Human Interactions with the Coastal Ocean
11:628:221 (3 credits)

Instructors Robert Chant, Karl Nordstrom and Gary Taghon
Fall Semester 2008
Monday, Wednesday 2:15-3:35; Hickman Hall

Course description

      This introductory course is designed to identify the way scientific knowledge can be used to resolve environmental problems. Contemporary issues are placed in a human/environmental context to obtain a broad perspective on the application of science to societal goals. Topics will be multidisciplinary to document the complexity of environmental problems and their solutions. Potential topics include effects of global warming, pollution, loss of natural environments, management of threatened and endangered species, and mitigating natural hazards.

      Students will participate actively by introducing environmental issues and identifying potential solutions at the beginning of each class period. These issues will be discussed by fellow students and by the instructors, who will then provide the scientific basis for resolving unanswered questions in lecture format. Discussions in class are designed to provide an interactive environment to allow students to evaluate key issues and formulate arguments supporting potential solutions. Readings will be assigned each week to provide background for formulating questions and stimulating discussion.

      Course requirements include brief presentations by each student on environmental issues, a mid-term and final exam, and two brief but well-written essays. Students will also prepare questions prior to class meeting times that will be used to guide discussions and ground lectures during subsequent class meetings. Course objectives include the following:

1. To identify and interpret the scientific principles and data required to evaluate environmental issues;
2. To recognize how personal experience and past learning contribute to the ability to understand and evaluate these issues;
3. To evaluate the consequences of alternative human actions and weigh the advantages and disadvantages of potential solutions;
4. To formulate and justify scientific arguments orally and in writing.

           
Prerequisites: None