Course Description: Fundamentals of ecology and their relevance to human impact on natural ecosystems. Includes ecosystem structure and function, population dynamics, and human impacts on air, water, land, and biodiversity.

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

1. Synthesize ecological principles into an understanding of how the Earth functions.
2. Apply ecological principles to understand human impact on the environment.
3. Evaluate scientific basis of environmental issues.
4. Describe possible causes and analyze potential solutions to current environmental issues.
5. Demonstrate skills necessary for life-long learning, critical examination, and personal decisions relative to environmental biology.

Texts:

• Required: Environmental Biology Lecture Outlines and Lab Manual packet
• Optional: Essential Environment: The Science Behind the Stories, 2nd Edition. 2007. Withgott and Brennan
• This website