SYLLABUS

GEOG 22600 – Environmental Conservation: Resource Management

Fall 2015, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 5:35-6:25 p.m.
Room HN 1022
Instructor: Peter Matt email address:pm70@hunter.cuny.edu
Office Hours: Tuesdays, 4:30-5:30, Room HN 1032
Contact Policy
You may email me with any questions you have regarding the course material. You must include
“GEOG226” in the subject line and sign your full name as it appears in CUNYfirst. I respond only to signed email
messages sent from your @myhunter email address. I will reply to your email messages within 24 hours except over
the weekend when I will reply within 48. Do NOT email me the night before an assignment is due or the morning
of, as I will be unable to answer in time.

Brief description/Purpose of Course

We define our environment as Earth’s interconnected natural systems, the geosphere, hydrosphere,
atmosphere and biosphere. These systems and the processes which control them are fundamental to all life. We
can define natural resources as the combined benefits Earth provides to all species. Growth of human population
since the Industrial Revolution, along with technological change, has resulted in a condition of overshoot, defined
as the unsustainable depletion of natural resources. Environmental conservation is a range of activities whose goal
is the protection of natural resources. Resource management examines best practices for sustainable consumption
of those resources. This course examines the physical processes responsible for the production and replenishment
of natural resources, the interactions and feedbacks between Earth’s subsystems, and the impact of human
development on those subsystems. We pay special attention to the role of environmental science in accumulating
and analyzing the data essential to understanding the problems associated with overshoot. We also examine
political, economic and ethical aspects of addressing those problems.
We use a textbook for a basic outline of the principles and concepts fundamental to environmental science.
Supplemental readings, including newspaper articles, articles from popular magazines and scientific journals, and
book excerpts will provide us with examples of specific environmental issues that must be addressed if human
population is to be protected from future cataclysmic events. These range from local (subsidence of New Orleans
as a consequence of channelization of the Mississippi River) to regional (need to preserve biodiversity in tropical
forests) to global (climate change, exhaustion of arable land). We examine some of the solutions to environmental
problems available to society, assess their feasibility and discuss how citizens can contribute to implementing those
which are most likely to be effective.

Course Objectives
 Expose students to approximately 20 areas of research in which environmental scientists engage
 Make evident the complexity of environmental research due to the interconnected nature of Earth systems
 Describe natural resources in the context of ecosystems
 Present examples of contemporary environmental research
 Examine where environmental science and environmental policy connect or fail to connect with one
another
 Instill an appreciation of how coping with environmental problems may require changing how and where
we live
 Provide students with multiple opportunities to discuss concepts raised in class
 Provide students with multiple opportunities to demonstrate their mastery of those concepts

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Expected Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to answer questions similar to or related to those in the list below:
 What is environmental science? Why is environmental science necessarily interdisciplinary?
 What is the source of energy for life processes? Why is entropy important in understanding how physical
and biological systems harness energy?
 How is scientific data collected and analyzed? How can we assess the value of such data?
 What are natural resources? Which natural resources are renewable and which are not?
 What is sustainability? What is the relationship between development (growth of population and
consumption) and sustainability?
 What are ecosystem services? How does modern economic theory account, or fail to account, for those
services?
 What is ecology? How does it differ from environmental science?
 What is a natural hazard? What can be done to protect ourselves from them? Are natural hazards
predictable?
 What is pollution? Who is responsible for pollution? How can pollution be remedied?
 What are the expected consequences of climate change?
 How is environmental policy determined and at what levels of government? How can citizens have an
impact on environmental policy?

Required textbook:
Environment: The Science Behind the Stories, Jay Withgott and Matthew Laposata, 5th edition, 2014, Pearson
Education Inc. ISBN 13:978-0-32189742-8

Classroom policies
Class Preparation: Students are expected to have read the assigned material before coming to class. It is impossible
to have fruitful class discussions unless students have familiarized themselves with the topic in advance.
Cell phones and computers: Cell phones should be set to vibrate before class and are not to be used except as
calculators or for internet access related to class activities if requested by the instructor. If you have an urgent
reason to use your phone, take it outside the classroom. Earphones are not to be worn in the classroom.
Computers may be used in class for the sole purpose of taking notes or for internet access related to class activities
if requested by the instructor. Any other activities such as checking your email or social media, internet shopping,
etc. are not allowed.
Eating and drinking: No food is allowed in the classroom; non-alcoholic drinks are allowed. Be sure to remove any
beverage containers that you bring into the classroom.
Deportment: Students are expected to demonstrate civility and respect towards one another. Many environmental
issues are politically charged. Students are not likely to agree on all of these issues. Each student is encouraged to
express his or her views freely and at the same time to avoid attacking or offending those with whom they disagree.
It should be understood that views which are supported by scientific evidence are those to which we as a class
should pay most attention.

Attendance and Punctuality

Attendance is part of your class participation, so I take attendance at the beginning of every class. As your
instructor, it is my job to have prepared a full, 75-minute agenda prior to each class. I expect students to be present
for the entire class. Lateness is sometimes unavoidable but repeated lateness will be penalized. Please keep in mind
that late entry disrupts the classroom. If you miss the roll call, you can see me after class to explain your lateness
and I will decide whether or not to mark you present for that class.

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Course evaluation/grading
Exam 1 15%
Exam 2 15%
Exam 3 15%
Written Assignments (4) 25%
Group Project 20%
Class Participation (including attendance) 10%

Assignments
During the semester, students will write about four different topics. Each topic will include specific guidelines on
length and formatting. Consult the class schedule for the written assignment topics and due dates. Homework
turned in late will lose 10 points (100 point scale) for each day after the due date. After 5 days past the due date,
homework will not be accepted and a zero will be entered for the assignment. In addition, each student will prepare
a short individual presentation on an assigned reading.

Group Project
During the second week of class, groups will be organized to work collectively on a research project. At the first
group meeting, groups will decide upon a topic. All projects will meet the following criteria:
 Topics will be relevant to the course curriculum
 Projects will address a research question
 Projects will describe or design the methodology employed to answer the question
 Data collected, and its interpretation will be presented
 A conclusion will be drawn from the research
 Presentations of group work will be limited to 15 minutes per group and take place during the final two class
periods.
Groups will present their topics and an outline of proposed work for my approval prior to beginning the project.
Each group member will also submit an individual written report on the project. Guidelines for formatting of the
individual reports to be announced.

Class Participation
In addition to attendance, class participation will be judged on students’ contribution to class discussions and on
short (3 minute) oral commentaries on assigned supplemental readings. Each student will be responsible for one
oral commentary. Some supplemental readings will involve 2 student commentaries. Assignments for
commentaries will be made in the class period prior to the one in which the commentary is to be presented.

Exams
Make-up exams are NOT given except unless students can provide a documented reason for absence, e.g.
physician’s note. Make up exams may then be scheduled at a mutually convenient time.

Incomplete Grades
A final grade of IN (incomplete) is not available except under extraordinary, documented circumstances. You must
contact me within 48 hours of the scheduled day/time of the final exam and complete a Contract to Resolve an
Incomplete Grade. Otherwise, I will average your homework, exam, and class participation grades and record what
you have earned. To qualify for Credit/No Credit you must have completed all assignments, taken the three exams,
and have satisfactory attendance and participation. Credit/No Credit forms will be accepted up to 15 minutes prior
to the start time for the final exam. The Hunter College grading system will be used in this class and can be viewed
in the latest undergraduate catalog available online at http://catalog.hunter.cuny.edu/.

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Extra Credit
No extra credit is given in this course. Whatever effort you would put into an extra credit assignment, put instead
into completing all your assignments and studying for exams.

Hunter College Statement on Academic Integrity: Hunter College regards acts of academic dishonesty (e.g.,
plagiarism, cheating on examinations, obtaining unfair advantage, and falsification of records and official
documents) as serious offenses against the values of intellectual honesty. The College is committed to enforcing
CUNY Policy on Academic Integrity and will pursue cases of academic dishonesty according to the Hunter College
Academic Integrity Procedures. Plagiarism, dishonesty, or cheating in any portion of the work required for this
course will be punished to the full extent allowed according to Hunter College regulations.

ADA Policy: In compliance with the American Disability Act of 1990 (ADA) and with Section 504 of the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Hunter College is committed to ensuring educational parity and accommodations for all
students with documented disabilities and/or medical conditions. It is recommended that all students with
documented disabilities (Emotional, Medical, Physical, and/or Learning) consult the Office of AccessABILITY to
secure necessary academic accommodations.
Class Schedule
All supplemental readings, including those needed to complete homework assignments, are available from
Electronic Reserve at the library, http://hunter.docutek.com/eres. The course password is matt226.

DATE TEXTBOOK TOPIC AND SUPPLEMENTAL READING HOMEWORK HOMEWORK

CHAPTER, CLASS AGENDA
Th 8/27 Introduction to
Environmental Science, Ch. 1
T 9/1 Earth’s physical systems, Ch. 2
Th 9/3 Evolution, biodiversity and
population ecology, Ch. 3
ASSIGNMENT ASSIGNMENT
DUE
Wackernagel et al., 1999, National
natural capital accounting with the
ecological footprint concept
Why geology matters,
https://eos.org/articles/report-
makes-a-case-for-geologys-role-in-
policy-decisions; Steffen et al.,
2007, The Anthropocene: Are
Humans Now Overwhelming the
Great Forces of Nature?
Kolbert, 2013, The Lost World

T 9/8 Species interactions and Pace et al., 2010, Recovery of

community ecology, Ch.4. native zooplankton associated with
Group creation for class increased mortality of an invasive
project mussel
Th 9/10 No class-Monday schedule
T 9/15 Environmental systems and Schulte et al., 2009, Unprecedented Homework
ecosystem ecology, Ch. 5 Restoration of a Native Oyster assignment #1:
Metapopulation Hardin, 1968, The
Tragedy of the
Commons
Th 9/17 Ch. 5, cont’d. Vitousek et al., 1997, Human
alteration of the global nitrogen
cycle
T 9/22 No class
Th 9/24 Ethics, economics and Cobb et al., 1995, If the GDP is Homework
sustainable development, Ch.6 up, why is America down? assignment #1 due
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T 9/29 Environmental policy: making NYC DEP report on
decisions and solving hydrofracking, 2009
problems, Ch. 7
Th 10/1 Exam 1
T 10/6 Group meeting day
Th 10/8 Human population, Ch. 8 Hooke et al., 2012, Land
Transformations by Humans
T 10/13 Soil and agriculture, Ch. 9 Montgomery, 2007, Soil Erosion
and Sustainability
Th 10/15 Agriculture, biotechnology and Hole et al., 2004, Does Organic Homework
the future of food, Ch. 10 Farming Benefit Biodiversity? assignment #2:
Pollan, M., 2006,
The Omnivore’s
Dilemma (excerpt)
T 10/20 Biodiversity and conservation NY Times article “Climate Change
biology, Ch. 11 is Shrinking Where Bumblebees
Range”
Kerr et al., 2015, Climate change
impacts on bumblebees converge
across continents
T 10/22 Guest speaker, to be Homework
announced assignment #2 due
T 10/27 Forests, forest management Salmun, H., notes on forest
and protected areas, Ch. 12 succession
Edwards et al. 2011, Degraded
lands worth protecting: the
biological importance of Southeast
Asia's repeatedly logged forests
Th 10/29 Exam 2
T 11/3 The urban environment: Background to Metropolitics
creating sustainable cities, Ch. excerpt
13 Orfield, M., 1997, Metropolitics
(excerpt)
Th 11/5 Environmental health and Homework
toxicology, Ch. 14 assignment #3:
Davis, M., 2006,
Planet of Slums, Ch.
6
T11/10 Freshwater systems and Fischetti, M., 2001, Drowning New
resources, Ch. 15 Orleans
Reisner M., 1986, Cadillac Desert
(excerpt)
Th 11/12 Group meeting day Homework
assignment #3 due
T11/17 Marine and coastal systems Roberts et al. 2002, Marine
and resources, Ch. 16 Biodiversity Hotspots and
Conservation Priorities for
Tropical Reefs
Th 11/19 Atmospheric science, air
quality and pollution control,
Ch. 17
T 11/24 Global climate change, Ch. 18 Rignott, 2014, Widespread, rapid
grounding line retreat…(of West
Antarctic glaciers)
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Th 11/26 No class
T 12/1 Fossil fuels, their impacts and Homework
energy conservation, Ch. 19 assignment #4:
Brown and
Herendeen, 1996,
Embodied energy
analysis and
EMERGY analysis:
a comparative view.
Daily, G., et al.
2009, Ecosystem
services in decision
making: time to
deliver.
Th 12/3 New renewable energy Kempton and Komic, 2004,
alternatives, Ch. 21 Vehicle-to-grid power
fundamentals: Calculating capacity
and net revenue
T 12/8 Group presentations
Th 12/10 Group presentations
T 12/15 Reading day Homework
assignment #4 due
T 12/22 Exam 3, 7:30-9:30 Individual
presentations due