Science 7900

Special Topics: Current Issues in Environmental Science Fall 2004 Dr. John M. Pratte

Science 7900 will explore current issues in environmental science and science education.  Emphasis will be placed on environmental issues relevant to elementary and middle grades educators, as well as issues germane to the teaching of these issues.  

Since this course is an online course, it will make heavy use of Internet databases and sources.  Students will be expected to research information on the Web, and to develop lesson plans and curricular materials using this information.  Furthermore, students will learn the pros and cons to using the Internet as an educational tool.  By the end of the semester, students will have developed an educational project related to a current issue in environmental science that uses technology appropriately.

It should be noted that Science 7900 is a special topics course intended to serve students in the Elementary and Middle Grades Graduate Program at KSU.  Graduate standing in the Teacher Education program is required to take this course.

Attendance is required for all class meeting times. There are no make-up assignments or quizzes. Any grade for a missed assignment or quiz will be replaced with the grade for the final exam with a valid excuse (illness, death, etc.).

Major Course Objectives

• Develop environmental science lesson plans with technology used appropriately for the target audience. 
  
• Discuss the current state of mineral resources and usage.  Explain the impact of mining and production of resources.
  
• Discuss the current state of energy usage in the world and describe factors that will affect the usage of energy in the future.  Explain the impact of energy use on the environment and attempts to minimize these impacts.
• Describe the effect of human activity on the atmosphere.  Discuss the significance of different atmospheric pollutions on the environment.
• Describe methods of water treatment for various uses.  Discuss the impact of water pollution on the environment.
• Describe the historical changes in human population and its expected growth in the future.  Discuss the relationship between human population and environment impact.
  
  

Academic Honesty: Every KSU student is responsible for upholding the provisions of the Student Code of Conduct, as published in the Undergraduate and Graduate Catalogs. Section II of the Student Code of Conduct addresses the University's policy on academic honesty, including provisions regarding plagiarism and cheating, unauthorized access to University materials, misrepresentation/falsification of University records or academic work, malicious removal, retention, or destruction of library materials, malicious/intentional misuse of computer facilities and/or services, and misuse of student identification cards. Incidents of alleged academic misconduct will be handled through the established procedures of the University Judiciary Program, which includes either an "informal" resolution by a faculty member, resulting in a grade adjustment, or a formal hearing procedure, which may subject a student to the Code of Conduct's minimum one semester suspension requirement.

For comments and questions, send messages to : jpratte@kennesaw.edu