Lecture Text:  Living in the Environment: Principles, Connections, and Solutions, 10th edition, by G. Tyler Miller

Introduction:

It is very common today to hear something about "the environment".  This make take several forms, from how beautiful to how fragile it is and everything in between.  What we commonly refer to as the environment is an incredibly complex network of living and non-living entities.  To begin to understand how it works we need to know how the network is put together.  This has long been a goal for ecologist, geologist, and climatologist (to name a few).  If we gain an understanding of the dynamic processes applied to all living things we can then explore how human activities may be shifting the balance which exist between the living and non-living world.  Subjects such as over population, global climate change, industrial pollution, and direct reductions in habitat for living things, are all issues we will touch on in this course.  A principal goal of the course is for you to gain enough background on the issues surrounding the state of the environment that you will discern for yourself the true nature of the actions needed for our living planet to survive.  Something to know and keep in mind - there is no magic answer to our problems.  Indeed, there is tremendous disagreement over what are and are not problems for the environment.  Finding the proper balance in decision making is crucial to effecting real change.

Course Objectives and Requirements:

In order for you to gain awareness of how human activities are being played out on the planet you will be required to do some investigative work.  Since this is both a writing (W) and speaking (S) designator course, both of these elements will be a large part of your requirement for the class.  You will participate in class discussions, present a short presentation on an assigned topic, and a longer presentation on a topic of your choosing.  Researching your subject and writing a paper will go along with presentations.  Having active discussions of what we cover in lecture is expected.  It will be helpful to bring your book to class in order to follow discussions of figures presented in lecture.  Reading lecture materials in the text will be very beneficial to you.

Grading:

Exam I                         100 points
Exam II                        100
Final Exam                   100
Participation                   50
Topic I Paper                100
Topic II Paper               150 (Draft #1 50 points, Draft #2 100 points)

Total                             600 points
 

Grading Scale:
Based on 10 percentage point scale-

A   564 - 600                D+  396 - 419
A-  540 - 563                D    378 - 395
B+  516 - 539                D-   360 377
B    498 - 515                F    Below 360
B-   480 - 497
C+  456 - 479
C    438 - 455
C-   420 - 437
 

Attendance and Participation:

 The active participation of students is an important part of this class.  Ten points will be deducted from your participation point total for every absence beyond two.  Assigned term papers and presentations must be done on time, no exceptions.  Late papers have 10 points deducted for each hour they are late.  Exams are to be taken on time.  Any make-up exam must be approved prior to the scheduled exam time.  I reserve the right to give make-up exams in any format I choose, including orally.  Your participation in class, especially discussions, is expected and part of the requirements for the class.  Having an open "forum" format will be helpful for us all.

Class Discussions:

 On assigned Fridays (see Lecture Schedule) we will hold discussions as a class.  These will take several forms, including the presentations and discussion of news stories of interests and debates where opposing sides will present arguments about some environmental issue.  I will make every attempt to introduce the idea for the discussions one-two weeks prior to the date so background information can be investigated.

Research Papers:

 You are required to write two papers this semester, one assigned (Topic I) and one of a subject of your choosing (Topic II).  Included in this syllabus is brief list of potential subjects to choose from.  Feel free to come up with your own.  The general format for each of these is:  double spaced on 8.5 X 11 inch white paper using a 12 point font.  Margins should be 1 inch all around with each page numbered (except title page).  Papers must be done using a word processing program and printed on a laser printer (or high quality ink jet printer).  Each paper should have (at the very least): (1) Title page, (2) Introduction, (3) Discussion, and (4) References Cited.  The Title page DOES NOT count towards the page total.  If you use a source which is not available in our library you MUST provide me a copy of that source (good example- newspaper article).

Your paper will be evaluated based on (1) thoroughness of research on subject, (2) presentation of subject,
(3) spelling and grammar, and (4) citation of subject.

The specific format for each of the two papers is below.

Topic I Paper
This paper should be four pages in length and will be on an assigned subject.  You should have at least four citations for this paper, no less than two of which should come from the primary literature.  See below for a description of sources.  Each student will present their paper in a five minute talk (Monday, 10/11 or Wednesday 10/13).

Topic II Paper
This paper should be 7-8 pages in length and will be on a subject of your choosing.  You need to have your subject pre-approved by me.  There should be a minimum of seven citations, no less than four of which must come from the primary literature.  This is a more in-depth paper than Topic I and should more fully develop the subject.  If it is on a particularly controversial issue both "sides" should be addressed.  You are required to turn in two drafts of this paper, with a high expectation that the second draft will be an improvement over the first draft.  Note:  Draft #1 should be complete in every way.  Each student will present their paper in a ten minute talk (Friday, 12/3, Monday, 12/6, or Wednesday 12/8).

Note:  data tables, figures, and maps DO NOT count towards the total page totals for these papers.

Citation Format:
When citing the literature for your papers use the convention of the journal Ecology.  This journal is found in the ASU library.  Follow the format closely.  For newspaper articles use the following convention.

Howell, J. T.  08-20-99.  Industrial pollution on the rise.  The New York Times, publishing company here, page number here.

Sources:
There are five acceptable sources of information.  (1) newspaper articles, (2) popular literature (e.g. National Geographic magazine (3) popular books (e.g. Silent Spring by Rachel Carson), (4) internet (websites), and (5) primary literature (peer-reviewed scientific journals).  All of these vary with regards to their presentation, viewpoint, and accuracy.  You may use any of these provided you follow the guidelines for the papers described above.

You may use the internet only if  (1) the URL is provided and cited and (2) the source is associated with a recognized organization (e.g. newspaper, national environmental group, etc., NOT an individuals web page).  A word of caution about the internet:  this is becoming a huge source of information and will continue to do so.  Unlike a primary literature or popular science articles information found on websites may be completely unedited and unreviewed by anyone who is an expert in that field.  Be careful NOT to believe everything that you read!

Plagiarism:
The unauthorized use of anothers materials or ideas is copyright infringement and is against the law.  So to is the direct use of anothers language, including the paraphrasing of a published sentence.  Plagiarism is unlawful and unethical.  You should always write in your own works and properly cite the words (or ideas, conclusions, etc.) of others.  Plagiarism will not be tolerated in this class and will result in an automatic zero credit on that assignment.
 

Lecture Schedule

Topic                                                                        Chapter

Introduction, Environment Defined
Environmental Problems and Their Causes                        1
Silent Spring, video
History of Conservation                                                   2
Matter and Energy                                                          4
Ecological Concepts                                                  5 & 6
Class Discussion, Topic I assignment
Labor Day Holiday - no class
Ecology (cont).
Earths Climate, Biomes                                                   7
Population Dynamics                                                      8
Population Issues, video
Populations (cont.)
Evolution
Toxicology, Health Risks                                               10
Exam I Introduction - Health Risks

Class Discussion
Human Populations                                                11 & 12
Student Presentations - Topic I Paper Due
Presentations, (cont.)
Energy - Nonrenewable                                                  16
Energy - Renewable, Topic II Subject Due (W)                 15
Global Climate Change,                                                  14
Air Pollution                                                                 17
Draft #1 Topic II Paper Due, Class Discussion
Water Pollution                                                         18,19
Exam II Human Populations - Water Pollution

Sustainability, Food Resources                                         22
Pesticides                                                                       23
Class Discussion
Forests, Wilderness, Preserving Wildlife                   24 &25
Forests (cont.)
Deforestation and Loss of Biodiversity                             13
Student Presentations, Topic II
Student Presentations (cont.), Draft #2 Topic II Due
Student Presentations (cont)
Final Exam, 3 - 5 PM Sustainability - Biodiversity
 

Potential Paper Topics
 

1. Is the environment really in danger or can nature "adjust"?

2. Is human population growth out of control and, if so, what are the consequences?

3. Does maintaining biodiversity really contribute to the health of our planet?

4. What are the pros and cons of using pesticides in agriculture?

5. Can, and should, genetic engineering of plants and animals become common practice?

6. Are environmental laws strict enough to curtail industrial assault of our environment?  Are  they too strict?

7. Can business and environmental interest realistically be balanced?

8. Does enough evidence exist to substantiate claims of global warming and if so what are the  consequences?
    Can anything be done to stop it?

9. Are species disappearing from the earth due to human activity?

10. How do renewable resources compare to non-renewable resources and which promises  more benefit to
      our planet?  Why?

11. Does the US congress understand the environment enough to pass protective legislation?

12. Does acid rain kill forest?  What evidence is there for this claim?

13. How do we save coastal estuaries in the face of widespread agriculture?

14. Should developing countries be held to strict prohibitions on resource use?

15. If you were president of the US, what would be your primary environmental agenda?