GEOG 304--04: Environmental Issues
Spring, 2015
Monday/Wednesday, 4:00 p.m. – 4:15 pm., Butte 103
Jeremy Miller: Instructor
Office Hours: Monday 12:15 – 3:45 (Holt 144); Wednesday 2:30 – 3:30 (Butte 517)
e-mail: jsmiller@csuchico.edu
A. Course Description (taken from the University Catalog):
Geographic analysis of humanity's interaction with the environment. Examines natural and human systems,
resources, population, energy, and pollution. Develops an appreciation of the beauty, balance, and complexity
of natural systems and human success in attaining harmony with them. Enhances awareness and perception
of each individual's role in and with the environment.
B. Course Objectives/Goals:
1. To enhance the students' appreciation of our planet and the value of practicing sustainability.
2. To explore environmental issues implementing the basic themes of geography.
3. To use the arena of Environmental Issues as a medium for the extension of reasoning, speaking, and
writing skills.
4. Introduce students to the geographic study of "human/environment relationships."
5. Introduce students to concepts underpinning modern sustainability.
6. Provide an active model of connection with environmental issues.
7. Provide students with points of entry to discuss sustainability with their peers and the opportunity to
find their own voice on the issues.
C.
Required Materials:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Miller, Jr., G. Tyler. Sustaining the Earth (10th, or 11th edition)
Quinn, Daniel. Ishmael
Selected readings linked on class website (Blackboard Learn)
Basic composition notebook (blank, lined, or quad-lined), 10.25" x 7.875". NOT SPIRAL BOUND These are
available in the campus bookstore.
D. Course Requirements:
(Elements of the course are weighted in the following manner, actual points will vary)
4 Quizzes (online via Blackboard)
24% of course total
Comprehensive Final
25%
Notebook (¾ assignments, ¼ notes)
21%
Ishmael Essay
12%
Participation (self-assess)
10%
“Coffee Talk” Presentation
8%
100%
E. Grading: Grades will be determined by simple percentages, as follows:
93.00 – 100 = A
90.00 – 92.99 = A-
87.00 – 89.99 = B+
83.00 – 86.99 = B
80.00 – 82.99 = B77.00 – 79.99 = C+
73.00 – 76.99 = C
70.00 – 72.99 = C-
60.00 – 69.99 = D
0 – 59.99 = F
F. Late Assignments: Assignments turned in after the due date will be accepted for ½ credit for up to one week past
the due date, unless prior arrangement has been made. Late assignments will not be accepted past one week.
G. Attendance: Attendance will be taken via sign-in sheet. 2 excused absences are allowed (example: family
emergency, sick with note from doctor). A request for an excused absence must be made via email no later than
the same day as class. Additional absences may result in a deduction of 0.6% of your course grade for each
absence. Please note that quizzes may not be made up unless prior arrangements are made with the instructor.
See you in class!
Add/Drop: Students not attending class the first week of school will be automatically dropped from the course,
unless they give prior notice to the instructor.
H. Notebook:
Your notebook will include Assignments (shaded in grey and in bold italics in the schedule) as well as personal
notes from lectures, videos, guest presenters, additional reading assignments, and student presentations.
Assignments account for 75% of the notebook grade, notes account for 25%.
1) Assignments: Start a new page for each assignment. Heading should include a title and the name of
the author, if applicable. Assignments designated with and asterisk (*) will have directions posted on
blackboard learn. The majority of assignments will be reading responses which should be 1.5 – 2
notebook pages in length. NEVER USE THE WORD “INTERESTING” IN A READING RESPONSE!
Approximately one-third to one-half (33% - 50%) of the response should be a brief summary of the
reading, and one-half to two thirds (50% - 66%) should be 1 – 2 paragraphs consisting of any
combination of the following:
 Key points that stand out for you and why
 Areas where you agree/disagree and why
 Questions, ideas, or thoughts that were triggered by the reading
2) Personal Notes: Each note-taking topic should be on its own page, legible, and with a heading and
date. Your notebook will be your “open-note” resource for all quizzes, your Ishmael essay, and the
final. Credit will be given to legible, cohesive note-taking sessions of over ½ page in length that have a
clear heading and date.
I. “Coffee Talk” Presentations:
One of the best ways to gain understanding of an issue is to explain it to someone else. Coffee Talks will be done
in pairs, and will serve to provide the class with a more focused understanding of current environmental issues.
Presentations will be 10 minutes in length, and may be in the form of a lecture, a debate, class activity, song,
theatrical performance, power-point presentation, etc. The best Coffee Talks conclude with presenters clearly
answering the prompt for their topic, including taking a stand and defending it, when applicable. The presentation
is worth 8% of the course grade.
General Guidelines:
Length: 10 minutes (8 minutes minimum, 12 minutes maximum)
Content:
1. Provide us with enough background (8th grade level) to understand the issue and the various
perspectives (pros/cons).
2. Why should we care? How are CSU Chico students connected to this issue?
3. What is the future of this issue?
4. Answer the prompt provided. Share with us your personal take on the issue and the reasons
behind your thoughts.
Scoring Rubric for Coffee Talk Presentations (continues on next page)
4
Appropriate content was
provided to gain a clear
picture of the issue (background, differing points
of view, etc.)
3
Satisfactory
2
Content was lacking
1
Minimal
effort
0
Missing
Content
Engagement
Presentation was engaging
Presentation was good,
and conducted with confidence but lacked polish
Opinion
6 pts
Prompt was clearly answered. Presenters provided their
own commentaryon the issue,
and defended their opinion.
Presentation showed lack of
preparation and confidence,
was boring.
5 pts
4 pts
Good. Presenters providedCommentary was provided,
their own commentary/
but lacked depth
opinion about the issue.
2-3 pts
Some commentary was
provided
Presentation notes, visual
Satisfactory
Lacking
aids, and bibliography/sources are
provided, either electronically
or as a hard copy. Wikipedia is not
NOT used as a source.
Minimal
effort
Minimal
effort
Minimal
effort
Coffee Talks Topics
1. Drought in California!: How is this issue affecting Chico? Northern California? Southern California? The
U.S./World? The students in this class? What can/should/is being done? What ISN’T being done?
2. GMO Food: Where can we find GMO food? What do we need to know about it? Why is this an issue?
Provide and informed opinion, about whether the benefits of GMO food outweigh the concerns.
3. Bee Colony Collapse Disorder: What is this all about? How does it affect Chico? California? What
can/should/is being done about it?
4 Fish For Dinner? Global demand for fish is up. Farm-raised fish will soon exceed wild-caught. What do we
need to know about the environmental impact of our fish and chips? In your opinion, what choices should we, the
consumer be making regarding the purchase of seafood?
5. Can Eating Bugs Save the World?
6. Organized Religion and the Environment: The influence of religion cannot be ignored. On the one hand,
religious organizations provide billions of dollars worth of humanitarian aid annually, yet at the same time
conflicting religious ideologies inspire bloody conflicts around the globe. What is the role of organized religion in
addressing global environmental issues? Is this happening now, or is it an undertapped resource?
7. Ban nature? Don’t volcanoes and naturally-occurring forest fires contribute more to rising CO2 levels and
climate change than humans? The public is highly under-educated on this point. In your opinion, why are so
many people (including many politicians) misinformed? Who is responsible for disseminated the consensus
opinion of the scientific community?
8. Fracking (“Induced Hydrolic Fracturing”): What is fracking? How does fracking differ from “conventional”
natural gas extraction? Is this a step in the right direction regarding meeting our energy needs while at the same
time reducing our impact on the environment?
9. Keystone XL Pipeline: What is the pipeline, where does it go? Who supports it? Who opposes it? In your
opinion, will it be built, and should it be built?
10. The Shale Oil Revolution: What is shale oil? How is it extracted? What are the pro’s and con’s of tapping this
natural resource?
11. Nuclear Power produces huge amounts of electricity without burning fossil fuels. Is it worth a second look?
12. Biofuel: What is “biofuel”? Is switching from fossil fuels to biofuel a step in the right direction in reducing our
impact on the environment?
13. Reducing Energy Bills: The goal is smaller residential energy bills for Average Joe Chico. Which of the
following solutions is most realistic? Most economic?: a) Install solar panels; b) upgrade to energy efficient
appliances and/or improve the overall energy efficiency of your home, c) change your lifestyle such that your
livelihood requires less energy. Research and present the pro’s and con’s of each of these options and provide an
informed opinion.
14. Waste Management and Recology: The trucks come, and they take our stuff “away.” Where do our recycling
and garbage really go? In your opinion, is Butte County’s present waste disposal system a viable one?
15. California Assembly Bill 32: California Global Warming Solutions Act. What is AB 32? Provide us with an
informed opinion whether or not it is achieving the goals it intended.
Missing
Resources
Explanation was
Presentation lacked organization,
Minimal
satisfactory. Presentation was
was confusing at times.
effort
less than 8 minutes or
Presentation was too short
more than 12 minutes
(less than 5 min) or too long
(more than 15 min)
Missing Missing
Content was clearly
explained, was about 10
minutes in length
Missing
Clarity/
Organization
16. What is the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change? Should we listen to them? Do you think their
influence will affect global environmental policy? To what extent will the IPCC’s recommendations be followed?
Why or why not? Focus your response on the most recent climate report by the IPCC (November, 2014).
17. Sea Star Wasting Syndrome. What is this all about? Is this a quirk of nature, or is it a sign of things to come?
18. California High Speed Rail: Investing in rail is a proven way to reduce fossil fuel use and get cars off the road.
But is the $68 billion dollar high speed rail plan the best way to achieve this goal?
19. Climate Change Denial! Recent polls show that 46% of U.S. citizens either “Don’t know” or “Don’t believe”
that climate change is the result of human activity. Why is this the case? What, in your opinion, are the
implications of this statistic?
20. Ecolabeling: Is this a valuable tool for greening the planet, or is it simply a greenwashing marketing gimmick?
How do we know if we are making a “green” purchase?
21. Our Wireless World: Do instant information, social media, apps, etc aid us in solving environmental problems
by connecting people together, or do these technologies hamper efforts by distancing us from the natural world?
22. Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK). Native peoples may not have PhD’s and peer-reviewed scientific
research to back up their land use practices, but they do have a centuries-old relationship to the land. Explain
TEK. What are the limitations of the wisdom it can provide? To what extent should the council of TEK play a role
in environmental policy making, such as land use management, or native species recovery?
J. Weekly Schedule (tentative):
FOOD, HEALTH
WATER
ECOLOGY
OUTSIDE! = Unless otherwise noted, meet on the lawn between Butte Hall and the creek.
Website* = See website for a link to the reading. An asterisk (*) indicates additional assignment instructions
ASSIGNMENTS DUE ON THIS DATE
UNIT
DATE TOPIC/ACTIVITY
1/21 Review of Syllabus and Course Logistics
Review Course Syllabus
What are the Issues?
Browse Course Website
Sign-up for Student Presentations
Lecture: Revealing, Connecting, Personalizing
1/26 Discussion of Westlands Article
California’s Thirsty Almonds
Lecture: Footprints and California’s Ecology
(website)
Miller 2-4, 2-5, 2-6
1/28 OUTSIDE!
Ishmael Part 1
Ecology Each One Teach One Activity
Miller 3-4, 3-5
with Jon Aull, Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve
Education Coordinator
2/2
Lecture: Captivity
Miller 4-1, 4-3
Guest Speaker: Susan Mason,
Friends of Bidwell Park
OUTSIDE!
2/4
“Dihydrogen Monoxide” (website*)
Student Coffee Talk Work Day
Miller 2-1
Ishmael Parts 2 – 5
2/9
Lecture: Water in a Nutshell
“Water: Adapting to a New Normal”
Coffee Talk 1
(website)
QUIZ #1 DUE 4 PM 2/11
Miller 8-1, 8-2, 8-3
2/11 Lecture: Nitrogen Cycle and Our Fertilized World QUIZ #1 DUE 4 PM 2/11
“Many Countries Reaching Diminishing
Returns in Fertilizer Use” (website)
Miller 7-1, 8-6, 2-7 (nitrogen cycle)
Ishmael Parts 6 – 8
2/16 What is a Sustainable Meal?
“The Carnivore’s Dilemma” (website)
Lecture: I am What I Eat
Ishmael Part 9
Coffee Talk 2
EXTRA CREDIT: “Fertilized World”
(website)
2/18 Guest Speaker: Greg Massa, Massa Organics
“Getting Fossil Fuels off Our Plate”
Coffee Talk 3, 4
(website)
2/23 Video: DIRT! The Movie
Miller 7-1, 7-2, 7-3
Coffee Talk 5
2/25 Video: DIRT! The Movie
Miller 7-4, 7-5
Ishmael Essay Requirements
Ishmael Parts 10 - 11
Coffee Talk 6
***NOTEBOOKS DUE!***
3/2
3/4
3/9
3/11
NATURAL RESOURCES AND
ENERGY
3/23
3/25
3/30
4/1
CLIMATE WASTE MANAGECHANGE MENT AND
POLLUTION
4/6
4/8
4/13
Guest Speaker: Tom Barrett
Coffee Talk 9
Energy Coffee Talks
Coffee Talks 10, 11, 12, 13
Discussion: 24 Hours of Waste
Lecture: Municipal Solid Waste in the U.S.
Coffee Talk 14
QUIZ #3 DUE 4 PM 4/8
Video: The Story of Stuff
Lecture: Service-Flow Economies
Guest Speaker: Kinley Deller, King County
Dept. of Natural Resources and Parks
(Seattle)
Coffee Talk 15
Lecture: The Carbon Cycle
Coffee Talk 16
4/15
Lecture: Global Climate Change
Coffee Talk 17, 18
4/20
4/22
4/29
POTLUCK! (location tbd)
Guest Speakers:
Randall Stone, Chico City Counselor
Stephen Lucas, Executive Officer, Butte Local
Agency Formation Commission (LAFCo
Coffee Talk 19, 20
QUIZ #4 DUE 4 PM 4/29
What is Education For?
Lecture: Sustainable Communities
Final Project Explained
Coffee Talk 21, 22
Lecture: The Taker Thunderbolt
5/4
5/6
TBA
Final Project Practice
TBA
FINAL
Final Project Due, In Class Essay
4/27
LEAVER SOCIETY
AND THE FUTURE
OUTSIDE! (weather permitting)
Ishmael Discussion
QUIZ #2 DUE 4 PM 3/4
Video: The Scarecrow
Lecture: Fire and Forestry
Coffee Talk 7
Share Ishmael Rough Drafts
Coffee Talk 8
Introduction to U.S. Energy Use
Energy Round Robin Assignment explained
Lecture: Energy Made Personal
Energy Round Robin
Ishmael Parts 12 - 13
QUIZ #2 DUE 4 PM 3/4
Ishmael Essay Rough Draft Due
(bring 2 hard copies to class)
Ishmael Essay Due
“Estimated U.S. Energy Use 2012”
(website diagram—single page)
Miller Ch 9, 10: Energy Pro/Con
(website*)
Miller 9-1, 10-1, 10-8
TEDxRainier Amory Lovins,
Reinventing Fire (video on website)
24 Hours of Waste
(website*)
1491 p 22 – 30 (website)
Miller 14-2 (especially “INDIVIDUALS
MATTER: Ray Anderson)
“Plastic’s journey from the sea to our
dinner plates” (website)
Miller 12-2, 13-4, 13-5
QUIZ #3 DUE 4 PM 4/8
“Sierra a ‘living lab’ for climate change”
(website)
Miller 2-7 (carbon cycle)
Miller 12-6, 12-7
“IPCC Report Headline Statements”
(website)
Miller 13-1, 13-2, 13-3
“The Death of Sprawl” (website)
“Local Government in a Time of Peak
Oil” (website) OR “The Anthropocene:
It’s Not All About Us”
Miller 13-7, 14-4
“What is Education For” (website)
Miller 14-8
QUIZ #4 DUE 4 PM 4/29
***NOTEBOOKS DUE!***
Final Project Due