Week 1 - Learning Objectives |
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| Source* | specific learning objective These are concepts that you should know or know how to find quickly. |
| L | Describe the traditional scientific method. How is this modified a bit for environmental sciences. How does the scientific method build trust across different groups? How can we deal with non-quantitative aspects of environmental health? What is the difference between typical lab sciences and environmental science? How are values incorporated into environmental science approaches to problems?
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| L, R | State in words the components of the IPAT equation. How do each of the components of this equation contribute to the impact? Describe the four different types of problems we address (such as simple, information, etc. What is a "wicked" problem? How come we would focus so much on that type of problem in environmental science?
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| L | State the definition of a "trap" (obviously in the sense that we are using this in the course). Give an example that illustrates the key points of your definition. Explain how the nutrition vs. work example may illustrate a trap.
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| L, T | Describe several ways to change the world's environment including participation in small scale projects. What is a good example of a problem that needs to be addressed at the large scale? What are some of the dangers of large scale projects? How can you be personally engaged at a smaller - local scale? What can be the difference between the effect of a small stress on a healthy environment compared to the same small stress on an unhealthy environment? Describe what I mean by "multiple perspectives" in this course. List several of these tools.
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| T | Although human society is learning new things very rapidly, why might this be too slow? Be able to associate any of the nine viewers with the key aspects of the description or characteristic example. Describe the general benefit of addressing multiple perspectives rather than just one or two.
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| A | re: Material World video. Compared to the video about the families in the material world video, do any of the collections of stuff that these families has look attractive to you. Which ones and why or why not. re: visualizing your impact: Do you like to see the purpose of sorting this video out by the time in your life. re: visualing your impact - Give an example of how to calculate your impact on eggs or some other consumable. re: visualing your impact: What do they mean by the embedded energy in appliances. re: visualing your impact: What are some of the uses of paper that suprised you? re: water calculator - Describe the ratio of direct use of water to the embedded use. What was your ratio? What product could you reduce your use to save embedded water?
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| Analysis and Synthesis questions: These are the type of manipulations you should be able to perform; parse out the parts of the question, remember or find concepts that are useful, and then put those together into a coherent answer. |
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The negative impacts of diapers or milk are obviously the amount of materials used. What are some of the positive benefits that you should consider for these items? Which of these are easy to count or hard to count/quantify/measure? What if you had a new way to reduce the amount of some consumer good use in your neighborhood? Make up an example. How would you address the problem scientifically? How would you compare your comsumption level (for this product) to other neighborhood's or region's consumption levels? |
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*Sources are: L = lecture, T = on-line text, R = readings in Wikipedia or Encyclopedia of Earth, A = on-line videos or other activities |
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