COURSE OUTLINE
HUMAN HEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT ABIO 390
FALL 2010
Instructor:
Office:
Dr. Michele Harmon
SBDG 221
Office hours: By appointment
Phone: (803) 641-3607 e-mail: micheleh@usca.edu
Lecture:
Credits:
Lab:
9:25-10:40 am, T TH in SBDG 103
4
1:40 - 4:20 pm TH in SBDG 108
Required lecture text: Environmental Science: A Global Concern , 10 th
Edition, by William P. Cunningham and Mary Ann
Cunningham. ISBN-978-0-07-305138-3 Note: This book is available in the bookstore; however, there is a more economical and environmentally-friendly online version that you can purchase through the following website: http://www.coursesmart.com/givecoursesmartatry?xmlid=0077253523&__instructor=1284733
COURSE OBJECTIVES: The course will provide students with an understanding and appreciation of the complex interactions of man and the environment. It provides the information and tools necessary to assess environmental quality; the impact that degradation of the environment may have on human health, wildlife, and other bioreceptors in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems; and the control measures required to minimize, manage and/or eliminate specific environmental problems. The course will address environmental stressors and pollution, their sources in the environment, their modes of transport and transformation, and their ecological and public health effects.
METHODS OF PRESENTATION AND EVALUATION: lectures, class discussion, and labs. Traditional exams will be used to evaluate student progress in the class. These exams will include multiple choice, terms/definitions, and short answer. Students should bring a pencil and a long-form Scantron to each exam. There will be a quiz each week on the material from the previous lecture(s).
These will be administered during the first 10 minutes of class, and there will be no make-up opportunities for absence or late arrival. The lowest quiz grade will be dropped at the end of the semester.
The final course grade will be based on the following:
3 Lecture exams @ 100 pts. each
1 Final exam @ 200 pts.
300
200
Current Event Summary
Case Study Presentation
Laboratory reports, participation in lab exercises and field trips
50
50
225
925 total pts. available
GRADING SCALE : A (90-100%), B (80-89), C (70-79), D (60-69), F (0-59)
ATTENDANCE POLICY : The instructor may impose a penalty for absences in excess of 25% of regularly scheduled class meetings
(lectures and labs) by assigning an “F” in the course. Absences, neither excused nor unexcused , absolve the student from meeting class assignments. Lecture exam dates are clearly stated in the syllabus, and all students are expected to take the exam at the regularly scheduled time. Make-up lecture exams will be considered only for a documented, excusable reason. If there is an illness or emergency, you are expected to contact the instructor immediately. Be prepared to show documentation (doctor’s excuse, etc.).
Failure to contact the instructor within 24 hours will forfeit any chance of making up the test.
Attending lecture and taking notes is the sole responsibility of the student. Under no circumstance will the instructor provide copies of lecture notes or slides for students.
DISABILITY STATEMENT: If you have a physical, psychological, and/or learning disability which might affect your performance in this class, please contact the Office of Disability Services, 126A B&E, (803) 641-3609, as soon as possible. The Disability
Services Office will determine appropriate accommodations based on medical documentation.

Sep. 28
Sep. 30
Oct. 5
Oct. 7
Oct. 12
Oct. 14
Oct. 19
Oct. 21
Oct. 26
Oct. 28
Nov. 2
Nov. 4
Nov. 9
Nov. 11
Schedule for ABIO 390, Fall 2010
Date Topic
Aug. 19
Aug. 24
Aug. 26
Aug. 31
Introduction
Ecosystems and Energy
Sustainability and Biogeochemical Cycles
Succession and Biomes
Sep. 2
Sep. 7
Sep. 9
Sep. 14
Sep. 16
Sep. 21
Sep. 23
Species Interactions
Invasive Species and Extinctions
Aquatic Ecosystems
Exam 1
Water Resources
Water Quality and prepare lab tests
Population Dynamics
Human Populations and Resource Use and Urbanization
Solid and Hazardous Waste (in preparation for field trip)
Exam 2
Urbanization
Toxicology and Risk Assessment
Fall Break
Energy
Atmosphere and Ozone
Local Air Pollution
Local Air Pollution and indoor air pollution *Election Research Assignment due
Election Day
Global Warming
Exam 3
Toxic Metals, Petroleum Hydrocarbons, and Asbestos
Nov. 16
Nov. 18
Nov. 23
Nov. 25
Nov. 30
Dec. 2
Dec. 7
Endocrine Disruption and PCBs
Dioxin and Pharmaceuticals & Personal Care Products
Pesticides and Genetically Modified Crops
Food Production Food-borne Illness or Restoration Ecology
Thanksgiving Holiday
Final Exam at 8:00 am
Infectious Disease and the Environment
CHANGES: The instructor reserves the right to make changes in the lecture or laboratory schedule, the number of quizzes and exams given, and the contents of each exam as deemed necessary.
ELECTRONIC DEVICES : Electronic Devices and Classroom Behavior: It is the instructor’s right to remove from the classroom any student who disrupts or disturbs the proceeding of the class. Disruption of the class includes, but is not limited to, the use of any portable electronic devices (cell phones, MP3 players, iPods, etc.) unless prior approval has been given to a student or unless required for the course. In extreme cases, the faculty member can request assistance from University Police. If the student who has been ejected causes similar disturbances in subsequent meetings of the class, he/she may be denied admittance to the class for the remainder of the semester and assigned a grade of F. Therefore, plan to be out of touch and to have your cell phone stored out of sight during lecture and lab time. This includes leaving the room to answer silent rings or using the phone for text messages.
COMPUTER USE AND EMAIL : All laboratory reports will require the use of a computer. You must be able to log on to the USCA computer system in order to accomplish these laboratory exercises. If you do not know how to sign on to the USCA computer system, you should contact the CSD HELP desk as soon as possible. In addition, lecture outlines and any additional materials (handouts, extra figures, bonus quizzes, etc.) will be provided for students on Blackboard. Students are urged to print necessary materials prior to class time. Blackboard can be accessed through VIP (http://vip.sc.edu). Refer to the Blackboard help menus for information on accessing and using Blackboard. Blackboard login difficulties should be brought to the attention of USC Columbia Computer
Services.
All official email communications, including class announcements, are made to USCA email accounts. Students should check their
USCA email account on a regular basis and use this account for communication with the instructor. In order to protect the privacy of

the student, the instructor will not reply to emails sent from non-USCA accounts (e.g., Hotmail, Yahoo, etc.).
Date Topic
Aug. 26 Ecological footprint and Google Earth
Sept. 2 Using GPS - field day
Lab Schedule for ABIO 390, Fall 2010
Sept. 9
Sept. 16
Sept. 23
Sept. 30
Oct. 7
Oct. 14
Oct. 21
Oct. 28
Using indicator organisms to determine pollutant effects
Virtual food web assignment - field day
Toxicity tests with landscaping materials (metals & EDTA)
Field trip to landfill
Nutrient pollution
Fall Break
Local environmental issues - field trip OR risk assessment assignment
Local environmental issues - field trip
Nov. 4
Nov. 11
Nov. 18
Election Day
Lab report and case-study presentation preparation – no lab meeting today
Case study presentations*
Nov. 25
Dec. 2
Thanksgiving
Case study presentations*
LABORATORY ATTENDANCE: Because of their nature, laboratory investigations cannot be made up . Therefore, students must attend laboratory sessions. If you miss a laboratory or field investigation, you will not be allowed to turn in the associated lab report. This also applies if you come in late, leave early, or do not participate fully. You cannot write a report on a laboratory or field investigation that you did not do.
Laboratory Grading: The final lab grade makes up 25% of the total for the course and will be based on the following:
15
Effects of Pharmaceuticals on
Virtual food web assignment
Daphnia
Toxicity tests with landscaping materials
25
25
50
25
Local environmental issues field work and report 50
15
*The laboratory periods of November 18 and December 2 are reserved for oral case-study presentations. Each student will work with a partner and will be assigned an environmental case study to present during one of these dates. Each pair of students will present a
10 minute PowerPoint presentation. Both presenters should contribute to the oral presentation, either by presenting the material or by answering questions from other students. Students in the audience are all expected to participate by asking questions of the presenters. Everyone - presenters and audience members - will receive a grade. An electronic copy of the PowerPoint file should be submitted to instructor via email on the day of the presentation. The last slide should include a list of references. The presentation, as well as the PowerPoint, will be graded, so be sure it is professional, free of typos, and - most importantly - that it is free of plagiarism
(i.e., give credit for web photos, etc.). Research on the project is expected to be from the library and online. Wikipedia is not acceptable as a resource, but links found in Wikipedia might be.

ELECTION RESEARCH ASSIGNMENT
In November, U.S. citizens will go to the polls to vote for a number of important offices. In South Carolina, these offices include
Governor, Lieutenant Governor, one U.S. Senator, and several members of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Your assignment is to research the main candidates for each of these four offices and write a brief report on each candidate’s stance on energy and the environment. Each candidate has a website that discusses the issues that are important to them. If you do not find direct information on environmental topics, such as energy, then use the website’s contact information to ask your specific questions via email or telephone. Be sure to keep a record of your attempts to contact the candidates and report this along with the results of your research. There are numerous websites with a list of candidates, but I found http://www.politics1.com/sc.htm to be the most comprehensive list, and it contains links to almost all of the candidates’ websites.
The four offices:
1.
Governor. There are three main candidates for this office: Nikki Haley, Vincent Sheheen, and Morgan Reeves.
2.
Lieutenant Governor. The candidates for this office are Ken Ard and Ashley Cooper.
3.
U.S. Senator. There are three main candidates for this office: Jim DeMint, Alvin Greene, and Tom Clements
4.
For the U.S. House of Representatives, this gets a little complicated. You will have to determine your congressional district and then find the candidates for that office by going to http://www.govtrack.us/congress/findyourreps.xpd (or a similar website). This allows you to view maps or input your zip code to determine your Congressional district. To see the all of the candidates, go to http://www.politics1.com/sc.htm.
Provide a formal summary - in your own words - of where each candidate stands on the environment, the future of energy, and what they plan to do about it. Beware of plagiarism.
You cannot quote directly from the website or from emails. Text taken directly from the writing of others (even if you add quotation marks) will cause you to fail the assignment.
Note that this assignment contributes 50 points toward your final grade, so take it seriously and please plan to spend a reasonable amount of time on this. Be sure to turn in a clean copy that is completely free of grammatical errors and typos, because they will cost points. Because these are formal papers, they should NOT be written in first or second person. All summaries are due by October 28 at 5:00 pm. If you cannot get it in on time, it will cost one letter grade (6 points) for each day after the deadline.