Course Syllabus for BIOL 2306 Section 091
Environmental Biology
2010 Spring Standard Semester

Note to Students:  This may not be the most recent syllabus for this course, and any dates shown may apply to a previous semester. Any assignments included in this syllabus may change in the syllabus distributed on the class start date. Textbook information in this syllabus may also change. For current textbook information, refer to the Course Details accessed by clicking the course title in the online Course Schedule.

PALO ALTO COLLEGE
SCIENCE DEPARTMENT
SYLLABUS

I. COURSE TITLE: BIOL. 2306 – ENVIRONMENTAL BIOLOGY

II. CATALOG DESCRIPTION:
Environmental Biology (Formerly known as Man and His Environment) (3-3-0)
This course is a study of human interrelationships and their interdependence with the environment. Studies will include the impact of human activities on the environment and their effect on natural and human resources. This course includes an evaluation of present and future strategies to preserve a healthy environment. This course may fulfill a science requirement for the Associate of Arts Degree.

III. RATIONAL:
Humans reside on Earth as a member of one of the systems, which make up the Earth's environment. Many human activities adversely affect the systems of the environment, in the past, the present, and the future. Today's students will be the leaders of the future and students must have a basic knowledge of the systems that make up the Earth's environment to understand how human activity impact the environment. The primary goal immediately before us is to reach a level of sustainability to allow for a continued existence in a clean, safe environment with the necessary level of resources to support human and wildlife existence.

IV. COURSE OBJECTIVES:

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

A. Define environmental science, describe methods used to evaluate information, and apply these methods in making value judgements concerning environmental issues.
B. Discuss an overview of the dimensions of the human population explosion, the causes and effects, and the relationship of increasing human population on environmental degradation and pollution.
C. List factors affecting population rates, methods used to regulate human population, and discuss how increase in populations impacts environmental systems and the sustainable future.
D. Summarize how human utilization of natural resources has increased through present times and outline the beginnings of resource conservation and environmental protection.
E. Identify the principle forms of matter and energy, describe their changes, and describe how scientific laws governing matter and energy changes from one form to another is related to resource utilization and environmental disruption.
F. Define an ecosystem, list the components contained in an ecosystem, explain how ecosystems function, and explain how ecosystems are alike and how they are different, 
G. Summarize the descriptions of the various biomes both terrestrial and aquatic, and explain how the climate affects the biomes and the type of wildlife found in that particular biome.
H. List the various natural and human-induced stresses on the environment and the effects of these stresses has on environmental systems. Describe methods of adaptation to stress by environmental systems.
I. Provide a brief description of the resources (land, air, and water), inventory the present resource situation (including pollution of the resource), and give general methods of resource conservation.
J. Evaluate both perpetual/renewable energy resources and nonrenewable resources giving advantages and disadvantages of the utilization of both as a source of power in the future.
K. Identify risks and hazards (as well as pollution) affecting human health and outline methods of amelioration.
L. Identify principles of resource economics and outline points of an environmental sustainable economic situation.
M. Outline the present world and national and political stance and explain how individuals can make a difference.
N. List various worldviews that make up both the "throwaway" and the "sustainable" societies and outline various environmental ethic principles.

V. STUDENT COMPETENCIES:
A. WHAT IS ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE?
1. Define the terms in bold print in the
2. Discuss how the study of environmental science relates to the ability to achieve a sustainable future.
3. Evaluate whether our current relationship with the environment is or is not sustainable.
4. List the steps of the scientific method of evaluating information.
5. Explain how principles are related to natural laws.
6. Identify major points that would explain why there is much controversy and unresolved questions related to the environment.

B. POPULATION
1. Outline the basic principles of population dynamics.
2. Differentiate between geometric and arithmetic population growth.
3. Compare population and economic growth in the more developed and less developed countries.
4. Briefly outline how increasing populations accelerate environmental degradation and pollution.
5. Define and give examples of carrying capacity.
6. List factors that cause populations to increase and decrease in size.
7. Differentiate between density-independent and density-dependent factors that regulate population size.
8. Outline the general rate of human population growth, both the past and present.
9. Describe arguments that are used to explain how populations can be stabilized.
10. List some societal changes that are necessary in order to have successful family planning.

C. HISTORY OF RESOURCE USE, CONSERVATION, AND PROTECTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT.
1. Compare human resource utilization from the "Hunting/Gathering Society" through the Agricultural Revolution, Industrial Revolution, to the Technologically Advanced Societies.
2. Explain the relationship between the expansion of the American Frontier and resource utilization.
3. Chronologically list governmental legislation regulating resource use and protection of the environment.

D. MATTER AND ENERGY
1. Define matter
2. List the principle forms of matter.
3. Differentiate between high quality and low quality matter.
4. Define energy.
5. List the principle forms of energy.
6. Differentiate between high quality and low quality energy.
7. Summarize the law of conservation of matter.
8. Summarize the first and second laws of energy.
9. Discuss energy loss and energy efficiency.
10. Illustrate the levels of organization of matter according to size and function.
11. List the levels of organization of matter primarily dealt with in environmental science.

E. ECOSYSTEMS
1. Describe how populations are grouped together to form communities.
2. List basic characteristics that are unique to a community.
3. Outline how the process of natural selection may lead to resource partitioning thus creating ecological niches.
4. List the characteristic of intraspecific and interspecific competition and list examples of each type of competition.
5. Define and list examples of ecological succession.
6. List examples of how human activities affect natural communities.

F. BIOMES

1. Define a biome and explain how they are designated.
2. Describe the major biomes of North America listing the climatic and geographic reasons for their locations.
3. Describe major world biomes such as tropical rain forests, wetlands, estuaries, and the oceans.
4. Outline how the major world biomes are important to the human population and understand how these biomes are affected by human activity.

G. ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS, STRESSES OF
1. List alternative methods of dealing with solid wastes and list the advantages and disadvantages of each.
2. Discuss the disposal of hazardous and toxic wastes in regards to the legal and illegal practices used.
3. List alternative methods for reducing the amount of hazardous wastes released into the environment.
4. List various sources of pollution of the air, water, and other environmental systems.
5. Relate problems of environmental pollution with the natural resources on earth especially how biological resources are affected.

H. NATURAL RESOURCES1. List the main rock types, describe how they were formed, and give examples of each.
2. List minerals of economic value and explain why they have value.
3. Differentiate between renewable and nonrenewable resources.
4. Compare and contrast the rate of soil formation with the potential of soil loss by erosion.
5. List the causes and effects of soil erosion.
6. List methods of soil erosion reduction used to attain sustainable agriculture.
7. List ways natural resources were used as a major role in this country's growth.
8. List benefits humans have received from biological resources.
9. Define species extinction and compare the rate of natural extinction with the rate of human caused extinction.
10. List major points illustrating how popular human attitudes toward wildlife have changed through history relating this to the results of the past attitude patterns.
11. List ways humans directly and indirectly threaten wildlife resources.
12. Outline the major tenets of the Endangered Species Act of 1973.
13. Define and list the approximate quantity of the following:
     a. Total water on earth
     b. Total fresh water on earth
     c. Total available fresh water on earth.
     d. Total usable available fresh water on earth.
14. Compare precipitation patterns in the U.S. with water usage in these pattern areas.
15. Describe surface and groundwater resources.
16. List various water transfer projects and discuss the environmental, social, and economic impact in relationship to the benefits of each.
17. List major methods of water conservation in the areas of agriculture, industry, and personal use describing the potential savings by each sector.
18. Define water pollution and differentiate between point source and nonpoint sources.
19. List the major categories of human-caused water pollution and describe the dangers of each.
20. Describe some of the techniques of preventing water pollution or reducing its effects.
21. Compare the water pollution problems in developed and developing countries, and give a short synopsis of American water pollution history.
22. Define air resources.
23. Describe the large-scale air circulation patterns that distribute energy over the Earth's surface.
24. Describe how the movement of air masses over the Earth's surface controls weather.
25. List examples of natural and human caused air pollution.
26. Differentiate between primary and secondary pollutants and give examples of each.
27. Define indoor air pollution.
28. Describe how topography, wind, and other physical processes play a role in the transport, concentration, dispersal, or removal of pollutants in the atmosphere.
29. List some effective techniques of preventing air pollution.
30. Briefly outline the Clean Air Act.

I. ENERGY RESOURCES
1. Differentiate between energy and power.
2. List traditional and sustainable energy resources.
3. List the primary American energy users regarding the amount of energy used.
4. List common types of nuclear reactor designs and compare them in function, use, and safety.
5. List and describe the impact of some specific nuclear accidents.
6. Differentiate between fusion and fission and compare the environmental impact of each.
7. Define radioactivity, list the natural and human made radioactive elements, and describe how radioactive elements can be used to provide ower.
8. List sources of human radiation exposure and the percentage of exposure from each source.
9. Define and give examples of renewable energy sources and list the advantages and disadvantages of each.
10. Describe various types of solar energy collection and storage devices and project the future of this energy source.
11. Compare and contrast the technical feasibility, economic cost, and the environmental impact of traditional, nuclear, and sustainable energy resources.

J. HAZARD ASSESSMENT AND RISK MANAGEMENT
1. Define health, list the environmental health threat categories in order of worldwide importance and give specific examples of each.
2. Describe the role of pathogenic organisms in the health of people in developing and developed nations.
2. Compare the danger of natural and human made toxic and hazardous compounds, using two specific chemicals and comparing their solubility, bioreactivity, and persistence, and human ability to metabolically degrade, excrete, and/or avoid these substances.
3. Differentiate among the terms: carcinogen, teratogen, and mutagen, and give examples of each.
4. Discuss the role of stress, diet, and life-style in maintenance of health.
5. Discuss the factors that skew our assessment of environmental risk and develop a personal action plan to assist in more accurate assessment and behavior.
6. Outline the tremendous amounts of solid waste being produced by industrialized countries and list the limitations for the disposal of these wastes in an environmentally safe manner.

K. RESOURCE ECONOMICS
1. Differentiate between economic development and economic growth.
2. Describe why a steady-state economy is ecologically desirable.
3. Outline how a renewable resource may be overused.
4. Discuss the role of cost-benefit analyses in evaluating the desirability of a course of action.
5. List advantages and disadvantages of recycling minerals and materials.
6. List the primary useful products generated by each of the world's forest types, state the type of forest in most environmental danger, and discuss the potential consequences of loss of world forestland.
7. Discuss the role, management, and expansion of parks, wildlife refuges, and wilderness areas.
8. Discuss the relationship between fair land distribution and appropriate land use.
9. List the differences in the management of private versus public lands.

L. WORLD AND NATIONAL POLITICAL VIEWS
1. Describe the evolution of urbanization and its relationship to civilization, using historical data.
2. List some of the specific problems Third World nations face regarding urbanization rates.
3. Give some examples of city planning both past and present.
4. What are the pessimistic and optimistic views regarding the future environmental quality of our planet.
5. List the purpose of environmental laws and the process by which laws are passed and enforced.

M. ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS
1. List some basic philosophical arguments that have bearing on environment ethics.
2. List ethical principles of anthropocentrism, biocentrism, and ecocentrism and interpret their tenets.
3. List various types of nongovernmental organizations and explain how they interact with the environmental regulation policies of this country.

ANTICIPATED SEQUENCE OF ACTIVITIES

ASSESSMENT:

A. Competencies will be demonstrated on major exams. Exams will have a combination of essay, listing, multiple choice, and true/false questions. All types may not be included on each exam.

B. A student must master 70% of the competencies in order to receive credit for the course. A student demonstrating 90% or more knowledge of all competencies will receive an A in the course.

C. All exams and reports will be graded on a 100-point scale.

D. Exams are scheduled on the outline.

E. Students will write, type, and hand in for grading four (4) article summaries. Summaries will contain three parts, part one - the name, date, and source of the article read; part two a summarization, by the student, of the article read; part three, an opinion section on how the student perceives the contents of the article will have an impact on the environment. Start your last paragraph with: This will have a _______ impact on the environment because… Do not critique the writer, only the topic. The topic critique will be relevant to the environmental impact.

G. Students will respond to other student’s summary papers. Response will be limited to the topic discussed and not reflect any comments on student writing style. Students will respond to issues posted for exams. These are designed to direct the student into the proper direction for the upcoming exam. Students will earn 2 points for each response. Students cannot exceed 20 points for each exam period. That means 20 points for Exam I, 20 for Exam II and so forth..

ANY PAPER, SUMMARY TURNED IN LATE WILL HAVE PENALTY POINTS DEDUCTED FOR EACH DAY THE PAPER IS LATE. 

THE LATE POINTS ARE DEDUCTED AT THE RATE OF 10 POINTS PER DAY.

EVALUATION:
A,  Lecture exams (5)      50%
B,  Summary Paper (4)    20%
C,  Response Postings     10%
D.  Final exam                20%

GRADE SCALE:
A = 90 – 100
B = 80 - 89
C = 70 - 79
D = 60 - 69
F = < 60