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.
The course will be a combination of several scientific topics including ecology, geology, physical geography (oceanic and atmospheric processes), and hydrology. It will keep to scientific theory and the laws of nature. The course will culminate with an investigation and discussion of the current environmental issues. The classes will be a 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.
Total classes: 13
Prerequisite: Earth Science and/or Biology
Suggested grade level: 11th to 12th grade (ages 16 to 18)
Suggested credit: 1 full semester Environmental Science
Description
The course will be a combination of several scientific topics including ecology, geology, physical geography (oceanic and atmospheric processes), and hydrology. It will keep to scientific theory and the laws of nature. The course will culminate with an investigation and discussion of the current environmental issues. The classes will be a 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
Class 2- The Habitable Planet – Unit 1: Many Planets, One Earth
Class 3- The Habitable Planet – Unit 4: Ecosystems
Class 4- The Habitable Planet – Unit 2: Atmosphere
Class 5- The Habitable Planet – Unit 3: Oceans
Class 6- The Habitable Planet – Unit 8: Water Resources
Class 7- PhysicalGeography.net Chapter 10: Introduction to the Lithosphere
Class 8 – Environmental Ethics and Christian Humanism
Class 9- Wetlands
Class 10- The Habitable Planet – Unit 7: Agriculture
Class 11- The Habitable Planet – Unit 5: Human Population Dynamics
Class 12 – The Habitable Planet – Unit 12: Earth’s Changing Climate
Class 13 – The Habitable Planet – Unit 10: Energy Challenges
Class 14- Review of Course
Materials and Homework
Course Materials: Vatican documents (found free online) – Compendium of Catholic Social Doctrine, Redemptor Hominis, Centesimus Annus, Catechism of the Catholic Church.
Plus online resources from The Habitable Planet website – https://www.learner.org/courses/envsci/index.html and resources from the Hippocampus.org earth science portion of it’s website has a plethora of videos to support the readings.
Homework: Mr. Watkins will grade homework each week. The student should expect to spend 4 -6 hours per week outside of class time. Required reading needs to done prior to class, and students need to be prepared for class discussion. Homework will consist of workbook sheets related to the readings.
