LOVE 201: Understanding Environmental Issues An inderdisciplinary perspective

Class Schedule & Syllabus

Meets 3 pm - Monday @ Sewell 309 & Friday @ Baker College Library

Return to LoveBake Home Page

http://minerals.er.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/mcs/1997/

Date	Module Topic	Instructors	Assignments/Related readings
Week 1
Fri, 5-Sep	Organizational meeting - purpose of the course Sewell 309, 3 PM	All	Handout: "The Texas Survey" BK relevant chapters: 1
Week 2
Mon, 8-Sep	Societal aspects of environmental issues - a look into the 21st century	Klineberg	BK relevant chapters: 1, 2, 30 Handout: Results of the Texas Survey
Fri, 12-Sep	Followup discussion of assignment and previous presentation	All	BK relevant chapters: 3 Assignment: brief analysis of Texas Survey results; prioritization of environmental issues from US and global perspective; notebook entries
Week 3
Mon, 15-Sep	Biodiversity - evolutionary processes and diversity of species, ethical issues	Harcombe, Thornhill, McKenny	Ehrenfeld (1976), "The conservation of non-resources", Amer. Sci. 64: 648-656 Other readings on WWW BK relevant chapters: 6, 7, 8, 9
Fri, 19-Sep	Followup discussion	All
Week 4
Mon, 22-Sep	Population dynamics, carrying capacities, resources, food, etc.	Thornhill, Few, Soligo	US population Urban sprawl World demographics BK relevant chapters: 5, 8, 10, 11 "The Boiling Frog", from D. Quinn (1996) The Story of B, pp. 258-275.
Fri, 26-Sep	Followup discussion	All	Further reading: Lutz, W. (1996) The Future Population of the World. What Can We Assume Today?, Earthscan, London.
Week 5
Mon, 29-Sep	Global warming, historical perspectives, and models Summary of the IPCC report and effects of climate change	Few, Blackburn	BK relevant chapters: 2, 3, 4, 15, 16
Fri, 3-Oct	Followup discussion	All	"If climate changes, who is vulnerable?" Countdown to Kyoto Conference Global Warming: Facts vs. Myths United Nations - climate change (see Info Kit) BK relevant chapters: 17, 21, 24
Week 6
Mon, 6-Oct	Earth resources, economic geology, environmental impacts, etc.	Leeman, Sisson	Outline of economic geology concepts BK relevant chapters: 10, 13, 15, 16
Fri, 10-Oct	Followup discussion	All	World Resources Institute - oil as a finite resource? World Energy Outlook - US Dept. of Energy forecasts for oil, gas, coal, nuclear & other sources Global statistics on non-fuel mineral production Uranium Institute CO2 emissions calculator BK relevant chapters: 17, 18, 19, 20
Week 7
Mon, 13-Oct	Urban environment - metabolism, pollution, risk assessment	Wiesner	BK relevant chapters: 15, 16, 18, 19 "Home From Nowhere" Discussion will continue on Wed, 22-Oct, Baker @ College library
Fri, 17-Oct	Defining Student Class Projects	All
Week 8
Wed, 22-Oct	Followup discussion to Urban Environment Make-up meeting for Monday classes (Fall Break)	All	BK relevant chapters: 20, 22, 23, 26, 27, 29
Fri, 24-Oct	Planning the course sequel - Bake 202	All
Week 9
Mon, 27-Oct	Environmental literature, nature, man, culture, sense of "place"	Isle	BK relevant chapters: 12, 13, 30 Association for the Study of Literature & the Environment
Fri, 31-Oct	Followup discussion	All
Week 10
Mon, 3-Nov	Environmental ethics, implications for issues, non-Western views	McKinney	BK relevant chapters: 10, 11, 14, 19
Fri, 7-Nov	Followup discussion	All	BK relevant chapters:p 20, 22, 30
Week 11
Mon, 10-Nov	Historical perspectives, geographical and environmental determinism	AveLallemant	BK relevant chapters: 10, 12, 13 American Society for Environmental History Lynn White Jr. (1967), "The Historical Roots of Our Ecological Crisis", Science 155: 1203-1207.
Fri, 14-Nov	Followup discussion	All
Week 12
Mon, 17-Nov	Environmental economics, market forces, cost-benefit analysis, policy decisions	Soligo	BK relevant chapters: 10, 11, 14, 15
Fri, 21-Nov	Politics of implementing change, individual rights vs. the common good	Ostdiek	BK relevant chapters: 25, 29, 30
Week 13
Mon, 24-Nov	Discussion of political/economic issues	All	How to contact your legislators BK relevant chapters: 14, 15, 20, 24, 29
Fri, 28-Nov	Thanksgiving Holiday	NO CLASS!
Week 14
Mon, 1-Dec	Wrap-up discussions	All	Late-breaking news on Global Warming, and NY Times on Kyoto Conference, Nature on Kyoto Conference and Indonesian fires
Fri, 5-Dec	Student Projects: Presentations	All
Week 15
Mon, 8-Dec	Meeting with William Harris, Director of Biosphere 2	All	Discussions of sequal course, and Environmental Systems Design

Introduction to Course

Outlook for the future

Biodiversity

The human "time-bomb"

Global warming and related issues

Earth resources

Urban environment

Mid-term assessment (note modified schedule)

Environmental literature

Environmental ethics

Historical perspectives

What can we learn from the past?
Geographic and environmental determinism
Case studies

Environmental economics

Politics of implementing change

Wrap-up discussions & student projects

Future Plans

LAST MODIFIED: 10/14/97
BY: Bill Leeman