ENSC 280 - Humans and the Environment in California

Units: 3 ; Breadth Area: GE-B1; Sustainability
Human impacts on the biologic and geologic environment in California. Topics include climate change, resource needs and sustainability, waste issues, species diversity, and ecosystem degradation.

Equivalent Quarter Course: ENSC 2800 or ENSC 2801 or ENSC 2802.
Possible Instructional Methods: Entirely On-ground, or Entirely Online, or Hybrid.
Grading: A-F or CR/NC (student choice).
Breadth Area(s) Satisfied: GE-B1 - Lower Division Physical Science, Overlay - Sustainability
Course Typically Offered: Fall & Spring

Student Learning Outcomes - Upon successful completion of this course students will be able to:

Explain the interconnected biological, chemical, geologic, and physical systems that underpin natural and human systems in California.
Apply knowledge of matter and energy, and how concepts of matter and energy relate to “sustainability,” in understanding the interactions between human systems and natural systems.
Discuss the science that is relevant to a variety of environmental issues in California (e.g., climate change, water resources, waste management).
Consider the interactions between systems, as well as the perspectives of multiple stakeholders, in solving complex environmental problems.
Express themselves clearly in written and oral form on a topic of personal interest related to California and environmental issues.
Demonstrate broad science content knowledge in the physical sciences such as the nature and structure of matter, the conservation of energy and matter, and how physical science concepts relate to environmental issues such as climate change and resource use.
Apply quantitative skills (such as statistics, mathematics and the interpretation of numerical graphical data) to environmental science problems.
Demonstrate a general understanding of the nature of science, the methods applied in scientific investigations, and the value of those methods in developing a rigorous understanding of the physical world.
Students should be able to identify the difference between science and other fields of knowledge.

B1. Physical Science Learning Outcomes

Demonstrate knowledge of scientific theories, concepts, and data about the physical sciences;
demonstrate an understanding of scientific practices, including the scientific method; and
describe the potential limits of scientific endeavors, including the accepted standards and ethics associated with scientific inquiry.

Sustainability Overlay Learning Outcomes

identify the environmental, social, and economic dimensions of sustainability, either in general or in relation to a specific problem;
analyze interactions between human activities and natural systems;
describe key threats to environmental sustainability; and
explain how individual and societal choices affect prospects for sustainability at the local, regional, and/or global levels.