Graduate Studies Reports Access
Graduate Course Proposal Form Submission Detail - EVR6876
Tracking Number - 2991
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Current Status:
Approved by SCNS - 2013-01-08
Campus: St Petersburg
Submission Type: New
Course Change Information (for course changes only):
Comments: Approved by USF STPT 10/29/12. to USF Sys 10/29/12; to SNCS 11/6/12. Approved by SCNS effective 1/1/13. Nmbr 6200 approved as 6876
Detail Information
- Date & Time Submitted: 2012-10-29
- Department: Geography and Environmental Science and Policy
- College: AP
- Budget Account Number: 51122410000
- Contact Person: Chris Meindl
- Phone: 7278734961
- Email: cmeindl@mail.usf.edu
- Prefix: EVR
- Number: 6876
- Full Title: Wetlands, People and Public Policy
- Credit Hours: 3
- Section Type: C -
Class Lecture (Primarily)
- Is the course title variable?: N
- Is a permit required for registration?: N
- Are the credit hours variable?: N
- Is this course repeatable?:
- If repeatable, how many times?: 0
- Abbreviated Title (30 characters maximum): Wetlands, People & Pub Policy
- Course Online?: C -
Face-to-face (0% online)
- Percentage Online: 100
- Grading Option:
-
- Prerequisites: None
- Corequisites: None
- Course Description: This course begins with a review of the basic physical characteristics of wetlands, but the emphasis is upon human relationships with wetlands, past and present. Discussion of contemporary economic, legal and political issues associated with wetlands.
- Please briefly explain why it is necessary and/or desirable to add this course: Replacing Selected Topics with Permanent number; already listed in program
- What is the need or demand for this course? (Indicate if this course is part of a required sequence in the major.) What other programs would this course service? When offered as selected topics course, attendance has been between 13 and 22 graduate students.
Despite much drainage and development, Florida still has more wetlands than any other state except Alaska. This alone suggests that graduate students in Florida Studies as well as Environmental Science and Policy should know something about these important ecosystems and efforts to protect them.
- Has this course been offered as Selected Topics/Experimental Topics course? If yes, how many times? Yes, 3 or more times
- What qualifications for training and/or experience are necessary to teach this course? (List minimum qualifications for the instructor.) Ph.D. in Geography, Environmental Policy, or a related field, with demonstrated expertise in wetlands.
- Objectives: This course is intended to introduce students to wetland environments, and to elucidate the factors contributing to the struggle to develop an acceptable wetland public policy.
- Learning Outcomes: Students successfully completing the course will be able to do the following: describe the three basic characteristics of wetland landscapes; describe wetland ecosystem functions that provide values to people; discuss wetland inventory data at both national and Florida scales; discuss the changing relationship between people and wetlands in the U.S. since the colonial era; discuss the primary legal issues associated with the federal government's Section 404 permitting program implemented by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; describe the gap between mitigationt heory and the practice of wetland mitigation, particularly in Florida; describe the major ecosystems of south Florida, the primary stressors of those ecosystems, and the primary elements and progress to date toward implementing the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP). Finally, students will be able to find and analyze critical documents and other sources of information - and then prepare a well-written essay describing the significant human-environment interaction issues in a Florida wetland complex.
- Major Topics: Wetland Hydrology, Plants and Soils; Wetland Ecological Functions and Values to People; U.S. and Florida Wetland Inventory Data; Historic Perceptions and Uses of Wetlands; Economic Issues and Wetlands; Section 404 Permitting Program; Wetland Restoration, Wetland Mitigation, and Wetland Mitigation Banks; The Everglades.
- Textbooks: William M. Lewis. 2001. Wetlands Explained: Wetland Science, Policy and Politics in America. New York: Oxford UP.
Thomas E. Lodge. 2005. The Everglades Handbook: Understanding the Ecosystem (2nd ed). Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.
Ann Vileisis. 1997. Discovering the Unknown Landscape: A History of America's Wetlands. Washington, D.C.: Island Press.
Criag Pitman and Matthew Waite. 2009. Paving Paradise. Gainesville: UP of Florida.
Michael Grunwald. 2006 The Swamp: The Everglades, Florida, and the Politics of Paradise. New York: Simon and Schuster.
- Course Readings, Online Resources, and Other Purchases: Thomas E. Dahl. 1990. Wetlands: Losses in the United States 1780 to 1980s. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. 13 pp.
Thomas E. Dahl. 2006. Status and Trends of Wetlands in the Conterminous United States, 1998-2004. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. 112 pp. http://www.fws.gov/wetlands/StatusAndTrends/index.html)
Jessica Wilkinson and Jared Thompson. 2006. 2005 Status Report on Compensatory Mitigation in the United States. Washington, D.C. Environmental Law Instituted. 104 pp. http://www.elistore.org/reprots_detail.asp?ID+11137&topic=Wetlands
Anonymous. 2006. State Wetland Program Evaluation: Phase 2 (through page 42 only) Washington, D.C.: Environmental Law Institute. http://www.elistore.org/reports_detailasp?ID+11152&topic=Wetlands
Thomas E. Dahl. 2005. Florida's Wetlands: An Update on Status and Trends, 1985-1996. Washinton, D.C.: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. 80 pp. http://www.fws.gov/wetlands/StatusAndTrends/index.html.
National Research Council. 2008. Progress toard Restoring the Everglades: The Secon Biennial Review. Washinton, D.C.: National Academies press. 248 pp. plus appendices
- Student Expectations/Requirements and Grading Policy: Grading Scale (based on number of points earned out of 500)
475 and up = A+
460 to 474 = A
450 to 459 = A-
435 to 449 = B+
410 to 434 = B
400 to 409 = B-
385 to 399 = C+
360 to 384 = C
350 to 359 = C-
335 to 349 = D+
310 to 334 = D
300 to 309 - D-
under 300 = F
- Assignments, Exams and Tests: Students will have the opportunity to earn 500 points throughout the course of the term. Exams will include a variety of questions including (but not limited to) multiple choice, short answers, and essays. The final exam is the last unit exam but it is NOT cumulative.
1) Midterm Exam (100 points)
2) Final Exam (100 points)
3) A total of six (2 to 3 pages each) Book Reviews (6 @ 20 points each - 120 ponts)
4) Participation in four field trips; a 4-page book review from a book NOT on the reading list (selected in consultation with the instructor) can be substituted by students unable to participate in a field trip (4 @ 5 points each = 20 points)
5) Effective Leadership (with one or two classmates) in class discussion of one of the books we will review in class (20 points)
6) Effective Leadership (with one or two classmates) in class discussion of one of one of the reports we will review in class (10 points)
7) Preparation of a Final Paper in which students research and synthesize the significant human-environment interaction themes/issues in one of the following wetlands: Brooker Creek Preserve in north Pinellas County, Green Swamp in west central Florida, or the Cypress Creek wetlands in southern Pasco County. The text should be type written, double-spaced (using 12 point, Times New Roman font), at least 15 pages in length (not including illustrations and references), and make use of primary source material/data (wetland inventory, hydrologic or biological data, interviews with knowledgeable personnel, technical reports and other government documents, and so forth). Students may use newspaper accounts and course readings to help frame their discussion, but these sources alone will NOT suffice (100 points)
6) 10-minute presentation to the class based on final paper research (30 points).
- Attendance Policy: Course Attendance at First Class Meeting – Policy for Graduate Students: For structured courses, 6000 and above, the College/Campus Dean will set the first-day class attendance requirement. Check with the College for specific information. This policy is not applicable to courses in the following categories: Educational Outreach, Open University (TV), FEEDS Program, Community Experiential Learning (CEL), Cooperative Education Training, and courses that do not have regularly scheduled meeting days/times (such as, directed reading/research or study, individual research, thesis, dissertation, internship, practica, etc.). Students are responsible for dropping undesired courses in these categories by the 5th day of classes to avoid fee liability and academic penalty. (See USF Regulation – Registration - 4.0101,
http://usfweb2.usf.edu/usfgc/ogc%20web/currentreg.htm)
Attendance Policy for the Observance of Religious Days by Students: In accordance with Sections 1006.53 and 1001.74(10)(g) Florida Statutes and Board of Governors Regulation 6C-6.0115, the University of South Florida (University/USF) has established the following policy regarding religious observances: (http://usfweb2.usf.edu/usfgc/gc_pp/acadaf/gc10-045.htm)
In the event of an emergency, it may be necessary for USF to suspend normal operations. During this time, USF may opt to continue delivery of instruction through methods that include but are not limited to: Blackboard, Elluminate, Skype, and email messaging and/or an alternate schedule. It’s the responsibility of the student to monitor Blackboard site for each class for course specific communication, and the main USF, College, and department websites, emails, and MoBull messages for important general information.
Regular class attendance is expected. Students will be allowed to miss one class without excuse or penalty. For each unexcused absence above one, students will have 5 points deducted from their final point total. Excused absences includea death in the family, illnesses or acidents requiring a doctor's care, religious observance (please provide advance notice) and other documentable emergencies.
- Policy on Make-up Work: Reference: USF Regulation USF 3.027 - The following is the portion of the Regulation pertaining to graduate students. To read the entire regulation, go to: http://generalcounsel.usf.edu/regulations/pdfs/regulation-usf3.027.pdf
1. Fundamental Principles
Academic integrity is the foundation of the University of South Florida system’s (University/USF) commitment to the academic honesty and personal integrity of its University community. Academic integrity is grounded in certain fundamental values, which include honesty, respect and fairness. Broadly defined, academic honesty is the completion of all academic endeavors and claims of scholarly knowledge as representative of one’s own efforts. Knowledge and maintenance of the academic standards of honesty and integrity as set forth by the University are the responsibility of the entire academic community, including the instructional faculty, staff and students.
The entire policy on Academic Integrity can be accessed through the USFSP Graduate Catalog at http://www.usfsp.edu/grad.
- Program This Course Supports: M.A. and M.S. in Environmental Science and Policy, MLA interdisciplinary and focused tracks and concentration in Florida Studies.
- Course Concurrence Information: Same as Z above.
- if you have questions about any of these fields, please contact chinescobb@grad.usf.edu or joe@grad.usf.edu.