GEOG 1125 Online Syllabus
Resources, Society and the Environment
GEOGRAPHY 1125
RESOURCES, SOCIETY AND THE ENVIRONMENT
First Summer Session 2016 - Onlline JunemesterThe syllabus is provided the first day of class to every student registered via Athena and
automatically updated in the eLC of this course.
Please remember that “the Syllabus is the general plan of the course; deviations announced by the
instructor in class may be necessary”. Students are encouraged to refer to the syllabus regularly.
Instructor: Dr. Fausto O. Sarmiento, Professor of Geography
Office: Room 110 Geography-Geology Building
Telephone: (706) 542-1753
E-mail: via eLC only.
URL: https://uga.view.usg.edu
I. GENERAL INFORMATION
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This introductory Environmental Geography online course aims to engage students in
environmental/geographical literacy, developing their understanding of the complexities of Earth
systems, particularly related to the role of humans and the interactions that modify natural
resources to maintain societies and to determine their trends of sustainability. This course will
utilize critical thinking to aid understanding environmental complexities and coupled
nature/society systems. It will also explore geoecological principles in today’s environmental
issues, analyzing the political ecology of underlying physical and cultural factors of
sustainability.
The problematic of resource management will be untangled with a geoliteracy
approaches, scientific interpretations and guided discussions to investigate human drivers of
global environmental change that inform societal well-being and land degradation, occurring at
different temporal and spatial scales while sustainable development is being sought.
TEXTBOOKS REQUIRED
Students are expected to procure the required textbook as soon as possible, during the
first days of classes. Willful failure to have textbooks may result in adverse effects on the
student’s compliance with readings, online discussions, blogs and grading.
Robbins, Paul, John Hintz and Sarah Moore. 2014. Environment and Society: A Critical
Introduction. Malden, MA: Wiley Blackwell Publishers. ISBN:978-1-118-45156-4
 Purchase the Digital Text through VITALSOURCE 9781118451519
 Rent the Digital Text through COURSESMART 9781118451526
Easton, Thomas A. 2014. Taking Sides: Clashing views on environmental issues. Sixteenth
Edition. McGrawHill. Iowa. 404 pp. ISBN-10: 1259161137
Reading Assignments from: Castree, Noel, David Demeritt, Diana Liverman and Bruce
Rhoads (editors). 2009. A Companion on Environmental Geography. Oxford: Blackwell.
COMMUNICATING
I encourage my students to communicate through the online portal for the class on eLC.
The University of Georgia requires each student to have a UGA e-mail account (a login followed
by @uga.edu). Use this address only to communicate for all course-related matters within eLC.
Non-UGA addresses are not acceptable. It is the student’s responsibility to check their mailboxes
regularly, to keep them clear so as to avoid being over their memory quota, and to address any
Dr. Fausto O. Sarmiento
First Summer Session 2016
1
GEOG 1125 Online Syllabus
Resources, Society and the Environment
other e-mail account problems promptly. All e-communication will be done via eLC. Any email correspondence not coming through this way (e.g., directly sent to my UGA arches account)
will not be answered, since filters take those directly to the Junk mail folder. Messages without
formal salutation or with non-courteous contents will be disregarded and dismissed. The eLC
will house all materials online, including syllabus, rubric, handouts, presentations or PDFs for
reading assignments; homework and other relevant information will also be posted.
Communication within eLC is one click away!
II. GRADING POLICY AND EXAMS
I grade all assigned coursework on the basis of 100. Calculated grades are computed to
the nearest hundredth of a point (.01), except for the grade to the entire course, which is rounded
to the nearest whole number. If a grade computes for example to 89.4, it will be rounded down to
89/100 and reported as a “B+”; if it computes to 89.5, it will be rounded up to 90/100 and
reported as an “A-”. Unless a factual error of computing can be demonstrated, I do not change a
grade once it has been assigned. Grades will be posted on eLC as they become available, so
students will always be able to see where they stand grade-wise. However, this is only an
indication of how the student is performing in the course at that particular point of the semester; it
does not, in any way, constitute on my part a promise, much less a guarantee, that the grade for
the entire course will be the same, or even comparable.
FINAL GRADE
100 – 95
94-90
89-87
86-84
83-80
79-77
76-74
73-70
69-60
< 60
LETTER GRADE
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD
F
Combining periodic quizzes, midterm and final exam, portfolio, class participation and
attendance will assess grades in the course, as follows:
Student blog entries ……….…….………………… 20%
Midterm exam …….……………………………….. 20%
Final exam ………………………………………… 20%
Environmental footprint assessment …..…...……. 20%
Weekly reader research portfolio………………….20%
TOTAL …………………...………………………. 100%
Student blog entries Active participation in the student blog, worth 20% of the grade, is
expected from each student with thoughtful contributions to debate and to generate
further inquiries on contrasting views in relation to specific environmental issues,
selected from the list provided in the syllabus as per the Easton’s textbook.
Dr. Fausto O. Sarmiento
First Summer Session 2016
2
GEOG 1125 Online Syllabus
Resources, Society and the Environment
Midterm exam: A comprehensive first halfway evaluation of the theory presented up to the
midpoint of the semester, worth 20% of the total grade of the course. It will be a closed
book, 40 minutes test, including sections for a brief essay or short answer questions; it
will be given during a normal class period. No make up exam will be given for any
reason. Pencil #2 and eraser needed.
Final exam: A comprehensive second halfway evaluation of the theory and practice dealt with
during the course, worth 20% of the total grade. It will be a closed book, three-hour
session during the week of finals, according to university scheduling. No make up exam
will be given for any reason. Pencil #2 and eraser needed.
Environmental footprint assessment: A term paper consisting of up to 5 pages, arranged as
instructed in eLC, with original work on a personal topic with debatable questions, worth
20% of the final grade. The term paper will introduce students to scientific writing styles
and research methodologies on environmental issues. A clean, printed, and proof-edited
copy will be furnished in the final day of class.
Weekly reader Research Portfolio: A novel collection of environmental ideas, terms or
processes is to be created with weekly readers, and will be based on students’ discussion
and class debate written as one-pager homework reactions to environmental reader topics,
that will count as participation grade, worth 20% of the grade. Each assigned one-pager
will be turned in to build the environmental portfolio and glossary with those installments
III. CLASSROOM CONDUCT AND ACADEMIC HONESTY
Students are responsible for conduct themselves according to the policies outlined in the
Scholastic Dishonesty Code. Academic misconduct, including plagiarism, unauthorized
assistance, lying, tampering, bribery, copying others’ tests, theft or sabotaging others’ work, shall
not be tolerated. For further details, please visit the Office of Vice President for Instruction
webpage: http://honesty.uga.edu/ahpd/culture_honesty.htm
The instructor prosecutes all instances of academic dishonesty.
UGA closing: in the rare event of the University closing due to a weather advisory and other unexpected
events, all tests and homework will be due the class immediately following the school’s reopening.
IV. LECTURE OUTLINE AND READING SCHEDULE
(available at the eLC’s course contents page as ‘itinerary’)
Note: changes or deviations to the syllabus may be necessary without prior notice
THEMES FOR CLASS EXPOSÉ:
Every issue will be assigned to students for review of an environmental issue from
Easton’s book. Each student will manage a blog on the topic and will coordinate
discussion of such contentious issue, including introductory/historical/conceptual
frameworks, positive arguments, negative arguments, and concluding caveats or codas.
Exposé grading will reflect preparation and practice; a powerpoint or Prezzy will be
requested for eLC posting and your oral presentation will be deemed as professional.
Both, the preparation and the delivery, will constitute the grade.
Part 1: Environmental Philosophy
Dr. Fausto O. Sarmiento
First Summer Session 2016
3
GEOG 1125 Online Syllabus
Resources, Society and the Environment
Issue 1: Is the Precautionary Principle a sound approach to risk analysis?
Issue 2: Is Sustainable Development compatible with human welfare?
Issue 3: Should a price be put on Environmental Goods and Services in the world?
Part 2: Principles versus Politics
Issue 4: Should North American landscapes be restored to its pre-human state?
Issue 5: Should the military be exempt from environmental regulations?
Issue 6: Will restricting Carbon emissions damage the US economy?
Part 3: Energy Issues
Issue 7: Should we drill for off-shore oil?
Issue 8: Is Carbon capture technology ready to limit Carbon emissions?
Issue 9: Is it time to put geothermal energy development in the fast track?
Issue 10: Should cars be more efficient?
Issue 11: Are biofuels responsible for rising food prices?
Issue 12: Is it time to revive Nuclear Power?
Part 4: Food and Population
Issue 13: Are improved aid policies the best way to improve global food supply and
protect world population?
Issue 14: Is Genetic Engineering the answer to global hunger?
Issue 15: Can Organic Farming feed the world?
Part 5: Toxic chemicals
Issue 16: Should DDT be banned worldwide?
Issue 17: Do Environmental Hormone Mimics pose a potentially serious health threat?
Issue 18: Is the Superfund program successfully protecting human health from
Hazardous Materials?
Issue 19: Should the USA reprocess spent nuclear fuel?
Issue 20: Does commercial fishing have a future?
Issue 21: Is global warming a catastrophe that warrants immediate action?
Part 6: Wrapping up the environmental take home message
Issue 22: How to make a better world probable. Rescuing a planet under stress and a
civilization in trouble.
CO-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
It is highly encouraged to actively participate in campus life related to environmental
awareness, coal-free campus, nature protection, social justice, hunger relief, (anti)war or
other form of peaceful activism. For each of such activities, a one-page report with the
critique of the event will be graded to One Point Extra Credit. A total of Five Extra
Credit can be earned towards the final grade.
EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
A selected list of environmental literature is available for students to read and prepare a
review with the style of book reviews presented in geographical scientific literature. To
use other readings, previous authorization should be obtained from the professor. Each
report will be worth two points of extra credit. A total of Five Extra Credit can be
earned towards the final grade.
Dr. Fausto O. Sarmiento
First Summer Session 2016
4