COURSE OUTLINE
HUMAN HEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT BIOL 390
FALL 2013
Instructor:
Office:
Office hours:
Phone:
e-mail:
Dr. Michele Harmon
SBDG 221
By appointment
(803) 641-3607
micheleh@usca.edu
Lecture:
Credits:
Lab:
On-line through Blackboard and ITunesU
4
1:40 - 4:20 pm TH in SBDG 108
Required lecture text: Environmental Science: A Global Concern, 12th Edition, by William P. Cunningham and Mary Ann
Cunningham. ISBN 978–0–07–338325–5.
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: This hybrid course will involve on-line lectures and a weekly class
meeting for discussion and laboratory exercises. The lectures for this class will be delivered online through Blackboard and iTunesU.
Lectures can be viewed using any of the on-campus computers at USCA, as long as you have headphones or earbuds for the audio
portion. If you would prefer to view lectures from your personal computer, you must be sure that you have iTunes (free download)
and the appropriate hardware and internet connections for streaming or downloading the lecture videos. It is the responsibility of
each student to find a computer, view the lectures, take notes, etc., according to the schedule provided. The instructor will not
delay quizzes or testing because of individual computer or internet issues.
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 also be one quiz each week on
the material from the week’s online lecture (see the weekly schedule). These will be administered during the first 10 minutes of the
laboratory session, and there will be no make-up opportunities for absence or late arrival.
The final course grade will be based on the following:
3 Lecture exams @ 100 pts. each
1 Final exam @ 200 pts.
Weekly quizzes
Laboratory
GRADING SCALE:
300
200
100
200
800 total pts. available
A (90-100%), B (80-89), C (70-79), D (60-69), F (0-59)
ATTENDANCE POLICY: The instructor will impose a penalty for absences in excess of 25% of regularly scheduled Thursday class
meetings by assigning an “F” in the course. Absences, neither excused nor unexcused, absolve the student from meeting class
assignments. 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. There will be no make-up opportunities for weekly
quizzes. Because of their nature, laboratory investigations cannot be made up. If a student misses a laboratory or field
investigation, the student will not be allowed to turn in the associated lab report. This also applies if the student comes in late, leaves
early, or does not participate fully. A student cannot write a report on a laboratory or field investigation in which they did not
participate.
Schedule for BIOL 390, Fall 2013
Date
Topic
Aug. 22
Aug. 26-29
Aug. 29
Sept. 2-5
Sept. 5
Sept. 9-12
Sept. 12
Sept. 16-19
Sept. 19
Sept. 23-26
Sept. 26
Sept. 30- Oct. 3
Oct. 3
Oct. 7 - 10
Oct. 10
Oct. 14-17
Lecture 1: Introduction
Lecture 2: Ecosystems and Energy
Lecture:3 Sustainability and Biogeochemical Cycles
Lab Session: Quiz on Lectures 2 & 3; Virtual Food Web
Lecture 4: Succession and Biomes
Lecture 5: Marine Ecosystems
Lab Session: Quiz on Lectures 4 & 5; Using Indicator Organisms to Determine
Pollutant Effects: Thermal
Lecture 6: Freshwater Ecosystems
Lecture 7: Water as a Resource
Lab Session: Exam 1
Lecture 8: Drinking Water and Pollution
Lecture 9: Eutrophication and Wastewater
Lab Session: Quiz on Lectures 8 & 9; Using Indicator Organisms to Determine
Pollutant Effects: Pharmaceuticals
Lecture 10: Population Dynamics
Lecture 11: Population Statistics
Lab Session: Quiz on Lectures 10 & 11; Drosophila populations
Lecture 12: Populations and Resources
Lecture 13: Urbanization
Lab Session: Exam 2
Lecture 14: Energy and Fossil Fuels
Lecture 15: Nuclear Energy
Lab Session: Quiz on Lectures 14 & 15; Ecological Footprint, Energy, and
Google Earth
Lecture 16: The Future of Energy
Chapter in
Textbook
3&4
4&5
5 & 17
18
6&7
7 & 22
19 & 20
19 & 20
Oct. 17
Oct. 21-24
Oct. 24
Oct. 28-31
Oct. 31
Nov. 4-7
Nov. 7
Nov. 11-14
Nov. 14
Nov. 18-21
Nov. 21
Nov. 25-28
Lab Session:: Fall Break
Lecture 17: Atmosphere and Ozone
Lecture 18: Local Air Pollution
Lab Session: Quiz on Lectures 17 & 18; NOAA Website and Indoor Air Pollution
Lecture 19: Global Warming
Lecture 20: Solid and Hazardous Waste
Lab Session: Quiz on Lectures 19 & 20; Toxicity Tests on EnvironmentallyFriendly Products using Lumbriculus variegatus
Lecture 21: Toxicology
Lecture 22: Risk
Lab Session: Exam 3
Lecture 23: Infectious Disease and the Environment
Lecture 24: Food Production
Lab Session: Quiz on Lectures 23 & 24; Toxicity Tests With EnvironmentallyFriendly Products using Daphnia magna
Lecture 25: Pesticides
Lecture 26: Genetically Modified Crops
Lab Session: Risk Assessment Assignment
Lecture 27: Food-borne Illness
Nov. 28
Dec. 2-5
Lab Session: Thanksgiving Holiday
Dec. 5
Lab: Big Quiz on Lectures 25, 26 & 27
Dec.10 at 2:00 pm
Final Exam
15 & 16
15 & 21
8
8, 9, 10
9 & 10
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.
POLICY FOR PORTABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICES: The use of any portable electronic devices, including cell phones, pagers,
MP3 players, iPods, etc., during class is not allowed for any reason unless prior approval has been given to a student from the
instructor or unless required for the course. If you are planning to have any of these devices in class, they must be turned off and
stowed away for the duration of the class period. If you use a portable electronic device during a test, quiz, or other assessment, you
are eligible to receive a failing grade on that assignment.
COMPUTER USE AND EMAIL: 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.).
Laboratory Grading: The final lab grade makes up 25% of the total for the course and will be based on the following:
Lab Topic
Virtual food web assignment
Using indicator organisms to determine pollutant effects - thermal
Using indicator organisms to determine pollutant effects - pharmaceutical
Toxicity tests with environmentally friendly products
Ecologic footprint
Population Growth Assignment
Indoor Air Pollution Assessment
Risk Assessment Assignment
Points
25
25
25
40
10
25
25
25
200 total pts. available
ADA STATEMENT: If you have a physical, psychological, and/or learning disability that might affect your performance in this
class, please contact the Office of Disability Services, B&E 134, (803) 643-6816, as soon as possible. The Office of Disability
Services will determine appropriate accommodations based on medical documentation