Environmental Science
This course is taught in conjunction with the Environmental Politics class offered by the history department in the fall semester. We will focus on educating students to become discerning and actively engaged citizens regarding a range of environmental dilemmas. The first semester starts with an introduction to the history and philosophy of science, and aims to help students become objective, fair minded, mulit-dimensional thinkers. We then concentrate on the biology of soil, plants and food production, population dynamics and the challenges presented by an ever-expanding global population and the importance of biodiversity and its conservation. The second semester involves an in depth study of renewable and non-renewable energy sources and the future of energy, and ends with a major group project that responds to a prompt from the Catlin Gabel community (for example, the class of 2011 designed a rainwater harvesting system with Engineers Without Borders, and the Class of 2012 will work with the Global Education trip to Ecuador in response to the needs of the community being visited). Recommended corequisite: Environmental Politics (senior history elective).
Units
| Unit | Essential Questions | Content | Skills and Processes | Resources |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Know Your Sources |
In terms of our environment:
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Compare two films on global warming (An Inconvenient Truth vs The Great Global Warming Swindle) Find and compare popular, contradictory websites focusing on a variety of environmental controversies Learn to detect fallacies in an argument Examine media bias with regard to environmental issues Learn about the peer review process, and study examples of where the system has fallen short (MMR controversy in the UK, climate change papers)
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The Thinker's Guide - How to Detect Media Bias & Propaganda (Paul & Elder, 2008) The Thinker's Guide to Fallacies (Paul & Elder, 2008) Peer Review and the Acceptance of New Scientific Ideas (Sense about Science, 2004) http://www.senseaboutscience.org |
| Soil and Food |
How is soil formed? What are the essential constituents of a healthy soil? How do you keep soil healthy and productive in the long term? What do plants need to grow and reproduce successfully? How is photosynthesis in many crop plants different from the plants studied previously in Science I? How do we introduce foreign genetic material into plants? What are the potential risks and benefits of genetic modification of food crops?
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Introduction of the ecological concept of soil formation and primary succession Revisiting photosynthesis, comparing C3 to C4 pathways Studying the practice of intenstive farming, use of agrochemicals and monocultures Review of plant reproduction Extended investigation into plant mineral requirements Review of DNA, protein synthesis and an introduction to methods of plant genetic modification Genetic transformation lab In depth study of the arguments surrounding the use of GMOs in agriculture
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Visits to Oregon Tilth and a genetics lab Multiple documentaries on Genetic Modification (both pro and anti-GMOs) Original, recent scientific papers from peer-reviewed journals |
| Population and Biodiversity |
How do we measure animal and plant populations? What are the factors that influence population size in nature? What is meant by the "carrying capacity" for a species? What are the major patterns in global human population growth? What challenges are these patterns presenting? Should population growth be controlled? If so, how? How many different species are there on the planet? How do we calculate this? Are we losing biodiversity? Why is this significant? Why should we care? What can we do to conserve natural habitats and biodiversity? |
Introduction to ecological sampling methods Review of key ecology terminology and concepts Researching different methods for calculating human carrying capacity Examining the different factors that affect the ability of the earth to sustain an exponentially increasing population
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Using statistics with ecological data Understanding the limitations of various sampling methods Researching and writing a paper on a topic of the student's choosing in relation to sustainability Identifying patterns in large databases (IUCN Red List Data) |
Conservation Biology for All - (Navjot S. Sodhi and Paul R. Ehrlich Eds, 2010)
State of the Planet - David Attenborough (DVD series) IUCN Red List Data and associated documents Recent peer-reviewed articles from a variety of journals |
| Energy |
How are fossil fuels extracted and refined? How do combustion engines work? What are the alternatives to the combustion engine for personal transport? Are they necessarily better for the environment? How is electricity generated and distributed in different places throughout the USA and the rest of the world? Can we live without fossil fuels? What are the challenges associated with the renewable alternatives? Is nuclear power a safe, affordable and long-term option? |
Write a paper on fuel cells Prepare and Participate in a formal class debate on nuclear energy Present to the class on an alternative energy technology Learn how different types of engine work Examine international data on energy consumption
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Prepare for a formal debate Give a presentation to the class Model building (fuel cell car) |
Who Killed the Electric Car (Sony Pictures, 2006) Horizon: Is Nuclear Power Safe? (BBC , 2011) Various news and data websites |