School of Earth and Environmental Sciences



School of Earth and Environmental Sciences

Environmental Science 111: Introduction to Environmental Science

Summer Session 2L 2009

Classroom: Mon/Wed 6:00-9:15pm, Room 1804, Murphy Institute

Lab: Sat 9:00am-3:00pm, D-231/235 Science Building, Queens College

Syllabus

Instructor: Kimmy Szeto

Office: Queens College New Science Building D-211

Email: kimmy.szeto@qc.cuny.edu

Office Hours: Mon for 30 minutes after class, Sat 8:30-9:00am and by appointment

Textbook: Required: Stewart, Robert. Environmental Science in the 21st Century. Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas: 2009. Freely available at

Required: Zheng, Yan. Environmental Science 111 Laboratory Manual, 7th ed. Queens College, New York: 2009. Distributed on the first day of classes.

Optional, not required: Botkin, Daniel B. and Keller, Edward A. Environmental Science: Earth as a Living Planet, 7th edition. Wiley, Hoboken, NJ: 2009.

Attendance: Be present and be punctual. Much of the learning takes place in classroom discussions and in the lab. There are no excused absences for any classroom or lab sessions. If you miss a class, it is your responsibility to ask your classmates about what you missed. There are no make-ups for labs.

Readings: Reading is your most important homework for this class. Read the chapter and articles indicated in the course schedule before the class meeting, and be prepared to contribute to class discussions. You are responsible for obtaining the reading materials.

Lab Reports: Lab reports are due at the beginning of the next Monday classroom session. A complete lab report should be typed, should address all the questions in the lab manual, and should consist of these sections: purpose, methods, results, and conclusion. Late work will be marked down by 5% per calendar day past the due date.

Quizzes: Quizzes are given at the beginning of each Wednesday classroom session. Questions are based on the week’s reading. There are no make-ups for quizzes.

Exams: The final exam will include all materials covered in the course (classroom and lab). There is no make-up for the final exam. The final exam may be taken early with prior arrangement made at least one week before the scheduled exam date.

Grading: Lab Reports 40%

Quizzes 25%

Final Exam 20%

Participation 15%

|School of Earth and Environmental Sciences |

|Environmental Science 111: Introduction to Environmental Science |

|Summer Session 2L 2009 |

|Classroom: Mon/Wed 6:00-9:15pm, Murphy Institute |

|Lab: Sat 9:00am-3:00pm, D-235 Science Building, Queens College |

| |

|Course Schedule |

|Week |Date |Topic |Homework |

|1 |June 29 |Overview of the scientific method |Lab 1, 2 |

| |July 1 |Overview of the earth’s environment |Quiz |

| | | |Lab 3 |

| |Readings for July 1|Stewart: Earth System Science |

| | |Stewart: The Anthropocene |

| | |Stewart: Tragedy of the Commons |

| | |Hardin: “The Tragedy of the Commons” |

| | | |

| |July 4 |School closed | |

|2 |July 6 |Information literary |Lab 1, 2, 3 due |

| | |Current issues and research | |

| |Readings for July 1|Stewart: How to Find Useful Material on the Web |

| |July 8 |Water and the environment |Quiz |

| |Readings for July 8|Stewart: The Hydrological Cycle |

| | |Stewart: Groundwater |

| | |Stewart: Groundwater Contamination |

| | |Stewart: Groundwater Remediation |

| | | |

| | |USGS: “Sources of nutrients and pesticides” |

| | | |

| | |USGS: “Ground-water Quality” |

| | | |

| | |USGS: “Fertilizers: Sustaining Global Food Supplies” |

| | | |

| |July 11 |Water quality |Labs 8, 9 |

|School of Earth and Environmental Sciences |

|Environmental Science 111: Introduction to Environmental Science |

|Summer Session 2L 2009 |

|Classroom: Mon/Wed 6:00-9:15pm, Murphy Institute |

|Lab: Sat 9:00am-3:00pm, D-235 Science Building, Queens College |

| |

|Course Schedule |

|Week |Date |Topic |Homework |

|3 |July 13 |Water and the environment |Labs 8, 9 due |

| |July 15 |The earth’s atmosphere |Quiz |

| |Readings for July |Stewart: Atmospheric Structure and Pollution Sources |

| |15 |Stewart: Atmospheric pollutants |

| | |Stewart: Stratospheric Ozone and the Ozone Hole |

| | |Stewart: Acid Rain and Acidic Deposition |

| |July 18 |Air quality |Lab 5, 6 |

|4 |July 20 |The ocean, atmosphere and climate |Lab 5, 6 due |

| |Readings for July |Stewart: The Ocean and Climate |

| |20 |Stewart: The Carbon Dioxide Problem |

| | |Stewart: What is the Evidence for Global Warming? |

| | |Stewart: Earth's Radiation Balance |

| | |University Center for Atmospheric Research: “The Greenhouse Effect” |

| | | |

| |July 22 |Climate change and its consequences |Quiz |

| | | |Prepare for group discussion |

| |Readings for July |Carnegie Mellon University: “Global Warming and Climate Change” |

| |22 | |

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

| | |Stewart: The Carbon Cycle, the Ocean, and the Iron Hypothesis |

| | |Stewart: Abrupt Climate Change |

| | |Webster: “Feedback Loops” |

| | | |

| |July 25 |Contamination and health risks |Lab 10, 12 |

|School of Earth and Environmental Sciences |

|Environmental Science 111: Introduction to Environmental Science |

|Summer Session 2L 2009 |

|Classroom: Mon/Wed 6:00-9:15pm, Murphy Institute |

|Lab: Sat 9:00am-3:00pm, D-235 Science Building, Queens College |

| |

|Course Schedule |

|Week |Date |Topic |Homework |

|5 |July 27 |Climate change |Lab 10, 12 due |

| |Readings for July |Calvin: “The Great Climate Flip-Flop” |

| |27 | |

| | |Each group chooses one article from the WHOI webpage and lead discussion: |

| | | |

| |July 29 |Climate change, cont’d |Quiz |

| | | |Lab 11 |

| |Readings for July |Stewart: Modeling the Climate System |

| |29 |Stewart: Climate Change Policy Issues |

| | |Dyson: “Heretical Thoughts About Science and Society” |

| | | |

| | |Becker: “An Economist Looks at Global Warming” |

| | | |

| |Aug 1 |Air quality: radon |Lab 13 |

|6 |Aug 3 |Climate policies |Lab 11, 13 due |

| |Readings for Aug 3 |Hardin: “Extensions of ‘The Tragedy of the Commons’” |

| | | |

| | |Ostrom: “Revisiting the Commons: Local Lessons, Global Challenges” Science 284, 278-282. |

| | | |

| | |Dean: “Sea’s Rise May Prove the Greater in Northeast” |

| | | |

| | |Revkin: “Forum Says Climate Shift Brings Deaths” |

| | | |

| | |MacFarquhar: “Refugees Join List of Climate-Change Issues” |

| | | |

| |Aug 5 |Final Exam |All outstanding lab reports due |

School of Earth and Environmental Sciences

Environmental Science 111 Summer 2009

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