Global Environmental Change 11:374:102 Spring 2012

Transcription

1 Global Environmental Change 11:374:102 Spring 2012 Instructor: Deborah Greenwood Phone: Office: 214 Cook Office Building Office hours: Thursdays 10:45-11:45 and by arrangement Course Location and Hours: Monday & Thursday, 9:15 am 10:35 am Food Science Building FS 109 Course overview Human actions are thought to be a primary driving force behind global environmental change. Due to globalization, there are growing connections of people, groups and communities all across the world. Nothing occurs in isolation and there are spatial connections between their actions and outcomes. Due to this interconnectedness, the actions, decisions and activities of local communities may reach and impact distant places. Therefore, a broader aim and objective of this course is to convey an understanding of these connections and relationships as they relate to large-scale environmental change. This understanding and information would better enable society to prepare and plan for the challenges ahead and hopefully maintain a sustainable and secure environment. It is my hope that this course will help you to define your opinions as we talk about some of the key environmental issues facing the world today. Grades Evaluation of grades will be based on the following requirements: Exams: During the semester, there will be a midterm exam worth 20% and a final exam (not cumulative) worth 25%. A make-up midterm exam can be given with prior notification, but not more than 1 week after the exam date. Final exams must be taken during final exam period on the date set by the Scheduling Office. Any student not taking the final exam on the scheduled date will be assigned a temporary T grade until the make-up exam is taken. A Change of Grade will then be completed and the student will be assigned a permanent final grade for the course. Written Assignments: You will required to write 2 papers (each 3-5 pages), totaling 40% of your grade. For the first paper you will be asked to choose one of the issues that you learned about in class, discussing the impacts and focusing on their spatial connections/interconnections, and will be worth 20%. Instructions will be posted on sakai. The second paper will ask you to create a general model of a prosperous and sustainable post-fossil fuel community, or focus on one major component of it (social, physical or economic) and will be worth 20%. Instructions will be provided and posted on sakai. Both papers must be completed and submitted during the course. Any paper not completed by the end of the semester will receive zero credit. Papers submitted after the due date will have 1 point deducted for every day it is late. Academic Integrity: Students will be responsible for adhering to the academic integrity policies found at Attendance and participation: Both will count toward your final grade. Attendance will be worth 7.5% and class participation 7.5%. You will sign in at the beginning of each class. Students late to class will sign the attendance sheet at the end of class. Please notify me at the beginning of the class or sooner by , if you must leave the class early. You will be given two unexcused absences. After that, any unexcused absence will result in 1 point deducted for each absence, from your final grade.

2 Any illness that prevents you from coming to class (after the 2 unexcused absences) must be confirmed by a doctor s note in order to receive an excused absence. If there are any other special circumstances preventing you from attending class, please discuss this with me in person or by ahead of time. Please notify me at the beginning of the semester if there is any special circumstance that prevents you from participating in class discussions. TH 1/19 Course overview M 1/23 Global Environmental Change Leichenko, Ch.1 Globalization/Environmental Change Double-Exposure Human Dimensions of Global Environmental Change TH1/26 Global Environmental Change Diamond (Collapse) pp Film: Plan B: Mobilizing to Save Civilization (part 1) M 1/30 Film: Plan B: Mobilizing to Save Civilization (part 2) Lappe (Ecomind) Discussion pp TH 2/2 Climate Change USGCRP Reports Drivers Global Climate Impacts on Sectors Change Impacts US Carbon Tax, Cap and Trade, Emissions Trading Probyn, Rosenthal Reducing Our Carbon Footprint Leonard Another Way M 2/6 Population and Resources Diamond Guest speaker: Professor George Clark Ridker & Cecelski TH 2/9 Production and Consumption Goleman Film: Story of Stuff/Externalities/C/B analysis Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) EPA - LCA In class exercise LCA M 2/13 Garbage: The Great Pacific Garbage Patch McLendon

3 Film: Plastic Planet (part 1) Greenpeace TH 2/16 Plastic waste Baird Film: Plastic Planet (part 2) UMCEP article M 2/20 Water Issues Privatization, Commodification Royte, Chapter 7- Backlash TH 2/23 Film: Tapped Leonard, pp Discussion Brown, pp M 2/27 Tropical Deforestation and Degradation Film: Trinkets and Beads TH 3/1 Indigenous Cultures and Tropical Rainforest Exploitation Guest Speaker: Professor Tom Rudel Rudel, et al. M 3/5 Review for Midterm TH 3/8 SUNDAY 3/11 BY MIDNIGHT M 3/12 TH 3/15 MIDTERM EXAM PAPERS DUE NO CLASS SPRING BREAK NO CLASS SPRING BREAK M 3/19 Agriculture Food and Globalization Lyson, Ch. 1 Overview of current food production systems Last 50 years of agriculture TH 3/22 Food and Climate Change Gillis Film: Food, Inc. (part 1) M 3/26 Film: Food, Inc. (part 2) Lyson (2) Discussion TH 3/29 Unintended Consequences Green Revolution Biotechnology Industrial Agriculture Pfeiffer (1), Sanchez Barboza, McWilliams

4 Factory Farming Animals Eckholm M 4/2 Food Safety Harris Food Security, Agroterrorism USAID, US Dept Justice Peak Oil Pfeiffer (2) McWilliams Food Miles, Life Cycle Measurements TH 4/5 Adaptations to Urbanization by Farmers Lyson, Ch. 6 Alternative Agriculture/Civic Agriculture Cooper, Bybee Urban Agriculture U.S. and Abroad Cuba Film: The Power of Community-How Cuba Survived Peak Oil Pfeiffer(4)_Cuba M 4/9 Guest Speaker Serpil Guran ecocomplex.rutgers.edu Director, Rutgers EcoComplex TH 4/12 Guest Speaker: Professor Clinton Andrews rcgb.rutgers.edu Center for Green Building, BSPPP Green Building article Siemens M 4/16 Energy Issues Chow, Kopp & Portney Solar Energy Parkinson, Cha Film: Saved By the Sun TH 4/19 Tour of the Rutgers Solar Farm Rutgers Solar Energy Livingston Campus Facility article M 4/23 Housing/Transportation Green Communities/Smart Growth Rosenthal, 2009, Film: Blueprint America: Road to the Future In a German Suburb TH 4/26 Student presentations M 4/30 Review for final exam Papers Due by Friday, May 4, midnight FINAL EXAM TUESDAY, MAY 8 8 pm 11 pm FS 109

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