Syllabus. Grading: Lab Reports 40% Quizzes 25% Final Exam 20% Participation 15%

Transcription

1 Environmental Science 100: Our Planet in the 21 st Century Summer Session 1L 2009 Classroom: Mon/Wed 6:00-9:15pm, Room 1804, Murphy Institute Lab: Sat 9:00am-3:00pm, D-231/235 Science Building, Queens College Syllabus Instructor: Kimmy Szeto Office: Queens College New Science Building D Office Hours: Mon for 30 minutes after class, Sat 8:30-9:00am and by appointment Textbook: Required: Stewart, Robert. Environmental Science in the 21st Century. Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas: [Freely available at Required: Zheng, Yan. Environmental Science 111 Laboratory Manual, 7 th ed. Queens College, New York: [Distributed on the first day of classes.] Optional, not required: Botkin, Daniel B. and Keller, Edward A. Environmental Science: Earth as a Living Planet, 7 th edition. Wiley, Hoboken, NJ: Attendance: Be present and be punctual. Much of the learning takes place in classroom discussions and in the lab. There are no excused absences for any classroom or lab sessions. If you miss a class, it is your responsibility to ask your classmates about what you missed. There are no make-ups for labs. Reading is your most important homework for this class. Read the chapter and articles indicated in the course schedule before the class meeting, and be prepared to contribute to class discussions. You are responsible for obtaining the reading materials. Lab Reports: Lab reports are due at the beginning of the next Wednesday classroom session. A complete lab report should address all the questions in the lab manual, and should consist of these sections: purpose, methods, results, and conclusion. Late work will be marked down by 5% per day past the due date. Quizzes: Exams: Quizzes are given at the beginning of each Wednesday classroom session. Questions are based on the week s reading. There are no make-ups for quizzes. The final exam will include all materials covered in the course (classroom and lab). There is no make-up for the final exam. The final exam may be taken early with prior arrangement made at least one week before the scheduled exam date. Grading: Lab Reports 40% Quizzes 25% Final Exam 20% Participation 15%

2 Environmental Science 100: Our Planet in the 21 st Century Summer Session 1L 2009 Classroom: Mon/Wed 6:00-9:15pm, Murphy Institute Lab: Sat 9:00am-3:00pm, D-235 Science Building, Queens College Course Schedule Week Date Topic Homework 1 May 30 Overview of the scientific method Lab 1, 2 June 1, 3 Overview of the earth s environment The earth s atmosphere Stewart: How to find Useful Material on the Web Stewart: Earth System Science Stewart: The Anthropocene Stewart: Tragedy of the Commons Hardin: The Tragedy of the Commons Stewart: Atmospheric Structure and Pollution Sources Stewart: Atmospheric pollutants Stewart: Stratospheric Ozone and the Ozone Hole Stewart: Acid Rain and Acidic Deposition Lab 3 2 June 6 Air quality Lab 5, 6 June 8, 10 Water and the environment Lab 4 Stewart: The Hydrological Cycle Stewart: Groundwater Stewart: Groundwater Contamination Stewart: Groundwater Remediation USGS: Sources of nutrients and pesticides USGS: Ground-water Quality USGS: Fertilizers: Sustaining Global Food Supplies Stewart: The Ocean and Climate Stewart: The Carbon Dioxide Problem Stewart: What is the Evidence for Global Warming? 3 June 13 Water quality Lab 8, 9 June 15, 17 The ocean and climate Prepare group discussion

3 Carnegie Mellon University: Global Warming and Climate Change Stewart: Earth's Radiation Balance University Center for Atmospheric Research: The Greenhouse Effect Stewart: The Carbon Cycle, the Ocean, and the Iron Hypothesis Stewart: Microbial Food Web Stewart: Abrupt Climate Change Webster: Feedback Loops Calvin: The Great Climate Flip-Flop Each group chooses one article from the WHOI webpage and lead discussion: 4 June 20 Contamination and health risks Lab 10, 12 June 22, 24 Climate change Lab 11 Stewart: Modeling the Climate System Stewart: Climate Change Policy Issues Dyson: Heretical Thoughts About Science and Society Becker: An Economist Looks at Global Warming 5 June 27 Air quality: radon Lab 13 June 29, July 1 Ask all questions about Climate policies final exam by July 1 Hardin: Extensions of The Tragedy of the Commons Crowe: The Tragedy of the Common Revisited Ostrom: Revisiting the Commons: Local Lessons, Global Challenges Science 284, Dean: Sea s Rise May Prove the Greater in Northeast Revkin: Forum Says Climate Shift Brings Deaths MacFarquhar: Refugees Join List of Climate-Change Issues 6 July 4 School closed July 6 July 8 Guest speaker discusses current research and issues Final Exam All outstanding lab reports due

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5 Environmental Science 100 Summer 2009 Name: Job title/description: School/Year: I have read and understand the course syllabus. Yes No What math and science classes have you taken since 9 th grade? Which one was your favorite? List up to five current environmental issues. If you started taking action today, how many years do you think it will take to resolve each issue? Are you allergic to any chemical, drug or food item? Yes No Not Sure If yes or not sure, please explain: Please write neatly: Phone number Emergency contact (name/relationship/phone number) address Signature Date