Graduate Studies Reports Access
Graduate Course Proposal Form Submission Detail - EVR5824
Tracking Number - 5088
Current Status:
-
Campus: St Petersburg
Submission Type: New
Course Change Information (for course changes only):
Comments:
Detail Information
- Date & Time Submitted: 2014-10-13
- Department: Geography and Environmental Science and Policy
- College: AP
- Budget Account Number: 51124 10000
- Contact Person: Dona J. Stewart
- Phone: 34066
- Email: dstewar6@usfsp.edu
- Prefix: EVR
- Number: 5824
- Full Title: Environmental Impact Statements
- Credit Hours: 3
- Section Type: D -
Discussion (Primarily)
- Is the course title variable?: Y
- Is a permit required for registration?: N
- Are the credit hours variable?: N
- Is this course repeatable?: N
- If repeatable, how many times?: 2
- Abbreviated Title (30 characters maximum): Environmental Impact Statement
- Course Online?: B -
Face-to-face and online (separate sections)
- Percentage Online: 0
- Grading Option:
-
- Prerequisites: None
- Corequisites: None
- Course Description: Federal, state and local agencies are required to provide an environmental impact statement for every major action that may have an adverse effect on the environment. This course covers history, philosophy and legal authority for environmental impacts.
- Please briefly explain why it is necessary and/or desirable to add this course: Needed for program/concentration/certificate change
- 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? This is a new core course that will support our revised MA degree. The revisions to the MA are being made to meet identified student interest and more accurately reflect current and emerging themes within the discipline.
- Has this course been offered as Selected Topics/Experimental Topics course? If yes, how many times? No
- What qualifications for training and/or experience are necessary to teach this course? (List minimum qualifications for the instructor.) None
- Objectives: The specific objectives of this course are three-fold: (1) to provide students with knowledge and understanding of key components of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), (2) to provide students with knowledge and ability to recognize when proposed actions normally require an EIS, and (3) to provide students with knowledge and ability to describe how the public participates in the EIS process Specific documents are analyzed and the development of evidential information and techniques are included. Practice in writing a draft environmental impact statement is given using one current issue as a focus.
- Learning Outcomes: 1. Familiarity with definitions, classification schemes, and common terminology used when working with environmental impact assessments.
o Assessments: Exams: Students will matching terms, concepts, and phrases from course readings to test their ability to understand working terminology in environmental impact statements.
2. Identification of environmental issues and problems with respect to a development project, and formulation and framing of these within an environmental impact
3. Examination of the nature of decision-making in society from the perspectives of the social sciences, and how values impact that decision-making.
4. Construction and presentation of an argument, identification of evidence supporting it, and the reasoning process by which a conclusion is reached.
5. Improved ability to do bibliographic research and work in large teams.
6. Improved ability to write clearly and to express oneself orally.
- Major Topics: • American environmentalism
• Environmental regulations
• Environmental impact assessment
• Environmental impact mitigation
- Textbooks: Canter, L.W. Environmental Impact Assessment, Second Edition, Mc- Graw-Hill, New York, NY, 1996.
- Course Readings, Online Resources, and Other Purchases:
- Student Expectations/Requirements and Grading Policy: Components of final grade
Assignments 20%
Exam 25%
Attendance 5%
Group project 50%
Your final letter grade will be based on the following percent distributions:
Grading Scale
94% - 100% A
90% - 93% A-
87% - 89% B+
83% - 86% B
80% - 82% B-
77% - 79% C+
73% - 76% C
70% - 72% C-
67% - 69% D+
63% - 66% D
60% - 62% D-
- Assignments, Exams and Tests: Assignments: Each student will be required to complete several homework assignments for this class, some will be team assignments. All written homework assignments are to be typed. No handwritten assignments will be accepted or graded. Homework assignments will be announced in class.
Exams: There will be two exams in this course. The first exam will take place during the fourth week of class, and exam two – mid-term, will be taken during week nine of the semester. Both exams will consists of matching terms, concepts, and phrases from course readings to test students’ ability to understand working terminology in environmental impact statements.
EIA Project: The whole class will work as one team in the preparation of a draft EIS. The class will elect a project manager and a coordinator to direct the whole project. The team will prepare a “professional quality” PowerPoint presentation based on its findings during the EIA. The oral presentation will take place at the end of the semester, and the audience will consist of the class peers, several ESP&G faculty, and the project stakeholders. A successful oral presentation depends on how well you convey information to an interested audience through visual aids and through your inter- action with the audience. All members of the team will be judged as presenters of the EIA and should dress appropriately for the oral presentation. In addition to the oral presentation, the team(s) will submit to the project stakeholders (and the instructor) the written findings of the EIA. The written draft EIS will follow the guidelines to be discussed in class. The written draft EIS grade will be based on grammar and punctuation, organization, content, and professional presentation/neatness.
- 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.
- Policy on Make-up Work: Late Policy:
Late assignments/paper will not be accepted, except in cases of illness or emergency. You must present documentation evidence to support your case. Read the course syllabus daily to keep up with due dates.
- Program This Course Supports: Graduate program, Environmental Science and Policy
- Course Concurrence Information: None
- if you have questions about any of these fields, please contact chinescobb@grad.usf.edu or joe@grad.usf.edu.