This is our catalog of courses. We will occasionally adjust the course listing to reflect the addition of new courses and the retirement of others.
Continue to go deep into environmental science in Part Two of this college preparatory course. We will dive deeper into the subjects of ecology, geology, physical geography (oceanic and atmospheric processes), and hydrology.
Total classes: 13
Prerequisite: Environmental Science: Catholic Perspectives on Stewardship of Creation, Part One
Suggested grade level: 11th to 12th grade (ages 16 to 18)
Suggested credit: 1 full semester Environmental Science
Description
This course will include an investigation and discussion of current environmental issues. The course will be based on the foundational scientific topics discussed in the previous semester’s topics – ecology, geology, physical geography (oceanic and atmospheric processes), and hydrology. It will keep to scientific theory and the laws of nature. The classes will be lecture and seminar style. Seminar means that students need to read the assigned reading(s) prior to each class and be ready to discuss the readings during the interactive online portion of the class.
Outline
Class 1: Catholic Social Teaching on the Environment – Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church
Classes 2 to 4: Pollution and other current environmental problems
Classes 5 to 7: Resource management
Classes 8 to 10: Sustainability
Classes 11 to 13: Environmentalism
Materials and Homework
Course materials: Vatican documents (found free online) – Compendium of Catholic Social Doctrine, Laudatio Si, Redemptory Hominis, Centesimus Annus, Catechism of the Catholic Church.
Plus online resources from The Habitable Planet website https://www.learner.org/series/the-habitable-planet-a-systems-approach-to-environmental-science/, resources from the Hippocampus.org website, and handouts included with the course.
Homework: Mr. Watkins will grade homework each week. Students should expect to spend 4-6 hours per week outside of class time. Required reading needs to be done prior to class, and students need to be prepared for class discussion. Homework will be related to the readings.
Important Dates
Class dates: Mondays, January 15 to April 15, 2024. (No class April 1, Easter Monday)
Starting time: 7:00 PM Eastern (6:00 Central; 5:00 Mountain; 4:00 Pacific)
Duration per class: 1 hour (45-minute lecture with 15 minutes for Q&A)
Registration link
