Instructor: Aaron Moody (aaronm@email.unc.edu)
TA: Lindsay Berk (berk@email.unc.edu)
Class Meetings: MWF 9:00 - 9:50
Location: Peabody 104
Office Hours (Berk): Tuesday 10:00 - 12:00; Wednesday 11:30 - 1:30
Office Hours (Moody): TBD

Course Context:

During the last few decades concern about environmental decline and our understanding of its drivers and consequences have expanded at a phenomenal pace. A concurrent trend in science and society is an increasing awareness of the degree and mechanisms by which the Earth system functions as an interactive whole. Thus, we are increasingly aware that what were once perceived as local environmental problems have significant implications for the entire Earth system and its biota, including humanity. Meanwhile, despite notable and encouraging conservation successes, our most severe and systemic environmental problems continue to worsen at an ever-increasing pace. As participants in the global community, all Earth citizens are well served by an understanding of the scientific principles and anthropogenic forces that underlie our environment and its ever-changing condition. This course is intended to provide this basic understanding from a realistic and objective perspective, and to survey options that may help insure a healthy, habitable environment for the future.

Course Description:

This course is intended to guide and encourage clear thinking about nature, the role of humanity as an agent of environmental change, and human stewardship of environmental well-being. Environmental literacy will be developed through the study of physical, biological, and ecological processes that govern the production and maintenance of nature, through examination of humanity's role within the theatre of nature, and by considering the ever-changing relationship between humans and their environments. Conservation literacy will be developed first by studying the meanings, goals, and methods of "conservation." We will then evaluate the effectiveness of modern conservation practices with particular reference to the processes involved in the production and maintenance of nature. That is, given what we know about how nature works, how good of a job are we doing to conserve it? Finally, we will consider emerging methods, philosophies, and understandings that point the way to a more effective conservation future.

Throughout the course we will discuss conservation issues, needs and practices at scales ranging from the globe to the individual household. We will read and discuss new literature by the world's most acclaimed, creative, and innovative conservation scientists. The role that the environmental and conservation rhetoric play in politics, education, private enterprise, and individual behavior will be critically examined.

The focus will be on topical environmental issues such as habitat loss, extinction, environmental contamination, and climate change. Human drivers such as population growth, agricultural development, resource consumption, waste production, globalization, recreation, conflict energy development, recreation, and war will be discussed. An additional focus is the influence of a changing environment on human populations, specifically with respect to famine, disease, resource sustainability, and quality of life.

Course Requirements:

There will be 2 midterms (20% each) and a final exam (20%). All exams will be cumulative. There will also be a group project (20%) that will require participation in an online forum a short paper, and a presentation. The grade for the project will be partially based on peer evaluation. In addition there will be homeworks and unannounced quizes (20%) The lowest single homework or quiz score will be dropped.

Important Dates

Midterm I: September 27
University Day: October 12
Fall Break: October 15
Midterm II: November 1
Thanksgiving: November 26
Last Day of Class: Monday December 6
Final Exam: Wednesday December 8 at 8:00 a.m.

Texts

Botkin, D., & Keller, E. 2003. Environmental Science: Earth as a Living Planet. Wiley. NY, NY.
Hertsgaard, M. 1998. Earth Odyssey. Broadway
Wilson, E.O. 1984. Biophilia. Harvard

Recommended Reading

McKibben, B. 1989. The End of Nature. Anchor
Orr, D.W. 1994. Earth in Mind: On Education, Environment, and the Human Prospect. Island Press. Askins, R.A. 2000. Restoring North America's Birds: Lessons From Landscape Ecology, Yale University Press, New Haven, 320 p.
Dobson, A.P. 1996. Conservation and Biodiversity, Scientific American Library, New York, 260 p.
Redman, C.L. 1999. Human Impact on Ancient Environments, University of Arizona Press, Tucson, 239 p.
Baskin: A Plague of Rats and Rubbervines
Ehrlich: Betrayal of Science and Reason
Terborgh: Requiem for Nature
Panarchy
Daily: Nature's Services
Ehrlich: One With Ninevah