAGRAPH summary of the article. Your source should be one that has a reputable news source with reasonably wide distribution across political boundaries, not known for having a particular bias (Examples: TIME, Newsweek, Economist, Bangor Daily News, ). The source should be a serious news item about ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE and not an opinion piece.

You should summarize the essence of the news item, and should include at least one piece of information with source cited, that is not included in the original news article. This extra information could be simply an expanded definition, but your instructor would prefer reference to some other - perhaps similar perhaps contrasting - news event. Your extra information should not come from or similar "lazy" information gathering source.

Your paragraph should include careful thought, and should be free of spelling and grammatical errors. Your text should be an even-handed summary of the issues, and not what you "feel" about them. Each summation should be typed, double-spaced, and include a proper citation and a copy of the news item you selected.

Your citation within the summary should take the format of (name, year) if a known person can be cited, or (news source, date). At the end of your summary you should cite both the original news article and the source for additional information.

Submissions that fail to attain a reasonable standard, as explained above, will be returned to the student. Each of these is valued at 10 points.

Labs exercises: 150 points

This course includes one three hour lab per week which will be held on Saturday worth 150pts of your course grade. Some labs may involve computer simulations, video viewing, microscope observation, off-campus field trips that includes hiking (2-4 miles) on uneven terrain and Service Learning activities. Students should have closed shoes, water, backpack and packed snacks/a bag lunch for these hikes. Field activities will also count toward lab work. Students will not receive full credit for incomplete lab/field notes, tardiness or absences. Each lab is worth approx. 10-20 points and students will be docked 3 points of total lab points for being tardy or leaving early. No points will be earned if the student is absent.

Absences and Tardies:

You should be present at all lectures and labs. Since a number of the labs will involve off-campus field trips you must be on time for labs or make prior arrangements to meet us at the field location. Students will be docked 3 points from assignments for being tardy or leaving early. No points will be earned if the student is absent.

Lab Composition Notebook: 25 points

A Composition Note book is required for field notes – This should be a separate (from other notes or courses), bound notebook for lab and field notes. As you will need to carry this notebook with you in the field a compact size might be ideal. Students will be responsible for maintenance of field/lab notes which will be an integral part of the grade . Additional follow-up research assignments may be required. A guideline for lab composition notebook and rubric for lab notes will be discussed during the first lab (see attachments).

Service Learning (SL) Project: 150 points (25 SL hours due by the 15th week of the semester)

As part of this course we will be utilizing the ‘outdoor-classroom’. This course is a Service Learning course and will require you to provide a Service for a Not-for-profit organization while gaining valuable educational experience. Students will be required to commit to 25 SL hours per semester to earn all 150 points.

These SL activities are not to coincide with set lab activities that we may be doing for the class. Note that I have scheduled dates where we will be providing SL to organizations during class hours where these hours will not count toward the 25 SL hours although, students may choose to work beyond class time to claim SL hours.

Possible SL projects include the following City of Gilroy, Morgan Hill, Hollister etc. , Canada de los Osos reserve, Pinnacles Nat. Monument and Gavilan College.

Presentation: 25 points (scheduled for week 12-15)

Students are required to present their SL work to the class (10 min/ presentation) which is worth 25 points. To receive full credit, the student must select an ES topic that MAY relate to the SL project or have the topic approved by the 5th week of class. A 2 page typed outline with references must be turned in before the presentation for full credit. A separate rubric and set of guidelines will be distributed during the second week of class.

Makeup Work:

No Make-ups for any reason! This includes in class and out of class assignments, quizzes, exams, field work, lab activities, and organized Service Learning events.

Extra Credit: 10-20 points

E.C. will only be offered during exams and field excursions and will be announced during lecture.

How to succeed in this course:

• Keep up with the readings. Your intelligent participation will help you final grade.

• Review material after lecture, fill in any gaps in your understanding by asking or further reading.

• Attend all lectures and labs

• Be on time.

• Create study buddies and attend Study sessions ( in room LS 109)

• Ask Questions

Grade Scale

|Grade |% |

|A |90-100 |

|A- |88.0-89.9 |

|B+ |86.0-87.9 |

|B |80.0-85.9 |

|B- |79.0-79.9 |

|C+ |78.0-78.9 |

|C |70.0-77.9 |

|D |60-69.9 |

|F | ................
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