|
       
Course Syllabus
:
I.
Instructor Contact Information:
Dilek Sanver-Wang
E-mail: dilek.sanver-wang@canyons.edu
Mailbox: A-112 (ask the switchboard operator to place it in my
mailbox)
II.
Lecture/Lab Meetings:
Section 31091: T/Th, 11:00am-12:20pm,
L-206
III.
Office Hours:
Tuesday and Thursday 10-10:50am and 4-5pm in I-312 (Adjunct Office)
You can always make an appointment to see me if you can’t make it to my office
hours. The best way to reach me is
via e-mail.
IV.
Course Description
This is a non-majors course that provides an
introduction to current environmental issues – problems and possible
solutions, and basic ecological principles.
3 units
V.
Course Texts and Materials:
Required Textbook: Miller, G.T. Environmental Science.
9th ed.
Required Textbook: Easton, T.A. and Goldfarb, T.D. Taking Sides. 10th
ed.
VI. Attendance:
You are expected to attend class every week.
Regular absences or extreme tardiness will
result in point deductions from your participation grade. An absence on a day
when there is an exam or other scheduled in-class activity will result in a zero
on that assignment, except in situations where there is a medical emergency (a
physician’s note or other appropriate documentation will be required).
In such cases, you need to inform me ASAP and
you may be allowed to take a make-up exam; however, be aware that the make-up
exam may consist entirely of essay questions.
VII. Assignment Deadlines:
All
assignments are due at the beginning
of lab. If any assignment is turned
in 30
minutes after class has started, I will deduct 5% of the points.
Assignments that are turned in a day or more late will be docked one
letter grade (10% of the points) for every day that they are late.
If you anticipate missing a class when an assignment is due, you need to
turn in the assignment to me before
that lab period.
Note: Turning in an assignment into my mailbox
during the class period will count the same as an assignment that is more than
30 min. late since I have no way of knowing when you turned it in.
VIII.
Academic Dishonesty:
Any student caught plagiarizing,
cheating on exams, or failing to abide by the policies of academic honesty will
immediately receive a failing grade (F) for this course.
a)
Plagiarism:
Plagiarism is intellectual theft.
It means use of the intellectual creations of another without proper
attribution. Plagiarism may take
two main forms, which are clearly related:
1.
To steal
or pass off as one’s own, the ideas or words of another.
2.
To use a
creative production without crediting the source.
Credit must be given for every direct quotation, for paraphrasing or summarizing
a work (in whole, or in part, in one’s own words), and for information which
is not common knowledge.
b)
Cheating on exams:
Cheating
includes talking during an exam, passing notes during an exam, copying from
another student’s exam, using cheat sheets or other forms of unauthorized
written or verbal sources on an exam, receiving answer signals from another
student during an exam, etc.
IX.
Grading:
A.
Point Distribution:
2 Midterms:
200 pts (100 pts each)
Final:
100 pts
Paper/Presentation: 40
pts
5 Mini Projects:
50 pts (10 pts each)
Participation:
10 pts
BioSci 050:
10 pts (extra credit)
Total
400 pts
B.
Grading Scale:
The following scale will be used to
determine your letter grade in this course:
90-100% A
80-89%
B
70-79%
C
60-69%
D
Below 59% F
You can determine your current grade in the class at
any time by adding up all the points from exams, quizzes, assignments, etc. you
have earned, dividing that value by the total possible points you could have
obtained up to that point, multiplying by 100 to get your % score, and looking
up your grade on the grading scale.
C.
Course Assignments:
a)
Paper/Presentation (40 points):
A three page, double spaced, typed paper will be required.
You will work initially in groups of four where pairs of students will
take either a pro or con view of a particular environmental issue.
The topic will be assigned to your group; however, you may choose a topic
as long as I have approved it. Once
you have gathered information on your topic (include at least three recent
articles or references) and discussed/debated it with your group, you will write
individual papers about your particular argument.
The group will present their findings on the final day of class.
Every member of the group must participate in this presentation.
You will be graded on an individual basis and not as a group. More detailed information on this assignment will be given to
you in a lecture handout.
b) Mini Projects (50 points):
Five mini projects will be required.
These assignments will deal with air, water, and soil pollution, chemical
pollutants and biodiversity. Details
will be provided in class.
c)
Participation Points (10 points):
Participation includes: being present and on time to class, staying the
duration of the class, completing the assigned work (both homework and in-class
activities), and not disrupting the class.
d) Midterms (200 points):
There will be two midterms, each worth
100 points. Midterms will include a
variety of question styles: multiple-choice, matching, short answer, essay, etc.
You are responsible for all the material covered in the lecture as well
as in the readings. However,
testing will emphasize lecture material (approx. 80-90% of questions).
e) Final Exam (100 points):
Thursday, December 11, 10:30-12:30pm in L-206
The Final Exam will include a variety of question styles: multiple-choice,
matching, short answer, essay, etc. The exam will be a semi-cumulative review of the material
presented in the lectures and readings, with an emphasis on lecture material.
Attending class regularly, taking notes and reviewing your notes
regularly, forming study groups with fellow students and coming to me for help
during office hours will help you to succeed in this course.
f) BioSci 050 (10 extra credit
points):
BioSci 050 is a computer laboratory where the student uses computer
resources to enhance learning in a biology course. Ten extra credit points will
be given to those students who enroll and complete this course.
An emphasis in environmental science is required.
| 
