GE Cluster/Environment M1-A,B,CW

The Global Environment

Sponsored by the UCLA Institute of the Environment

Lecture Schedule: Monday, Wednesday, Friday 11:00 a.m. to 11:50 a.m. - Dodd 121
Faculty: Wolfgang Buermann, Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences and Inst. of Env.
Randall Crane, Urban Planning
Cully Nordby, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Inst. of Env.
Keith Stolzenbach, Civil and Environmental Engineering

This course focuses on the conflict between human activities and the environmental protection and restoration essential to the long-term well being of Earth's human population.

Lectures

  • Four blocks of “basic” material each presented by one faculty member (2/3 of lecture time)
    • Ecology; Water quantity and quality; Air quality, climate change, energy; People and the environment
  • “Case Studies” of focused material presented by all faculty and guest lecturers (1/3 of lecture time)
    • Examples: Food from the sea; California water supply; Global climate change; The LA Environment
  • Visual aids - movies, Powerpoint presentations, etc.

Discussion Sections (20 students in each section)

  • Two hours per week, entirely conducted by Teaching Fellows
  • Resources: library, WWW, etc.
  • Follow-up discussions of lecture topics
  • Quantitative “labs” including a short write-up
  • Writing assignments
  • Exam reviews

Field Trips

  • All students participate in one field trip in the Fall and one field trip in the Winter
  • Examples: UCLA Stunt Ranch; Wetlands; Sewage reclamation/Landfill; Santa Monica Bay; LA River

Assigned Work and Exams

  • Class participation in discussion sections and field trips (10%)
  • Two or three lab write-ups (15%)
  • Writing assignments (25%); Three short papers in the Fall; one term paper in the Spring
  • Exams - closed book; Midterm - 1 1/2 hours (20%); Final - 3 hours (30%)

Spring Seminars

  • Conducted by faculty and Teaching Fellows; Maximum enrollment 20 per seminar
  • Topics for Spring 2008 (Spring 2009 is in the planning stage)
    • Toxic Metals in the Environment
    • Environmental Engineering in Los Angeles
    • Nature After Dark Nature After Dark
    • What Bit Me? Human Settlement and Insect-borne Disease
    • The Urban Environment: Urban Sprawl and Public Health in American Urban Areas
    • Dynamics of Climate and Health in Sub-Saharan Africa
    • Wilderness: The Social Construction and Political Economy of Nature

GE Credit

  • 1 Foundations of Scientific Inquiry in Life Science with lab/demonstration credit
  • 1 Foundations of Scientific Inquiry in Physical Science with lab/demonstration credit
  • 1 Foundations of Society and Culture in Social Analysis

Enrollment

  • Students should enroll in the GE CLST M1 sections rather than the Environment M1 sections

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