Bio 3092g                                                                                       Spring 2005

Environmental Life Science (Honors)

 

Professor:  Stephen Mullin                                                 Internet:  <cfsjm@eiu.edu>

Office:  LS 1114                                                                         mailbox:  LS 2070

Office Hours:  1100-1200 h, Mon., Wedn., & Fri.; or, by appointment.   tel:  217.581.6234

 

Synopsis – The next 40 years will be of telling significance to humanity.  Ongoing degradation of Earth’s ecosystems, unprecedented rates of biological extinction, and global climatic perturbation imperil our future.  The present generation of students will be responsible for redesigning key aspects of our basic cultural framework to reduce our impact upon our environment and transform our society into one that is sustainable.  There is no better place to begin this process than right here, on the university campus.  Students will learn about the biological and geochemical processes that influence the health of our surrounding environment, and explore solutions that reduce human impact on the environment.

 

Lecture outlines are available here.

Click here for the second lecture outline.

Click here for the third lecture outline.

Prerequisites – Other than enrollment in the University’s Honors Program, there are no specific prerequisites required for enrollment in this course.  However, successful completion of high school-level biology, chemistry and physics is expected.

Note, that there is a course fee of $25°° that will appear on your tuition bill (i.e., you do not pay me or the dept. directly).  This fee is assessed to all students to partially defray expenses associated with course materials and field trips.

 

Required Materials –

Brennan, S. and J. Withgott.  2005.  Environment:  The Science Behind the Stories.  Pearson/Benjamin Cummings, San Francisco, Calif.

 

Reserve Materials – Several resources are available to help you with information presented throughout the course. Although some of these volumes are available from Booth Library, I will have them available for check out during my office hours.

Botzler, R.G., & S.J. Armstrong.  1998.  Environmental Ethics: Divergence and Convergence, 2nd ed.  McGraw-Hill, New York.

Cunningham, W.P. & B.W. Saigo.  1999.  Environmental Science: A Global Concern, 5th ed.  McGraw-Hill, New York.

Getis, J.  1999.  You Can Make a Difference, 2nd ed.  McGraw-Hill, New York.

Jackson A.R.W., & J.M. Jackson.  1996.  Environmental Science: The Natural Environment and Human Impact.  Longman, Essex, UK.

Kraft, M.E.  2004.  Environmental Policy and Politics.  3rd ed.  Pearson/Longman, New York.

Levy, W. and C. Hallowell.  1994.  Green Perspectives: Thinking and Writing About Nature and the Environment.  HarperCollins College Publ., New York.

Raven, P.H., and L.R. Berg.  2001.  Environment, 3rd ed.  Harcourt College Publ., New York.

Underwood, L.  1998.  Case Studies in Environmental Science.  Saunders College Publ., New York.

Attendance – Lecture

·     With the exception of school holidays, lecture sections will meet on Mondays and Wednesdays from 1300-1500 h; please avoid the embarrassment of arriving late.

·     I won't take attendance regularly, but I can guarantee that anyone noticeably absent during the semester will not receive any leniency from me should I decide to curve grades at the end of the term.  At my discretion, “pop quizzes” will be given in class meetings that are poorly attended; make-up quizzes are not an option.  [Also, see note about make-up exams, below.].

·     I would like to discourage distractions during our meeting times.  Therefore, any student will be penalized ten (10) points if their pager, cell phone, or alarm emits any audible noise during class meetings.

 

Exams

·     Unless otherwise noted, exam format will generally consist of matching, diagram, and essay questions.

·     If you miss an exam, it is your responsibility to contact me before the next class meeting -- failure to do so will result in a zero grade for that exam.

·     Written make-up exams are not an option – if you miss an exam with an excused absence, the make-up will be administered as soon as is mutually convenient and will be comprised of oral responses to my questions.

 

Semester Project – This term’s project will focus on solid waste management for residential Coles County.  You will be responsible for (1) analyzing existing data on residential waste management practice; (2) developing a survey for residents concerning waste disposal habits; (3) executing the survey; (4) analyzing the newly-acquired data; and (5) writing a summary report to the Coles County Solid Waste Coordinator.

  This project will require plenty of advance consideration (i.e., procrastination will cause you to fail this part of the course), and equal participation from all members of the class.  Due dates of the project components will be announced with plenty of lead time.

 

Grading

  Proper English counts!  One point will be deducted from your point total for every 5 spelling/grammar/context/syntax errors on each exam or assignment.  There will be 3 exams given over the course of the semester, plus a final exam.  Each of the midterms are worth 70 points and cover only the portions of the course immediately prior to their test date (i.e., they are not comprehensive).  The final exam is worth 130 points and is comprehensive, including questions concerning material presented throughout the semester.

 

Mid-term exams (3 @ 70 points each)                  210 points

Final exam                                                    130

Term project                                                  120

Miscellaneous (assignments, "pop quizzes," etc.)     40

TOTAL                                                         500 points

Thus, your awarded grade for the class will be determined on a 500-point scale.  Generally, I follow a standard 10-%age point scale (90-100 % = ‘A’, 80-89 % = ‘B’, etc.).

 

Academic Integrity -- I expect that you will never passively or actively cheat on any of my exams, or those administered by your other instructors.  Any documented incidence of cheating or plagiarism will result in a notification to the Judicial Affairs Office and an “F” grade for the course.  Please feel free to speak with me, or consult your Student Handbook, if you have any questions concerning this matter.

 

Further Assistance with course material -- If you suddenly find yourself with a question that is burning a hole in your brain, and cannot reach me, there are several ways of obtaining the answer.  In addition to the material on reserve in my office, here are some examples:

1.  The authors of your text have thoughtfully provided a variety of resources for you to follow up on presented material.  The citations and web-sites are listed at the end of each chapter.

2.  Check out the electronic syllabus, lecture outlines, and other cool links to the course posted on the course web-site:  <http://www.ux1.eiu.edu/~cfsjm/>

– I’d like to encourage you to listen in lecture, not just show up and scribble furiously. Understand, however, that you will be held responsible for more information than what is presented in the posted outlines.

3.  Academic Assistance Access is a free tutoring service on the Web designed to offer assistance in Biology for both secondary and college-level students. If you are looking for answers to your questions, or other forms of assistance you should first subscribe to the following address: <http://www.tutoraid.org/>

4.  As a service to EIU students, the Academic Success Center provides a list of individual tutors via the web page <www.eiu.edu/~success>

5.  Help each other -- get to know your fellow students!  Active learning through testing each other on the material is one of the most effective ways of learning where your weaknesses lie with this subject matter.

 

Disabled Students should contact the Office of Disability Services (9th St.Hall 2002; x6583) for any arrangements that need to be made in order to ensure that you get the most out of this course.  Within reason, I am willing to make whatever accommodations are necessary to facilitate your learning of this material.

––––––

Assignment #1:  (5 points; due 14 Jan.)

Send me an internet message containing the following items, each on a new line of text:

·     your name as you wish to be addressed

·     your SSN#

·     a version of the following statement:

"Yes/No you may/may not post my grade by special code."

[If "yes," then provide 6-digit code -- you may use any sequence of numbers or letters].

·     your phone #

·     a version of the following statement:

"Yes/No you may/may not release my phone number to the rest of the class."

·     your class standing

·     your major

Bio 3092g– Mullin                                                                    Spring 2005

Environmental Life Science (Honors)

                                              Course Schedule             

Week       Topic(s)                                                                                Readings

1        Introduction; History of environmental science and conservation      Chapt. 1, 2

          Review of basic geochemical & biological principles                                  4

          Global conditions -- past & present.                                                        5

2        Population dynamics                                                                           

          Human demography                                                                            7

          LAB: Fluctuating populations & population growth

3        Urbanization -- socioeconomic patterns of development                             16

          Energy: conventional sources, utilization patterns and, their products           17

4        1st midterm exam

          Unwasted energy -- the marvels of renewable resources                               18

5        Waste -- solid, toxic & hazardous forms and their disposal                          19

          *FIELD TRIP:  Coles County Landfill

6        Earth: Its structure, and resource base                                      6 (p.176-193)

          Soil chemistry & porosity                                                                    8

          Naked Earth – stripping the resources                                    17 (p.542-546)

7        Climates and weather                                                                         11

          LAB:  Presenting science

          Atmospheric components and pollution                                                 12

8        LAB:  Exposing yourself! – risks of radiation and ozone

          Natural & anthropogenic hydrology                                                      14

9        2nd midterm exam

          *FIELD TRIP:  Charleston Water Treatment Plant                                         

SPRING BREAK

10           Water chemistry & pollution

           * FIELD TRIP:  Charleston Waste Water Treatment Plant

11       Pollution across the interfaces

          Toxicology                                                                                     10

12       Forest preservation & restoration                                          16 (p.496-514)

          Land use & management -- minimizing impact = maximizing yield                  

13       Biome ecology                                                                  6 (p.158-175)

          Biogeography & community ecology                                      5 (p.139-153)

14          3rd midterm exam

          Invasive/pest species -- our mistakes or their adaptability?           9 (p.267-271)

15       Student Project Presentation

16       *FIELD TRIP:  Fox Ridge State Park

          Preserving what's left -- Think globally; act locally                                   20

Final exam on Tuesday, 3 May @ 1445 h.

                                                                                                                    

* = field trip dates are tentative and may be rescheduled at my discretion – please dress appropriately for outdoor activity.

Questions?  Feel free to contact me at your convenience (217.581.6234 or <cfsjm@eiu.edu>).  Enjoy the course!