COURSE SYLLABUS
COURSE NUMBER: BIOL 2406
COURSE NAME: ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
HOURS: Lecture 3, Laboratory 3, Contact
Hours 96
SEMESTER CREDIT HOURS: 4
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Introduction to basic ecological
principles, biotic and abiotic interrelationships in aquatic and terrestrial
communities and environmental issues that have national and global effects.
TEXTBOOK: Environmental Science, 3rd
Edition, 2006, AUTHOR: Cunningham
& Cunningham
LAB MANUAL: Environmental Science Lab Manual, Spring 2006 Herington and Rozell
PURPOSE AND GOALS OF THE COURSE: The purpose of this course is to
introduce ecological principles, biotic interrelationships in aquatic and
terrestrial communities and environmental issues that have national and global
effects. The goals of the course are to
organize the information and provide a conceptual framework to facilitate student comprehension and mastery of ecological
principles. After studying the material
presented in the texts, lecture, laboratory, and other resources, the student
should be able to complete all behavioral/learning objectives listed below with
a minimum competency of 70%.
INSTRUCTOR NAME:
_____________________________________________________
TELEPHONE NUMBER: ____________________________________________________
OFFICE NUMBER:
________________________________________________________
ELECTRONIC MAIL ADDRESS: _____________________________________________
COURSE GRADE: The course grade is determined as
follows:
Lecture: 60% LECTURE:
Lab: 40% Hourly Exams
(3) = 100% each
Final
Grade: 100% Final Exam = 100%
Assignments = 100%
Letter
grades are assigned as follows:
90-100 =
A; 80-89 = B; 70-79 = C; 60-69 = D; 59
below = F.
WITHDRAWAL PROCEDURE: It is the student’s responsibility
to drop a class. All drops must be
processed by an Academic Advisor appropriate to the student’s major. If more than three labs are missed before the
final withdrawal deadline, the student will receive an F in the course unless a
withdrawal has been processed.
METHODS OF INSTRUCTION: Lecture, classroom discussion,
demonstration, audio-visual media presentations, reading assignments,
laboratory performance, field trips, active learning and writing assignments,
computer-based assignments and internet assignments.
If any
student in this class has special classroom or testing needs because of a
physical, learning or emotional condition, please contact the ADA Student
Coordinator, in Support Services.
METHODS OF EVALUATION: Written examinations including
recognition and recall as well as analysis and discrimination; attendance and
participation in laboratory exercises. An instructor may initiate an
administrative withdrawal for any student who has missed more than two (2) labs
before the last day to drop. If the
third lab is missed after the last day to drop, the student will receive a
grade of “F” for the course (extenuating circumstances, such as extended
illness will be considered on an individual basis), unless a withdrawal has
been processed. Classroom work missed due to official TJC sponsored or approved
school activities is not included, but makeup work must be done in a timely
manner and is the responsibility of the student. On an individual basis and as
arranged with the instructor’s permission, laboratory work may be made up by
attending one of the other laboratory sections.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY AND PLAGIARISM:
1.
The College plagiarism policy is set forth in the “Student Code of Conduct” section and
under the grade related academic grievance process in the
2.
Each instructor at
3.
Students are responsible for
familiarizing themselves with the policies of their individual instructors, and
for asking questions of their instructors about any specific point of policy in
order to clarify academic integrity concerns. Students are also encouraged to
use TJC’s Writing Lab as a learning resource for researching, writing, and
authenticating documentation procedures.
4.
The enforcement of plagiarism policies
may vary per instructor. Consequences may include the following: grade
on work reduced, work graded as a zero, student required to resubmit new work
correcting the plagiarism, and course grade reduced to F.* This list is not exhaustive. In addition, all
*In the event of a dispute, the burden
of proof regarding academic integrity lies with the
student.
PERFORMANCE/LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
After
studying the material presented in the texts, lecture, laboratory, computer
tutorials, and other resources, the student should be able to complete all
behavioral/learning objectives listed below with a minimum competency of 70%.
COURSE CONTENT:
Chapters 1: Understanding Our
Environment
Identify
some important environmental concerns we face today. Explain and apply the
scientific method. Explain how statistics can help evaluate results. Summarize
four stages in history of conservation. Distinguish among analytical, creative,
logical, critical, and reflective thinking. Summarize some major environmental
dilemmas and issues that shape our current agenda. Discuss the implications of
sustainability and sustainable development.
Chapter 2: Principles of Ecology: Matter, Energy, and Life
Describe
matter, atoms and molecules, and give simple examples of four major kinds of
organic compounds in living cells. Define energy and understand the
conservation of energy and how it relates to tropic levels of an ecosystem.
Explain the importance of material cycles.
Chapters 3: Populations,
Communities, and Species Interaction
Chapters 7: Food and Agriculture
Describe
world food supplies, chronic hunger, and food surpluses. Explain major nutritional requirements and
consequences of deficiencies of the major nutrients. Explain the differences between famine and
chronic undernutrition. Understand the
relation between natural disasters and social or economic forces triggering
food shortages. Understand the roles of
living organisms, physical forces, and other factors in creating and
maintaining fertile soil. Differentiate
between the sources and effects of land degradation, including erosion,
nutrient depletion, waterlogging, and salinization. Analyze the promises and perils of genetic
engineering. Explain the need for water,
energy, and nutrients for sustained crop production, as well as limits in our
use of these resources. Recognize the
potential for low-input, sustainable, regenerative agriculture.
Chapter 8: Environmental Health
and Toxicology
Define
health and disease. Describe how the
global disease burden is now changing.
Identify major infectious organisms and hazardous agents that cause
environmental diseases. Identify
examples of emergent human and ecological diseases. Distinguish between toxic and hazardous
chemicals. Distinguish between chronic
and acute exposure and responses.
Compare factors that affect toxin movement and persistence in the
environment as well as routes of entry and effects in our bodies. Evaluate the major environmental risks we
face and how risk assessment and risk acceptability are determined.
Chapter 9: Air: Climate and Pollution
Summarize
the structure and composition of the atmosphere. Explain how jet streams, seasonal winds, and
global climate patterns determine local weather. Understand how El Nino cycles and the causes
of natural climate change. Discuss if
human actions are altering the global climate.
Describe the major categories and sources of air pollution. Evaluate the dangers of stratospheric ozone
depletion. Understand how air pollution
damages human health, vegetation, and building materials. Judge how air quality around the world has
improved or degraded, and suggest what might be done in problem areas.
Chapter 10: Water: Resources and Pollution
Describe
the important sources of water and the major ways we use it. Understand the causes and consequences of
water shortages around the world. Debate
the merits of proposals to increase water supplies and manage demand. Apply water conservation methods in your own
life. Define water pollution and
describe the sources and effects of the major types. Understand why access to sewage treatment and
clean water are important to people in developing countries. Explain ways to control water pollution,
including technological and legal solutions.
Chapter 11: Environmental Geology
and Earth Resources
Understand
basic geological principles, including plate tectonics. Explain how the three major rock types form
and how the rock cycle works. Summarize
economic mineralogy and strategic minerals.
Discuss the environmental effects of mining and mineral processing. Recognize the geologic hazards of earthquakes,
volcanoes, floods, and erosion.
Chapter 12: Energy
Summarize
the current energy sources and explain how our country’s energy compares with
other countries. Analyze the resources
and reserves of fossil fuels in the world.
Evaluate the costs and benefits of using coal, oil, and natural
gas. Understand how nuclear reactors
work, how they are dangerous, and what can be done to make them safer. Identify the opportunities for energy
conservation. Understand how active and
passive systems capture solar energy and how photovoltaic collectors generate
electricity. Explain the problems and
promises of using biomass as an energy source.
Explain how hydropower, wind, and other energy from the earth’s forces
can contribute to our energy supply.
Chapter 13: Solid and Hazardous Waste
Identify
the major components of the waste stream.
Describe how wastes have been, and are being disposed of in
Chapter 14: Sustainability and Human Development
Identify
the differences between neoclassical and ecological economics and explain how
each discipline views ecological processes and natural resources. Distinguish between different types and
categories of resources. Discuss
internal and external costs, market approaches to pollution control, and
cost-benefit analysis. Analyze the role
of business including possible strategies for achieving future
sustainability. Recognize the
push-and-pull factors that lead to urban growth. Recognize how cities fail to be sustainable
and how they might become more sustainable.
Understand the causes of sprawl and how smart growth could solve some of
the problems. See the connection between
sustainable economic development, social justice, and the solution of urban
problems.
Chapter 15: Environmental Science and Policy
Understand
how adaptive and precautionary principles can help make decisions where scientific
evidence is incomplete or contradictory.
Explain and recognize goals and opportunities available in environmental
education and careers. Summarize the
policy cycle and describe the path of a bill through the legislature. Recognize the differences between civil,
criminal and administrative law. Judge
the effectiveness of litigation in environmental issues. Consider the reasons that international
treaties have or have not been successful.
Analyze collaborative, community-based planning methods. Compare mainline and radical groups and their
tactics for bringing about social change.