Saint Martin’s University Biology 110: Environmental Science Spring 2006

Professor Office Hours Mary Jo Hartman, Ph.D. Tuesday 10:00 – 11:30 am Office: Old Main 403 Wednesday 10:00 – 11:30 am Office phone: 438-4452 Thursday 2:00 – 3:00 pm [email protected] Or by appointment

Lectures: Monday, Wednesday & Friday 9:00 – 9:50 am, Old Main 401. Bio 110: 3 credits. Laboratory: Thursday 12:00 - 1:50 pm, Old Main 402. Bio 110L: 1 credit.

Required Textbook: Principles of Environmental Science Inquiry & Applications. 2006. 3rd edition. William P. Cunningham & Mary Ann Cunningham. The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. ISBN 0-07-282339- 9.

Course Description: This course provides an introduction to environmental science and is intended for non-science majors at Saint Martin’s University. Broad topics of the biological, economic, and social implications of environmental concerns will be emphasized.

Prerequisites: none

Student Outcomes: Specific objectives for students in this course include: 1. demonstrating knowledge of the basic principles of environmental science; 2. interpreting data and apply new skills and ideas to improving environmental quality and resource conservation; 3. discussing and understanding the relationship between environmental science and the daily activities of one’s life; 4. increasing one’s scientific literacy in addressing and understanding current topics in environmental science; and 5. demonstrating the ability to discuss the complex political, social, economic and ethical aspects of environmental issues.

Additionally, you should improve your skills of: 1. understanding and applying the scientific method to solving problems in environmental science; 2. understanding social and scientific issues related to environmental science; 3. formulating questions in a scientific framework; 4. evaluating and interpreting scientific evidence; and 5. thinking critically and communicating effectively.

Class Participation: Studies have shown that learning occurs best in an interactive and active environment, so you should not plan on just sitting back and silently taking notes in this course. This does not mean that you shouldn’t take notes. Instead, you should do more than just take notes during class. Plan to actively and enthusiastically participate in class lectures, discussions, projects, and activities. You will be rewarded both in your grade and in your level of learning. In general, the more engaged you are, the more (and more deeply) you will learn. Class time will be devoted to lectures, activities, discussions, and projects. You are required to attend all lectures. If you must miss a lecture because of extraordinary circumstances, please notify me in advance and make arrangements to get copies of lecture notes from one of your classmates.

Student Attendance: It is your responsibility to attend classes, arrive on time, take exams, and hand assignments in on time. Plan accordingly. Quizzes will be given and assignments due at the beginning of class. There will be no make-up quizzes or assignments. Late assignments will be penalized. Missing any one exam will seriously hurt your chances of doing well in this course. Make-up exams will NOT be given unless: 1) you were very ill at the time of the exam AND you have a legitimate written excuse from a nurse, counselor, or physician (for reasons of confidentiality, your written excuse only needs to say that you were unable to attend because of illness) AND you notified you instructor BEFORE the beginning time of the exam (via phone or email); 2) you had a family emergency AND you notified the dean’s office or counselor AND you notified your instructor BEFORE the beginning time of the exam; or 3) you were on a college- sponsored field trip which required your absence AND you personally notified your instructor of your absence at least one week before the exam. If you miss an exam for any other reason, you will receive a score of zero.

In-class assignments: Check the course schedule and read the textbook assignments before the class meets. Be prepared for a quiz, a written exercise or a group project in class. If you miss class, you will miss out on these points.

Thought papers : You will write two 2-3 page thought papers, which should contain your views on an environmental science topic. Topics will be handed out two weeks before the papers are due. The first paper is due March 3. The second paper is due April 21.

Environmental science journal: To increase your awareness of how environmental science relates to your life and your future, you will be asked to keep an “Environmental Science Journal.” It is to be handed in for evaluation usually at each exam and will be completed by May 3. It will consist of 15 short reviews of recent newspaper (The New York Times will be available for free outside the cafeteria M-F) or magazine articles (one article per week beginning this week (Jan. 18) and skipping spring break week). These articles should deal with pertinent developments, concerns, and issues in the fields of environmental science, ecology, biology, our environment, agriculture, etc. Be sure you can link the article to environmental science. Each review should be only one page in length and follow this format: Title of article Name of author Name of newspaper (or magazine) Date of newspaper Page of newspaper *Summary of article in your own words (1 paragraph in length) *Your reaction to the article Thoughts? Concerns? Feelings? Hopes? Decisions? Ideas? Judgments? Solutions?

Do not copy sentences directly from the article, but summarize the work and put it in your own words. Any statements taken directly from the article must be in quotes and cited. This assignment can be typed or written by hand (must write legibly). All articles should be organized in a 3-ring binder or notebook.

2 Late work: All assignments are due at the beginning of the class period on the due date. Late assignments will be penalized. An assignment up to 24 hours late will be penalized 50% of the point total. Assignments from 1-7 days late will be penalized 75% of the point total. Assignments more than 7 days late will not be accepted for credit.

Examinations: Students will take two midterm examinations and one cumulative final examination to demonstrate their understanding of material from lectures, discussions, activities, and assigned readings. The dates and chapters covered on each exam are noted on the class schedule. Midterm exams will be given during class and will be 50 minutes long. The final exam will be a cumulative exam on Monday, May 8 from 10:15 am – 12:15 pm. Exams will include multiple choice, short answer, matching and essay questions.

Participation: This part of your grade includes active and enthusiastic participation in class lectures, activities, projects, and discussions; promptness; and attendance. If you come (on time) to every class and ask or answer a couple of questions over the course of the semester, you can expect to earn approximately 80% of the participation grade. In order to score higher, you will want to ask and answer questions during every class period. The more actively engaged you are, the more you will learn.

Grading: Lecture Exam I 15 % Exam II 15 % Final Exam 30 % In-class assignments 12.5 % Thought papers 12.5% Environmental science journal 10% Participation 5% Total 100 %

Grading Scale A exceptionally high level of competence or knowledge B above average competence or knowledge C adequate competency related to course goals D marginal competency but passing F failure to achieve minimum competency

A 93.0 - 100 % C+ 77.0 - 79.99 A- 90.0 - 92.99 % C 73.0 – 76.99 % B+ 87.0 - 89.99 % C- 70.0 – 72.99 % B 83.0 - 86.99 % D+ 67.0 – 69.99 % B- 80.0 - 82.99 % D 63.0 – 66.99 %

Plagiarism and Cheating Policy: All students are expected to uphold the integrity of this academic institution. Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, giving or receiving unauthorized information regarding exams or assignments; copying or allowing copying of any assignment, lab write-up, or test; or plagiarism from any written material (whether copyrighted or not). Depending on the severity of the infringement, violators of this policy will receive a zero on the assignment involved or a failing grade in the course, and will have their name and evidence of cheating submitted to the Vice President of Academic Affairs for further action. Further

3 information about penalties for academic dishonesty can be found in the St. Martin’s University Student Conduct Code (see your Student Handbook).

Copying or paraphrasing another person’s lab or paper is considered cheating by both people. Plagiarism is taking the ideas, thoughts, content, or graphics from someone else and representing them as your own. This includes cutting and pasting passages of another person’s work off the internet. When you are using information from another source (whether copyrighted or not, including your textbook, the internet, or another student’s paper), always document it within your paper! If you are directly quoting a source, either use quotation marks (for short passages) or indent or single-space the quote (for longer passages). In either case you must also indicate the source. If you are unsure what constitutes plagiarism, please consult your instructor. It is very important that you complete your own original work.

Do NOT ignore the cheating policy in this (or any) course. It is a very SERIOUS matter. Academic dishonesty degrades yourself, your classmates, professor, grade, degree and your university. If you have questions on any of this, please contact me.

Special Needs: If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, if you have medical and/or safety concerns to share with me, or if you need special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please make an appointment to speak with your instructor as soon as possible.

Support Services: If you are having difficulty with the content and concepts presented in this course, please do not hesitate to contact your instructor. The more specific you can be on what you’re having problems with, the more likely I can help. Additionally, the Learning Center (Old main 214) may provide help with study skills.

Student Conduct: To make our time together more valuable, we are going to establish a basic philosophy: Every student has the right to learn, as well as the responsibility not to deprive others of their right to learn. To ensure that we observe this philosophy, I will ask you to respect the following policies:

1. Be on time for lecture. Late arrivals are very disruptive and violate our basic philosophy. 2. Do not schedule other engagements during class time. Leaving early is equally disruptive. 3. It is not acceptable to wander in and out of the classroom during the class period. 4. If you have trouble hearing or concentrating due to distractions around you, quietly and politely ask those responsible for the distraction to stop. 5. Please let me know if there is any problem that is preventing you from performing well in this class. I will do my best to improve the situation. 6. Do not use cellular phones during class; this includes making sure that the ringer function on your phone is turned off.

4 Bio 110 Spring 2006 Lecture schedule (subject to change).

Reading assignment Date Topic Chapter pages W 1/18 Syllabus, intro F 1/20 Science as a way of knowing Ch. 1 1-14 M 1/23 Conservation and environmentalism Ch. 1 14-24 W 1/25 Matter and energy Ch. 2 25-31 F 1/27 Cells, photosynthesis, trophic levels Ch. 2 31-38 M 1/30 Biogeochemical cycles Ch. 2 38-47 W 2/1 Evolution, speciation Ch. 3 48-54 F 2/3 Species interactions Ch. 3 55-62 M 2/6 Communities Ch. 3 62-73 W 2/8 Human population growth Ch. 4 74-84 F 2/10 Opposing factors to growth Ch. 4 84-94 M 2/13 Human population growth Ch. 4 84-94 W 2/15 Exam I (Chapters 1-4) F 2/17 Terrestrial biomes, marine ecosystems Ch. 5 95-108 M 2/20 No Class—President’s Day W 2/22 Biodiversity Ch. 5 108-123 F 2/24 Forests, rangelands Ch. 6 125-136 M 2/27 Parks, nature preserves, refuges Ch. 6 136-148 W 3/1 Food, nutrition and soil Ch. 7 149-163 *F 3/3 Agricultural resources Ch. 7 163-174 M 3/6 No Class—spring break W 3/8 No Class—spring break F 3/10 No Class—spring break M 3/13 Environmental health Ch. 8 175-185 W 3/15 Toxins, risk assessment Ch. 8 186-197 F 3/17 Atmosphere and climate Ch. 9 198-213 M 3/20 Climate and air pollution Ch. 9 213-220 W 3/22 Effects of air pollution Ch. 9 220-228 F 2/24 Exam II (Chapters 5-9) M 3/27 Water resources Ch. 10 229-241 W 3/29 Water pollution Ch. 10 241-252 F 3/31 Pollution control Ch. 10 252-258 M 4/3 Environmental geology Ch. 11 259-270

5 Reading assignment Date Topic Chapter pages W 4/5 Conservation of geologic resources Ch. 11 270-277 F 4/7 Geologic hazards Ch. 11 270-277 M 4/10 Energy Ch. 12 278-288 W 4/12 Energy conservation Ch. 12 288-298 F 4/14 No class – Easter recess M 4/17 No class – Easter recess W 4/19 Renewable energy sources Ch. 12 298-305 *F 4/21 Solid and Hazardous Waste Ch. 13 306-318 M 4/24 Hazardous and toxic wastes Ch. 13 318-326 W 4/26 Sustainability Ch. 14 327-338 F 4/28 Urban development & sustainable cities Ch. 14 338-351 M 5/1 Environmental science and policy Ch. 15 352-367 W 5/3 International treaties Ch. 15 367-376 Monday 5/8 FINAL LECTURE EXAM - cumulative 10:15 am- 12:15 pm *Thought paper due.

6