Official Course Description: MCCCD Approval: 06/27/06
ENV230 20066-99999	LEC LAB	4 Credit(s) 0 Credit(s)	3 Period(s) 3 Period(s)
Foundations of Environmental Science
Interdisciplinary analyses of interactions among living and non-living environmental components, focusing on human influences. Includes scientific methods of investigating and solving environmental problems emphasizing experimental design and presentation. Prerequisites: CHM151 and CHM151LL. BIO182 suggested but not required.

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MCCCD Official Course Competencies:
ENV230   20066-99999	Foundations of Environmental Science

1.	Analyze Earth's environmental systems. (I)
2.	Describe ecological organizations and evolutionary processes. (I)
3.	Explain the processes in the hydrologic cycle. (I)
4.	Explain the basic mechanics of the atmosphere. (I)
5.	Describe Earth history and its effects on today's environment. (I)
6.	Describe and compare biogeochemical cycles. (I)
7.	Explain the processes in the rock cycle. (I)
8.	Describe the structure of soil and tell how it forms. (I)
9.	Describe various interactions among the biosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, lithosphere, and pedosphere. (I)
10.	Describe and compare energy relationships and the cycling of materials in ecosystems. (II)
11.	Describe and analyze environmental gradients and their effects on the distribution of organisms. (II)
12.	Demonstrate knowledge of population dynamics. (III)
13.	Analyze the various effects of human population growth on the environment. (III)
14.	Analyze and explain examples of human influences on air, water, land, and biodiversity. (III)
15.	Demonstrate an interdisciplinary approach to the fundamental principles of environmental sciences. (III)
16.	Use scientific methods as a way of learning and understanding environmental issues. (IV)
17.	Apply basic information literacy and technical presentation skills. (IV)
18.	Apply the research-oriented approach to investigating and solving environmental problems. (IV)
19.	Practice principles of scientific method while conducting laboratory and field activities and experiments pertaining to the local environment. (IV)
20.	Demonstrate basic mathematical and statistical analysis skills. (IV)
21.	Perform laboratory and field activities using relevant equipment, chemical reagents, and supplies to observe biological specimens, measure variables, and design and conduct experiments. (IV)
22.	Practice computational and graphing skills by hand and/or using appropriate computer software. (IV)
23.	Analyze and report data generated during laboratory and field activities and experiments. (IV)

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MCCCD Official Course Outline:
ENV230   20066-99999	Foundations of Environmental Science

I. Earth's Environmental Systems A. System Analysis 1. Types of systems a. Open b. Closed c. Static d. Dynamic e. Other 2. System linkages 3. Energy-temperature relations B. Biosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, lithosphere, pedosphere 1. History 2. Composition and structure 3. Ecological organizations 4. Cycles 5. Relationships 6. Evolutionary processes II. Ecosystem Dynamics A. Energy relations B. Nutrient cycling C. Water relations D. Environmental gradients 1. Scale 2. Biomes and life zones 3. Vegetation 4. Moisture 5. Climate 6. Geo-morphology 7. Soils III. Human Effects on the Environment A. Population dynamics 1. Population growth and decline 2. Human population growth 3. Overpopulation and carrying capacity B. Human influences on the ecosphere (air, water, land) 1. Biodiversity/Extinction 2. Land degradation 3. Carbon dioxide enrichment of the atmosphere 4. Global warming 5. Water resource degradation 6. Wastewater treatment 7. Bioremediation IV. Conducting Scientific Research A. Scientific method B. Information literacy 1. Introduction to library research 2. Internet research 3. Library research C. Critical reading 1. Scientific reporting 2. Scientific journal articles 3. Scientific technical reports 4. Government documents 5. Popular Science articles D. Critical thinking 1. Journal article interpretation 2. Case study interpretation 3. Video interpretation 4. Public Hearing interpretation 5. Topographic map interpretation E. Technical writing 1. Notebook keeping 2. Report writing 3. Scientific writing F. Oral presentation 1. Position statement 2. Oral report 3. Presentation review G. Data management and analyses 1. Metric system 2. Statistics a. Descriptive statistics b. Precision c. Significant figures d. Statistics using Microsoft Excel e. Hypothesis testing using statistics f. Comparison of two or more groups by T-Test or Analysis of variance (ANOVA) g. Linear Regression Analysis H. Field analyses 1. Site analysis 2. Sampling 3. Quantitative analysis 4. Laboratory analyses of field samples 5. Laboratory analysis of samples taken along an environmental gradient I. Field Experiments 1. Hypothesis generation 2. Experimental design 3. Predicted outcome(s) 4. Data analysis 5. Conclusions and recommendations

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