GEOG130 Environmental Studies

Department of Social & Behavioral Science: Geography

  1. Course Number and Title

    GEOG130 Environmental Studies

  2. Number of Credits

    3 credits

  3. Minimum Number of Instructional Minutes Per Semester

    2250 minutes

  4. Prerequisites

    None

    Corequisites

    None

  5. Other Pertinent Information

    None

  6. Catalog Course Description

    An examination of man’s interaction with his environment. Particular emphasis is placed upon man’s changing attitudes toward his environment, problems of energy use and supply, and of population growth.

  7. Required Course Content and Direction

    1. Learning Goals:

      1. To introduce the student to the world of complex and interrelated environmental issues.
      2. To make the student more aware of and more involved with environmental issues they confront both locally and nationally.
      3. To familiarize the student with the concepts and principles used in the field of environmental studies.
      4. To provide the student with the background necessary to an informed citizenry in areas of increasing public concern that surface at election time and in local land use.
      5. To develop a competency in the use of thematic and computer maps, infrared images, flow diagrams, and other visual data used to study the environment.

      The degree to which students achieve these goals is measured by the instructor subjectively (classroom participation, discussion, student presentation(s)) and objectively (examinations, graded projects, and reports).

    2. Planned Sequence of Topics and/or Learning Activities:

      1. Introduction and background to the course
      2. Environmental Studies: approaches and history
      3. Population and the Environment: pressures and problems, both local and global
      4. Air and water pollution: case studies and legislation
      5. Energy resources: Coal Mining as a case study
      6. Solid, hazardous and nuclear waste disposal
      7. Water resources and international issues: The U.S. and Canada
      8. The EPA profiled: role, work, achievements, criticism of a federal agency
      9. Brief History of Resource Use and Conservation
      10. Deforestation/Biodiversity
      11. Forests, Rangelands, Parks, and Wilderness
      12. Wild Species
      13. Politics and the Environment

    3. Assessment Methods for Core Learning Goals:

    4. Reference, Resource, or Learning Materials to be used by Students:

      See course format.

  8. Teaching Methods Employed

    Lectures, class discussions, audio-visual presentations, and fieldwork (optional).

Review/Approval Date - 5/05