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Essential Objectives

Course Syllabus


Revision Date: 20-Aug-24
 

Fall 2024 | ENV-1010-VR01 - Introduction to Environmental Science


In Person Class

Standard courses meet in person at CCV centers, typically once each week for the duration of the semester.

Location: Rutland
Credits: 3 (45 hours)
Day/Times: Wednesday, 06:00P - 08:45P
Semester Dates: 09-04-2024 to 12-11-2024
Last day to drop without a grade: 09-16-2024 - Refund Policy
Last day to withdraw (W grade): 11-04-2024 - Refund Policy
This course has started, please contact the offering academic center about registration

Faculty

Mic Metz
View Faculty Credentials

Hiring Coordinator for this course: Danielle Lafleur Brooks

General Education Requirements


This section meets the following CCV General Education Requirement(s) for the current catalog year:
VSCS Natural Science
    Note
  1. 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.
  2. Courses may only be used to meet one General Education Requirement.

Course Description

This course is a multidisciplinary study of the interrelationship between living things and their environment. The fundamentals of biology, chemistry, geology, and energy flow are studied so that current environmental issues can be understood and discussed from a scientific perspective. Emphasis is placed on maintaining and restoring sustainable ecosystems.


Essential Objectives

1. Identify concepts of ecology as they relate to environmental issues.
2. Summarize the foundations of nutrient cycling and energy flow as they relate to the movement of matter and energy within ecosystems.
3. Analyze the impacts of population changes on ecosystems, including issues of human population growth.
4. Identify the role of atmospheric thermodynamics and chemistry as they relate to the biosphere.
5. Analyze the causes and effects of major ecological issues and outline strategies to restore ecosystem balance.
6. Compare and contrast methods, impacts, and sustainability of traditional and alternative energy.
7. Discuss the history behind the creation of public lands in the United States and how scientific discoveries influenced the laws and policies behind the modern environmental movement.
8. Analyze the influence of science, economics, ethics, and culture on environmental management and social justice issues.
9. Evaluate environmental issues and solutions from a global, national, local, and personal perspective.
10. Explore educational, career, and professional options in the field of environmental science through assignments such as informational interviews, job shadows, or other career-exploration activities.
11. Demonstrate proficiency in understanding, interpreting, applying, and evaluating the accuracy of data and information sources.
12. 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.


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 is a no cost textbook or resource class. ***

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

Fall 2024 textbook/book details will be available on 2024-05-20. 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-1010-VR01 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.


Artificial Intelligence(AI) Policy Statement

CCV recognizes that artificial intelligence (AI) and generative AI tools are widely available and becoming embedded in many online writing and creative applications.

Allowed: This course's generative AI policy acknowledges technology, including generative AI, plays a supportive role in learning and feedback. During our class, we may use AI writing tools such as ChatGPT in certain specific cases. You will be informed as to when, where, and how these tools are permitted to be used, along with guidance for attribution. Any use outside of these specific cases constitutes a violation of CCV's Academic Integrity Policy.


Methods

Classes will begin with a quiz on the previous week's materials.
Classroom discussions will be conducted with a variety of lectures, videos, and exercises.
There will be a final exam and a final project.


Evaluation Criteria

Your grade will be based on a combination of your classroom participation as well as your homework assignments and quizzes. There will be a final project and exam. Your grade will be calculated as follows:

20% Quizzes (weekly)
20% Attendance and Participation
20% Homework (weekly)
20% Final Project (environmental career)
20% Final Exam


Grading Criteria

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

 HighLow
A+10098
A Less than 9893
A-Less than 9390
B+Less than 9088
B Less than 8883
B-Less than 8380
C+Less than 8078
C Less than 7873
C-Less than 7370
D+Less than 7068
D Less than 6863
D-Less than 6360
FLess than 60 
P10060
NPLess than 600


Weekly Schedule


Week/ModuleTopic  Readings  Assignments
 

1

Introduction to Science and Environmentalism

  

Cunningham: Preface "Thinking Toward the Future" and "What Sets This Book Apart" as well as Chapter One, "Understanding Our Environment."

  

Answer one of the five critical thinking questions on p. 24.

 

2

Environmental Systems

  

Cunningham, Chapter 2, "Environmental Systems."

  

Intro to Science Quiz.

Answer one of the seven critical thinking questions on p. 48.

 

3

Evolution and Ecology

  

Cunningham, Chapter 3, "Evolution, Species Interactions, and Biological Communities."

  

Environmental Systems Quiz.

Answer one of the six critical thinking questions on p. 75.

 

4

Biomes and Biodiversity

  

Cunningham, Chapter 5, "Biomes and Biodiversity."

Primack, Chapter 2, "What is Biodiversity?"

Primack, Chapter 3, "The Value of Biodiversity."

Primack, Chapter 4, "Threats to Biodiversity."

  

Evolution and Ecology Quiz.

Answer one of the six critical thinking questions on p. 126.

 

5

Human Population

  

Cunningham, Chapter 4, "Human Population."

  

Biomes and Biodiversity Quiz.

Answer one of the six critical thinking questions on p. 94.

 

6

Environmental Conservation

  

Cunningham, Chapter 6, "Environmental Conservation."

  

Human Population Quiz.

Answer one of the six critical reading questions on p. 151.

 

7

Climate

  

Cunningham, Chapter 9, "Climate."

  

Environmental Conservation Quiz.

Answer one of the seven critical reading questions on p. 228.

 

8

Air Pollution

  

Cunningham, Chapter 10, "Air Pollution."

  

Climate Quiz.

Answer one of the six critical reading questions on p. 249.

 

9

Water

  

Cunningham, Chapter 11, "Water: Resources and Pollution."

  

Air Pollution Quiz.

Answer one of the six critical reading questions on p. 280.

 

10

Sustainability and Environmental Policy

  

Cunningham, Chapter 16, "Environmental Policy and Sustainability."

  

Water Quiz.

Answer one of the five critical reading questions on p. 399.

 

11

Energy

  

Cunningham, Chapter 13, "Energy."

  

Environmental Policy and Sustainability Quiz.

Answer one of the six critical reading questions on p. 330.

 

12

Solid and Hazardous Waste

  

Cunningham, Chapter 14, "Solid and Hazardous Waste."

  

Energy Quiz.

Answer one of the five critical reading questions on p. 351.

 

13

Biophilia

  

My Life as a Turkey

  

Solid and Hazardous Waste Quiz.

Work on Final Project and Presentation.

 

14

Final Project Presentations

    

Final Projects Due.

Class presentations.

 

15

Final Exam

    
 

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

Attendance and participation constitute twenty percent of your overall grade. If a student needs to miss a class, they will need to notify the instructor in writing (email) prior to the scheduled class meeting to be officially excused. Participating in the entire class earns an attendance grade of 10, excused absences receive an attendance grade of 5, and unexcused absences receive an attendance grade of zero. Three or more unexcused absences from class meetings will result in a failing grade for the course.



Missing & Late Work Policy

Late work will not be accepted. All assignments are due on the date contained within the canvas assignment. Missing work and quizzes will be recorded as a zero. If you must miss a class, and therfore miss the weekly quiz, you must take that quiz (located at the front desk of CCV) sometime BEFORE next Wednesday's class. A failure to take the missed quiz will result in a grade of zero for that quiz. It is incumbent upon the student to get assignments submitted on time, and to make up any missed quizzes.


Accessibility Services for Students with Disabilities:


CCV strives to mitigate barriers to course access for students with documented disabilities. To request accommodations, please
  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


CCV has a commitment to honesty and excellence in academic work and expects the same from all students. Academic dishonesty, or cheating, can occur whenever you present -as your own work- something that you did not do. You can also be guilty of cheating if you help someone else cheat. Being unaware of what constitutes academic dishonesty (such as knowing what plagiarism is) does not absolve a student of the responsibility to be honest in his/her academic work. Academic dishonesty is taken very seriously and may lead to dismissal from the College.