Environment Earth

Catalog description

This course is designed to introduce students to issues surrounding the development and maintenance of human civilization on Earth. This includes developing an understanding of how human population has grown over time, the resources required by humans and how this has changed over time, and the by-products of activities related to resource extraction on the environment and, hence, on human health and the cost of maintaining human civilization. A considerable focus is placed on developing critical thinking skills by using scientific data to describe, and evaluate the relative importance of, environmental issues. Accordingly, the course presents, and explains, scientific data in formats that students are likely to find in scientific journals, mass media, and websites. In this course, students will: * Develop an understanding of the Earth system and how it operates, * Quantify human demands on natural resources, * Learn how resource extraction and use impacts the environment, * Foster the ability to critically evaluate scientific arguments, and * Practice expressing reasoned opinions on complex problems. By the end of the semester, students will be able to: * Identify important, and human-relevant, environmental issues. * Understand the breadth and complexity of environmental issues. * Think critically about environmental issues. * Have scientifically-accurate discussions about environmental issues with others. * Propose, and evaluate critically, solutions to environmental issues.