Groups: You will do some work with a group of 4-6 students. Each group will have their own area on Blackboard. You will be expected to complete a group project. You will be asked to evaluate the contribution of other members of the group. Your comments will remain confidential. Poor evaluation by your peers will affect your participation grade. Students will be able to choose group members.

Extra Credit: You may earn up to 25 points of Extra Credit. Details are in another page. Extra credit work should be sent through Blackboard. The only exceptions are a note proving you have participated in a clean-up or an action letter.

Labs and Trips:

• All lab assignments are posted in the Labs section of Blackboard.
• The schedule of labs is posted in the calendar, but it may be changed.
• It is your responsibility to check the lab description before lab and print any documents listed.
• Some labs and all trips will involve walking.
• Wear appropriate clothing and footwear.
• There are special instructions for the Congaree National Park trip in another page.
• Labs may be held during class time on Mondays.
• Lab reports must be submitted as a Word document using the Labs section of Blackboard.
• For the field trips (except the trips on campus), we will travel by bus.
• Because of security and/or parking restrictions at some sites, students will not be able to follow the bus in their own cars unless special arrangements have been made.
• When we visit the West Columbia Water Treatment Plant we will arrange a pick up location for students working or residing in the Lexington vicinity.
• The bus will leave from the front of Green Quad A PROMPTLY AT 5:30 PM!
• Traffic can be heavy at that time, so plan to arrive a little early.
• If the weather is questionable, please call 777-9446 after 3:30 PM. If a trip is postponed because of heavy rain, we will meet in the classroom.
• Smoking will not be allowed on trips.
• For trips on the USC campus, meeting-place instructions will be given in class.
• The USC Biomass Facility is located at the corner of Sumter and Whaley.
• Lab or Trip Make-ups: If you have an excused absence, you may make these up a by researching a related topic on the web or in a magazine and writing a summary, including your opinions on the topic. The report should be a double-spaced 10 point Times New Roman or Arial word document. The length of the paper will be two pages for every 5 points value of the lab or trip. Put the date of the missed lab on the paper. (For an on-campus 15 point trip,this would be 6 pages.) Turn it in through the assignment in the Labs section of Blackboard using your name as part of the filename. Except in the case of prolonged absence, the make-up must be turned in within one week of the missed lab or trip.

Current Events: We will frequently discuss current issues in class and there will be discussions about them in the Discussion Board in Blackboard. Details are in another page.

EXAMS

Exams: Each exam will consist of 50 multiple choice items to be answered on a computer scan sheet. It is your responsibility to bring sufficient #2 pencils and erasers. Test items will come from class notes, reading assignments, discussion of current events, visiting speakers, and from basic concepts from field trips. A review will be posted on Blackboard before each exam. It will include all numerical facts you are expected to learn. There is no penalty for guessing. It may be helpful to read http://caps.unc.edu/TestTake.html test-taking strategies. The exams must be taken at the assigned time.

Sample Test Questions:
1. Pollution is best defined as
a. a change in the resource that makes it toxic
b. a change in the availability of a resource
c. any undesirable change in a resource
d. a large amount of a substance released into the environment

2. Which of the following categories is increasing in surface area each year?
a. desert b. forest c. grasslands d. wetlands

GRADING SCALE

Source Maximum Points Midterm Exam 100     Final Exam 100     Field trips(6) 130     Labs and Speakers(10) 105     Introductory Exercise 30     Letter/Service Project 30     Group Project 50     Group Project Peer Evaluation 5     Participation 50     Total 600

551=A, 526=B+, 501=B, 476=C+, 451=C, 426=D+, 401=D

LEARNING OUTCOMES

• To have the students learn and understand the basic components of the Earth's environment and how they are interrelated
• To have the students learn and understand basic environmental issues facing the Earth
• To have the students learn and understand the importance of sustaining the Earth
• To have the students learn and understand how science is used to study the environment
• To have the students learn and understand how their actions can affect the environment
• To have the students learn to act on issues that concern them
• To have the students appreciate the environment
• To have the students appreciate and respect different people's perspectives