This course is a survey of basic chemical, biological, and physical principles of environmental science and their applications to environmental issues. This course is appropriate for students in a wide range of disciplines or programs.
Course Goals
After you have completed this course you should be able to:
- Students will be able to describe the process of scientific inquiry and apply scientific principles in cross-cultural and interdisciplinary contexts.
- Students will be able to explain that ecosystems are comprised of physical and biological elements whose interactions engender ecosystem functions that provide humanity with a diverse array of ecological services.
- Students will be able to discuss the complex and diverse relationships between humans and environments from local to global scales, including how cultural values shape patterns of resource use and valuation of ecological services.
- Students will be able to differentiate between non-renewable, exhaustible, and inexhaustible material and energy resources, the physical and biological processes through which they are created, and associated environmental constraints.
- Students will be able to apply interdisciplinary approaches to evaluating and proposing solutions for U.S. and international environmental problems.
- Students will gain the ability to appraise environmental impacts of behaviors, choices, and activities in their personal