St. Cloud State University
General Education Goal Area 10
Environmental Issues
Academic Affairs Use Only:
Response Date:
Effective Date:
1.
Proposal Number:
Prepared by: M. Julius
Phone: 320-308-6684
Email: mljulius@stcloudstate.edu
2.
Requesting Unit: COSE/ Biology
3.
Department, Course Number, Title: BIOL102 The Living World
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.
General Education Goal Area 3
7.
Course bulletin description, including credits and semesters to be offered:
BIOL 102. The Living World Plants, animals, and microorganisms of North America. Interactions of
organisms with their environment. Minnesota habitats and their inhabitants. Lab. 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.
The course is designed for non-majors and is intended to serve only students interested in fullfilling
general education requirements of goal 3 and 10.
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.
None
11.
Courses designated as General Education are included in the assessment plan for the Goal Area(s)
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.
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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 presents information concerning the diversity of biological forms and prensents major conceptual
issues of ecology and evolution. Additionally, the course covers the interaction and influence humans have
on their environment.
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.
1. Explain the basic structure and function of various ecosystems and human adaptive stratigies within
those systems.
The course details principles of ecology and evolution and has exercises dealing directly with adaptation from and
evolutionary perspective as well as environmentally driven selective pressures on organims. Human populations
are frequently used as exemplars for these discussions.
2. Discern patterns of interrelationships of bio-physical and socio-cultural systems.
Ethnobiology and its basis in science are presented with examples from Native Hawaiian communities and the use
of aquaculture and farming practices in tribal south american groups.
3. Describe the human instituational arrangements that deal with environmental and natural resource chanllenges
As part of the discussions dealing with environematal degredation and biodiversity decline, legislative efforts and
their success with the addressing the issues are discussed. Socio-cultural and societial responses are discussed in
presentation of evolutionary theory.
4. Analyze environmental and natrual resources in light of an understanding about interrelationships, ecosystems,
and institutions.
Discussions and presentations directly address issues of management practices in context of intended and
unintended consequences of the evoltuionary and ecological structure of habitats and populations. One specific
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example includes the modification of fish maximal size in oceanic populations via selective pressures
inadvertently caused by overfishing and foodstock modification.
5. Propose and assess alternative solutions to environmental problems including issues involving sustainability.
Students must propose and test hypthesis concerning community structure in context of environmental change
during laboratory portions of the class. Additionally, new attempts at altering environmental issues are discussed
and critiqued during presentations. One example, includes addressing global climate change via ocean
fertilization.
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.
5% History of Biology (SLOs 4)
5% Ways of Knowing Versus the Scientific Method (SLOs 2, 4)
15% Evolution via Natural Selection (SLOs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
15% Systematics and Phylogeny (SLOs 2, 4)
10% Biology and the Tree of Life (SLO 2, 4)
20%Diversity of Life (SLOs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
a.
Microorganisms
b.
Plants
c.
Animals
d.
Fungi
20% Ecology (SLOs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
a. Behavior
b. Populations
c.Communities
d. Biomes
10% Current Environmental Issues (SLOs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
a.
Global Climate Change
b.
Cultural Eutrophication
c.
Decline in Biodiversity
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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
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Remarks:
Date