Introduction to Environmental Science Syllabus
I've taught this course for several semesters; both as a 4-credit lab course, and a 3-credit non lab course. The target students for our class are primarily non-science majors seeking to fulfill their science requirement. The only prerequisite for the course is an English language competancy exam.
This course utilizes the Miller Environmental Science text, although I have designed it to be relatively independent of the assigned textbook. I have also taught the course from the Cunningham Principles of Environmental Science text. Below is an HTML version of my syllabus from a non-lab section.
Environmental Biology
Instructor: James Dauray
Class Time: Wednesday, 7:00pm-9:50pm
Assigned Text: Environmental Science, 13th Edition by G. Tyler Miller
| Class | Topic | Textbook | |
1 | Introduction to Environmental Science |
Ch. 1 |
Journal: Hetch Hetchy and Bhopal |
| 2 | Principles of Science | Ch. 2 | Quiz #1 Journal: Pseudoscience of astrology |
| 3 | Species, Populations, and Communities | Ch. 7, p.123-140 | Quiz #2 Journal: St. Matthew Island Reindeer |
| 4 | Land and Aquatic Ecosystems | Ch. 7 | Quiz #3
Journal: Haiti Presentations: Amazon, Invasive Species |
| 5 | Human Population | Ch. 6 | Exam #1 Journal: Population Pyramids, UNPF |
| 6 | Food and Agriculture | Ch. 10 | Quiz #4 Journal: Eggs, Tomatoland Presentations: Dust Bowl, Food Poisoning |
| 7 | Global Climate Change | Ch. 15 p. 382-399 |
Quiz #5 Journal: Current Events Presentations: Hurricane Katrina, Polar Bears, Australia |
| 8 | Midterm Exam | ||
| 9 | Environmental Health | Ch. 14 | Journal: The Wipeout Gene Presentations: Mad Cow Disease, Malaria, Bhopal, Seveso |
| 10 | Air Pollution | Ch. 15 p. 369-381 |
Quiz #6 |
| 11 | Water Pollution | Ch. 11 | Quiz #7 |
| 12 | Renewable Energy | Ch. 13 p. 317-341 |
Exam #3 Journal: |
| 13 | Nuclear Energy | Quiz #8 Journal: Presentations: Chernobyl, Three Mile Island, Chelyabinsk, Fukushima |
|
| 14 | Nonrenewable Energy: Fossil Fuels | Ch. 13 p. 296-317 |
Quiz #9 |
| 15 | Landfills, Hazardous Waste, and Wastewater Treatment | Ch. 16 | Quiz #10 |
| 16 | Final Exam |
Grading:
2 Regular Exams, 100 pts each 200
10 Quizzes, 10pts each, lowest dropped 90
Midterm Exam 150
Research Report/Presentation 100
Journal Entries / Class Participation 60
Final Exam 200
Quizzes
A quiz will be given during each lecture (unless an exam is scheduled). Each quiz will be 10 questions and based on the previous week’s lecture. There will be no quiz if an exam is scheduled that day. Quizzes cannot be made up. The lowest quiz grade will be dropped.
Exams
Two regular exams (100 pts each) will be given approximately every three chapters (see schedule for exact dates) and will only cover material since the last exam. One cumulative midterm (150pts) and final exam (200pts) will be given as well. If for any reason you plan on missing an exam, you must contact me before the day of the exam. Make-up exams will be available for legal or medical absences with documentation. Any make-up exams must be taken within one week.
Class Participation and Journal Entries
Each week of lecture, 1-2 short writing prompts will be assigned based on the current material. These writing prompts will be due during class discussion the following week.
Research Report
You will write a 4-5 page double-spaced paper (100 pts) on an environmental disaster. See the rubric for more details. There will also be a presentation to accompany this report. The due dates will vary depending on the topic selected. See the topic list for dates.
