I. General Information

1. Course Title:
Introduction to Environmental Studies

2. Course Prefix & Number:
ENVR 1400

3. Course Credits and Contact Hours:

Credits: 3

Lecture Hours: 3

Lab Hours: 0

4. Course Description:

Introduction to Environmental Studies is a global survey of the relationship between humans and the natural environment. The course explores the difficult and controversial environmental issues facing the world today including climate change, solid waste, industrial pollution, species extinction, population growth and the impact of agricultural and extractive industries. The course will also explore the intersection of equity, justice, culture and the environment. MnTC goals 5 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:

• Bemidji State University - ENVR 2000 Introduction to Environmental Science;
• Bemidji State University - ENVR 2925 People and the Environment;
• St. Clouse State University - ETS 260 Introduction to Environmental Studies;
• Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College - GEOG 1030 Environmental Conservation;
• Minnesota State  Technical and Community College Fergus Falls - BIOL 1107 Environmental Science Issues

III. Course Purpose

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

• Goal 5 – History and the Social and Behavioral Sciences
• Goal 10 – People and the Environment

IV. Learning Outcomes

1. College-Wide Outcomes

College-Wide Outcomes/Competencies	Students will be able to:
Demonstrate oral communication skills	Participate verbally in class conversations and present about environmental issues in class in either a live or recorded format.
Demonstrate written communication skills	Articulate and defend a position in writing on a particular environmental issue referencing concepts and information from the course.
Demonstrate interpersonal communication skills	Apply interpersonal communication skills through positive in-class discussions between students, guests and the instructor.
Analyze and follow a sequence of operations	Discuss and compare characteristics of diverse Minnesota cultures and their unique environmental challenges including, but not limited to, the eleven Native Nations that share a geography with Minnesota.

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

• Employ the methods of data that historians and social and behavioral scientists use to investigate the human condition (Goal 5);
• Examine social institutions and processes across a range of histoical periods and cultures (Goal 5);
• Use and critique alternative explanatory systems or theories (Goal 5);
• Develop and communicate altnernative explanations or solutions for contemporary social issues (Goal 5);
• Explain the basic structure and function of various natural ecosystems and of human adaptive strategies within those systems (Goal 10);
• Discern patterns and interrelationships of bio-physical and socio-cultural systems (Goal 10);
• Describe the basic institutional arrangements (social, legal, political, economic, religious); that are evolving to deal with environmental and natural resource challenges (Goal 10);
• Evaluate critically environmental and natural resource issues in light of understandings about interrelationships, ecosystems, and institutions (Goal 10);
• Propose and assess alternative solutions to environmental problems (Goal 10); and
• Articulate and defend the actions they would take on various environmental issues (Goal 10).

 

V. Topical Outline

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

1. Lecture Sessions

1. The Anthropocene - The geologic scale and scope of human impact upon the environment.
• An exploration of how the current geologic age, the Anthropocene, is defined by human activity as the dominant influence on the environment
2. Information Literacy - Learn to discern between fact and fiction in a post-truth world.
• Learning to distinguish between accurate, objective information and misinformation/disinformation is increasingly difficult. Through an exploration of the Flint Water Crisis and current events, we’ll seek to refine our information literacy while increasing our understanding of systemic environmental justice issues that plague marginalized and economically disadvantaged communities.
3. Environmental Justice - Is there equal access to clean air and water?
• The question of who can afford a healthy environment will be explored in this introduction to environmental justice and the influence of affluence on environmental well-being. We will look at the correlation between pollution and poverty and the siting of power plants and landfills in communities of color and low-income communities.
4. Anthropocentrism or Biocentrism? How our worldviews frame our environmental solutions.
• Whether we’re aware of it or not, every culture, society, organization, government and individual have their own way of understanding their relationship to the environment. We’ll explore how one’s cultural and personal worldviews frames a relationship with the natural and built world.
5. The Holocene Extinction - The sixth and current mass extinction event in planetary history.
• We’ll look closely at the global threats to imperiled biodiversity driving a precipitous decline in populations globally. We’ll better understand the innumerable interactions and interdependencies between species and implications for the loss of keystone species.
6. Ecosystem Carrying Capacity - How many humans can the Earth support?
• The Earth’s human population has been growing exponentially for more than a century. We will explore population ecology, ecological niches, ecological limits and the implications of human population growth on biodiversity.
7. Water is Life - An introduction to safe drinking water and its sources
• Water quality is fundamental to environmental health yet imperlied by numerous environmental challenges. An understanding of watersheds, the hydrologic cycle and the difference between upstream and downstream communiies will help us understand the central nature of water to environmental health.
8. Peak Water - Is there enough clean water for everyone and who has access?
• Safe drinking water is often taken for granted, but it is not universally available. By looking closely at where we get our local safe drinking water, we will understand what is required to maintain drinking water for a population and why some communities struggle to provide this basic service.
9. Where does Public Health End and the Environment Begin? The intersection of public environmental health.
• Ultimately, most environmental issues are closely related to human health and well-being. Looking closely at municipal water systems that have been compromised by industrial pollution, we will gain a better understanding for the relationship between public health and environmental responsibility.
10. Where is Away? A look at solid waste and the reality of recycling.
• Consumption, growth, obsolescence and a throw away society have led to global solid waste challenges and although recycling offers long-term promise, the waste accumulates. We will explore global sources and solutions for solid waste challenges.
11. Where is Away? Can we shift to a zero waste society or campus?
• Solid waste challenges are a local issue, and we will learn how the school and local community deals with its unending waste stream.
12. Fueled by Fossils. The legacy of our past and current dependence on fossil fuels.
• The planet has a seemingly insatiable appetite for fossil fuels. We will explore the history of our dependence on fossil fuels and specific costs and benefits of different fuels. We will also explore whether there is clean coal and the future frontier of fossil fuels.
13. Climate Change - How do we measure the human impact?
• The planet is warming, and the climate is changing. We will explore the rate and mechanisms of climate change and understand how the change is quantified. We will also explore the politicization of climate change and how this affects a solution-based approach.
14. Climate Change - Is nuclear energy a solution?
• Is nuclear energy a solution to climate change and if so, what are the risks and costs associated with the energy source? We will explore the history of nuclear energy and examine the nuclear catastrophes of Fukushima and Chernobyl.
15. Clean Energy Future – The renewable energy technologies that will power our future.
• We will explore the risks and benefits of a number of the existing renewable energy technologies as well as emergent possibilities.
16. Solar Energy ss a Solution – A Bright Future for Central Lakes College
• We will explore solar energy technologies and the booming industry here in Minnesota and throughout the United States. A special focus will be on the solar energy systems that have been installed on behalf of Central Lakes College.
17. The Environment is Always on the Ballot - An introduction to environmental law and politics.
• We will explore the increasingly important role that environmental issues play in local, state, national and international politics as well as some of the fundamental environmental legislation in the United States as well as international accords.
18. The Plate and the Planet - Can we sustain our food production despite exponential population growth?
• Our global food production and distribution system has a significant impact on our environment, and we will explore the impacts from current and modern agricultural systems as well as promising alternatives.