BIOL 2650

ENVIRONMENTAL BIOLOGY

Spring 2009

 

Instructor: Ms. Tommi Lou Carosella    Office: N257     Phone: 667-3596

e-mail: tcarosella@csustan.edu   textbook website: www.myenvironmentplace.com

Office Hours:   Mon 11:15-12:00, Wed 10:10-11:08,  FRI 1:30 -2:15,  or by appointment

Text: Essential Environment 3e. Brennan and Withgott  (2nd edition is OK)

You can see the powerpoints for this lecture at   http://blackboard.csustan.edu/

 log in with your student ID#,  select  Environmental Biology (BIOL 2650), go to Course Content

Check this web page often for updates and assignments!

 

 

Week

Date

Class Schedule: revised 5/21

 

1

2/16

Natural Resources, Science, Sustainability  Read Chap 1  Study Guide 1

 

 

2/18

Chapter 1 

 

 

2/20

Environmental Economics and Policy Chap 2 Study Guide 2

 

 2

2/23

Chapter 2  Homework 1: Understanding Science     Sense About Science Website

 

 

2/25

Still on Chapter 2!

 

 

2/27

Environmental Systems Chap 3  Study Guide chapter 3  

 

3/2

Chapter 3     

 

 

3/4

Evolution, Biodiversity, Populations Chap 4  Study guide Chapter 4

 

 

3/6

 Chapter 4

 

 4

3/9

Species Interactions and Community Ecology Chap 5 

 

 

3/11

Chapter 5  Study Guide 5

 

 

3/13

Exam 1: Chap 1-5     Homework 2 Ecological Footprint due March 18

 

 5

3/16

Human Population  Chapter 6     Study Guide 6World Clock   US Pop Growth

 

 

3/18

Human Pop Chapter 6  Study Guide Chap 7       Exam 1 grades

 

 

3/20

Soils, Agriculture, Food Chap 7 Volunteer planting Day at Merced Refuge  March 21

 

3/23

Chapter 7  Pesticides in Food?

 

 

3/25

Chapter 7

 

 

3/27

Chapter 7

 

3/30

finish 7 , start Biodiversity and Conservation Chapter 8

 

 

4/1

Chapter 8 Video: Journey to Planet Earth- State of the World's Wildlife

 

 

4/3

Study Guide Chapter 8      Planting Day at SJR NWR

 

4/6

Chapter 8    

 

 

4/8

Chapter 8

 

 

4/10

Exam 2: Chap 6, 7, 8,  and State of World's Wildlife video  

 

4/13-17

Spring Break No Class         Helpful sites for CA Water Homework

 

10 

4/20

Chapter 12  Extra credit   

 

 

4/22

Chap 12 CA Water Homework    Due 22 points!  Map          Study Guide chapter 12

 

 

4/24

Water Resources Chapter 12    Plastic Trash in Ocean  More plastic in albatross chicks

 

11 

4/27

Chapter 12   Tuolumne River Extra Credit

 

 

4/29

Environmental Health and Toxicology   Study Guide Chapter 10 

 

 

5/1

Chapter 10  

 

12 

5/4

Finish Chapter10  Start Chapter 13 Homework 5: Good Stuff due 5/11

 

 

5/6

Atmosphere and Air pollution Chap 13  Study Guide 13

 

 

5/8

No Class: Warrior day

 

13 

5/11

Chap 14 Climate Change     Could Food Shortages Bring Down Civilization?    Strategies to Stabilize CO2 Emissions

 

 

5/13

Video- Crude Awakening

 

 

5/15

Study Guide 14: Climate Change,  start Nonrenewable Energy Chapter 15

 

14 

5/18

Chap 15     OnEarth article on Canada's Tar Sands     National Geo Article on Nigerian Oil   Study Guide Chapter 15   CA, US sources of Electricity

 

 

5/20

Chapter 16 Renewable Energy  Amory Lovins on Energy

 

 

5/22

Chap 16  Last Day of Class         Study Guide 16 Renewables
Unfortunately, we will not have time for you to do presentations about your service learning in class on Friday. This is probably a big relief to most of you. I really hoped you would have a chance to learn from each others experiences. 
I hope no one spent a lot of time preparing for it. If so, my apologies for not mentioning it sooner.
            Service learning project or paper due.

 

15

Fri 5/29

Final Exam: Chapters 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, plus video  TIME: 11:15 – 1:15 

 

Note: You may take this class for either a letter grade or credit/no credit. Please decide as soon as possible after the first exam. As in most science courses, 90% and above = A, 80-89% = B, 70-79% = C, 60-69% = D, below 60% = F. Cr = C or above.  NC = D or F.

 

There will be three exams, approximately 100-150 points each, worth about 65% of your grade. Your service learning project, also worth 100 points, is another 20% of your grade. The remaining 15% will consist of homework assignments and in class exercises, such as 5 min essays. I will eventually add some extra credit activities.  Read the university rules for withdrawing from or dropping a class. Those rules will be followed by me. If you are ill, or have a family emergency that causes you to miss an assignment, or an exam, you must notify me within 24 hours- by phone, e-mail, or in person. I usually grade the exams and give them back the next class period, so by then it is too late. I may ask you for proof before I allow you to take a make-up exam. DO NOT make the mistake of skipping the next class after an exam. We start working on new material immediately. DO NOT skip on days we have videos- I include them in the syllabus for a reason- they illustrate things that are difficult to understand or grasp without seeing images, or hearing directly form experts in the field. I will be referring to those images during subsequent lectures.

 

Read the textbook, use the study guides! Take advantage of the Powerpoints on Blackboard as well. You are responsible for your own success or failure in the class. You must be an active and engaged learner. If you want to succeed, plan on attending class every day, be prepared by reading the appropriate chapter, be ready to take notes (I suggest printing the power points and taking notes on those pages).  Make sure you do every homework assignment and turn it in on time. Put some thought into your writing- only complete and well thought out assignments will get the full number of points.

 

SERVICE LEARNING PROJECT: This is a new addition to the course. The goal is to have you apply what you learn in class to the larger community, in order to see the relationships between the course material and the world as a whole. The total amount of effort required will be similar to the hours needed to write a research paper. It is my hope that you will find service learning more enjoyable and more relevant than writing a paper. See Service Learning web page