CCOG for ESR 172 archive revision 202001

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Effective Term:
Winter 2020 through Summer 2020

Course Number:
ESR 172
Course Title:
Environmental Science: Chemical Perspectives
Credit Hours:
4
Lecture Hours:
30
Lecture/Lab Hours:
0
Lab Hours:
30

Course Description

Covers environmental topics that are primarily chemical in nature. Includes water pollution, air pollution, climate change, environmental hazards, toxicology, risk assessment, and hazardous waste. Includes associated laboratories which illustrate these topics and may include fieldwork. Audit available.

Addendum to Course Description

Fieldwork Statement:

Fieldwork is a professional competence in many areas of Environmental Studies. Standard field practices include measurements of abiotic and biotic components in a variety of environmental conditions and habitat types. Fieldwork includes use of all the senses to make observations in natural and built environments. Field training may include developing skills in site characterization, application of key terms and concepts, species identification, and measurement and data collection using appropriate equipment. Fieldwork may include inherent risks (uneven terrain, off-trail work with map & compass, variable weather, insects, environmental irritants, travel, stress, etc.).

Evolution Statement:

To clarify the teaching of evolution and its place in the classroom, the Portland Community College Science Departments stand by the following statements about what is science and how the theory of evolution is the major organizing theory in the discipline of the biological sciences.

• Science is a fundamentally nondogmatic and self-correcting investigatory process. In science, a theory is neither a guess, dogma, nor myth. The theories developed through scientific investigation are not decided in advance, but can be and often are modified and revised through observation and experimentation.

• The theory of evolution meets the criteria of a scientific theory. In contrast, creation "science" is neither self-examining nor investigatory. Creation "science" is not considered a legitimate science, but a form of religious advocacy. This position is established by legal precedence (Webster v. New Lenox School District #122, 917 F. 2d 1004).

Science (ESR) instructors of Portland Community College will teach the theory of evolution not as absolute truth but as the most widely accepted scientific theory on the diversity of life. We, the Biology Subject Area Curriculum Committee at Portland Community College, therefore stand with such organizations as the National Association of Biology Teachers in opposing the inclusion of pseudo-sciences in our science curricula.

Intended Outcomes for the course

Upon completion of the course students should be able to:

  • Express graphically, orally or in writing, an understanding of basic environmental processes that are chemical in nature.
  • Identify human influences on global nutrient cycling and on water, soil, and air chemistry.
  • Employ field and laboratory techniques to quantify terrestrial, aquatic and atmospheric factors in a local environment. 
  • Demonstrate an understanding of environmental chemistry and human effects upon it.

Quantitative Reasoning

Students completing an associate degree at Portland Community College will be able to analyze questions or problems that impact the community and/or environment using quantitative information.

Outcome Assessment Strategies


Assessment Tasks:
Written assessments:

  • Essay, short and multiple choice exams.
  • Write-ups of field and laboratory experiences.
  • Research paper on environmental topic
  • Journal: self-assessment and exploration of topics
  • Oral presentations with accompanying Visual/graphical representations
  • Concept Maps
  • Graphs
  • Maps

Course Content (Themes, Concepts, Issues and Skills)


Concepts and Themes:

  • Energy flow and matter transformations
  • Human mediated environmental change (ozone depletion, global climate change, acid rain)
  • Fundamentals of periodic table
  • Chemical pollution of atmospheric, hydrologic, and biologic systems

Process Skills (Competency skills):

  • Relate scientific concepts to local and regional issues.
  • Understand the sources of scientific uncertainty.
  • Locate and access information from non-governmental organizations and governmental agencies.
  • Think critically.
  • Collaborate with peers -- Work effectively in groups.
  • Present conclusions with scientific rigor.