SANTA BARBARA CITY COLLEGE

ASSOCIATE DEGREE CREDIT COURSE OUTLINE

 

 

Department:  Environmental Studies

Subject Area and Course Number:            Environmental Studies 200

Course Title:  Projects in Sustainability

Discipline:      Biology, Earth Science

Units:   2

Repeatability:    3

Catalog Course Description:  Students work in groups to develop or continue projects that make the college and local community more sustainable (meets the needs of the present without compromising the needs of future generations to meet their own needs).  Lectures, discussions and workshops provide the student with current knowledge in environmental science, sustainable practices, and real-world skills needed to implement practical solutions to local environmental and social problems.

Description for Schedule of Classes: Work with faculty, administrators, politicians and experts to make the college and community more sustainable. Lectures, workshops and group projects teach students the needed skills.

Lecture Hours per Week:    2.3

Laboratory Hours per Week:   None

Plus Hours:           None

Prerequisites:      None

Co-requisites:     None

Skills Advisories:            Eligibility for English 110 or English 110HR

Course Advisories:           None

Limitation on Enrollment:     None

Course Objectives:  Upon completion of the course, the successful student will be able to:

1.             Describe the historical, political, and cultural context of an array of environmental impacts, such as fresh water shortages, global climate change, fossil fuel use, and toxicology.

2.            Explain the science behind the issue (freshwater shortages, global climate change etc.), including what we know, how we would investigate what we donŐt know, and how the data is being used or interpreted by scientists, activists, politicians, and the general public.

3.            Fairly represent different sides of a controversy concerning an environmental impact.

4.            Coherently discuss the current political and cultural context and how it serves to continue or change the trajectory of the environmental impact. For example, how does our love affair with the car hinder our attempt to improve public transportation and how can we make taking the bus cost effective, convenient, and cool?

5.            Research the current movement in sustainability and how to locate resources to implement projects. For example, LEED certified buildings, gray water systems, composting, and ecological restoration.

6.            find facts and use an analytical approach to current and future problems, and to think critically in examining such problems.

7.            find accurate and up-to-date information including Internet resources.

8.            Implement a project at the college or in the local community that makes the college or community more sustainable. Examples might include, but are not limited to:

a.         Develop or improve upon a recycling program with the necessary education component.

b.        Decrease single occupancy car trips and improve public transportation.

c.         Replace non-recyclable, non-biodegradable containers in the dining commons with biodegradable containers that can be composted.

d.        Implementing a compost program for food scraps.

e.         Writing a grant for photovoltaic solar panels.

f.          Working with architects and school departments to decrease water and electricity usage in a new building.

g.        Increase the use of recycled products on campus, such as recycled paper for printing and duplicating.

h.        Develop media to educate college and community members about sustainable options and programs.

 

Course Content and Scope:  Projects in Sustainability teaches the real world skills needed to implement sustainable practices in our local community. As defined by the Brundtland commission (1987) sustainability is meeting the needs of the present without compromising the needs of future generations to meet their own needs. Lectures, discussions, and workshops expose students to the current science, politics, and techniques involved with decreasing human impacts on our local environment. A group project requires the student put the theory to practice and implement a positive change. By working with fellow students, faculty, administrators, politicians, experts in sustainability, and the local community, students learn the needed skills in interpersonal relations, interpretation of scientific data, written and oral communication, organization, and time management.

 

The course will present information on human impacts on the environment and techniques on how to change or minimize these impacts. Topics will center on the major themes of energy, transportation, food, water, air quality, waste, toxicology, and large-scale issues that incorporate several of these topics such as global climate change.  To illustrate with a few examples:

1.             Global climate change:  What is it?  What cause it?  How does our local community contribute to it?  What is the city policy on it?  How can we decrease our contribution to it at SBCC in Santa Barbara?

2.            Fresh water shortages:  Why is freshwater a major concern in California?  Where does Santa Barbara's water come from?  What is state water?  Can we be more efficient in our water usage at SBCC?  How can we implement practical changes to make this happen?

3.            Transportation:  How do cars and the necessary infrastructure impact air and water quality, and wildlife habitat?  How can we decrease the number of cars coming to campus?  How can we decrease the impact of cars on our local marine environment?

 

Methods of Instruction: 

1.             Lectures, discussions, and workshops will introduce the student to the scientific, political, cultural, and behavioral background of a particular human impact on the environment.

2.             The group project will require the student work with fellow students, faculty, staff, administrators, local politicians, and experts in the field of sustainable practices. This is designed to develop the practical skills needed to initiate and implement a college and/or community wide project.

3.             Supplemental readings may be selected to provide specific background to environmental issues and the interdisciplinary approach required to fully understand them.

4.             Internet sites may be used as background material, information on the current state of affairs, and/or exposure to the wise variety of groups associated with an issue.

5.             Films and DVD features may be used to further illustrate concepts, provide more visual learning, and add to the number of perspectives on an issue.

6.             Individual student counseling is available through regularly scheduled office hours, and also by appointment.  Students are also encouraged to use the wide variety of learning assistance programs on campus to facilitate accomplishment of course tasks such as in-depth readings and term report writing.

7.             The holdings of the SBCC Library are regularly updated to reflect current knowledge of environmental issues covered in the course.

 

Required Assignments: 

1.              Group Project:  This will account for the bulk of the grade.

2.             Short writing assignment:  If used that semester.

 

Methods of Evaluation:  

1.              1.         Attendance:   Students will be required to attend the class meetings and a series of out-of-class lectures and workshops.

2.             Short writing assignment (depending on semester) may include:  a) A position essay on an issue (News-Press letter to the editor).  b) An essay arguing both for and against an issue.

3.             Group project:  Students will turn in a thesis statement; group member responsibilities, midterm report, and final report on their project.  They will also present their project to the class or to the college campus.

 

Appropriate Texts and Supplies:  

Botkin, D.B. and E.A. Keller. 2003. Environmental Science: Earth as a Living Planet 4th ed.. J. Wiley & Sons. ISBN: 0-471-38914-5 

Boyle, G., Everett, B., and Ramage J.2003. Energy Systems and Sustainability. Oxford University Press, New York. ISBN: 0-19-926179-2

Brown, Lester R. 2004. Outgrowing the Earth: The Food Security Challenge in an Age of Falling Water Tables and Rising Temperatures. W.W. Norton and Co. New York, NY. ISBN 0-393-32725-6 

Easton, Thomas A. 2005. Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Controversial Environmental Issues 11th ed. McGraw Hill/Dushkin Publishing.  ISBN: 0-07-305140-3 

Gardner, G. and Stern, P.. 2002. Environmental Problems and Human Behavior, 2nd ed. Boston: Pearson ISBN: 0-536-68633-5

Other materials may be distributed by instructor.

Student Learning Outcomes:

1 - Project - Develop and implement a project that addresses sustainable practices on the campus or in the community.

2 - Visual Pres - Visually and verbally present the results of a project coherently and effectively.

3 - Written Pres - Write a coherent and effective report on a project using appropriate evidence and documenting sources and collaborators.

 

 

 

 

CO/mej

rev July 2006

10/09 SLOs

FRC (WPC)