I. General Information

1. Course Title:
Environmental Biology

2. Course Prefix & Number:
BIOL 1415

3. Course Credits and Contact Hours:

Credits: 4

Lecture Hours: 3

Lab Hours: 3

4. Course Description:

This course takes a holistic approach to current status and future prospects of earth's life support systems emphasizing human impact on the environment. Topics include interrelationships of organisms and their environment, population dynamics, pollution, major ecosystems, examination of causes and possible solutions to major local, national and global environmental problems. This course is intended for non-science majors. MnTC Goals 3 and 10

5. Placement Tests Required:

Accuplacer (specify test):

Reading College Level CLC or Reading College Level

Score:

6. Prerequisite Courses:

There are no prerequisites for this course.

9. Co-requisite Courses:

There are no corequisites for this course.

II. Transfer and Articulation

1. Course Equivalency - similar course from other regional institutions:

Century College, BIOL 1028 Ecology, 4 credits
Bemidji State University, BIOL 2925 People and the Environment, 3 credits
St Cloud State University, BIOL 101 Environment and Society, 3 credits
Anoka-Ramsey CC, BIOL 1103 Environmental Science/Environmental Science-LAB, 4 credits
Mesabi Range Community and Technical College, BIOL 1546 - Environmental Science, 4 credits
North Hennepin Community College, BIOL 1200 - Current Environmental Issues, 4 credits
Ridgewater College, BIOL 0141 - Environmental Science, 4 credits
St. Paul College, BIOL 1725 - Environmental Science, 4 credits
St. Cloud Technical and Community College, BIOL 1305 - Environmental Science, 4 credits

2. Transfer - regional institutions with which this course has a written articulation agreement:

III. Course Purpose

1. Program-Applicable Courses – This course is required for the following program(s):

2. MN Transfer Curriculum (General Education) Courses - This course fulfills the following goal area(s) of the MN Transfer Curriculum:

• Goal 3 – Natural Sciences
• Goal 10 – People and the Environment

IV. Learning Outcomes

1. College-Wide Outcomes

College-Wide Outcomes/Competencies	Students will be able to:
Demonstrate written communication skills	Demonstrate written communication skills by submission of lab reports, data forms, or group project reports.
Analyze and follow a sequence of operations	Complete Environmental Biology labs such as the Scientific Method Lab
Apply ethical principles in decision-making	Make decisions to help create a more environmentally sustainable world
Discuss/compare characteristics of diverse cultures and environments	Discuss/compare characteristics of diverse cultures and environments in environmental biology

2. Course Specific Outcomes - Students will be able to achieve the following measurable goals upon completion of the course:

• Demonstrate understanding of scientific theories.  MnTC Goal 3
• Formulate and test hypotheses by performing laboratory, simulation, or field experiments in at least two of the natural science disciplines. One of these experimental components should develop, in greater depth, students' laboratory experience in the collection of data, its statistical and graphical analysis, and an appreciation of its sources of error and uncertainty.  MnTC Goal 3
• Evaluate societal issues from a natural science perspective, ask questions about the evidence presented, and make informed judgments about science-related topics and policies.  MnTC Goal 3
• Communicate their experimental findings, analyses, and interpretations both orally and in writing.  MnTC Goal 3
• Explain the basic structure and function of various natural ecosystems and of human adaptive strategies within those systems.  MnTC Goal 10
• Evaluate critically environmental and natural resource issues in light of understandings about interrelationships, ecosystems, and institutions.  MnTC Goal 10
• Propose and assess alternative solutions to environmental problems.  MnTC Goal 10
• Articulate and defend the actions they would take on various environmental issues.  MnTC Goal 10
• Discern patterns and interrelationships of bio-physical and socio-cultural systems.  MnTC Goal 10
• Describe the basic institutional arrangements (social, legal, political, economic, religious) that are evolving to deal with environmental and natural resource challenges.  MnTC Goal 10
• Understand the role of a world citizen and the responsibility world citizens share for their common global future.   
• Gather factual information and apply it to a given problem in a manner that is relevant, clear, comprehensive, and conscious of possible bias in the information selected.   

V. Topical Outline

Listed below are major areas of content typically covered in this course.

1. Lecture Sessions

INSTUCTORS MAY CHOOSE FROM THE FOLLOWING TOPICS.

1. Humans and Sustainability: An Overview
   • Environmental Problems, their causes and sustainability
   • Principles of Sustainability
   • Ecological Footprints
   • Environmentally Sustainable Society
2. Science, Ecological Principles, and Sustainability
   • Science, Matter, Energy, and Systems
   • What Do Scientists Do?
   • Statistics and Probability
   • Matter
   • Energy
   • Ecosystems: What Are They and How Do They Work?
   • Major Ecosystems
   • Components of an Ecosystem
   • Organisms
   • Energy and Matter in an Ecosystem
   • Properties of Water
   • Biodiversity and Evolution
   • Biodiversity
   • Importance of Insects
   • Earth’s Changes Over Time and Evolution
   • Geological Processes
   • Climate and Biodiversity
   • Speciation
   • Extinction
   • Species Diversity
   • Vanishing Species
   • Biodiversity, Species Interactions, and Population Control
   • Species Interaction
   • Populations
   • Changing Environmental Conditions
   • Ecological Succession
   • The Human Population and Its Impact
   • Earth’s Population
   • Factors that Influence the Size of the Human Population
   • Population Age Structure
   • Baby Boomers
   • Slowing Human Population Growth
   • Population Growth in China and India
   • Human Impact on Terrestrial Ecosystems
   • Aquatic Biodiversity
   • Marine Ecosystems
   • Freshwater Ecosystems
   • Human Impact on Aquatic Ecosystems
3. Sustaining Biodiversity
   • Sustaining Biodiversity: The Species Approach
   • Role of Humans in Species Extinction
   • Invasive Terrestrial Species
   • Sustaining Terrestrial Biodiversity: The Ecosystem Approach
   • Major Threats to Forest Ecosystems
   • Sustaining Forest Ecosystems
   • Parks and Nature Reserves
   • Protecting Terrestrial Species
   • Sustaining Aquatic Biodiversity
   • Major Threats to Aquatic Biodiversity
   • Invasive Aquatic Species
   • Industrial Fish Harvesting and Fisheries
   • Wetlands, Lakes, and Rivers
   • Protecting Aquatic Species
4. Sustaining Natural Resources
   • Food, Soil, and Pest Management
   • Food Production
   • Industrialized Food Production
   • Soil Diversity
   • Crop Pest Management
   • Sustainable Food Production
   • Water Resources
   • Freshwater Resources
   • Groundwater and Aquifers
   • Dams and Flooding
   • Converting Salty Seawater to Freshwater
   • Sustainable Water Use
   • Geology and Nonrenewable Mineral Resources
   • Earth’s Major Geological Processes
   • Earth’s Recycling
   • Sustainable Use of Mineral Resources
   • Nonrenewable Energy
   • Net Energy
   • Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Oil, Natural Gas, Coal and Nuclear Energy
   • Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
   • Energy Efficiency
   • Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Solar Energy, Hydropower, Wind Power, Geothermal Energy, and Biomass as an Energy Resource
   • More Sustainable use of Energy
5. Sustaining Environmental Quality
   • Environmental Hazards and Human Health
   • Major Health Hazards
   • Biological Hazards---Diseases
   • Chemical Hazards
   • Risks---example: Smoking
   • Air Pollution
   • Nature of the Atmosphere
   • Major Outdoor Air Pollution Problems
   • Acid Deposition
   • Major Indoor Air Pollution Problems
   • Health Effects of Air Pollution
   • Climate Disruption and Ozone Depletion
   • The Earth’s Temperature and Climate Change
   • Possible Effects of a Warmer Climate
   • Slowing Projected Climate Disruption
   • Ozone Depletion
   • Water Pollution
   • Causes and Effects of Water Pollution
   • Major Water Pollution Problems in Lakes, Streams, Groundwater, Wetlands, and Oceans.
   • Solid and Hazardous Waste
   • Solid Waste
   • Hazardous Waste
   • Reusing and Recycling Materials
   • Sustainable Low-Waste Society
   • Cities and Sustainability
   • Major Population Trends in Urban Areas
   • Major Urban Resource and Environmental Problems
   • More Sustainable Cities
6. Sustaining Human Societies
   • Economics, Environment, and Sustainability
   • Economic Systems and the Biosphere
   • National Capital
   • Poverty and Environmental Problems
   • Environmentally Sustainable Economics
   • Politics, Environment, and Sustainability
   • Government and Sustainable Societies
   • Environmental Groups
   • Environmental Worldviews, Ethics, and Sustainability
   • Major Environmental Worldviews
   • Ethics in Environmental Biology
   • Role of Education in Sustainable Living
   • Protecting Species

2. Laboratory/Studio Sessions

1. Aquatic sampling
2. Taxonomic Identification
3. Population Sampling
4. Field Trips
• Specific heat – effect on weather and climate
• Dichotomous key development
• Design / setup/ monitor controlled experiment - duckweed
• Quadrate sampling of populations
• Sewage treatment plant tour
• Landfill tour
• Ethanol producing plant tour
• DNR fisheries tour
• Reclamation site tour
5. Environmental Science online labs
• Air Pollution
• Waste Management
• The Scientific Method
• Biodiversity
• Evolutionary Response
• Endangered Species
• Human Population Dynamics
• Atmosphere and Climate
• Species Interactions
• Natural Resources Use and Planing
• Water Resources
• Energy Resources
• Policy, Ethics and Decision-making
• Risk and Uncertainty