ENVIRONMENTAL BIOLOGY
BIOL-10400
Spring 2009

Schedule (PDF)

Texts and Class Materials:

• E. D. Enger and B. F. Smith. 2008. Environmental Science: A Study of Interrelationships, 11th ed. McGraw-Hill, New York - may be purchased as an e-book (see bookstore).
• T. A. Easton, ed. 2009.  Sources: Environmental Studies, 3rd ed.  McGraw-Hill, New York.
• InterWrite PRS^RF - Personal Response System clicker.

Course Description:

Grading: All work in the course should be done individually and independently unless otherwise noted (see plagiarism below).

                                    written assignments    = 200 pts.
                                    examination I              =   50 pts.
                                    examination II             = 100 pts.
                                    examination III           = 100 pts.
                                    design project              = 100 pts.
                                    student evaluation       = 100 pts.
                                    total                             = 650 pts.

There will be a number of short written assignments, with at least two in each quarter of the course, worth a total of 200 points. The nature of these assignments will vary.  Four will be short written assignments involving multiple choice and short answer questions taken from the lectures and the assigned readings. These assignments are designed to help students prepare for the in-class exams. There will be four longer written assignments including the following: an exercise in ecological footprinting, an activity on global warming, a current events assignment, and an in-class quiz.  Due to the timely nature of the material in these assignments they will incur a grade of zero if not turned in on time.

            There will be three 50 minute in-class examinations during the semester and one design project due at the time of the final exam.  The first in-class examination will be worth 50 points while the next two in-class examinations will be worth 100 points each.

            All three in-class examinations will have the same format. Seventy percent of the point value will be drawn from multiple choice questions while thirty percent of the point value will be from short answer questions.  Short answer questions may include matching, fill in the blank, definitions, true-false, and short explanations.  The material on the examinations will be drawn mainly from the lectures.  There will be an optional review session the night before each in-class exam.  If you miss an exam because of an unexcused absence you will receive a zero on that exam.  If you will miss an exam due to an unexpected event (accident, illness, death in the immediate family) please contact me before the exam via my email or office phone (where you can leave a message).  Makeup exams will not be the same format as the original.

            There will not be an exam over the fourth quarter of the course.  Instead students will do a design project, also worth 100 pts., involving the application of the concepts of sustainability to a hypothetical situation.  This project will allow students to utilize information presented during the fourth quarter of the course in a creative fashion. The design project will be due at the end of the time assigned for the final exam (Thursday, May 7th 10:00 am).

            Finally, students will be evaluated on the basis of their participation in the class.  Participation comes from answering questions during discussions, being in attendance, appropriate behavior (see below), and in using the Personal Response System – InterWrite PRS^RF clickers.  Clickers will be used starting with the third class session.  Students can expect there to be approximately 3 to 5 questions in each class period that require the use of clickers.  Each question is worth 2 points if answered correctly and 1 point if answered incorrectly.  The lowest 3 day’s scores will be dropped.  Clickers will account for approximately 10% of the overall grade in the class.  Clicker questions will be drawn from material presented in class and reading materials listed in bold on the schedule.  It is each student’s individual responsibility to have their clicker in class and in working condition.

            There will be no extra-credit assignments in this course.

Expectations:

Reading Assignments: Students should keep up with the readings as listed on the schedule. Reading assignments will be taken from a number of sources including the two textbooks (Environmental Science by Enger and Smith and Sources by Easton et al.) and various other readings and websites as listed on the schedule or announced in class. Reading assignments are mandatory unless noted as optional in the schedule.  For the students to get the most out of the lectures, the appropriate readings should be done before class. Every science, whether we like it or not, has a vocabulary.  You can’t understand and communicate about a field of science without being able to speak its language. I see Enger and Smith’s Environmental Science as reference material to be used in much the same way as an encyclopedia or dictionary might be used. The language of environmental biology is in the boldface words in Environmental Science.  The additional readings, whether from Sources, posted on Blackboard, or from the internet, provide interesting viewpoints on the topics we will cover this semester.  You do not have to agree with these viewpoints, but should be able to discuss them intelligently. It is in these additional readings that we will come to understand the sources of controversy underlying action, or inaction, in regards to the environment.  As explained above, some clicker questions may be drawn from the reading materials listed in bold on the schedule.

Exams: The material that you will be responsible for on the exams will be primarily from the lectures.  If a student was having trouble with the material from lecture, Environmental Science provides a good source of information to help students to further understand the material. 

Attendance: Students are expected to attend all classes with the exception of excused absences: health emergencies, religious holidays, court appearances, or college-authorized extracurricular events. If you are not in class you will be missing valuable information that can not be attained by simply copying a friend’s notes. Class will involve lecture, handouts, slides, videos, etc. and as such not all of the information may be easily transmitted from one student to another through notes.  Points will be deducted from the student evaluation portion of the grade for more than three unexcused absences

Behavior: As this is a large class it is critically important that inappropriate behavior during class be kept at a minimum. Points will be deducted from the student evaluation portion of the grade for inappropriate behavior during class and could be cause for dismissal!       

Plagiarism: As is stated in the Student Handbook “Academic honesty is a cornerstone of the mission of the College. Unless it is otherwise stipulated, students may submit for evaluation only that work that is their own and that is submitted originally for a specific course.” Please make yourself familiar with plagiarism as it is defined in the Student Handbook.  Academic dishonesty can result in a grade of zero on an assignment or test, academic code probation, suspension, or expulsion from the college depending on the outcome of a judicial hearing.

Students with Disabilities:

Each of us makes decisions every day that affect the environment.  Decisions as seemingly innocuous as what kind of food to eat or what type of transportation to use to major decisions concerning where to live, what kind of home to live in, and what livelihood to pursue. This course is designed to help students develop the background to understand the impact of these decisions. The hope is that students will use their knowledge and wisdom to make intelligent decisions that will lessen their impact on the environment.