Environmental Science introduces the scientific, socio-political, and technological dimensions of environmental problems that pose unprecedented challenges to humanity and the environment: climate change, biodiversity loss, and providing food and water for over 8 billion people. In this class, we will examine fundamental changes in the biosphere, and their implications for climate, land, water, and species, while emphasizing a systems-view of problems and potential solutions.
Over the coming semester, we will look at environmental issues at a local and global scale, examining how individual and collective decisions lead to environmental changes. We will use case studies to illustrate the different dimensions of environmental problems. In the laboratory, you will learn some core techniques for environmental science, including the use and analysis of spatial and environmental data, as well as the uncertainty and limitations of real-world data.
By the end of the course, a successful learner will be able to:
Lecture location: Seaver South Room 121
Lab location: Edmunds 229 (or Bernard Field Station South Outdoors Classroom when noted)
Lecture Schedule: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 8:10-9:25am PT
Lab Schedule: Tuesdays 1:15-5:00pm PT
Office Hours: I am always happy to talk to you. My open-doors office hours will typically be Thursdays 1:30-3:30pm. If these times do not work for your schedule, please reach out via Slack.
Prerequisites: None
Readings: This course will use a combination of the primary literature, popular science books, and textbooks, chief among them Living in the Environment (LITE for short). Please note that you do not need to purchase Living in the Environment – all readings will be available online.
I welcome individuals of all ages, backgrounds, beliefs, ethnicities, genders, gender identities, gender expressions, national origins, religious affiliations, sexual orientations, ability – and any other visible and non-visible differences. As an instructor, I strongly emphasize student agency; this class is your learning journey, and as such, I expect students to take leadership in their own learning and to keep track of assignments and examination dates. I expect we will respectfully consider differing opinions and engage in constructive discourse. As such, I expect that everyone will help create a collegial environment where all students feel welcome and their rights to learn are respected. Please refer to the Pomona College Student Code for official policy.
Digital ethics: One of the tools we will use from time to time in this course is Zoom. To facilitate access, I may occasionally record Zoom meetings. I will inform students when recordings are in progress. I expect that students in my class will respect one another and my privacy. To that end, students in EA 30 will not record any other member of the class–including the instructor–without obtaining their consent in advance. Students in EA 30 will also not share information about other members of this course in any type of public fora, such as social media. As the instructor, I own the copyright to my instructional materials. These materials cannot be distributed in whole or in part to any person or entity other than other members of the current class without my prior written consent.
I will strive to provide an equitable and inclusive learning environment. My overarching goal is to help you succeed in your exploration of environmental science. To that end, you can expect me to be responsive to your feedback and ideas about course content and design.
A key component of my role as an instructor is office hours. During office hours, I am available to help you work through any problems, questions, or thoughts you have about the course. I am also more than happy to chat about broader questions such as career paths in environmental science, ecology, and conservation, next steps after Pomona College/the Claremont Colleges, or other academic or professional topics of interest to you.
Office hours, email, and class Slack channel: During office hours, I am available to help you work through any problems, questions, or thoughts you have about the course. If you would like to discuss a particular problem or topic that would benefit from preparation on my part, please give me advance notice via Calendly.
I have email boundaries and I encourage you to find your own. Mine
include not answering emails after 5pm, or on weekends or holidays.
Finally, I request that emails only be used for interactions that are
truly one-on-one (e.g. requesting extensions to assignments or
accomodations); in general, to help create an atmosphere of transparency
and group learning, I request that questions about content and
assignments be directed to the #ea30f24 Slack channel.
Learning diversity & accommodations: Pomona College welcomes and accommodates students with disabilities. As your instructor, I aim to see you succeed in your growth as an environmental scholar. If you encounter obstacles to your success, please let me know immediately so that we can work together to identify ways to overcome any limitations of current course design. If you feel you need a reasonable accommodation to participate in this class, complete course requirements, or benefit from the College’s programs or services, you are also welcome to contact the student accessibility resource office at your College to begin this conversation or to establish accommodations for this or other courses.
Below is a list of the relevant accessibility resource offices at each of the Colleges:
Writing center and student support services: I urge all students to make use of your home campus’ Writing Center and other student support services. A list of relevant resources in included below. For example, the Writing Center is a great resource to workshop and improve your writing whether that is for classwork, for public consumption (e.g. op-eds), graduate school or funding applications, or any other domain.
All students in any Pomona class are welcome to use the Pomona College Center For Speaking, Writing, and the Image and I strongly encourage you to take advantage of this great resource.
Late assignments: When assignments are handed in late without prior notice, I reserve the right to apply a grade deduction penalty (1 grade reduction for each day late).
Academic integrity: Academic honesty is a core value of Pomona College and the Claremont Colleges. Plagiarism undermines academic integrity and is a threat to communal ethics. I will assign plagiarized assignments a failing grade and will report any instance of plagiarism to the College.
Please note that this schedule is subject to change; this syllabus is very much a living document that will change to reflect the unique conditions of this semester. I reserve the right to exercise some flexibility in scheduling, usually in favor of giving more time to students.
| Week | Date | Topic | Readings | Lab |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8/27 | Introduction to environmental science | LITE 1, 3.4 (pages 57-59), 7.1-7.2; Steffan et al. 2015; Boyd 2015 | RStudio.Cloud setup; PocketLab Air Setup |
| 2 | 9/3 | Climate change & air pollution; library tour | LITE 18.1-18.2, 18.4-18.5, 19.1-19.3, Washington 2019 excerpt of Chapter 3 | PocketLab Air experiment; Purple Air data download |
| 3 | 9/10 | Nonrenewable energy | LITE 15 & McKinney 7 excerpt | Analyzing PurpleAir data; (tentative) SCAQMD visit |
| 4 | 9/17 | Renewable energy, climate adaptation/mitigation | McKinney 8 excerpt, EITHER LITE excerpt (18.6, 19.4-5) OR Kolbert 2021 interview, Taiwo interview | Air quality - drafting presentations |
| 5 | 9/24 | Environmental issues as collective action problems and guest lecture from Buff Brown (SCAQMD) | LITE 18.7, 19.4, Dietz et al. 2003, Hardin 1968, TedEd video | Bioacoustics lab |
| Air quality lab due | ||||
| 6 | 10/1 | Biodiversity overview & guest lecture from Lauren Chronister (University of Pittsburgh) | LITE 4 | Bioacoustics lab |
| Exam #1 | ||||
| 7 | 10/8 | Global crop production | Godfray et al. 2010; Foley et al. 2011; LITE 3.3, 3.4, 12.1-12.4 | Bioacoustics lab |
| 8 | 10/15 | Human demography and global crop demand; guest lecture from Michael Levin (Columbia University) | LITE 6, Rosa et al. 2004, Pontecorvo 2020, Searchinger 2009, Levin et al. 2023, NYT 2024 | Fall break Tuesday - no lab |
| Note: due to fall break, the LITE 6, Rosa, Pontecorvo, and Searchinger readings will likely be covered in week 9. | ||||
| 9 | 10/22 | Land use and land management impacts on the environment | LITE 12.3, 12.4, Jeezer et al. 2019; Warren-Thomas et al. 2019; Runting et al. 2019 | Bioacoustics lab |
| 10 | 10/29 | Designing a better food system | West et al. 2014; LITE 12.5-12.6 | Bioacoustics/social media lab |
| 11 | 11/5 | The hydrological cycle and freshwater resources | LITE 3.4, 13.1-13.2 | Social media lab |
| Bioacoustics lab due | ||||
| 12 | 11/12 | Stressors to water quality and quantity, guest lectures from Maya Higa (Twitch) and Sudhir Lay (City of Long Beach) | LITE 20, Pew Trend Magazine 2019 | Social media lab |
| Exam #2 | ||||
| 13 | 11/19 | Water quality and quantity continued, guest lecture from Lauren Guite (ReVision Energy, EDF) | Social media lab | |
| 14 | 11/26 | Catch-up day | ||
| Thanksgiving Break (no class) | ||||
| 15 | 12/3 | Class retrospective | ||
| Final presentations in lab | ||||
| 12/10 | Final exam (take-home, can be done remotely) |