ENV 111 - Environmental Science
Last Date of Approval: Spring 2022
4 Credits
Total Lecture Hours: 45
Total Lab Hours: 30
Total Clinical Hours: 0
Total Work-Based Experience Hours: 0
Course Description:
Environmental science promotes an understanding of the Earth as a complex network of interacting organic and inorganic systems. It includes learning about the processes of science and information literacy. The course covers topics such as ecology, the Earth’s resource challenges, air and water pollution, population growth, biodiversity, and sustainability. This course will help students refine their critical thinking skills as they evaluate various topics and concepts while searching for underlying connections between the concepts, which is a skill that should be beneficial in any/all types of careers. This course will also help students gain scientific literacy which will be of vital significance when making important life decisions. Three hours lecture, two hours lab.
Prerequisites/Corequisites: None
Mode(s) of Instruction: traditional/face-to-face
Credit for Prior Learning: There are no Credit for Prior Learning opportunities for this course.
Course Fees: None
Common Course Assessment(s): None
Student Learning Outcomes and Objectives:
Student Learning Outcomes:
1. Justify science as a process.
Objective 1: Describe the scientific method and associated terminology
Objective 2: Identify whether a scientific study is observational or experimental
2. Determine the energy conversions that underlie all ecological processes.
Objective 1: Define energy.
Objective 2: Explain what a fossil fuel is and list examples.
Objective 3: Describe how electricity is produced from coal.
Objective 4: Explain various types of mining.
Objective 5: Define non-renewable energy
Objective 6: Explain the location and quantity of fossil fuel resources
Objective 7: Describe extraction methods
Objective 8: Compare the advantages and disadvantages of fossil fuels
Objective 9: Describe the mechanics and problems of nuclear energy
Objective 10: Contrast the advantages and disadvantages of alternative energy.
Objective 11: List the characteristics of various types of sustainable energy
Objective 12: Evaluate the benefits of conservation and efficiency
Objective 13: Describe the types of biofuels
3. Interpret the idea that Earth itself is one interconnected system.
Objective 1: Be able to list, define, and give examples of the organization of life from “Biosphere” to “Individual”.
Objective 2: Be able to recognize, briefly describe, and label the carbon cycle, showing how photosynthesis, decomposition, and cellular respiration are linked.
Objective 3: Be able to recognize, briefly describe, and label the nitrogen cycle.
Objective 4: Define population, and describe how ecologists describe and monitor natural populations.
Objective 5: Define and give specific examples of the three types of population distribution patterns: clumped, random, and uniform.
Objective 6: Describe the types of population growth patterns (logistic and exponential).
Objective 7: Describe what it means when a population has reached its carrying capacity.
Objective 8: Recognize the factors that affect population growth, including density-dependent, density-independent factors, r-selected species, and k-selected species.
Objective 9: Describe the relationship between predator and prey and recognize examples and graphs of this concept.
Objective 10: Define “keystone species,” and describe how such organisms affect the environment in which they live by giving examples.
Objective 11: Describe how human populations affect other species populations.
Objective 12: Define indicator species and describe how indicator species relate to the health of an ecosystem.
Objective 13: Describe how matter and energy move through an ecosystem by recognizing/constructing a food chain/web and trophic pyramid.
Objective 14: Describe how biotic (ex. species diversity, population sizes, keystone species, species interactions) and abiotic (ex. temperature, moisture) factors influence community structure, composition, and function.
Objective 15: Describe how species interactions (resource partitioning, mutualism, commensalism, parasitism) contribute to the overall success of a community.
Objective 16: Describe how human actions have affected ecological communities and how we can take steps to restore damaged ecosystems.
Objective 17: Describe how ecosystems change over time through ecological succession.
Objective 18: Define biodiversity and describe how genetic, species, and ecosystem diversity contribute to overall diversity.
Objective 19: List the taxonomic groups and show which are the most numerous.
Objective 20: Be able to explain why diversity is important.
Objective 21: List where biological hotspots are found and why they are important.
Objective 22: Define freshwater and list sources of freshwater on Earth.
Objective 23: Describe what an aquifer is.
Objective 24: Label and describe the water cycle.
Objective 25: Describe various methods of waste water treatment.
Objective 26: Describe steps that humans have taken to conserve water.
Objective 27: Describe the climate of a specific biome.
Objective 28: Describe the unique organisms in a specific biome.
Objective 29: Describe the environmental threats facing a specific biome.
Objective 30: Describe some of the solutions to threats in a specific biome.
4. Conclude that humans alter natural systems and their survival depends on developing practices that will achieve sustainable systems.
Objective 1: Describe how human population growth has changed over time
Objective 2: Describe the cultural and demographic factors that influence population growth
Objective 3: Explain the impact the current human population has on the environment
Objective 4: Explain the use of placing monetary values on ecosystem services
Objective 5: Describe how ecological footprints are calculated
Objective 6: Explain how humans can reduce their ecological footprint
Objective 7: Explain how environmental economics differs from mainstream economics
Objective 8: Describe eutrophication and its effect on aquatic life.
Objective 9: List and describe the most common types of water pollution.
Objective 10: Describe what a watershed and riparian areas are.
Objective 11: Describe the Clean Water Act and explain its importance.
Objective 12: Describe the types of solid waste (trash) humans generate.
Objective 13: Explain the Law of Conservation of Matter.
Objective 14: Compare and contrast the various options for dealing with waste (incinerators, open dumps, landfills, etc.)
Objective 15: Identify hazardous waste items and how to properly dispose of them.
Objective 16: Describe how individuals and industries can reduce waste production.
Objective 17: Define air pollution
Objective 18: List types and sources of air pollution
Objective 19: Describe the consequences of air pollution
Objective 20: Describe the sources and pollutions of indoor air pollution
Objective 21: Analyze the cost of air pollution
Objective 22: Describe the role of ozone
Objective 23: Define weather and climate
Objective 24: Identify the evidence of climate change
Objective 25: Discuss the causes of climate change
Objective 26: Analyze projections of future warming
Objective 27: Evaluate the solutions to climate change problems
5. Support the idea that environmental problems have a cultural and social context.
Objective 1: Define environmental science
Objective 2: Describe current environmental challenges
Objective 3: Define sustainable
Objective 4: Describe the Green Revolution.
Objective 5: Explain how pesticide resistance
Objective 6: List common agricultural practices used to produce food, including sustainable farming methods.
Objective 7: Explain how genetic engineering can be used to produce more crops.
Objective 8: Compare the benefits and challenges of urbanization
Objective 9: Define environmental justice
Objective 10: List remedies of urbanization problems
Unit 1: History and Taxonomy of Microbes
Objective 1: Discuss the development of microbiology from early times until today.
Objective 2: Evaluate where bacteria fit into the taxonomic scheme of all living organisms.
Unit 2: Structure, Genetics, Metabolism and Reproduction of Microbes
Objective 1: Describe the functional anatomy of bacteria and the factors which influence bacterial growth.
Objective 2: Analyze microbial metabolism.
Objective 3: Describe how bacteria produce variance in the species through genetics.
Unit 3: Disinfectants and Antibiotics
Objective 1: Critique the physical and chemical methods of microbial control.
Objective 2: Evaluate the major antibiotics and how they control of microbes.
Unit 4: Immunity
Objective 1: Describe how the body uses nonspecific and specific resistance to avoid infection.
Objective 2: Discuss disorders associated with the immune system.
Unit 5: Epidemiology
Objective 1: Describe the principles of disease and epidemiology.
Objective 2: Discuss airborne diseases as to etiology and symptoms.
Objective 3: Describe foodborne and waterborne diseases as to etiology and methods of transfer.
Objective 4: Describe the etiology and epidemiology of diseases transferred by arthropods and soil borne diseases.
Unit 6: Types of Diseases
Objective 1: Describe the causative agent, method of transfer and symptoms for reproductive system diseases, contact bacterial diseases and some miscellaneous diseases.
Objective 2: Define a virus and discuss the notion of whether it is living or nonliving, as well as list the general characteristic of a virus.
Objective 3: Discuss the viruses that cause disease and the important epidemiologic and clinical aspects of the diseases.
Objective 4: Discuss the nature of important human mycotic diseases in terms of their causative organisms, clinical characteristics and epidemiology.
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