Date: Wed, 12 Feb 1997 14:10:31 MST
From: Renee Buchanan [RBUCHAN@ssb1.saff.utah.edu]
University of Utah
Conservation of Natural Resources
Geography 335 "Environmental Conservation"
Spring 1995
Merrill Ridd, Instructor
How the class meets the eight criteria:
- Students will work directly with several agencies that have
agreed to provide service opportunities performing needed support for
on-going tasks and projects, for examples: updating land-use maps and
zoning maps, mapping wetlands, "windshield surveys" for business
developments, digitizing maps of streets and other features, etc.
For the Center for integrated Science Education students will help
prepare exhibits for the Leonardo and Gateway projects. Tree
planting, train improvement, and restoration, and educational
materials development will be carried out with organizations such as
Red Butte Gardens, Jordan River State Park, Farmington Bay Waterfowl
Management, U.S. Forest Service, Tree Utah, etc.
- A list of projects/activities will be prepared from which
students will select for their service. Each project of activity
will be tied quite directly to topics of the class, as indicated in
the attached syllabus. Only projects whose theme is a part of the
class will be listed.
- On Thursday of each week, time will be allocated during the
class period for specific discussion, as a whole and in groups,
regarding the service activity and its relationship to specific
course material and field trips. Also, a continuing journal will be
requested of each participating student. The journal will be
requested of each participating student. The journal will be
submitted on odd-numbered weeks beginning in week 1. The journal
will consist of two elements:
- what specific service are you performing and in what way does
it serve the agency or community? b) In what specific ways does it
relate to the subject matter of the course? These will be brief
journal entries.
- The Journal will provide some basis for assessment of the
service learning and its practical application. In addition, a term
paper will be expected of all students; for the service learning
students the topic of the term paper will be an elaboration of the
theme of the students' service to the agency, both the scientific
foundation and the application to environmental management and
community development.
- All agencies and organizations the students will be working
with have been contacted or will have been prior to the beginning of
the quarter, and their active and enthusiastic support and
involvement will have been assured. In every case, the appointed
person in the organization will be identified and will be involved in
the project definition, student supervision, and evaluation of
student performance and applicability of the service.
- Participating students will become aware of community needs and
operations and will become an active part of community development
through the respective projects and agencies they serve. Fortunately
they will also gain insights into career opportunities as they
engage in the infrastructure of community operations.
- The course work through the quarter covered the variety of
science principles that are fundamental to the agency/organization
missions and the projects the students will be performing. None of
the student activities will be outside the scope of the subject
matter of the course.
- Each Thursday students will interact in open discussion
regarding their service projects.
Week 1 Environmental Issues: Our changing environment, global and
local issues, roots of conservation, hunan stewardship
Week 2 Land, Ownership, Opportunity, & Ethics: Where did all this
federal land come from? Benefits & costs, individual opportunity v.
the common good
Week 3 Ecosystems: Components, structures and dynamics, global
environments, biomes, lofe zones, limiting factor
Week 4 Water: The water cycle, people, and the law, Balancing the
water buldge, Utah and the West
Exam I
Week 5: Soil and Minerals: Soil, non-renewable & non-recyclable
foundation of life. Minerals, non-renewable by recyclable
Week 6 Biomes and their managment: forests & rangeland: Paul Bunyon
v Smokey Bear. Wildlife, wilderness & multiple-use
Week 7 Urban environments: runaway urbanization .. . everywhere
environmental impacts and hazards
Week 8 Population and Food: Demographics, growth, and stress,
Agricultural evolution, devolution, or revolution?
Exam II
Week 9 Energy: No fuel like an old fuel, Energy/environmental
conflict; a look into the future
Week 10 Environmental quality and aesthetics: Air and water, human
habitability, sustainability, harmony