Course Syllabus

Current Environmental Issues

Faculty

Not Yet Assigned
View Faculty Credentials
View Faculty Statement

Course Description

This course investigates the science that underpins environmental issues. It also analyzes these issues from a variety of different perspectives, including the legal, ethical, political, sociological, and economic considerations that combine to shape our understanding of environmental issues and their possible solutions.

Essential Objectives

1. Examine the scientific research behind environmental issues.
2. Investigate environmental and natural resource management issues on the regional, national, and global scale as they relate to forestry, mining, wildlife, and recreation.
3. Examine the relationship between the scientific study of environmental issues and the creation and enforcement of environmental policy and regulation.
4. Examine the division of jurisdiction and environmental management responsibility between federal, state, and local government.
5. Discuss current environmental issues from the lens of sociocultural perspectives, ethical influences, and racial disparities.
6. Analyze how politics and economics influence the ways that environmental problems develop and how we respond to environmental issues.
7. Analyze the accuracy with which environmental issues are reported in a variety of sources and discuss why widely different perspectives on the same environmental issues are reported.
8. Discuss the origins of national environmental laws and evaluate the processes that create international treaties (including The Clean Air and Water Acts, NEPA, Endangered Species Act, The Paris Accord, and The Kyoto and Montreal Protocols).
9. Demonstrate proficiency in understanding, interpreting, applying, and evaluating the accuracy of data and information sources, and extrapolating quantitative data.
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.

Required Technology

More information on general computer and internet recommendations is available on the CCV computer recommendations Support page.

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

Methods

A variety of teaching methods will be used in this course including lectures, class discussions, the use of documentaries and interactive group activities. The course will require students to complete regular assignments, as well as do independent research and present material to the rest of the class.

Evaluation Criteria

EVALUATION:
Accomplishment of course objectives will be evaluated on the basis of:

• Satisfactory attendance
• Active participation in class and completion of regular assignments
• Performance in evaluated assignments

Course grades will be calculated as follows:

• 45% from three short assignments distributed throughout the semester (15% each)
• 30% end of semester presentation
• 25% class attendance and participation

Detailed guidelines on how to complete evaluated assignments, will be provided in separate documents in the resources module of the online canvas course site that accompanies this course.

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

Participation grade: A student who attends every class, participates in every class and completes all homework assignments, will receive 100% for their participation grade. When a student misses a class, they will lose 5% on their participation grade. They will lose another 5% if they are unable to complete homework that was due the missed week of class. A pattern of late arrival or early departure from class, may constitute an absence for attendance grading purposes, at the instructor's discretion.

AI Policy: CCV recognizes that artificial intelligence (AI) tools are widely available and becoming embedded in many writing and creative applications. Generative AI is used around the world for writing, images, animated videos, and realistic video creation. For example, Grammarly, ChatGPT, auto-complete, Jasper, and online translators are common online AI writing tools and content generators.

All written work submitted in this course should be in a student’s ‘own voice’, using their own words, other than in instances where specific quotation from outside sources is being used and is clearly indicated as such by citation. For this reason,the use of generative AI is not allowed in this course,with the exception of spellcheck, grammar check and similar tools. This course rests in the value of students engaging in the learning process without relying on AI-generated content. Students will develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills independently, owning their learning journey from start to finish. If you use these tools, your actions would be considered academically dishonest and a violation of CCV’s Academic Integrity Policy.

Missing & Late Work Policy

Late Work: Evaluated course work that is handed in late may still be accepted, but will be marked down unless special circumstances result in a student being unable to complete work on time. Late work will be accessed an initial 5% penalty, which will increase by a further 1% for each subsequent day that the assignment is overdue. This late penalty will be capped at a 25%.

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

Apply Now for this semester.