Global Environmental Change - EBIO 104
 

Cades Cove, Smoky Mountain National Park, photo by B.E. Fleury


These course materials are intended for students enrolled in EBIO 104 for Fall 2009.
 
EBIO majors must take EBIO 205, offered by Dr. Chambers.

  • Lecture Syllabus (all sections)


  • Class Schedule for Mon/Wed/Fri


  • Class Schedule for Tues/Thurs

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  • Honors Syllabus

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  • Terms

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  • Lecture Notes

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  • The Louisiana Environment

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  • Links
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     Return to B. Fleury's Home Page
    The Human Population
     



    Lecture Syllabus

    Class Time:  Sections 01/02 - Tues. & Thurs., 11:00 to 12:15, in Hebert 201; Sections 03/04 - Mon., Wed. & Fri. 1:00 - 1:50 in Norman Mayer 106. Both sections of honors students will also meet Monday 3:00 to 4:50 in Normay Mayer 106.

    Instructor:  Dr. Bruce E. Fleury
                        Stern 4030, (862) x8290, or leave a message at x5191 (EEOB Office)
                        email to: bfleury@.tulane.edu
                        home page: http://www.tulane.edu/~bfleury/

    Office Hours: Tues.& Thurs. 9:45-10:30 AM, 1:30-3:00 PM, Wed. & Fri. 9:45-10:45 AM, 2:00-3:00 PM, or by appointment.

    Textbook: Raven and Berg, Environment. Wiley, latest ed.; Mann, Michael E., Dire Predictions: Understanding Global Warming, DK.

    Course Philosophy and Goals

    Change is an integral part of natural systems. The constant cycling of energy and materials through ecosystems maintains a delicate natural balance. Human impacts on ecosystems, however, have affected natural cycles in many unexpected ways. By changing both the magnitude and timing of energy and materials cycling through global systems, by reinforcing some processes and restricting others, we are slowly but steadily changing the face of the planet we share. Some of these changes are desirable, but most are not.

    Somewhere in the course of human evolution, we have lost touch with the Earth. Most of us neither understand or appreciate the true complexity of our environment, nor the many ways in which we have disturbed it. This class will attempt to acquaint you with the natural processes that keep our planet alive, and the many ways in which we have upset those processes. This class will also help make you an environmentally literate citizen, who can speak (and vote) with authority on environmental issues. You will learn the language and conceptual structure of basic ecology and environmental science. This knowledge will allow you to develop informed opinions on a wide range of environmental issues.

    Course Requirements

    Readings:  Textbook and other reading assignments are listed below. The text should reinforce the lecture material, and fill in the cracks between lecture topics. Additional outside readings (book excerpts and journal articles) appear in italics. These outside readings are available on BlackBoard.

    Exams:  Exams will be based on materials covered in lecture and in your outside readings. Exams will not include topics in the textbook that are not specifically covered in class. The general format of the exams will be about 50/50 short-answer essays and objective questions (definitions or fill-ins). The final exam will be cumulative.

    Lectures:  The full text of all lecture presentations is available through the links to the "lecture notes" at the bottom of the page. The online lecture notes contain the full text of every slide. The lecture notes and term list, though an essential resource for exam review, are no substitute for regular attendance. Lecture presentations include extensive multimedia material, more detailed explanations of critical concepts, and lLOTS of helpful hints on what you need to know for the exams.

    Grading:  Exams will be based solely on material covered in lecture, therefore attendance at lecture is strongly recommended. There will be three one-hour lecture exams and a cumulative final exam. Each of these exams will count for 100 points. There will be no make-up exams or extra credit work under any circumstances. Missing a lecture exam will result in a grade of zero for that exam. The lowest lecture exam, however, will be dropped before calculating your final grade. You must take at least two of the lecture exams and the final exam in order to pass the course. Each student will be expected to uphold the ideals of academic integrity expressed in the Honor Code of their college or division. The LAS Honor Code, which can be found at: http://www.tulane.edu/~jruscher/dept/Honor.Code.html. Violations of the honor code will be prosecuted.

    Initial grades will be based on a standard percentage scale (see table below). Before final grade are assigned, however, significant individual improvement over the course of the semester will be considered as an important factor in the final grade. Further information about examination format and content will be given in lecture. Final grades will be calculated as a percentage of 300 points as follows:  

    A      93-100  B+    87-89 C+    77-79 D+    67-69
    A-     90-92 B      83-86 C      73-76 D      60-66

    		B-    80-82 C-    70-72 D-    55-59

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    Course Topics - MWF Section
    Date Topic Readings - 6th Ed.



    August   28




    24
    		 Introduction to Global Change Ch. 1-2, Vitousek #1
    26
    		 Attitudes Toward Nature White
    28
    		 The Balance of Nature Ch. 4, Calhoun
    31
    		 The Balance of Nature



    September 




    2
    		 Earth Systems, Feedback Loops, and Gaia Ch. 4, 6
    4
    		 Earth Systems, Feedback Loops, and Gaia
    7
    		 Labor Day
    9
    		 Cycles of Nutrients and Materials
    11
    		 Cycles of Nutrients and Materials Ch. 5
    14
    		 Energy Flow and Ecosystem Structure Ch. 3
    16
    		 Equilibrium, Feedback, and Disturbance - Community Processes Ch. 4, Reice
    18
    		 Origin and History of Life on Earth
    21
    		 Origin and History of Life on Earth
    23
    		 Biodiversity and Extinction Ch. 17
    25
    		 Lecture Exam #1
    28
    		 Yom Kippur
    30
    		 Conservation I Ch. 17






    October




    2
    		 Conservation I 
    5
    		 Conservation II - Ecosystems as Islands
    7
    		 Conservation II - Ecosystems as Islands
    9
    		 Introduction to Population Ecology Ch. 8
    12
    		 Human Population Ch. 9, 10
    14
    		 Soil – Fertility and Degradation Ch. 15
    16
    		 Fall Break
    19
    		 Soil – Fertility and Degradation
    21
    		 Agriculture, Food, and Water Ch. 14, 18, 19
    23
    		 Agriculture, Food, and Water
    26
    		 Lecture Exam #2
    28
    		 Global Atmospheric Change Ch. 20
    30
    		 Global Change - Fossil Fuels and their Global Impact Ch. 11



    November




    2
    		 Global Change - Fossil Fuels and their Global Impact
    4
    		 Global Change - Alternate Sources of Energy Ch. 12, 13
    6
    		 Global Warming I
    9
    		 Global Warming I
    		 Ch. 20, 21
    11
    		 Global Warming II
    		 Vitousek #2
    13
    		 Global Warming III
    16
    		 Global Warming IV Taylor, Fischetti, Penland
    18
    		 Global Warming IV
    20
    		 Trash
    		 Rathje
    23
    		 LA. Environment - Environmental Racism Bullard
    25
    		 Thanksgiving Holiday
    27
    		 Thanksgiving Holiday
    30
    		 LA. Environment - Environmental Racism



    December




    2
    		 Sustainable Lifestyles
    		Ch. 25
    4
    		 Lecture Exam #3



    Dec. 12 (Sat)
    		 Final Exam , 1:00-2:30 PM

    Back to Top

    Course Topics - TR Section
    Date Topic Readings - 6th Ed.



    August





    25
    		 Introduction to Global Change Ch. 1-2, Vitousek #1
    27
    		 Attitudes Toward Nature White



    September




    1
    		 The Balance of Nature Ch. 4, Calhoun
    3
    		 Earth Systems, Feedback Loops, and Gaia Ch. 4, 6
    8
    		 Cycles of Nutrients and Materials Ch. 5
    10
    		 Energy Flow and Ecosystem Structure Ch. 3
    15
    		 Equilibrium, Feedback, and Disturbance - Community Processes Ch. 4, Reice
    17
    		 Origin and History of Life on Earth
    22
    		 Biodiversity and Extinction Ch. 17
    24
    		 Lecture Exam #1
    29
    		 Conservation I Ch. 17



    October




    1
    		 Conservation II - Ecosystems as Islands Ch. 8
    6
    		 Introduction to Population Ecology
    8
    		 Human Population Ch. 9, 10
    13
    		 Soil – Fertility and Degradation Ch. 15
    15
    		 Fall Break
    20
    		 Agriculture, Food, and Water Ch. 14, 18, 19
    22
    		 Lecture Exam #2
    27
    		 Global Change - Fossil Fuels and their Global Impact Ch. 11
    29
    		 Global Change - Alternate Sources of Energy Ch. 12, 13



    November




    3
    		 Global Warming I Ch. 20, 21
    5
    		 Global Warming II Vitousek #2
    10
    		 Global Warming III
    12
    		 Global Warming III
    17
    		 Global Warming IV Taylor, Fischetti, Penland
    19
    		 Trash
    		 Ch. 24, Rathje
    24
    		 LA. Environment - Environmental Racism
    		 Bullard
    26
    		 Thanksgiving Holiday



    December




    1
    		 Sustainable Lifestyles
    		Ch. 25
    3
    		 Lecture Exam #3



    Dec. 9 (W)
    		 Final Exam , 10:30 - Noon
    Honors Syllabus

    Honors students will follow the above syllabus, and the additional requirements listed below:

    Textbooks: In addition to the class textbook, honors students are assigned the following, available in the university bookstore: John Steinbeck, Grapes of Wrath; Brian Fagan, Little Ice Age. Basic Books 2001. Additional readings may be assigned in class.

    Discussion Section: The honors section will attend a weekly seminar to discuss the social impacts of environmental change (Monday 1:00-2:50, room TBA), and to learn basic internet, paper writing and researchskills. The discussion will focus primarily on the Little Ice Age in Europe, and the Dust Bowl in the American midwest. Discussions will draw upon additional readings and in-class screening of selected films. Refer to the honors course weekly topics listed below. Attendance is mandatory, and your participation in class discussions will help determine your final grade. Be sure to do all assigned readings before coming to class. Take notes on the films and readings to help organize your thoughts for discussion.

    Term Paper:  Each student will complete a term paper on a topic chosen from one of the discussion topics (above), or a relevant environmental issue approved by the instructor. Papers will be between 10-12 pages in length, not including references. Check the Reserve Reading desk in the Howard-Tilton Library lobby for basic sources that will help you select and research your topic. Follow Kate Turabian’s A Manual for Writers for general paper format and citation style (simplified MLA style). A good tutorial for citing internet sources in your paper is Bedsfords/Martins site, which shows internet citation examples from several of the main style manuals. Each paper should contain at least 20 references, no more than five of which can be drawn from internet resources. Spelling and grammar will be considered in grading this paper. Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style is highly recommended for general information on proper grammar and style.

    You will turn in a topic proposal, first draft, and final draft as indicated in the class schedule below. All term papers should be completed by the Thanksgiving Holiday. I will offer a library/internet research workshop in October to help get you started. You can get a copy of my workshop notes here, to help you review the strategies we will cover. Don't forget to consult my web page on How to Write a Decent Term Paper. It should answer most of your questions, and also explains the specific factors that I will use to grade your papers.

    Web Project:  During the semester, each student will master the rudiments of web page construction, using SeaMonkey, a free browser and web editor from Mozilla (makers of Netscape, Firefox and Thunderbird) . Each student will learn how to create or upgrade their own personal web page on the Tulane server. I will teach you the rudiments of page design, construction, and publication. It’s easier than you might think. Notes from this workshop are available here. Check the Enviroweb to see several good examples of web page content submitted by previous students. Press the F1 function key for SeaMonkey help. There are many good online tutorials, such as the Seamonkey help pages at http://www.seamonkey-project.org/doc/ , thesitewizard.com, and UT Austin's composer tutorial. You will use these skills to turn your term paper topics into web pages, following the general format used in the Enviroweb pages. The content of these pages will be drawn primarily from your actual term papers (hence the early paper deadline), supplemented with appropriate links, images etc...of your choosing. Superior student pages on original topics may be added (with your consent) to the Enviroweb page.

    Download Seamonkey directly from http://www.seamonkey-project.org/. Seamonkey is an open source community project that keeps Mozilla's Netscape browser suite alive. Mozilla also publishes the Firefox browser and Thunderbird email programs (freeware). You will turn in two web pages on computer disk or CD. One page will be based on your term paper, the other will be a personal page reflecting your own interests and desires. You will not be required to post either page on the university server, but both pages will be graded as if they were actual online web sites. Your efforts will be graded on the basis of how well they integrate and present the usual elements of a web page, which may include external links, images and other graphic content (backgrounds, video etc..), style of writing, menu structure, tables, internal links, organization of material, aesthetic appeal etc.

    Field Trips:  I will try to arrange funding for a field trip during the semester. Dates and times will be determined in seminar.

    Grading:  In addition to the 300 points assigned for class exams (described above), honors students will receive a separate grade for their term paper (100 pts.) and web project (50 pts.), so honors student final grades will be based on a total of 450 points.

    Weekly Honors Section Topics

    Aug. 31    Introduction - organization and syllabus

    September

    14         Little Ice Age film
    21     Little Ice Age - Discussion - Effects of natural global change on human society - Read Fagan

    October

    5       Surviving the Dust Bowl; Plow That Broke the Plains --- Paper Proposal Due
    12     Paper proposals returned; 1934 California Election Ads; Woody Guthrie's Dust Bowl Ballads
    19     Term Paper Research and Writing Workshop (meet 3d floor HT Library Lobby)
    26     ILC Web Workshop (meet 3d floor HT Library Lobby  

    November

    2       ILC Web Workshop pt. 2; (meet 3d floor HT Library Lobby) --- First Draft of Paper Due
    9       Film - The Grapes of Wrath
    16     Discussion - The Dust Bowl
    23     Film - Green (Cancer Alley documentary) ---- Final Draft of Paper Due
    30     Louisiana - Recipe for disaster --- Final Web Project Due


    Lecture Notes in Text Format
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    Links

    Go Here  for a list of links to general environmental sources on the internet.

    Go Here  for information on local ecosystems and local environmental problems.

    Go Here to access the textbook student web site, provided by the text publisher and keyed to the chapters in your text.
     

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    This page was last updated on 8/22/09