EnvS 428 - Pollution
Prevention
The Sustainability Movement
Syllabus
Dr. Maxine Dakins
Office: TAB311, Idaho Falls, ID
Phone: 208-282-7957
Office Hours: Drop by or by appointment
Email: medakins@if.uidaho.edu
Course Description:
This course will cover the basic concepts of pollution
prevention in the context of an overall theme of sustainability.
We will start with an introduction to the definitions of
sustainability and pollution prevention. We will then move to pollution prevention in the areas of solid and hazardous
waste, water, air, energy, odor, noise and light.
The second section of the course will look at some
particularly interesting subjects in sustainability: sustainable buildings,
sustainable food systems, sustainable transportation systems, and
sustainable community design.
The final third of the course will look at some newer
ideas in the area of sustainability and then focus on your case studies
involving a success story in sustainability.
The course will involve two midterm examinations and a
final. Students will also complete a case study culminating in a
paper and a presentation.
Expectations:
Students in the course will be expected to:
- Watch and listen to the learning modules associated
with each week's topic.
- Actively participate in the threaded discussion each
week.
- Complete all assignments on time and submit by the
due dates.
- Carry out an independent
case study project on an approved topic related to sustainability and/or pollution prevention
and prepare a paper and a presentation.
Course Goals:
By the end of the course, the students should
- Have an understanding of the basic principles of
sustainability as they relate to solid and hazardous waste, water
pollution, air pollution, and other types of pollution
- Have an understanding of sustainable buildings,
sustainable exteriors, sustainable transportation, sustainable food
systems, and sustainable community design
- Have experience in actively participating in a web
based learning environment, carrying out research at a distance, writing
a research paper, and giving a professional presentation online
In addition, student's skills should have been further
developed in
- How to actively participate in a web based learning
environment
- How to carry out research at a distance
- How to write a research paper
- How to give a professional presentation
Books:
Edwards, Andres R. 2005. The Sustainability Revolution:
Portrait of a Paradigm Shift. New Society Publishers, BC, Canada.
and
Pollan, Michael. 2007.
The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals.
Penguin Publishers.
Other readings may be assigned during the semester.
Case Study:
Each student will do an independent research project
related to sustainability and/or pollution prevention, write a paper, and
prepare a presentation. The topic for the paper will be how a government, private
business, educational institution, or private individual carried out a
project involving sustainability and/or pollution prevention. Presentations should
be prepared using Powerpoint, Prezi, or other presentation software so that they can be easily posted to the course
website. The oral portion of the presentation can be included using
a Notes feature (Powerpoint), can be recorded and embedded in the
presentation (Powerpoint) or can be recorded for playback over the Internet
using (similar to the course lectures) using cloud applications like
BrainShark.
A standard research paper format should be used.
This includes sections with descriptive headings, proper referencing of
material, a literature cited section, and a discussion and/or conclusions
section giving your analysis of what was learned from the project. The
research projects will be graded on Topic, Research, Analysis, and Style.
The Topic is how well the topic of the paper represents pollution
prevention/sustainability. See the paragraph below for more information. Research involves how much information was obtained on the topic and how it
was used. Research materials will almost certainly include web pages
but should also include books, journal articles, magazine articles, and so
forth as appropriate. Material consulted should
include the company being examined but also industry groups, competitors,
technology providers, etc. Analysis involves how well you were able to synthesize the
information you obtained and communicate it to your target audience,
the other students in the course. Style involves how well the
case study is written and includes organization, grammar, spelling,
punctuation, and so forth.
It's important that your topic be on preventing
pollution or becoming more sustainable. Topics related to a pollution event
like a spill, cleanup of pollution like remediation or an ongoing issue with
pollution are not appropriate. The topic should clearly relate to
sustainability.
Successful papers are generally in the 15 to 25 page range
double spaced and include more than 10 references with a blend of sources
(not all websites). They are well written, well organized and tell a
compelling story. Successful presentations are generally in the 15 to 25
slide range and include audio or extensive notes. Presentations should be planned to be of a length that, if
you delivered it in class, it would take about 15 to 20 minutes to present.
Tip: Try and keep audio on each slide fairly brief and energetic. If you go
on and on, it's tough to keep the attention of a distant audience. Not so successful papers and presentations tend to be short, disorganized,
and have grammar issues. Start early to be successful.
University of Idaho Classroom Learning Civility Clause
In any environment in which people gather to learn, it
is essential that all members feel as free and safe as possible in their
participation. To this end, it is expected that everyone in this course will
be treated with mutual respect and civility, with an understanding that all
of us (students, instructors, professors, guests, and teaching assistants)
will be respectful and civil to one another in discussion, in action, in
teaching, and in learning.
Should you feel our classroom interactions do not
reflect an environment of civility and respect, you are encouraged to
contact your instructor to discuss your concern. Additional resources
for expression of concern or requesting support include the Dean of Students
office and staff (5-6757), the UI Counseling & Testing Center’s confidential
services (5-6716), or the UI Office of Human Rights, Access, & Inclusion
(5-4285).
Evaluation:
