UNIVERSIDAD IBEROAMERICANA

UNIBE

Mission: To promote academic excellence, research, and the development of highly qualified professionals with the required leadership, creativity, and ethical values to succeed in an ever changing local and global environment.

Values: Meaningful learning, Self-regulated learning, and Cooperative learning.

Academic Pillars: Leadership, entrepreneurship, creativity, innovation, competencybased instruction, community service.

I. GENERAL INFORMATION

CAREER : BBA IN INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS

SUBJECT : ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

SECTION : 007

CODE : CGC-120

PRE-REQUIREMENTS : NONE

CREDITS : 3

THEORETICAL HOURS : 2

PRACTICE HOURS : 2

SCHEDULE : Tue 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM and

Thu 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM

FACILITATOR / A : Carlos A. Sanlley; Ph.D.

E-MAIL : c.sanlley1@unibe.edu.do;

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ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

II. COURSE DESCRIPTION

Environmental Science is a theoretical-practical interdisciplinary course which combines ideas and basic knowledge from the natural sciences (biology, ecology, and geology) and the social sciences (economics, politics, and ethics) to present a general view of environmental components and how everything in nature is interconnected. Current environmental concerns at the global, national, and local levels will be analyzed and discussed.

Human activity in disrupting natural systems and strategies for promoting environmental health will be emphasized. Fundamental concepts and principles in environmental science, matter and energy, studies of populations, natural resources and their misuse, pollution, climate change, sustainable development, local and international environmental management policies and agreements will be studied, as students identify and relate their knowledge of business planning to incorporate sustainable environment strategies.

The underlying themes focus on: science as a process, energy conversions is at the core of all ecological systems; all systems are deeply interconnected; humans disrupt the earth’s systems; environmental systems’ disruption have a social and cultural context; and ultimately, humans have a responsibility to develop sustainable practices for their own and all other species’ survival.

By the end of this course the students is expected to:

Value the importance of all living organisms and their interactions with the non-living environment to maintain harmonious natural and social systems.

Understand the interaction between environmental disruption, poverty, human population growth, and human health quality.

Recognize different sources of energy, their limits, advantages, and disadvantages.

Contribute to the sustainable development of the local and global community and to reduce the human impact on the environment.

Draw on different points of view and be able to formulate their own conclusions on environmental issues.

III. COURSE OBJECTIVES At the end of the academic term, the student should be able to:

Develop an appreciation of nature and the environment in order to solve environmental issues and protect their environment.

Identify how Environmental Science relates to objective business policies

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Understand the basic phenomena that take place in the ecosystems including the flows of energy and matter and the relationships among them

Describe the effects of pollutants on ecosystem structure and function

Analyze the human population change and the development of industries and its impact on the environment, biodiversity, natural resource availability.

Analyze the main global and local environmental problems and how they have evolved due to the interaction with social, economical and political issues.

Apply the learned environmental concepts to contribute to the improvement of the quality of human life.

Examine national and local government and international organizations policies and actions for environmental protection and resources management for sustainable development.

Examine the critical role of technology in understanding and addressing ecological issues and reassess their own culture’s “terms with the environment.”

Describe the concept of sustainability, and how it applies to solutions to environmental problems.

IV. COURSE CONTENTView the Schedule of Lectures at the end of this Syllabus

FIRST PERIOD

*Unit 1* General Concepts (2 weeks)

Introduction. Environmental Science and Key Concepts

Historical interactions between human and the rest of nature. The realms of Ecology and Environmental Science.

Global and local environmental problems: Causes, effects and solutions

Environment, development and life quality.

*Unit 2* Ecological Principles (3 weeks)

Levels of organization in nature

Ecosystem: Structure and function, biotic and abiotic factors

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Energy flow: Photosynthesis and respiration, trophic chains, webs and pyramids

Matter flow: Hydrological cycle and other cycles (Carbon, Nitrogen)

Biomes

*Unit 3* Population (2 weeks)

Human ecosystems: rural and urban ecosystems in developed and developing countries. Hunger and Global Inequality

Population density, birth, death, migration and growth rates. Types of population growth: Earth Carrying capacity

Human populations at the local and global levels. Interactions among population size, social, economical, political, and health quality issues. Is sustainable development possible?

SECOND PERIOD

*Unit 4* Natural resources and services (3 weeks)

Local and global natural resources: Renewable and non-renewable. Biodiversity, air, water, minerals

Ecosystem services

Energy and matter, needs of all living organisms Human “wants” versus human “needs”.

Strategies for natural resource conservation

*Unit 5* Human activities that cause environmental degradation (2 weeks)

Sustainable development. Environmental management policies.

Pollution and other types of degradation

Causes and consequences of soil degradation

Causes and local and global consequences of air degradation

Causes and local and global consequences of water scarcity and pollution

How is the Dominican Republic dealing with these problems?

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*Unit 6* Politics, ethics, and actions needed to prevent environmental degradation (3 weeks)

Food Politics and ethics in environmental management.

Environmental management: National and international regulations and agreements. Dominican Republic environmental organizations and legislation:

Environmental protection International organizations and agreements (CITES, ESTOCOLMO, BASIELA, CONVENIO DE VIENA, CMS, PROTOCOLO DE MONTREAL, DESERTIFICACION, RAMSAR, CDB, CONVENIO DE ROTTERDAM, UNFCCC .

V. UNIBE VIRTUAL ASSIGNMENTS

The students should check periodically the platform for the following types of assignments:

Readings Essays Quizzes Glossary Questionnaires Forums/blogs

VI. METHODOLOGY

This course will make use of debates, brainstorming sessions, videos, and collaborative work in the classroom. The active participation of the students is a must. The course will involve group work, presentations, and critical writing assignments where students will research information, and read articles assigned in order to complement textbook reading, present information in interesting ways, and lead discussions.

VII. Institutional Resources

UNIBE’s Library Online Teaching Platform (Aula Virtual) Computer and projector DVDs and video Internet services

VIII. COURSE POLICY

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Attendance and Punctuality are important to become disciplined as future professionals. The Institution requires a minimum of 80% attendance per course (maximum 3 days absent). A student that arrives after the first 10 minutes of the class session and within the next 5 minutes is considered LATE, and is considered ABSENT if he/she arrives after the first 15 minutes of the class session. Two times LATE is equivalent to one ABSENCE.

Cell phones, headphones, iPods, MUST be turned off during class. If you have an emergency situation that requires you to have a phone turned on, place it in vibrating mode and tell the professor before class starts.

If you need to discuss something with a classmate, please meet outside of class. Disrupting discussions for personal conversation is impolite and deters from maximizing instructional time and objectives.

Working in teams and collaboration with classmates is required.

General proper behavior and respect for your professor, classmates, and university properties are a must.

Students are expected to show integrity and academic honesty. Conduct considered fraudulent, disrespectful, and lacking integrity, as listed in articles 9 through 17 of the Student Regulations Manual will not be tolerated. Plagiarism (using another person’s work without authorization, or giving proper credit), will result in no credit for the work plagiarized, and in addition, will be reported to the Department Director for proper action.

IX. EVALUATION SYSTEM

The final grade is based on technical writing exercises (60%), project or field report (10%) and online quizzes (30%).

X. CONSIDERATION FOR TH EVALUATION PROCESS

1st Period % 2nd Period %_________________________ ________________________________Essays 20 Essays 40

Field Research Report* 10Quizzes 20 Quizzes 10

________________________ ________________________________Total 40 Total 60

*A Community Service activity may be required.

XI. EVALUATION POLICY

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Essays: As part of the institutional mandate to improve the writing skills of future professionals, this class requires students to harness their critical thinking and comprehension skills through multiple written assignments throughout the semester. For this class, six (6) Essay assignments will be scheduled during the semester. These essays will be graded on their level of conciseness and clarity of arguments used to prove the thesis developed from the assigned topics. Grammatical errors (punctuation, spelling, sentence structure, etc) will not be corrected by the professor; however it is expected that these errors are minimal or not present. The professor reserves the right to return assignments that have poor grammar or on which grammatical errors obscure the clarity of the work. The use of electronic spellcheckers and dictionaries is highly recommended.

The Essays should follow all the format and structure described by American Psychological Association (APA). For more information on APA please visit your school’s Writing Center.

To help students through there writing assignments the BBA has created a Writing Center located at the BBA office. It is mandatory that all students visit the Writing Center; in order to complete this course, all students should attend the Writing Center at least 3 times throughout the semester.

Field report: During the Second period students will be required to visit a site in the Dominican Republic facing an environmental problem that relates to the topics discussed in class or through written exercises, and conduct a field report on the problem along with a proposal for changing/eliminating the problem in the area. Field Trip is Mandatory to all students.

Project/Report: Students that have a legitimate written excuse accepted by the professor prior to the class Field Trip will be assigned a Project or Report to make up the required points. The length, topic, and due dates for this assignment will be given by the professor . It is the student’s responsibility to approach the professor about assigning the report/project in a timely fashion.

Quizzes: 3 total quizzes will be administered covering material from the class discussions, presentations, and assigned readings. The tests are intended to help you learn the course material and analyze issues and information. Quizzes will be assigned and graded through the university’s online platform. Professor will specify the dates and time requirements to complete them.

Community Service Activity: This course may require students to create or be involved in an activity directed towards the service or education of the local, non UNIBE, community. Your professor will inform you of if and when this activity will be required and scheduled.

XII. Textbooks:Revised: May 2013By: C. Sanlley 7

Miller Jr., G. T, and Spoolman S. E. Environmental Science 13th Ed. (2010), Brooks/Cole Cengage Learining

Miller Jr., G. T and Spoolman S. E. Essentials of Ecology 6th Ed. (2012), Brooks/Cole Cengage Learining

Thompson, G.R. and Turk, J. Earth (2011), Brooks/Cole Cengage Learning

Davis, M.L. and Masten, S.J. Principles of Environmental Engineering and Science 2nd Ed. (2009) McGraw-Hill, Higher Education

Masters, G.M., Introduction to Environmental Engineering and Science 2nd Ed. (1998); prentice Hall. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458

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Schedule of Activities

Dates Topics Assignments

1st Period Introduction & the Class Syllabus.

 Essay on the intercon-nectivity of environmen-

tal systemsUnit 1

Week of May 6th-10th

Historical Interactions bet. Humans and Nature.Ecology vs. Environmental ScienceScience as a processEcological PrinciplesLevels of Organization Ecosystems: Structure & FunctionThemes: Science as a processAll systems are interconnected

Unit 2 From May 13th – 24th

Ecosystem Services

 Essay: Human effect on bio/geo/chemical cy-

cles

Energy Flow: Photosynthesis, Respiration, trophic levels, webs & Pyramids

Hydrological cycle and other cyclesBiomesThemes: Energy conversionAll systems are interconnected

Unit 3From May

27th to June 7th

Population: Are there too many people?

Essay: Effect of popula-tion growth and lifestyle the Dominican Ecologi-

cal landscape

Human Ecosystems: rural & urban devel-opment (developed &developing countries)

Types of Population Growth. Earth’s carry-ing capacity

Interaction among population size, social, economic, political, and health quality is-sues

Is Sustainable Development possible?

Theme: Social & cultural Context

2nd PeriodMatter & Energy: How does greenhouse warning work?

 Essay: Reduction of af-fluence as a means to reduce environmental

footprint

Unit 4June 10th -

21st

Natural Resources (local & Global)

Renewable & nonrenewable resources, biodiversity, air, water, minerals

The Problem of Affluence: Human needs vs. wants.

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Human Activities & Environmental Degra-dation

Unit 4

PollutionSoil Degradation

Themes: Environmental Disruption

Social & cultural context

Unit 5June 24th –

July 5th

Water Scarcity & Pollution-causes and lo-cal & global consequences

Essay: How a change in the economic structure

will affect environmental policy

Food Resources & Production Systems Dependence on fossil fuels and inefficient food systems.Strategies for Resource ConservationEthics and actions needed to prevent envi-ronmental degradationThemes: Political and Economic Context

Unit 6 July 8th -16th

The Impact of Technology: Genetically Modified Foods: GMO

Essay: How can we live more sustainably?

The political economy of foodWhat is the best way to feed the world?Theme: Human Responsibility for sustain-able environmental practices

July 19th Final Exam Study and Take Exam

References

Boom and Bust: Bird Stories for a Dry Country. Retrieved from URL: ttp://fennerschool.anu.edu.au/publications/books/boom_and_bust.php. The Australian National University.

Butler, Rhett A. Profit Seeking Capitalists: Do You Know Anyone With Capital? Africa Needs It! Retrieved from UNEP/GRID-Arendal. http://www.grida.no/publications/et/ep5/page/2365.aspx.

Carr, E. R., Kettle, N. P. and Hoskins, A. (2009) 'Evaluating poverty-environment dynamics',International Journal of Sustainable Development & World Ecology, 16: 2, 87 — 93.

Crump, John. Global Forecast-The Climate Is Changing. Retrieved from UNEP/GRID-Arendal:

http://www.grida.no/publications/et/ep5/page/2365.aspx.

Environmental Data Section of the Data Distribution Centre (DDC) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Retrieved December 1, 2010 from http://www.ipcc-data.org/ddc_co2.html.

Jakobsen, S. (2008). Environmental Indicators in the Encyclopedia of Earth retrieved on November 30, 2010 from http://www.eoearth.org/article/Environmental_indicators.

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Nieves López Izquierdo Cartographer. Emissions per GDP in Latin America and the Caribbean, 2005 (ex-cludes land use change). (2010). In UNEP/GRID-Arendal Maps and Graphics Library. Retrieved 00:16, December 9, 2010 from http://maps.grida.no/go/graphic/emissions-per-gdp-in-latin-america-and-the-caribbean-2005-excludes-land-use-change.

Terghborh, John. Requiem For Nature. Island Press, Washington, D.C. 1999.

Thein Durning, A. & Ayers, E. (1994). The History of a Cup of Coffee. World Watch. Retrieved Dec. 09, 2010 from www.sdearthtimes.com/et0295/et0295s1.html.

UN Development Programme. Energy & Environment. Retrieved Dec .10, 2010 from http://www.undp.org/energyandenvironment.

Carson, Rachel (2002) [1st. Pub. Houghton Mifflin, 1962].Silent Spring. Mariner Books. ISBN 0-618-24906-0.

Internet Resourceswww.ipcc-data.org/ddc_co2.htmlwww.discoverlife.orgwww.nwf.org/international/popwww.panda.orgwww.peopleandplanet.netwww.prb.org/enviromentwww.unep.net/profilewww.unep.org/geo/geo3www.wri.orgwww.undp.org/http://www.epa.gov/www. ambiente .gob.do/ www.gcrio.org/CONSEQUENCES/spring95/Water.html http://inhabitat.com/ http://www.greenfacts.org/en/index.htm

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