General Environmental Science I
ENV 121 – Fall 2012 – 4 credits
Lecture: Wednesdays 12:30pm - 3:10pm, Bisdorf 437
Lab: Mondays 12:30pm - 3:10pm, Bisdorf 395
Instructor: Dr. Christine Bozarth
Office: Bisdorf 352
E-mail: cbozarth@nvcc.edu
Website: www.nvcc.edu/home/cbozarth/
Office hours: M & W 11am-12pm; T & R 11am-1:30pm, 5pm-6pm
What You Will Learn
Welcome to General Environmental Science I. This course explores the
fundamental components and interactions that make up the natural systems of the
earth. It introduces the basic science concepts in the disciplines of biological,
chemical, and earth sciences that are necessary to understand and address
environmental issues. The material you learn will progress you in your studies,
allow you to converse with fellow scientists, and give you a greater appreciation of
the natural world.
What I Expect of You
Come to class ready to learn! This means that you must arrive on time, keep
off electronic devices, actively participate in class, and respectfully listen to me and
to your fellow students. If you are having difficulty with a concept or assignment,
you are encouraged to contact me. This is a challenging course with a lot of
material, but you are all serious students who can take the initiative to succeed.
What You Can Expect of Me
I will present the material to you in a clear and engaging manner. I will make
myself available to you electronically and in person to clarify concepts. I will do my
best to teach so that students with all learning styles who desire to succeed in this
course can succeed. I will always treat you with respect.
How to Succeed
 Come to class on time and stay for the duration.
 Take notes during lectures using an outline style so that you can fill in details
later using the textbook, consulting with fellow students, or communicating
with me.
 Set aside at least 8 hours outside of class each week to study the material. It
helps some students to have a regularly scheduled time to study outside of
class.
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
Prepare for exams early. Work on understanding the material by the end of
each week so that you will only be left with reviewing it just prior to the
exam.
Prerequisites
You should be able to express yourself both orally and in writing at a college
freshman level as measured by a college English competency exam (ENG 111 or by
my permission).
Required Text
Textbook: CUSTOM version of Principles of Environmental Science: Inquiry and
Applications (Cunningham, 6th ed.)
This is a custom textbook for the class, which minimizes cost to the student. You can only find this
textbook in the campus bookstore. The cost is $64.80
There will be a copy of this book on 2-hour reserve at the library.
Lab Manual: available on BB
Required Technology
The use of Blackboard (BB) is required for this class. You can log in at
https://nvcc.my.vccs.edu/jsp/home.jsp or from the myNOVA homepage. I use BB to
post announcements, study guides, and grades. You will use BB extensively to
participate in the class blog.
Since you are all in the same lab section, I will only use the BB site for the
lecture, not the site for the lab, to post course materials.
Class Blog
Part of the purpose of this course is to relate course materials to current
events. To accomplish this, you are required to participate in the class blog on BB.
Each week (beginning after a lecture and ending right before the next lecture), you
are required to submit at least one post to the blog on the topics covered in class
that week. Examples of appropriate posts are links to current environmental
news/events (text, images, videos) and informed opinions of current environmental
news/events. You will be graded on relevance, content, and grammar of your post.
Each week’s blog is worth 10 points. You may drop one week. The class blog is
worth a total of 120 points.
Just like any social media, the blog is more fun if you post often!
Quizzes
At the beginning of each lecture, I will administer a 10-point quiz on the
previous lecture’s material. If you are tardy, you must arrive before the all of your
classmates turn in the quiz. Quizzes will not last longer than 10 minutes. These
quizzes are intended to measure your understanding of the material and to keep
you on task as we progress through the semester.
If you are absent or tardy on the day of a quiz, you may not take the quiz. If
you notify me in advance* of tardiness or absence, then you may take a make-up
quiz during my office hours within a week of the missed quiz. You may only make
up two quizzes in this manner.
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You may drop one quiz. Quizzes are worth a total of 110 points.
Case Studies
During the last hour of class, I will divide you in to small groups to answer
critical thinking questions about the Case Study presented at the beginning of each
chapter. (You should have read the Case Study before coming to class.) Each group
will turn in one set of answers. All members of the group will receive the same
grade. However, if a member of the group is not participating, I reserve the right to
deduct points from his/her grade. Each Case Study assignment is worth 10 points.
If you are absent on the day of a Case Study assignment, you may not make up
the assignment. If you notify me in advance* of your absence, then you may
complete a make-up assignment within a week of the missed assignment. You may
only make up one assignment in this manner.
You may drop one Case Study assignment. Case Study assignments are worth
a total of 120 points.
It will be helpful to have your textbook with you in class for this assignment.
Exams
I will administer a Mid-Term Exam and a Final Exam, each worth 100 points.
Exams will be composed of multiple choice, true/false, labeling, short answer, fill-inthe-blank, and a choice of essay questions. You will NOT need a scantron! I will
provide you with a study guide before each exam. Make-up exams will not be given
unless arranged in advance*.
Class Cancellations
If class is cancelled, we continue with lecture as if the cancellation did not
occur. If you are unsure what will happen if class is cancelled, check BB for
announcements.
Honor Code
Northern Virginia Community College expects the highest standards of
academic honesty. Academic dishonesty is prohibited in accordance with
subsection II of the Student Conduct Rights and Responsibilities, the details of which
can be found in your student handbook
(http://www.nvcc.edu/resources/stuhandbook). You are prohibited from cheating
on exams and assignments, unauthorized access to exams and course materials, and
other activities detailed in your student handbook. Students that violate the honor
code will receive a failing grade and will be expelled from this course at my
discretion.
Academic dishonesty shows a lack of respect for your professor, your fellow
students, your school, and yourself.
Drop/Withdraw/Audit/Incomplete
It is your responsibility to drop or withdraw from this course if you choose. I
will not drop or withdraw you merely because you stop coming to class. If you wish
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to audit the course, you must be given my permission and you must begin the course
as an audit. You may not take the course for a grade and then switch to audit. I will
only grant incompletes if you are in dire circumstances. The division dean and the
provost must approve incompletes. You must have documentation for any health
claims from a medical professional.
For details, please see: http://www.nvcc.edu/academics/academiccalendar/#fa12.html.
Last day to drop with tuition refund: 9/10
Last day to withdraw without grade penalty: 10/31
Students with Special Needs
If you are a student with special needs, please contact disability services at
http://www.nvcc.edu/depts/disability. Please then contact me to provide me with
documentation from disability services and to discuss special accommodations you
need. This should all be done at the beginning of the semester.
Grading
The lecture portion of this course is worth 550 points based on exams, core
case studies, quizzes, and the class blog. Your lab grade is worth 290 points based
on exams and quizzes. You must pass (>60%) both lecture and lab to pass the course.
I may curve exams to account for questions that all of the class missed or that
were unintentionally poorly worded. I do not curve exams so that the top grade in
the class becomes a 100%. I do not curve core case studies, quizzes, or the class
blog at all.
Lab
Attendance
You must be on time for labs. If you are more than 10 minutes late for lab, I
reserve the right to deny you entry to the lab. You will not be permitted to make up
the lab. Since there is only one lab section of ENV 121, there will not be an
opportunity to make up missed labs.
Grading
In order to pass ENV 121, you may miss no more than three labs during the
semester, regardless of your lab grade.
At the end of each lab, I will administer a 10-point quiz based on the lab you
just completed. For some labs, I may ask you to turn in your work instead of take a
quiz. You may drop one quiz grade.
I will also administer a lab Mid-Term Exam and Final Exam, each worth 100
points. Exams will be based on background material in the lab book and our data.
Lab Safety
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I will go over lab safety with you during the first lab. Throughout the
semester, please be especially aware that you must wear appropriate footwear and
clean up after each exercise.
Lecture Schedule (edited 8/23/12, changes in red)
DATE
8/22
CHAPTER
1.1-1.3
8/29
9/5
1.4-1.6
2.1-2.2
2.3-2.6
9/12
11
9/19
-
Environmental Geology and Earth
Resources
“The Last Mountain” movie
9/26
9.1-9.4
Climate
10/3
9.5-9.9
Air Pollution
10/10
10/17
3.1
Mid-Term Exam
Evolution
10/24
3.2-3.5
Species Interactions
10/31
5.1-5.3
Biomes
11/7
5.4-5.7
Biodiversity
11/14
6.1-6.3
Environmental Conservation
11/21
11/28
4
Thanksgiving Break – No Class
Human Populations
12/5
TBA
Catch-Up, Additional Topics
12/12
TOPIC
Environmental Problems, Their
Causes, and Sustainability
What is Science?
Environmental Systems
Environmental Systems
Final Exam: 11am-1pm
TODAY IN CLASS
Quiz 1
CS 1 (on Ch. 1 Case Study)
Quiz 2
CS 2 (on Ch. 2 Case Study)
Quiz 3
CS 3 (on Ch. 11 Case Study)
Quiz 4
CS 4 (on movie)
Quiz 5
CS 5 (on Ch. 9 Case Study)
Quiz 6
CS 6 (on Case Study from BB)
No Quiz
CS 7 (on Ch. 3 Case Study)
Quiz 7
CS 8 (on Ch. 3 Exploring Science)
Quiz 8
CS 9 (on Case Study from BB)
Quiz 9
CS 10 (on Ch. 5 Case Study)
Quiz 10
CS 11 (on Ch. 6 Case Study)
Quiz 11
CS 12 (on Ch. 4 Case Study)
Quiz 12
CS 13 (on Case Study from BB)
ROOM TO BE ANNOUNCED
Lab Schedule (edited 8/23/12, changes in red)
DATE
9/10
9/17
9/24
10/1
10/8
10/15
10/22
10/29
11/5
11/12
11/19
11/26
12/3
LAB #
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
LAB TITLE
The Scientific Method
Power Plant Tour! Wear appropriate clothes
Plate Tectonics and the Origin of Magma
Carbon Cycle and Emissions
FALL BREAK – NO LAB
Measuring Air Pollution
Lab Mid-Term
Evolution and Natural Selection
Species Interactions
Biomes
Human Consumption
Human Population Growth
Lab Final Exam
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Grading Rubric
Graded Material
Points
Lecture Exams (2 @ 100 pts each)
Case Studies (12 @ 10 pts each)
Quizzes (11 @ 10 pts each)
Class Blog (12 @ 10 pts each)
Total Lecture
200
120
110
120
550
Lab Exams (2 @ 100 pts each)
Quizzes (9 @ 10 pts each)
Total Lab
200
90
290
Classmate contact info:________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
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*IN ADVANCE MEANS MORE THAN AN HOUR BEFORE CLASS BEGINS
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