Humans and the Environment
BIOLOGY 6
Syllabus for Fall 2012
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Instructor: Mark Cooper
Phone: (909) 274-4548
School e-mail: mcooper@mtsac.edu
Web site address: http://instruction2.mtsac.edu/mcooper
Office: 60-2102
Office Hrs: T: 10:30 - 12:00, 3:00 - 4:00
W: 10:30 - 12:00
OBJECTIVE: Ecological concepts to aid understanding our environmental crisis and determining
courses of action to correct the problem. Emphasis will be placed on specific problems of population,
pollution, preservation of wildlife and wilderness, and open space. A historical appraisal of human
attitudes toward the land and of the necessity of developing a new land ethic will be explored.
IMPORTANT DATES
Holiday’s
Other Dates
Sept. 3
Labor Day
Sept. 07
Last Day to add
Nov. 12
Veteran’s Day
Sept. 10
Last Day to withdraw without a “W”
Nov. 22-25
Thanksgiving Holiday
Nov. 02
Last day to withdraw with a “W”
Test Dates (Subject to change)
Exam 1
Sept. 26th
Letter Assignment - Intro
Oct. 17th
Exam 2
Oct 31st
Letter Assignment - Due
Nov. 14th
Exam 3
Nov 28th
Final Exam: December 12th (4:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.)
LECTURE SCHEDULE
DATE
08/29
09/05
09/12
09/19
09/26
10/03
10/10
10/17
10/24
10/31
11/07
11/14
11/21
11/28
12/05
12/12
LECTURE TOPIC
Introduction / Environmental History
What Problems?????
Tapped!!!!!!!!!!!
Water is the Medium of Life
Strange Days: Dirty Secrets
Our Oikos and Hazards????
Homo toxicus
Exam 1
Shall the Meek Inherit the Earth??
Ecosystems, Biodiversity, Evolution
Evolution: Extinction
Does Energy Matter???
Energy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
War?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?
Hazardous Waste – Throwaway Society
Commercials – What are They Selling?
What is Your Human Footprint?
Letter Writing Assignment
The World’s Exhaust
The Inconvenient Truth
Exam 2
Too Many People?? ZPG
World Population Growth
The Ultimate Weapon…Food?
Mist of Death – Pesticides
Food Inc.
Going, Going, Gone
Strange Days: Invaders
Here Today – Here Tomorrow??
Wildlife Sanctuary
Exam 3
The 11th Hour
What Are You Going To Do?
Final (4:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.)
READING
Supplement 3 (pp. S6 – S9)
Ch 1, Supplement 6 (pp. S24-S25)
Ch 11 and pp. 50 – 52, pp. 145-148,
Ch 14
---Ch 3, Ch 4, Ch 5
Ch. 2, Supplement 4 (pp. S10-S17)
Ch 12, Ch 13
Ch 16
Ch 15, pp. 122-126
---Ch 6, pp 55-58, Supplement 7 (p.S39)
Ch 10, p 138
Ch 8
Ch 9
---Ch 17
STUDENTS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY ANNOUNCED CHANGES IN THIS SYLLABUS
(INCLUDING EXAM DATES!!!)
Required Textbook: Environmental Science 14th ed.
ISBN 13-978-1-111-98893-7
Authors: G. Tyler Miller & Scott E. Spoolman
Required Textbook: A Primer of Ecological Principles (2004 edition – Blue or Green Cover)
Author: Richard J.Vogl
SUPPLIES: 4 Scantrons form # 882
8 Quiz strips form #815
100 Note cards
The scantrons must be turned in by September 26th
or you will not be allowed to take any quizzes or tests.
ATTENDANCE: Since many of the questions on the tests will come from the lecture
material, it is critical that students attend all class meetings. If you must miss a class, it is
your responsibility to get the notes from a fellow student. If your number of absences
exceeds the number of hours the class meets in two weeks, you will be dropped from the
course. Poor attendance in lecture will lower your grade. After November 2nd, you
cannot officially be dropped from the course. This is the last day you can receive a "W"
(Withdrawal). After this date you must be given a grade in the course. .
POLICY ON ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: Cheating and Plagiarism are violations of the
college's policy and are considered serious offenses. The Department of Biological
Sciences takes all incidences of academic dishonesty seriously and acts accordingly. I
reserve the right to give an "F" for the assignment, test and/or class and the matter will be
brought up to the Director of Student Affairs as stated in the school's current College
Catalog. In other words, "DON'T CHEAT OR PLAGIARIZE"!!!!!!
“Class, who can tell me what I have
preserved in this jar? No, it’s not a pig or
a baby cow… it’s the last student who
got caught cheating on one of my tests”
POLICY ON CELL PHONES: Cell phones and cell phone etiquette has become a problem in
the last several years. Ringing cells phones in class have become a major distraction to your
fellow students and to me. I am now imposing a policy where if your cell phone goes off, you
will be asked to leave the room and not allowed to return until the next class break. If you
must leave it on for emergency situations, you need to inform me before class.
TURN OFF YOUR PHONES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
GRADING: The semester grade will be determined by several factors: Midterm exams,
quizzes, homework, papers and a comprehensive final exam. There will be one grade for
both lecture and laboratory.
3 Midterm Exams (100 pts each).......................................... 300 pts
(The final exam % can replace your lowest exam score)
1 Final Exam........................................................................ 150 pts
(The final exam must be taken!!)
Letter Writing Assignment………………………………… 100 pts
Lecture Quizzes (20 pts each) .............................................. 120 pts
Homework …………………………………………………
80 pts
______________
Total Possible Points
750 pts
Final Grades:
A = 675 points and above
B = 600 - 674 points
C = 525 - 599 points
D = 450 - 524 points
F = 449 points and below
(90-100%)
(80-89%)
(70-79%)
(60-69%)
(0-59%)
THERE WILL BE NO MAKE-UP EXAMS! Students who miss an exam you will have that exam replaced
by the score on the final. Students who fail to take two exams will be dropped from the course.
Biology 6
“I got in trouble at school today. I
got an “A” on my test and they said
it was unfair to the kids who didn’t
study as hard”
“Explain to me again why our
“Humans and the Environment”
textbook is printed on dead trees?”