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UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, JAMAICA
FACULTY OF SCIENCE & SPORT
ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES MODULE OUTLINE (SEM. II – 2019/20)
Lecturers/Tutors: Karyll Aitcheson, Kayon Barrett, Nikki Bramwell, Leon Grant,
Adonna Jardine-Comrie, Raymond Martin, Lois Morgan and
Christine O’Sullivan
Date: Topics
8-14/01 Introduction: The state of our environment; anthropocentrism vs
ecocentrism; natural resources; renewable and non-renewable resources;
pollution; degradable and non-degradable pollutants; conservation;
sustainability; environmental law; role of NEPA; EMS, natural resource
valuation. Chapter 1, 17
15-21/01 Ecology: Definition of ecology; biotic and abiotic environment; biological
organisation of the environment- individual, population, community; physical
organisation of the environment – atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere.
Energy Flow Through Ecosystems: Thermodynamics, photosynthesis,
respiration; food chains, food webs, trophic levels. Chapter 2, 3
22-28/01 Biogeochemical Cycles: Carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, water. Chapter 3
*29/01-04/02 Biodiversity: Species, genetic, ecosystem; characteristics and examples of
endangered and extinct species; significance of biodiversity; conservation
biology; resource valuation. Chapter 4, 8
Caribbean Aquatic Ecosystems: Coral reefs, seagrasses, mangroves,
wetlands. Chapter 7
Biomes: Tundra, taiga, desert, tropical rain forests. Chapter 7, 9
05-11/02 Ecosystems and Living Organisms: Interactions among living organisms;
Predation – predatory strategies, prey strategies; Symbiosis - parasitism,
mutualism, commensalism; Competition – specialisation, habitat, niche;
Evolution; Succession – primary, secondary; pioneer and climax community.
Chapter 4, 5
*12-18/02 Course Test #1; 40 MCQ’s; Duration: 50 minutes; Lecture (15%)
19-25/02 Population and the environment: Factors affecting population size; biotic
potential, population growth curves – S and J curves; environmental resistance
and carrying capacity; density dependent and density independent factors;
problems caused by overpopulation; factors affecting population growth;
causes, effects and solutions of urbanization.
Chapter 6
*26/02-03/03 Agriculture: Competing uses of land, agriculture & its impact on soil
structure, habitats, food web; soil erosion and conservation methods. Land
degradation due to improper physical planning, pesticide use, impacts and
alternative methods of control. Chapter 10
February 26, 2020 is Ash Wednesday (No Class)
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04-10/03 Minerals: Mining & use of minerals, impacts of mining.
Energy: Renewable and non-renewable energy sources; use of fossil fuels;
solar energy, geothermal energy, nuclear energy & their relevance to
Caribbean states; energy conservation and energy efficiency and sustainable
development. Chapter 12, 13
Waste management: Characteristics & sources of solid waste, methods of
solid waste disposal, impact of improper solid waste disposal, hierarchy of
recycling options, advantages & disadvantages of recycling, impacts of
recycling on Caribbean countries Chapter 16.
Group Presentations Begin
*11-17/03 Water and its Pollution: Uses and importance; pollutants and sources;
impact of agriculture and industry; state of Jamaica’s water resources,
importance, impacts and solutions; oceans- importance.
Watersheds: Trees and their importance; watershed importance and
destruction; trends and issues relating to Jamaican watersheds and forests;
Chapters 7, 11
18-24/03 Air and Noise Pollution: Structure of the atmosphere; sources and type of
pollutants; effects of air pollution, impact of acid rain, increased atmospheric
carbon dioxide and global warming, possible impacts of global warming on
Caribbean states, ozone layer – importance and impacts of halons, impact of
ozone depletion, impact of noise pollution. Chapter 15
*25-31/03 Course Test #2; 40 MCQ’s; Duration: 50 minutes; Lecture (15%).
01-07/04 Review
Final Examination April 15-28, 2020
Please note the following:– An asterisk (*) indicates when class quizzes will be
given.
- For both Course Tests no one will be allowed to enter the
examination room 15 minutes after the start of the test.
Contact your lecturer/tutor as soon as possible if you are
unable to attend the test at the scheduled time.
- January 29 - March 27, 2020 is the period to apply for
withdrawal from the module. Refunds not applicable.
Assessment
● Coursework Grade Class Quizzes (12%)
Group Presentation (08%)
Course Test (1) (15%)
Course Test (2) (15%)
● Final Examination (50%)
Required Text: Environmental Science by Miller and Spoolman. 14th ed.
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Please use the link below to access the lecture notes and handouts:
http://utechonline.utech.edu.jm/
Use your students log in and your UTech username and password to access the website,
then scroll through and select the module [Environmental Studies (Web Assisted) Sem 2
AY 2019/20]. The enrolment key is Biod2020.
Graded Class Quizzes
Every two weeks a lecture quiz will be given in the tutorial. Please note that the dates with an
asterisk (*) are when class quizzes will be given. The quizzes will be as follows:
Quiz 1 on lectures 2 and 3 to be done the week of January 29 – February 4
Quiz 2 on lectures 4 and 5 to be done the week of February 12 - 18
Quiz 3 on lectures 6 to be done the week of February 26 – March 3
Quiz 4 on lectures 7 and 8 to be done the week of March 11 - 17
Quiz 5 on lectures 9 and 10 to be done the week of March 25 - 31
You will have fifteen minutes to respond and submit your answers to your tutor. The
assessment activity given will be based on the two previous lecture/s. Five of the assignments
will be graded with the marks from the best four (4) used to calculate the average grade. These
assignments constitute 12% of your final grade. There will be no allowance for missed
assignments to be done at a later date.
Group Assignment – Oral Presentation (15 minutes)
In groups of three to five persons you will examine an environmental issue within a
community with which you are familiar. You will meet with your group members to identify
and develop the issue to be addressed. This assignment will constitute 8% of your final
grade.
Although regular group meetings are to be scheduled outside of your tutorial sessions you
are advised to hold periodic discussions on your assignment with your tutor during the
tutorials. Groups are to be formed by Week 2 and the topics chosen and finalized by Week
4. Presentations will begin in Week 9 (March 4, 2020). All groups are expected to present
on the date assigned by the tutor. Members of the group or whole groups who fail to show
on assigned dates will be awarded zero. The marking scheme to be used is presented
below.
In addition to clearly identifying and describing the environmental issue, you should provide
adequate background information. This should include information on the physical and socio-
economic characteristics of the community, a brief history of the issue and its causes where
applicable. Please also provide a rationale for selecting the issue. This could be linked to the
extent of the problem and/or stakeholders affected.
You are also expected to provide a detailed description of the environmental impacts of the
issue identified. This should be supported by relevant literature. Relevant local, national and
international policies, laws and conventions must be considered. Solutions provided should
be relevant to the impacts identified, plausible and should be supported by strong
arguments/literature to show that they can work. You will also be assessed on how effectively
you work as a team to convince the audience that the issue should be supported and
addressed.
You are not required to submit a written report.
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Environmental Studies - Group Presentation Marking Scheme
TOPIC:
Group Marks (30)
1. Description of issue and rationale 5 _____
- Description of the issue (1), key definitions (1), physical and
socio-economic description of the community (1)
cause/history of the issue (1), rationale for topic selection (1)
2. Three impacts of the problem identified 9 _____
- Description of impacts (2) (x3); supporting evidence (1) (x3)
3. Two environmental laws, policies or conventions 4 _____
- Relevant (1) (x2); Adequate description (1) (x2)
4. Plausible solution/s addressing the impacts identified 8 _____
- Relevant to impacts mentioned (3); Supporting
argument/evidence that shows solution to be plausible and
effective (3); Original/Creative (2)
5. Group dynamic. Interaction among members and with 2 _____
audience
- Cohesive contribution of group members (1); effective
engagement of audience (1)
6. Completed within 10-15 mins; 1 mark off for every 2 mins over 2 _____
_____
Individual Marks (5)
7. Delivery and knowledge shown in presentation (5).
Group Members Group Marks (30) Ind. Marks (5) Overall Score/35
_______________________ __________ ___________ ________
_______________________ __________ ___________ ________
_______________________ __________ ___________ ________
_______________________ __________ ___________ ________
_______________________ __________ ___________ ________
The overall score will differ for each group member as it involves combining the Group and
Individual marks.
