NSCI 201 - SCIENCE AND THE HUMAN ENVIRONMENT

SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Michael Carey
OFFICE: LSC 251
PHONE: (570) 941-7544 (office), (570) 575-5293 (cell)
EMAIL: michael.carey@scranton.edu
OFFICE HOURS: 10:00-11:00 TT,� 10:00-12:00 MW or by appt.
CLASS HRS: 2:30-3:45 TT in LSC 439������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ TEXT: Miller and Spoolman, Environmental Science,� 15^th Ed.

TENTATIVE LECTURE SCHEDULE

WEEK OF       TOPIC                      �� TEXT READING




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Feb 1      Science�������������  �� Pg 26-29




Feb 8      Introduction, biosphere���������� Ch 1, Sec 17-4, Ch 7




Feb 15     Ecosystems�������������������  �� Ch 3




Feb 22     Communities    �������������� Ch 5 (except Sec 5-2) 




Feb 29     **Exam 1**, Population dynamics�� Sec 5-2, Ch 6




Mar 7      Human population, food resources� Ch 6, 10
 
Mar 14   � Food resources, pesticides �� Ch 10            




Mar 28     **Exam 2**, water resources    �� Pg 237-253




Apr 4    � Mineral resources, solid waste �� Ch 12, 16




Apr 11     Energy resources                � Ch 13
 
Apr 18     Energy resources, **Exam 3** �� Ch 13
 
Apr 25    �Air pollution ������������������ Ch 15




May 2     Air pollution�  �� Ch 15




May 9      Water pollution������������������ Pg 256-274��� 




May 16���� **EXAM 4**
 

COURSE POLICIES

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES: The main objectives of this course are to have you gain an understanding of science and its application to current environment problems. As a result you will be able to describe the scientific bases and causes of these problems and the current technologies that might be used to solve them. You will also be able articulate the interconnections among all these problems and the futility of trying to approach them one at a time. Toward these ends, memorization of facts and definitions, while important, should not be the only focus of your studies. You must also be able to think about the material you have memorized, be able to apply it to other areas of the science, and be able to use it to extrapolate to new or unfamiliar situations.

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CLASS POLICIES:� While I do not take attendance in class, it is to your advantage to be present in each class period. Much of the lecture material is different from the text, and much of the text material is not covered at all. Since the exams are drawn largely from class lecture material (see exam policy), you should be in class to hear it.

While I do not take attendance, I do notice people who are excessively absent from class. Such excessive absences may reflect negatively on your final class grade (See grading policy).

In order to allow you to review lecture material and to pay closer attention to the lecture in class, all PowerPoint materials used in lecture will be posted on Desire2Learn for this section.  You can access D2L through the link at My.Scranton.   Your university username and password will get you into the site, and this course should show under the "Courses" section.  After entering the course, lecture materials can be found in the "Content" section.

EXAM POLICY: There are four 1-hour exams as shown in the schedule above. Each exam is worth 100 pts and will cover only material not included in a previous exam. Questions are drawn mainly from material discussed in class or about logical inferences that you can make about class material. Only very general questions will pertain to textbook material not covered in class. The exams will be exclusively essay and short answer. Most questions will be of 2 sorts: 1) definitional-to see if you are picking up the language of the science 2) essays that often call on you to logically support your opinions relative to various environmental problems or their solutions. Sample exams can be seen at HTTP://www.scranton.edu/faculty/carey/pages/exams.html.

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If you must miss an exam, you must notify me beforehand. I will then schedule a make-up day for you. If you do not notify me before the exam, your make-up will be scheduled on the make-up day (the last day of finals week). If you do not have a legitimate excuse for missing an exam, you will not be allowed to make it up, and will receive a grade of zero for the exam.� You must live up to the University of Scranton Academic Code of Honesty. To view the code, see Academic Code of Honesty.� Violation of the code (see especially Section II for your responsibilities) will lead to a score of zero on that exam or paper. Students suspected of cheating will be seated in special areas of the classroom on future exams.

GRADING POLICY: Your grade will be based solely on your performance on the 4 exams. Letters will be assigned as follows: 90%-A, 80%-B, 70%-C, etc. If I feel it is absolutely necessary, the grade scale may be curved downward from these cutoffs, never upward. Individual grades may be weighted based upon improvement during the semester or upon glaring inconsistencies in scores. Criteria such as class attendance, participation, and interest will be used to determine the grade of students who end up on a borderline.

STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES:� In order to receive appropriate accommodations, students with disabilities must register with the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence and provide relevant and current medical documentation. Students should contact Mary Ellen Pichiarello (Extension 4039, 5th floor, St. Thomas Hall, for an appointment. For more information, see http://www.scranton.edu/disabilities.� Problems with the English language can also receive testing accommodation at CTLE.

ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES CONCENTRATION:� This course fulfills a social science requirement for the environmental studies concentration, an 18-credit interdisciplinary program open to students from all majors.  The mission of the ESC is to introduce students to a diversity of perspectives on the environment and sustainability. For further information or to apply, contact the director, Dr. Janice Voltzow at Janice.Voltzow@scranton.edu. 

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