Download ENV 101 Environmental Science

INSTRUCTION
Course Package
ENV 101
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE WITH LAB
(Title Change ONLY – Oct. 2013)
PRESENTED AND APPROVED: AUGUST 12, 2012
EFFECTIVE: FALL 2012-13
MCC Form EDU 0007 (rev. 10/07/11)
INSTRUCTION
Course Package
Prefix & Number ENV 101
Purpose of this submission:
If this is a change, what is being changed?
(Check all that apply)
Course Title: Environmental Science with Lab
New
Change/Updated
Retire
Update Prefix
Course Description
Title
Course Number
Format Change
Credits
Prerequisite
Competencies
Textbook/Reviewed Competencies-no changes
needed
Does this course require additional fees?
No
Yes If so, please explain. Course Fee: $40
Is there a similar course in the course bank?
No
Yes (Please identify) ENV 101
Articulation: Is this course or an equivalent offered at other two and four-year universities in Arizona?
No
Yes (Identify the college, subject, prefix, number and title: ASU – ELECTIVE CREDIT; NAU
– ENV 101L; UA – SWES 170A1
Is this course identified as a Writing Across the Curriculum course?
No
Yes
Course Textbook, Materials and Equipment
Textbook(s)
Current
edition
Software/
Equipment
Title
Author(s)
Publisher
Environmental Science: A Global Concern
William P. Cunningham, Mary Ann Cunningham
McGraw-Hill
Title
Author(s)
Publisher
Angel (at instructor’s discretion)/ Equipment to measure length, volume and temperature in metric
units, microscopes, living and non-living things for lab observations, chemicals/ strips to measure pH, premade microscope slides, microscope slides, chemical testing kits to identify organic compounds, Elodea,
onions, cheese, genetic corn, prepackaged bioengineering kits, fossils and bones, and nuts and bolts.
Course Assessments
Description of Possible Course Assessments (Essays, multiple choice,
etc.)
Exams standardized for this course?
Midterm
Final
Other (Please specify):
Where can faculty members locate or access the required standardized
exams for this course?
Student Outcomes: Identify the general education goals for student
MCC Form EDU 0007 (rev. 10/07/11)
Lecture: Essay, multiple choice, etc. quizzes
and exams at instructor discretion; scientific
journal article critiques at instructor
discretion; Laboratory: Laboratory reports,
quizzes, practical exams and final at instructor’s
discretion.
Are exams required by the department?
No
Yes
If Yes, please specify:
INSTRUCTION
Course Package
learning that is a component of this course.
Check all that apply:
1. Communicate effectively.
a.
b.
Read and comprehend at a college level.
Write effectively in a college setting.
2. Demonstrate effective quantitative reasoning and
solving skills.
problem
Method of Assessment
Papers and Projects – Group or Individual
Academic Dialogue Journals
One – Minute Papers
Quizzes and Tests
Quizzes and Tests
3. Demonstrate effective qualitative reasoning skills.
Papers and Projects – Group or Individual
4. Apply effective methods of inquiry.
a. Generate research paper by gathering information
from varied sources, analyzing data and organizing
information into a coherent structure.
b. Employ the scientific method.
a. This course emphasizes and supports writing
across the curriculum. To this end,
and to encourage students to integrate the
concepts they learn in class with their
practical applications, they are required to
submit ten (10) critical analyses of
articles from current scientific periodicals, or
articles from the popular press,
dealing with relevant scientific subjects. The
following guidelines should help
students in the preparation of their critiques.
1. Begin with a complete bibliographic citation
of your article.
2. Summarize the major ideas presented in the
article. Ask yourself (and
answer in your summary) questions like:
a. What is the hypothesis?
b. How is the hypothesis tested?
c. What evidence is presented to support or
refute the hypothesis?
d. What conclusion did the author reach?
3. Critically analyze the article. Ask (and answer)
questions like these:
a. Were the experimental procedures adequate?
b. Do you agree with the conclusions reached?
c. Was the article written well?
d. Do you think the topic is important? Why or
why not?
e. Did this article raise any new questions in
your mind?
5. Demonstrate sensitivity to diversity
a. Experience the creative products of humanity.
b. Describe alternate historical, cultural, global
perspectives.
MCC Form EDU 0007 (rev. 10/07/11)
b. Describe the general steps in the scientific
method. Analyze scientific articles to determine
how the scientific method was employed by the
researchers.
Quizzes and Tests
Papers and Projects – Group or Individual
INSTRUCTION
Course Package
Office of Instruction Use only:
CIP Code:
ONET Code:
Minimum Qualifications:
MCC Form EDU 0007 (rev. 10/07/11)
INSTRUCTION
Course Package
COURSE INFORMATION
Initiator: Scott Peat, Rhesa Ledbetter, Lale Arac, Cesar Fuentes
Date of proposal to Curriculum Sub-Committee: 8/9/12
Effective Semester/Year
Fall 2012
Spring
Summer
Prefix & Number: ENV 101
Full Title:
Environmental Science
Short Title: Environmental Science
Catalog Course Description: An introductory course that examines human influence on the
environment. Basic ecological concepts are explored and major environmental problems including
population growth, pollution, resource overuse; ecological degradation and the loss of biodiversity are
evaluated for causes and solutions. The relationship between society, politics and the environment is
also examined.
SUN Course Number:
Credit Hours: 4
Lecture Hours: 3
Lab Hours: 3
Prerequisite(s) Appropriate score on assessment test or successful completion of PCS 021, TRE 089
and TRM 091 or Permission of Academic Chair
Co-requisite(s) ENV 101L
Intended Course Goals
By the end of the semester, students will be able to:
1. Demonstrate an understanding of the basic principles and concepts that shape modern
environmental science.
2. Demonstrate an ability to reason logically and critically to evaluate information and design
alternative explanations about the processes and content of environmental science.
3. Demonstrate an ability to communicate to peers and others an understanding of the
interrelationships among biological principles and concepts.
4. Demonstrate an understanding of the relationship of environmental science to societal and ethical
concerns.
5. Demonstrate an understanding of the processes involved in scientific discovery.
MCC Form EDU 0007 (rev. 10/07/11)
INSTRUCTION
Course Package
Course Competencies and Objectives
By the end of the semester, students will be able to:
Competency 1 Competency 1 Demonstrate the processes involved in scientific discovery.
Objective 1.1 Describe the general steps in the scientific method.
Objective 1.2 Analyze scientific articles to determine how the scientific method was employed by the researchers.
Competency 2 Define the term environment, trace the historical development of the conservation movement, and identify
some important environmental concerns that we face today
Objective 2.1 Compare and contrast utilitarian conservation and biocentric preservation.
Objective 2.2 Describe the links between poverty and environmental degradation
Objective 2.3 Describe the division between the wealthy, industrialized countries and the poorer, developing countries.
Competency 3 Apply the frameworks for understanding environmental problems: science, systems, and ethics
Objective 3.1 Differentiate between the scientific and ethical aspects of environmental decision making.
Objective 3.2 List and describe the principles of ethics and explain how ethical ideas shape our view of nature.
Objective 3.3 Identify the most common worldviews and explain how they influence our attitudes toward the
environment.
Objective 3.4 List the elements of critical thinking and apply them to environmental problems.
Competency 4 Develop an understanding of theoretical physical science relevant to environmental science
Objective 4.1 Describe matter, atoms, and molecules; and give simple examples of the role of four major kinds of
organic compounds in living cells.
Objective 4.2 Describe and apply the principles of conservation of matter and energy and the second law of
thermodynamics
Objective 4.3 Describe the flow of energy and the cycling of matter through ecosystems. Classify populations by trophic
level.
Competency 5 Develop an understanding of evolutionary and ecological theory relevant to environmental science
Objective 5.1 Describe the theory of evolution by natural selection.
Objective 5.2 Apply evolutionary theory to predict the consequences of directional, stabilizing, and disruptive selection.
Objective 5.3 Compare and contrast interspecific interactions including:competition, predation, symbiosis,
commensalism, mutualism, and coevolution.
Objective 5.4 Describe the processes of primary and secondary succession.
Competency 6 Recognize the major biomes found on earth
Objective 6.1 List the major aquatic and terrestrial biomes, the environmental factors that determine where biomes
occur on earth, and typical species found in each biome.
Objective 6.2 Apply knowledge of ecological, evolutionary, and physical science theory to predict the impact of humans
on biomes.
Competency 7 Understand and apply the principles of population biology
Objective 7.1 Construct graphs showing exponential and logistic growth, explain when each type of growth can be
expected, and summarize the factors that influence population processes.
Objective 7.2 Describe the theory of island biogeography and apply these principles to the conservation of rare and
endangered species in fragmented habitats.
Competency 8 Describe historical human population growth and the factors that influence that growth.
Objective 8.1 Explain the process of demographic transition and why it produces a temporary population surge
Objective 8.2 Understand how changes in life expectancy, infant mortality, women’s literacy, standards of living, and
democracy affect population changes
Objective 8.3 List methods of family planning and evaluate pressures for and against family planning in traditional and
modern societies.
Competency 9 Identify the factors that allow food production to keep pace with population.
Objective 9.1 Differentiate between famine and chronic undernutrition and understand the relation between natural
disasters and social or economic forces in triggering food shortages.
Objective 9.2 Explain the major human nutritional requirements as well as the consequences of deficiencies in those
nutrients.
Objective 9.3 Describe the role of living organisms, physical forces, and parent rock in creating and maintaining fertile
soil.
Objective 9.4 Differentiate between the sources and effects of land degradation including erosion, nutrient depletion,
MCC Form EDU 0007 (rev. 10/07/11)
INSTRUCTION
Course Package
waterlogging, and salinization.
Competency 10 Describe human impacts on biodiversity.
Objective 10.1 Describe the total number and relative distribution of living species on the earth.
Objective 10.2 Summarize the benefits humans derive from biodiversity and list ways humans cause biodiversity loss.
Objective 10.3 Evaluate the effectiveness of the Endangered Species Act and CITES in protecting endangered species.
Objective 10.4 Explain how gap analysis, habitat conservation plans, and captive breeding can contribute to preserving
biological resources.
Competency 11 Understand the sources of air pollution and methods for controlling it.
Objective 11.1 List the major categories and sources of air pollution including indoor air pollutants.
Objective 11.2 Describe the importance of atmospheric temperature inversions in air pollution episodes.
Objective 11.3 List the impacts of air pollution on human health, vegetation, and building materials.
Competency 12 Understand the hydrologic cycle, water use, and management
Objective 12.1 Summarize the hydrologic cycle, how fresh water is delivered to terrestrial ecosystems, and how the
cycle balances over time.
Objective 12.2 Describe the important ways we use water and distinguish between withdrawal, consumption, and
degradation.
Objective 12.3 Describe the causes and consequences of water shortages around the world and what they mean in
people’s lives in water-poor countries.
MCC Form EDU 0007 (rev. 10/07/11)