ENV 302 Environment and Society

Course Prospectus

 

Instructor:

            Dr. Malcolm Fairweather

            Office: Beaumont 422B

            Office Hours: MWF 11:00-11:50am or by appointment

            Telephone and Voice Mail: (518) 564-5162

E-mail: malcolm.fairweather@plattsburgh.edu

 

Course Description:

Demographic, economic, historical, philosophical, cultural and policy aspects of environmental science are analyzed with an emphasis placed upon their interrelationships. Various human/environmental problems are considered such as pollution, overpopulation and public policies. 

Prerequisite: ENV 101.

 

Course Objectives:

1.     To acquaint students with the human dimension of Environmental Science.

2.     To demonstrate the complexity of the human impact upon the environment.

3.     To review major forces in social decision-making regarding the environment.

 

Textbooks:

Global Ecology in Human Perspective by Charles H. Southwick. Oxford University Press, 1996.

Environmental Ethics? By Pamela Smith. Paulist Press, 1997.

 

Class Attendance:

A significant portion of your college costs is being paid by the State of New York.  As a result, faculty members are required to take attendance in each class and make reports to the College’s administration.  See the College Catalog for the College’s regulations.  Unexcused absences will result in lower grades.  If you have a legitimate reason for missing a class (called to active duty, a court appearance, etc.) you must so inform the instructor before the class meeting that you will miss and provide documentation within a week of your return. In extenuating circumstances (illness, accident, etc.) you should inform the instructor as soon after the event as is possible and provide documentation within one week after your return to Plattsburgh.  In all cases, you are responsible for making up the notes on all the material presented, copying handouts, and keeping current with announcements and changes in scheduling.

 

Exams and Grading:

There will be three examinations in this course. The Final Examination will be given during the last week of the semester on a date to be assigned by the Registrar. The exams will not be cumulative and each will count for a third of your final grade.  If you miss an examination and do not have a documented, legitimate, excuse you will receive a grade of zero.  Make-up exams will be of the essay-type. 

 

Cheating:

“Students have an obligation to themselves and to their peers to uphold the integrity of their institution by not participating either directly or indirectly in acts of cheating, and by discouraging cheating by others.  A student who aids another in cheating shares the guilt of the offense.  Action against students who have been found guilty of cheating may include a reduction on the grade of the assignment in question, failure in the course, and/or suspension or dismissal from the college”.  (The College Catalog). The minimum action taken in this course will be for the student(s) involved to receive a zero for the examination in which cheating occurred.