WELCOME TO THE

GLOBAL
ENVIRONMENT

ESF 190
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
 Course Information
• HSES Instructor: Ms. Bellino
• ESF Instructor: Rick Beal
• Office: 6008
• Office Hours: by appointment, MWF 7:30 -
8:00, Period 9 (2:10 - 2:55)

• email: marissabellino@gmail.com
 Course Description
• College Level Course (4 credits)
• Credit from SUNY ESF (State University of New
York College of Environmental Science and
Forestry)

• Run as a college level lecture and lab class

• In the Global Environment Course you will gain
knowledge that will help you make informed
decisions about environmental issues we are
facing today
 Course Objectives
• Demonstrate the complexities of
environmental problems where skills and
knowledge from both the natural and social
sciences are needed to meet these challenges

• Articulate the critical role of energy and

resources in the evolution of the human and
human culture

• Describe how humans and human culture

have impacted various ecosystems
 Course Objectives
(con’t)
• Describe how the hydrosphere, lithosphere,
atmosphere and biosphere interact to affect
one another

• Understand the behavior of complex systems,

effects caused by changes in one part of the
system are hard to predict, often occurring at
disparate times, scales and locations

• Explain biophysical components and

determinants of human history

• List and explain as well as to develop one’s own

approaches to meeting environmental
 Course Objectives
(con’t)
• Think of the course objectives as your final
exam

• All of the course objectives can be turned into

a question. When you leave this class you
should be able to answer all of these
questions.
 Course Materials
• 2 to 3 inch, hard cover, 3 ring binder
• 10 section dividers (maybe more)
• Lots of paper
• 2 Folders (1 for lab, 1 for lecture)
• Composition Notebook
• Pens, Pencils, Highlighters, Whiteout, erasers,
etc...
• FLASH DRIVE (at least 1 gig)
 ESF Grading

• Exams and Quizzes - 50%

• Discussion Assignments and Participation =
30%

• Classwork = 10%
• Final Project (Paper) = 10%
 HSES Grading
• Class Participation = 10%
• Blog Participation = 10%
• Exams and Quizzes = 25%
• Lab = 15%
• Homework = 10%
• Classwork = 15%
• Final Project = 15%
 Research Skills
Lab
Class Projects - including but not limited to:
Trout in the Classroom, Living Machine,
Succession Plots. Energy Audits. International
Polar Year Research
• Hypothesis Based Research Project Participation in
Science Symposium and Young Naturalist
Competition
• (
http://www.amnh.org/nationalcenter/youngnaturalistawar
)
• Discussion Sections
• Podcasts
 Discussion Sections
• Once a week to once every two weeks
• Split class into 2 groups
• Brett (Friends field educator) will work with
one group, I will work with the other

• Discussions will be specific to assigned

readings

• Participation in discussions is expected

• Hopefully every Friday or Monday (depending
on scheduling)
 Course Blog
• http://hsesglobalenvironment.blogspot.com/
• Participation will be graded everyday by
comments posted

• Way for me to communicate with you - post

documents, lectures, videos, discussion topics,
assignments, exam review questions, etc.

• Place for you to communicate with me and

with one another about course topics
 Course Reading
• LOTS AND LOTS OF HIGH LEVEL READING
• You will be challenged by the amount and
level of the reading in this class (I will be too)

• Course textbook: Botkin and Keller:

Environmental Science: Earth as a Living
Planet (college level text)

• Course Reader: Supplemental Readings (you

might get this as a bound copy or as individual
readings)

• Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond (we

will not be reading the entire book but chapter
 Course Reading
(con’t)
• DO NOT GET SCARED AWAY BY THE READINGS
• We are going to set the pace for this class
based on your needs

• BUT...you all must at least try to do the

readings

• We work in the beginning of the semester on

how to understand and process high level
reading material
 Course Lectures
• This class will be very lecture based
• Lots of PowerPoints that will be posted on the
blog

• BUT even if you have the PowerPoint slides

already, I expect you to take notes.

• We will work on taking notes from PowerPoint

slides and lectures as well as Podcasts and
videos
 Registration Forms
• You must register for this course with SUNY
ESF and here is how you do it:

• Take home the welcome letter and registration

form to your parents

• Fill out all information, remembering to have

parent signatures and student signatures in
appropriate places

• DO NOT BRING IN ANY MONEY!!!!

• Registration forms will be due to me no later
than Monday, September 8, 2008.
 Registration (con’t)
• Once I have the entire classes registration
forms, they will be sent to SUNY ESF

• SUNY ESF will send you an invoice to your

house explaining how to pay for the course

• Cost: $175.00 or $60.00 (reduced/free lunch)

• If you have reduced/free lunch there is an
additional form that your parents need to fill
out and you need to have signed by your
guidance counselor.
 Course Registration
(con’t)
• Once you pay your bill, you are officially
enrolled in the course

• YOU WILL NOT RECEIVE ANY COLLEGE CREDIT

IF YOU DO NOT REGISTER AND PAY FOR THIS
CLASS

• In order to receive college credit for this

course you must fulfill all course requirements
and receive a letter grade of C or higher
according to ESF grading policy
 Course Expectations
• I expect that you will:
• Come to class everyday, on time and prepared to
learn (both with you class materials and mentally)

• Try as hard as you can to complete all work to the

best of your ability

• Participate in class discussions, blogging, and be

open to asking questions about what you do not
understand

• Treat this class like a college course and take it

seriously (don’t try to leave early, go to the
bathroom, use your cell phone, ipod, etc...)
 Course Challenges
• This is my first time teaching this course so I
know maybe a little more than you do

• We are going to learn this together

• The readings and lectures will be tough but
you will need to work hard (harder than most
classes you have taken before)

• But you will be rewarded with skills and

knowledge that will prepare you for college
 Syllabus (refer to
handout)
• Introduction to Environmental Science
• How Natural Systems Work
• How did humans evolve around these natural
systems

• How did human culture expand

• Impact of Industrial Revolution
• How did the Industrial Revolution change the
landscape

• Consequences of Industrial Revolution

• Management Practices for a sustainable future
Questions???