St. Cloud State University
General Education Goal Area 10
Environmental Issues
Academic Affairs Use Only:
Response Date:
Effective Date:
1.
Proposal Number:
Prepared by: Marcatillio, Schrank, Restani
Phone: 308-1500
Email: ajmarcatillio@stcloudstate.edu
2.
Requesting Unit: Biology
3.
Department, Course Number, Title: BIOL 101 Environment and Society
4.
New Course
5.
Will this course be flagged as a diversity course?
Already Designated as Diversity
Existing Course
No
Diversity Proposal Accompanying This Form
6.
Will this course also satisfy another General Education Goal Area?
No
Yes
If “Yes” specify which goal area.
GE3 Natural Science
7.
Course bulletin description, including credits and semesters to be offered:
Causes and possible solutions to major local, national and global environmental problems. Soil, water, air,
forests, energy, wildlife, and related topics. 3 Cr. F, S. Sum
8.
Indicate the clientele for whom this course is designed. Is the course for general education only, or
does it fulfill general education and other program needs for this or another department? Obtain
signatures from any affected departments.
This course is designed for general education only and was listed as an option in AREA B of the previous
General Education Program. The clientele for this class would be all students in the Liberal Education Program.
We do not anticipate affected departments in terms of majors and minors.
9.
Indicate any changes that must be made in offerings or resources in your department or other
departments by offering this course.
None
10.
For new courses or courses not yet approved for General Education, indicate any other SCSU departments
or units offering instruction that relates to the content of the proposed course.
Not applicable
11.
Courses designated as General Education are included in the assessment plan for the Goal Area(s)
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for which they are approved. Courses for which assessment has not included in the annual GE
assessment report for two years will be removed from the General Education Program.
The Requesting Unit understands and recognizes the above conditions.
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12.
Provide a concise explanation of how the following goal is a “significant focus” of the proposed course.
Goal Area 10: Environmental Issues
Examine the interrelationship of humans and the natural worlds from scientific and socio-cultural
perspectives and the complex environmental challenges that result.
This course utilizes the scientific method (basic and applied) to examine environmental processes and
identifies environmental problems and potential solutions. Laboratory exercises, reading primary and
secondary literature, video presentation, take home assignments and lectures are integrated to demonstrate
the scientific approach to environmental issues.
13. In order for a course to be designated as fulfilling Goal Area 10, it must address at least 4 of the 5 student learning
outcomes (SLOs) below. Check the SLOs below that are focused on in the proposed general education course.
1. Explain the basic structure and function of various ecosystems and human adaptive strategies within those
systems.
2. Discern patterns of interrelationships of bio-physical and socio-cultural systems.
3. Describe the human institutional arrangements (social, legal, political, economic, and religious) that deal with
environmental and natural resource challenges.
4. Analyze environmental and natural resource issues in light of understandings about interrelationships,
ecosystems, and institutions.
5. Propose and assess alternative solutions to environmental problems including issues involving sustainability.
14.
Explain how each of the learning outcomes checked above is achieved by this course.
Fulfilling Goal Area 10
1. Explain the basic structure and function of various ecosystems and human adaptive strategies within those
systems.
Based on reading assignments, review of case studies, and current literature, students are asked to demonstrate
their understanding by describing the major types of terrestrial climax communities (desert, grasslands, tropical
dry forests and rainforests, etc.) and how humans have adapted to each. Students are also asked to enumerate
ways in which humans have modified these settings with positive and negative outcomes and to recommend
strategies for reclamation of habitat.
2. Discern patterns of interrelationships of bio-physical and socio-cultural systems.
Based on reading assignments, review of case studies, and current literature, students are asked to identify
customs, practices, and traditions that may help or impede progress in environmental issues in different cultures
and to compare success measures for these cultures. In addition, students are asked to evaluate how “truth”
develops for different cultures (the passing down of customs, practices, and traditions for survival) and how this
influences the understanding of the sustainability of the ecosystem within a particular culture.
3. Describe the human institutional arrangements (social, legal, political, economic, and religious) that deal with
environmental and natural resource challenges.
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Students are asked to assess responses for various groups to proposed environmental problems (e.g. urban sprawl,
costs of consumption, land planning) from the perspective of environmental ethics. In the critique and analysis,
students identify conflicting ethical positions, the philosophical approach to environmental ethics and the conflict
between development and preservation. Students are asked to identify positions taken by different groups
(individual land owners, corporations, governmental agencies, and social justice groups).
4. Analyze environmental and natural resource issues in light of understandings about interrelationships,
ecosystems, and institutions.
Using assigned readings and case studies students are asked to analyze consumption costs (e.g. grain based diet
vs. meat consumption, generation costs for electricity, carbon footprint monitoring, biomass fuels vs. coal and
natural gas) and to produce energy flow diagrams. Students use assigned readings and case studies to analyze and
critique land-use planning, wetlands restoration, farmland preservation, and desertification brought about by over
use.
5. Propose and assess alternative solutions to environmental problems including issues involving sustainability.
Students use assigned readings and case studies of issues related to life in Minnesota and the Upper Midwest
including mining (methods, pollutants, and ecosystem disruption), renewable energy sources, contamination of
fish populations with heavy metals and other pollutants and the effect on human consumption, coastal protection
and renewal of Lake Superior, and electrical energy production in the state. Students are asked to summarize
findings for each case, search for solutions for pollution, erosion, and ecosystem disruption, and categorize
outcomes based on the likelihood of success and, when possible, propose their own solutions.
15.
List or attach the Course Outline (adequately described and including percentage of time to be allocated
to each topic). Curriculum Committees may request additional information. Topics larger than 20% need
to be broken down further.
Foundation of Environmental Science 15%
Principles of Science and Ecology
17%
Population Ecology
17%
Applying Science to Pollution Problems 17%
Human Impact on Land and Biosystems 17%
Energy
17%
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Addresses SLO's 1-2-3-5
Addresses SLO's 2-4-5
Addresses SLO's 1-2-4-5
Addresses SLO's 1-2-3-4-5
Addresses SLO's 1-2-3-4-5
Addresses SLO's 1-2-3-4-5
St. Cloud State University
General Education Transmittal Form
Academic Affairs Use Only:
Response Date:
Effective Date:
Proposal Number
Department:
Course or Course(s):
Department or Unit Chair Signature
Date
Department forward to Academic Affairs for publication and electronically to Chair of General Education Committee, Chair
of College Curriculum Committee, College Dean
Recommendation of General Education Committee:
Approve
Remarks:
Disapprove
Chairperson
Committee
Signature
Date
Recommendation of University Curriculum Committee:
Approve
Remarks:
Disapprove
Chairperson
Committee
Signature
Date
Recommendation of Faculty Association:
Approve
Remarks:
Disapprove
FA Senate
Signature
Date
Action of Academic Vice President:
Approve
Disapprove
Signature
Entered in Curriculum Data File
12/11/2009
Remarks:
Date