Course Syllabus

Spring 2024 | ENV-2175-VO01 - Natural and Cultural History of Vermont

Online Class

Online courses take place 100% online via Canvas, without required in-person or Zoom meetings.

Faculty

Lindsay Webb
View Faculty Credentials

Hiring Coordinator for this course: Jennifer Guarino

General Education Requirements

VSCS Natural Science

Note

Many degree programs have specific general education recommendations. In order to avoid taking unnecessary classes, please consult with additional resources like your program evaluation, your academic program catalog year page, and your academic advisor.

Courses may only be used to meet one General Education Requirement.

Course Description

This course explores the ways in which Vermont's natural environment and its peoples' cultural practices influence each other over time. A natural history overview includes the geology, weather, wildlife, and vegetation of Vermont. A cultural history overview explores human society from post-glacial to present-day time periods to understand how people interact with this changing landscape. Students uncover patterns in the natural and cultural environments that demonstrate both the uniqueness of Vermont and its place within the larger northeast region. Field trips and labs are required.

Essential Objectives

1. Explain the basic ecological principles necessary to interpret past, present, and future trends within natural settings.
2. Describe the geological time scale as it applies to the major geologic events affecting Vermont.
3. Describe and discuss how geological, ecological, and cultural factors shape Vermont's landscape over time.
4. Analyze the causes and effects of Vermont's weather patterns and discuss the implications for Vermont’s ecosystems and species due to climate change.
5. Describe the physiographic regions, biomes, and major ecosystems in Vermont, and explain the abiotic and biotic factors that make each distinct.
6. Connect the effects of climate, vegetation, wildlife, and topography to each other.
7. Explore the ways in which native peoples adapted to post-glacial climate change and consider the ways in which modern Vermonters can adapt to present-day climate change.
8. Describe how culture and the economy influence land and water uses and can be used to exploit groups of people to gain access to natural resources.
9. Analyze Vermont policies and laws that guide natural resource decisions within the state and explore the ways in which such decisions affect the northeast region and the broader world.
10. Explain how knowledge created in the natural sciences has contributed to the creation, maintenance and dismantling of social inequalities and discuss the impacts of diversity and inclusion on scientific research and practice.
Laboratory Objectives:
1. Use field techniques, tools, and resources to identify the major ecosystems in Vermont, describe their ecological functions, and assess their environmental services for humans.
2. Make observations of evidence of human activities on the landscape and conduct research to create hypotheses about past land and water uses.
3. Demonstrate proficiency in understanding, interpreting, applying, and evaluating the accuracy of data and information sources.

Required Technology

More information on general computer and internet recommendations is available on the CCV IT Support page. https://support.ccv.edu/general/computer-recommendations/

Please see CCV's Digital Equity Statement (pg. 45) to learn more about CCV's commitment to supporting all students access the technology they need to successfully finish their courses.

Required Textbooks and Resources

This course uses one or more textbooks/books/simulations, along with free Open Educational Resources (OER) and/or library materials.

Spring 2024 textbook/book details will be available on 2023-11-06. On that date a link will be available below that will take you to eCampus, CCV's bookstore. The information provided there will be specific to this class. Please see this page for more information regarding the purchase of textbooks/books.

ENV-2175-VO01 Link to Textbooks for this course in eCampus.

For Open Educational Resources (OER) and/or library materials details, see the Canvas Site for this class.

The last day to use a Financial Aid Advance to purchase textbooks/books is the 3rd Tuesday of the semester. See your financial aid counselor at your academic center if you have any questions.

Methods

We will be using several methods for learning in this course:

• Active online discussions with classmates and the instructor
• Textbook, journal articles, and online information reading and written response
• Real-world application of material to student's chosen study area. You will need to be able to access a natural area on a weekly basis for this part of the course.
• Weekly assignments and occasional quizzes.
• Mid-term Project
• Final Project

Evaluation Criteria

You will be evaluated on your general mastery of the Essential Objectives for the course, level of participation, and overall quality of work (including written mechanics). In particular, I will be using the following areas to evaluate your work:

• Discussion Forums (30%)
• Assignments (30%)
• Quizzes (10%)
• Mid-Term Project (15%)
• Final Project (15%)

Grading Criteria

CCV Letter Grades as outlined in the Evaluation System Policy are assigned according to the following chart:

	High	Low
A+	100	98
A	Less than 98	93
A-	Less than 93	90
B+	Less than 90	88
B	Less than 88	83
B-	Less than 83	80
C+	Less than 80	78
C	Less than 78	73
C-	Less than 73	70
D+	Less than 70	68
D	Less than 68	63
D-	Less than 63	60
F	Less than 60
P	100	60
NP	Less than 60	0

Weekly Schedule

Attendance Policy

Regular attendance and participation in classes are essential for success in and are completion requirements for courses at CCV. A student's failure to meet attendance requirements as specified in course descriptions will normally result in a non-satisfactory grade.

• In general, missing more than 20% of a course due to absences, lateness or early departures may jeopardize a student's ability to earn a satisfactory final grade.
• Attending an on-ground or synchronous course means a student appeared in the live classroom for at least a meaningful portion of a given class meeting. Attending an online course means a student posted a discussion forum response, completed a quiz or attempted some other academically required activity. Simply viewing a course item or module does not count as attendance.
• Meeting the minimum attendance requirement for a course does not mean a student has satisfied the academic requirements for participation, which require students to go above and beyond simply attending a portion of the class. Faculty members will individually determine what constitutes participation in each course they teach and explain in their course descriptions how participation factors into a student's final grade.

Participation Expectations

• Each week starts on Tuesday and ends the following Monday.
• To be considered "present" in class, you must indicate you are there, by posting in the discussion or handing in an assignment by Monday at midnight.
• Each week there is a discussion forum that you must participate in which includes an initial post and commenting on two other posts.
• Each week there will be at least one assignment that is due by midnight Monday night.
• There are several quizzes throughout the semester based on the content covered in class.

Missing & Late Work Policy

I will accept assignments that are late, but out of respect for those who get their assignments in on time, there will be a penalty (2% off for each day it is late). Please reach out to me if extenuating circumstances prevent you from handing in your work.

Accessibility Services for Students with Disabilities:

1. Provide disability documentation to the Accessibility Coordinator at your academic center. https://ccv.edu/discover-resources/students-with-disabilities/
2. Request an appointment to meet with accessibility coordinator to discuss your request and create an accommodation plan.
3. Once created, students will share the accommodation plan with faculty. Please note, faculty cannot make disability accommodations outside of this process.

Academic Integrity