Course Syllabus

Spring 2023 | ENV-2010-VO01 - Moving Toward Sustainability

Online Class

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

Faculty

Heather Fitzgerald
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View Faculty Statement
Hiring Coordinator for this course: Catherine Garland

General Education Requirements

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 introduces students to the concept of sustainability and systems theory – that various systems influence one another within a larger system. Students utilize methods and analytical tools to explore complexity from a systems perspective. Students explore ecological systems at various scales and develop an understanding and appreciation for their inter-connectedness. Emphasis on a vision for the future with practical applications for today is emphasized. Field trips may be required.

Essential Objectives

1. Use the scientific method to gain an understanding of the basic concepts of ecology, including the major earth systems.
2. Discuss the concept of sustainability from a systems perspective.
3. Explore the impacts of social justice problems on environmental issues such as global energy use, climate change, mining, and water resources.
4. Apply case studies to discuss the application of systems thinking to a variety of social, ecological, and organizational contexts.
5. Apply systems thinking methodologies and tools to describe and analyze complex problems.
6. Analyze the influence of resources, ethics, culture, politics, and economics in the promotion and support of sustainable practices on global, national, local and personal levels.
7. Discuss laws and politics related to sustainability that influence how we manage the complexities of our natural systems.
8. Demonstrate proficiency in understanding, interpreting, applying, and evaluating the accuracy of data and information sources.
9. 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 course uses one or more textbooks/books/simulations, along with free Open Educational Resources (OER) and/or library materials.

Spring 2023 textbook/book details will be available on 2022-11-14. 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.

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

• Small-group and whole-class discussion
• Student-led discussions
• Mini-lectures
• Brief reading and writing assignments
• Research project
• Final quiz if necessary

Evaluation Criteria

Here are our major assignments:

• Weekly readings
• Wholehearted participation in student-led discussions and activities
• Dialogue assignment
• Joyfully subversive project

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

I'll record attendance in Aviso each week based on whether or not you have shown up to at least one of our weekly activities, but when considering your rubric grade I will also consider your contributions to the quality of the discussions, your record of journal submissions, and the timeliness of your other assignments.

In general I have observed the following pattern:

• Students who miss one entire class (or, online, timely completion of an entire week's activities) usually earn a grade no better than a B;
• Students who miss more than one class (or, online, timely completion of more than one week's activities) usually earn a grade no better than a C;
• Students who miss more than three classes (or, online, timely completion of three or more entire weeks' activities) usually earn a failing grade.

This course is online and asynchronous. I will expect you to spend 3-5 hours total completing the readings/podcasts and posting a journal submission about these readings each week. There will also be a project to complete. (Think of these activities as the homework.) You'll also be watching a few videos and posting and commenting in weekly online discussions. (Think of this as the “classwork,” and plan to spend around 3 hours a week on these tasks as well.) The weekly rhythm will be as follows: The new week begins on Tuesday. Post to this week's discussion about last week's readings and tasks and comment on the previous week's discussion by Thursday; post journal submissions (responses to the new readings listed on this week's Canvas page) by the next Tuesday. (If you find it difficult to keep track of the various due dates, feel free to submit everything for the upcoming week on the Tuesday beginning the week; I just might not get to it immediately.) Many students find it works best for them to make a daily schedule for themselves and plan to spend around an hour a day on the course. For example: Read on Thursdays, Fridays, Sundays, and Mondays; post journal submissions on Mondays; post to discussions on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Missing & Late Work Policy

This pandemic has been a weird and difficult time for most of us and I've been generous with accepting late assignments. However, please note the following:

• Discussions happen in real time, and therefore can't be made up later. Nobody can participate with you after it's over!
• Because they will impact your ability to fully participate in activities, the difficulty keeping track of late assignments causes me, and the importance of meeting deadlines in the real world, I may mark other late assignments 10% off.
• I often give specific and actionable feedback, and students who submit assignments on time have the opportunity to respond to my feedback and resubmit the assignments for higher grades. I call it (drumroll)...learning! If you turn something in late, I will not have the time ( or organizational skills!) to give you feedback and look at a resubmission.
• Sometimes students work incredibly hard and manage to get back on the horse after falling off, but it is easier to keep up than to catch up. My advice is always to turn in a highly imperfect version of the assignment rather than waiting to turn it in till you get it perfect.
• If you get sick, please take care of yourself first and then manage your responsibilities as proactively as you are able, and keep me in the loop.

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