Office Hours: M, Tu & W 10-11 or by appointment.

Text: William M. Marsh and John M. Grossa, Jr., Environmental Geography: Science, Land Use and Earth Systems. Second Edition (New York: John Wiley and Sons).

Course Structure: This is a lecture and recitation course designed to survey global and regional issues at the interface of society and nature, with an emphasis on the social dimensions of environmental problems. The interaction of nature and society, and natural resources management, have long been themes in academic geography, and they evoke one of the profound questions of our times: What ought to be the relationship between humans and the natural environment? We attempt in lectures and recitations to address this in terms of the human transformation of earth, environmental problems, and social responses to these problems.

Lectures: Will cover a few key points each session, collated with the text. Brief lecture notes will be made available on the class website. A few lectures offer additional concepts not covered in the text, and are noted as "see lecture notes" on the syllabus. More extensive notes are available for these lecture.

Recitation sessions: Will focus through written exercises on issues and arguments in environmental geography (e.g., carrying capacity; the best international response to global warming; whether population growth should be slowed), problems (like hazardous waste) and land resource issues (like parks management). The sessions also allow for review and discussion of lecture material. A recitation topic is listed for each week on the syllabus. Written exercise are posted on the class website for printing out. Be sure to print out and bring the exercise sheet to the appropriate recitation session. Written exercises are due the week after they are discussed in recitation.

Learning Goals/Grading: Your goals are to learn the key perspectives on nature and society and the main points of the substantive themes (e.g., population and carrying capacity) and case studies. You should participate in recitation discussions, turn in all exercises, complete and on time. You should be able to answer straightforward multiple-choice, true-false and matching questions about the lecture, text, and recitation material on two 50 minute exams, a midterm and a final (for a total of 50% of final grade), as well as demonstrate your understanding and views in short answers and essays on ten recitation exercises (50% of final grade). Recitation grades will also reflect attendance and participation in the discussion (recitation grading will be described in the first session). The final exam is not cumulative in the traditional sense: it will cover the material after the mid-term, but some questions on the final might draw on key concepts presented in class before the midterm (e.g., carrying capacity). The final should only last an hour, like the mid-term, though you may have longer if you need it. The grading base begins with 10% increments per letter grade (it may be adjusted after the exams): 90-100% = A; 80-89% = B; 70-79% = C; 60-69% = D; <60% = F.

Our responsibilities to you are to present the material clearly and in an interesting way, stick to the class schedule (recognizing that the material and Travis’s lecture style may call for some drift, or that student requests for clarification might alter the schedule slightly at times), to respond to all of your requests for clarification and further explanation, and to grade you fairly. Your responsibilities include attending class and your recitation section regularly, taking good notes, asking questions where needed for clarification, making comments as appropriate to the material, and behaving in a way that allows other students to pay attention and take good notes (meaning not talking during class, nor making loud and disturbing arrivals and departures in mid-lecture). You should also adhere to campus policies on academic honesty, which will be discussed in class. See also the following memo to faculty from the Dean:

W-Aug. 27: Ways of thinking about nature and society (see lecture notes)

M-Sep. 1: Labor Day, no class (Monday recitations catch-up next week)

W-Sep. 3: Environment and Humanity in the 21^st Century (Chap 1)

M-Sep. 8: Human Use of the Earth (Chap 2, pp. 14-16; 23-27)

W-Sep. 10: The Role of Humans in the Natural Environment (see lecture notes)

M-Sep. 15: Environment, Land Use and Sustainable Development (Chap 3)

W-Sep. 17: Global Environmental Cycles and Systems (Chap. 5)

M-Sep. 22: Chap 5 continued

W-Sep. 24: The Spread of Development (Chap 4)

M-Sep. 29: Ecosystems (Chap 6)

W-Oct. 1: continued

[Note: Fall Break this week; no Thur and Fri recitations]

M-Oct. 6: Human Population (Chap. 7)

W-Oct. 8: continued

M-Oct. 13: Agriculture and Food Production (Chap 8)

W-Oct. 15: continued

M-Oct. 20: Energy Production, Use and Environment (Chap 9)

W-Oct. 22: cont

Recitation: Review and discussion

M-Oct. 27: Review

W-Oct. 29: Mid-term Exam

M-Nov. 3: Renewable Energy (Chap. 9: 172-185) and Global Warming (Chap 10, pp 197-203)

W-Nov. 5: Hydrologic Environment and Land Use (Chap 12)

M-Nov. 10: Hazardous Waste (Chap 14)

W-Nov. 12: continued

M-Nov. 17: Biological Diversity and Land Use

W-Nov. 19: cont.

M-Nov. 24: continue: Biodiversity; begin: Forests, Rangeland, Parks and Preserves (Ch 17)

W-Nov. 26: No Class: [Thur/Fri recitations held Tue/Wed this week]

M-Dec. 1: cont. Forests, Rangelands, Parks and Preserves (Chap 17)

W-Dec. 3: Managing the Global Environment (Chap 18)

M-Dec. 8: U.S. Environmental management Institutions (see lecture notes)

W-Dec. 10: catch-up, wrap-up, and review for final