Syllabus

Fall, 2013

I will be on campus most weekdays. You are welcome to call or come and find me in my office or lab (Harned Hall 301) at any time. Although there is always a chance that I may have something under way which can not be interrupted, I can usually stop and help. Additional means of contacting me are the phone (number above) and email (pganter@tnstate.edu or just click on the "email Me" buttons on any of my web pages).

Compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act:

The Department of Biological Sciences, in conjunction with the Office of Disabled Student Services, makes reasonable accommodation for qualified students with medically documented disabilities. If you need an accommodation, please contact TSU's Disabled Student Services Office at 963-7400 (phone) or 963-5051 (fax), preferably in the first week of class.  You can view eligibility information and register for services online at: http://www.tnstate.edu/disabilityservices/

Course Description:

• Credit Hours: This course is designed for three hours per week (3 credit hours) of lecture.
• Prerequisites: None, but the introductory biology course (both semesters) will be helpful and a course in basic ecology would also help.
• Catalog Description. "A study of some of the contemporary problems constituting the environmental crisis, the hazards comprising such problems, and the complexity affecting their resolutions."

Course Objectives:

Below are the general objectives for this course.  A complete set of specific objectives can be found at its own Course Objectives webpage, Just click on the link in the previous sentence to go there.  You should use these objectives when studying for examinations.

This is an introductory environmental science course for mostly science majors. The course will endeavor to present both basic concepts in environmental science and introductions to some current in environmental science.  It is not an ecology course and will cover only those ecological concepts needed to elucidate issues in environmental science.  Thus, the first general objective will be that, upon successful completion of the course, each student will have grasp of environmental science sufficient to understand environmental issues as presented in both popular and scholarly literature

The second general objective of the course will be to give each student facility in using information resources to gain a sophisticated understanding of an environmental issue.   Not all issues can be covered in one course, data collected after the course may significantly alter an issue, and new issues will arise after the end of the course.  Without the ability to find and assimilate information from relevant sources, students will not be able to maintain their appreciation for contemporary environmental issues.

Course Requirements:

This course is intended for upper division science students.  Thus, each student has had extensive experience in taking and successfully completing college courses.  With this assumption in mind, material is presented in several ways, with overlap.  A primary source for the student is the TEXTBOOK. The second source of information is lecture, which is supplemented with material on this website.   Not all of the information in the text can be presented in lecture but the student is responsible for all of the information in the assigned chapters (except material specifically excluded during lecture on in the lecture notes) plus anything added in lecture or in the ancillary materials.  The lectures are intended to give an overview of the material and cover material from the book that bears repetition and close reading: complex ideas and mathematical formalizations of ideas and hypotheses.  Time will be given in each lecture for questions stemming from the reading and assigned readings.  The third means of communication will be contact with the lecturer outside of class.  This can be done in person (note office hours above), over the phone (phone number above, leave a message or keep calling), or through email. To reiterate, the student is responsible for material in the assigned readings and supplemental materials from the website as well as material presented in lecture.

Research papers: There will be two short research papers due.  Each must be no fewer than three pages and no more than 4 pages long (double spaced, 1 inch margins, 12 point font).  All papers must have in-text citations and a separate (not part of the 3 page minimum or 4 page maximum) literature cited page.  The papers are described further in a separate webpage.

Evaluation:

There will be three period-long lecture examinations during class on the days noted in the weekly schedule below. Lecture examinations will be taken from only the material covered since the previous lecture examination and will be in objective question, essay, and/or problem formats.  TSU Policy mandates a final examination during the final examination period.  The material covered on the final will be announced in class.  Make-up exams will be given only if the student has an excuse from the Office of Student Affairs.  As per Tennessee State University policy, attendance is mandatory and a record of attendance will be kept.  Excessive absences will be reported to the Office of Admissions and Records, again as per school policy.  Attendance makes no contribution to earning points toward the final grade.

All dates given below for both research papers and lecture examinations are subject to change.  Changes will be announced in class.  The distribution of points one can earn toward a final grade is:

Exam Average:	45%
Papers:	40%
Final:	15%

Policy on plagiarism and cheating: Cheating on exams or plagiarizing on a paper will result in a 0 grade for that exam or paper.  No cell phones are allowed in class during exams or lectures.  The Department Chair and Dean of Arts and Sciences will be informed of the infraction. To plagiarize is 1. to appropriate and pass off as one's own (the writings, ideas, etc., of another). 2. To appropriate and use passages, ideas, etc. from another's text or product. (Funk and Wagnells Standard Dictionary of the English Language, 1965).

Disclaimer: This syllabus is a guide to the course.  The instructor reserves the right to change it at any time to meet specific circumstances as they arise during the semester.

Schedule of Lectures and Assignments:

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Last updated on September 24, 2013