Spring 2009

(updated: 1/20/09)

NSci 1051: State of the Planet

Instructor: Dr. Peter H. Wyckoff

Office: Science 1375

Phone: x6347

E-Mail: wyckoffp@mrs.umn.edu

Web Page: http://cda.mrs.umn.edu/~wyckoffp/

Class: MWF 1:00-2:05, Sci 2190

Office Hours: M 2:05-3:00, W 8:30-10:00, 2:05-3:00, F 10:30-11:30

Description

This course will introduce you to the planet Earth (perhaps you have met already?). We will first develop a basic understanding of how the planet works as a physical and biological system. Next, we will examine the human impact on the physical world, with a focus on four areas: agriculture, energy use, climate change, and toxic pollutants. We will finish the course with an exploration of the social and economic aspects of environmental issues. THIS IS GOOD STUFF!! In this course you will gain the sort of knowledge you need to graduate as a good, liberally educated citizen who has witty, earnest, and informed things to say at dinner parties.

General Education Requirements: This course fulfills the “global village, people and the environment (ENVT)” requirement.

Readings

Required Texts:

Broecker, W. and W. Kunzig. 2008. Fixing Climate. Hill and Wang, 272 p.

Davis, D. 2002. When smoke ran like water. Basic Books, New York, 336 p.

Neither of these books is a “textbook.” Both are highly readable popular press books related to a broad theme of the course.

Readings on reserve:

Avery, D. 2000. Saving the world with plastic and pesticides: the environmental triumph of high yield farming (2^nd ed). Hudson Institute, Indianapolis.

Bryson, B. 2003. A short history of nearly everything. Broadway Books, New York.

Bush, M. B. 2003. Ecology of a changing planet (3^rd ed). Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ.

Diamond, J. 2008 . What is your consumption factor? New York Times (2 Jan. 2008)

Economist. 2004a. More or less equal? (13 Mar. 2004)

Economist. 2004b. Food for thought (31 July 2004)

Economist. 2007a. Nuclear power: atomic renaissance. (8 Sept. 2007)

Economist. 2007b. Coal power: still going strong. (17 Nov 2007)

Economist. 2007c. Cheap no more (8 Dec 2007)

Economist. 2008. Winds of change (6 Dec 2008)

Enserink, M. 2008 Tough lessons from golden rice. Science, 320, 468-471.

Fallows, J. 2007. China makes, the world takes. The Atlantic (July/August 2007)

Goebel, T. 2008. The late Pleistocene dispersal of modern humans in the Americas. Science, 319, 1497-1501.

Hardin, G. 1968. The tragedy of the commons. Science 162: 1243-1248.

IPCC. 2007a. Climate Change 2007: The physical science basis (summary for policymakers). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

IPCC. 2007b. Climate Change 2007: Impacts, adaptation, and vulnerability (summary for policymakers). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

IPCC. 2007c. Climate Change 2007: Mitigation of climate change (summary for policymakers). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

Kahn, J. and M. Landler. 2007. China grabs west’s smoke-spewing factories. New York Times (21 Dec 2007)

Kaiser, J. 2005. Mounting evidence indicts fine-particle pollution. Science 307: 1858-1861.

Kerr, R. 2008a. World oil crunch looming? Science, 322, 1178-1179.

Kerr, R. 2008b. Is battered arctic sea ice down for the count? Science, 318, 33-34.

Kolbert, E. 2007. Unconventional crude. The New Yorker (12 Nov 2007)

Levy, S. 2002. The antibiotic paradox. Perseus Publishing, Cambridge, MA.

Lomborg, B. 2001. The skeptical environmentalist. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

Longman, P. 2004. The global baby bust. Foreign Affairs (May/June 2004).

Mann, C. C. 2008. Ancient earthmovers of the Amazon. Science 321: 1148-1152.

Pollan, M. 2003. The (agri)cultural contradictions of obesity. NYT Magazine (Oct. 12, 2003):

Pulliam, H. and N. Haddad. 1994. Human population growth and the carrying capacity concept. Bull. Ecol. Soc. Am. 75(3):141-157.

Rauch, J. 2003. Will frankenfood save the planet? The Atlantic 292 (3): 103-108.

Runge, C. and B. Senauer. 2007. How biofuels could starve the poor. Foreign Affairs (May/ June 2007).

Shell, E. 2000. Does civilization cause asthma? The Atlantic 289: 90-100.

Specter, M. 2006. The last drop: confronting the global water shortage. The New Yorker (23 Oct. 2006)

Specter, M. 2008. Big foot. The New Yorker (25 Feb. 2008)

Steingraber, S. 1998. Living downstream. Vintage, New York.

Vandenbergh, J. G. 2003. Prenatal hormone exposure and sexual variation. American Scientist 91: 218-225.

Vitousek, P. et al. 1986. Human appropriation of the products of photosynthesis. BioScience 36: 368-373.

Wackernagel, M. et al. 2002. Tracking the ecological overshoot of the human economy. PNAS 99: 9266-9271.

Wheelan, C. 2002. Naked economics. W. H. Norton, New York.

Due Dates for Assignments and exams

1. Assignment 1: Three page response paper based on Mann 2002. Due: Feb 6

2. Exam 1: Feb 11

3. Assignment 2: 5 page response paper based on Broecker and Kunzig 2008. Due: Mar. 2

4. Exam 2: March 11

5. Exam 3: April 10

6. Assignment 3: 5 page paper based on Davis 2002. Due: April 24.

7. Assignment 4: Ecological footprint exercise. Due: May 8

8. Assignment 5: Ecology in the news. Due: varies

9. Final Exam: Mon, May 11, 1:30-3:30

Grades

Attendance and participation 100

(includes 6 reading quizzes-10 pts each)

Assignments:

Mann 2002 response paper 60

Fixing Climate response paper 120

When Smoke Ran Like Water response paper 120

Ecological footprint exercise 60

Ecology in the news 60

Assignments Subtotal 420

Exams

Hourly Exam 1 100

Hourly Exam 2 100

Hourly Exam 3 100

Hourly Exam 4 (During Final) 100

Cumulative Portion of Final 80

Exam Subtotal 480

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Total 1000 pts

At worst: A = 90-100%; B = 80-90%; C = 70-80%; D = 60-70%; F < 60%.

I may curve up, but I will not curve down.

Grade expectations

Satisfactory work demonstrating a simple, but largely complete, grasp of the course material will receive a “C.” An “A” or a “B” requires you to demonstrate more thought and sensitivity to nuance.

Partial credit on problems and calculations will only be given if you show your work. If I explicitly ask you to show your work on a homework or exam problem, then a mere answer is not enough (even a correct answer)—you must show me how you reached your answer.

On average, this course should require 12 hours a week of work (4 credits* 3 hours a week per credit). That means that you should expect to work an average of 8 hours a week outside of class. If the work associated with this class appears to be either too light or excessive, please let me know.

Policy on incomplete grades

In accordance with University policy, incomplete grades will only be awarded under extraordinary circumstances. Normally, I will only consider awarding an incomplete in cases where illness or family emergency prevent a student from completing the last assignments in a course (end of the semester projects, final exams, etc.). You can only be eligible for an incomplete if your average on all graded, completed work is greater than an F.

Attendance policy

Lecture attendance is not mandatory, but I will take attendance and deduct 5 participation points for each unexcused absence. Tests will be based primarily on material covered in class.

Excused absences will be granted for family emergencies, illness, varsity athletic events, and other official university functions. Written documentation for excused absences must be submitted and can be obtained from health services or chancellor’s office.

Late work policy

Unless otherwise specified, assignments will be turned in at the beginning of class on the day they are due (though they will not be counted as late if in by 5:00). Late assignments lose 20% of their value for each day or portion of a day they are late (not counting weekends). For example, if an assignment is due on a Friday, and you turn it in Tuesday, the assignment is 2 days late and thus only worth 60% of its original value.

Policy on Academic Honesty

I have no tolerance for cheating or plagiarism. Any paper, assignment or examination showing signs of academic dishonesty will be investigated. If I suspect dishonesty, I will notify the student that we must meet to discuss the matter. Failure to respond to a request for such a meeting will be taken as an admission of guilt. The standard penalty for dishonesty will be a grade of “0” on the assignment in question. In egregious cases, I will give an “F” for the course grade. In accordance with University policy, I will report any penalties levied to the vice chancellor for student affairs. Penalized students then have the right to appeal.

Any work submitted by a student must be written in his or her own words (i.e. you cannot simply copy or paraphrase textbooks, other written sources, or work submitted by other students). In the case of group work submitted with multiple names, I will assume that all have contributed equally. For homework and problem sets, I encourage students to work together, but that cannot mean that one student simply copies from another.

Recycled paper and two-sided printing

I encourage you to save paper by printing typed assignments on the back of previously used paper. If you do this, I ask that you draw an “X” through the side I don’t need to read. Alternatively, print your assignments on both sides of fresh paper. Spreadsheets and graphs can be sent to me via e-mail, and if possible, I will refrain from printing them at all.

Extra credit policy

I may periodically offer extra credit as an incentive to participate in activities that are related to class, but not otherwise required—public lectures, service projects, etc. Extra credit cannot be used to raise your final course grade more than one step—i.e. a C- to a C or a B+ to an A-. Thus, any extra credit earned beyond 40-50 points will enrich your soul, but cannot enrich your grade.

Disability Accommodations

I will make reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities or special needs upon request.

NSCI 1051: State of the planet. TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
#	Date	Topic	Readings
1	Jan. 21	Things to be happy about	More or less equal? (Economist 2004)
2	Jan. 23	Introduction: it’s all about carbon	Government and the Economy (Wheelan 2002).
3	Jan. 26	Solar energy, photosynthesis and respiration	The ecological efficiency of living things (Bush 2003, pgs 84-88)
4	Jan. 28	The flow of energy through ecosystems, Nutrient Cycles	The ecological efficiency of living things (Bush 2003, pgs 88-95), Ecosystems, nutrient cycles and soils (Bush 2003)
5	Jan. 30	PETE OFF CAMPUS	NO CLASS
6	Feb. 2	History of humans	The Mysterious Biped (Bryson 2003), The Restless Ape (Bryson 2003), The late Pleistocene dispersal of modern humans in the Americas (Goebel 2008)
7	Feb. 4	Ecology in the News I
8	Feb. 6	Modern human demographics Assignment 1: Mann response paper Due	Human population growth and the carrying capacity concept (Pulliam and Haddad 1994)
9	Feb. 9	Make-up day
10	Feb. 11	Exam 1
11	Feb. 13	Modern human demographics II	The global baby bust (Longman 2004)
12	Feb. 16	The human impact	Human appropriation of the products of photosynthesis (Vitousek et al. 1986), The last drop (Specter 2007)
13	Feb. 18	How the climate works	Climate (Bush 2003).
14	Feb. 20	Climate change- IPCC and beyond	Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis—summary for policymakers (IPCC 2007a), World oil crunch looming? (Kerr 2008a)
15	Feb. 23	Impacts of climate change	Climate Change 2007: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability—summary for policymakers (IPCC 2007b)
16	Feb. 25	The tragedy of the commons	The tragedy of the commons (Hardin 1968), Government and the Economy II (Wheelan 2002).
17	Feb. 27	The challenge of increasing emissions	China makes, the world takes (Fallows 2007), China grabs West’s smoke-spewing factories (Kahn and Landler 2007)
18	Mar. 2	Climate policy now Assignment 2: Broecker response paper due
19	Mar. 4	Ecology in the News II
20	Mar. 6	Make-up day
21	Mar. 9	Climate change-mitigation strategies	Climate Change 2007: Mitigation of Climate Change-summary for policymakers (IPCC 2007c)
22	Mar. 11	Exam 2
23	Mar. 13	Extra credit mystery video
24	Mar. 23	Intro to agriculture	Food for thought (Economist 2004), Cheap no more (Economist 2007c), Big Foot (Specter 2008)
25	Mar. 25	A history of agriculture	Ancient earth movers of the Amazon (Mann 2008)
26	Mar. 27	Impact of severe erosion illustrated (Video: surviving the dustbowl, The American Experience 1998)
27	Mar. 30	Agriculture and trade	The environmental need for free farm trade (Avery 2000), The (agri)cultural contradictions of obesity (Pollan 2003)
28	Apr. 1	Make-up day
29	Apr. 3	Questions about food safety (Video: modern meat, Frontline 2002)
30	Apr. 6	Ecology in the news III
31	Apr. 8	Pesticides, herbicides, and antibiotics	Antibiotics, animals and the resistance gene pool (Levy 2002).
32	Apr. 10	Exam 3
33	Apr. 13	Genetic engineering and agriculture	Will frankenfood save the planet? (Rauch 2003), Tough lessons from golden rice (Enserink)
34	Apr. 15	Biofuels and Ethanol	How biofuels could starve the poor (Runge and Senauer 2007)
35	Apr. 17	UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM	NO CLASS
36	Apr. 20	Biomass at UMM-- Guest Speaker: Dr. Joel Tallackson, WCREC/UMM
37	Apr. 22	How much energy do we need?	World oil crunch (Kerr 2008b), Winds of change (Economist 2008)
38	Apr. 24	Energy policy Assignment 3: Davis response paper due	Still going strong (Economist 2007b), Nuclear power: atomic renaissance (Economist 2007a), Unconventional crude (Kolbert 2007)
39	Apr. 27	Ecology in the News IV
40	Apr. 29	A history of pollution	Living downstream (Steingraber 1998, Chpt 3 “Time”)
41	May 1	Making sense of cancer rates	Our chemical fears (Lomberg 2001)
42	May 4	Endochrine disrupters	Prenatal hormone exposure and sexual variation (Vanderberg 2003)
43	May 6	Breathing problems and fine particulate matter	Does civilization cause asthma? (Shell 2000), Mounting evidence indicts find-particle pollution (Kaiser 2005)
44	May 8	Ecological Footprint Exercise Assignment 4: Ecological Footprint due.	What is your consumption factor? (Diamond 2008), Tracking the ecological overshoot of the human economy (Wackernagel et al. 2002).