connect scientific thought to pollution, climate change, and other human-induced changes to the Earth system
contrast changes to the biosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and lithosphere over geologic and human timescales,
read scientific graphs, and
produce a logically written piece to explain a specific topic to peers.
Evaluation
10% 10 weekly individual quizzes
2×15% two tests
Questions will have similar format to those in the quizzes. You will be allowed to discuss the questions with peers during the test.
35% scaffolded assignment
25% cumulative final exam
Course calendar description
The emergence of society as a major geological force is considered in terms of the evolving debate about the consequences of human activity for the habitability of our planet. Major issues such as climate change, environmental pollution, and depletion of natural resources are examined.
Exclusion: ERS321H5, ENV200H1, EEB208H1
Distribution Requirements: Science
Breadth Requirements: Living Things and Their Environment (4)
Expectations
The class has two hours of in-person meeting, and typically students have to work the same time outside of class to review material. Additional time is needed to work on the assignment. Therefore I suggest that you plan to invest about 5 to 6 hours per week on this course.
In general, I expect students to be honest and respectful to peers and the teaching team, to manage their time appropriately, and to be committed to their discussion group. You can expect suitable support from myself and the other members of the teaching team.
Notes
I strive to make this course welcoming to any student interested in the subject area, while trying to be fair to all of you and recognizing that you come with diverse backgrounds, knowledge, and preparation. Please take note of the following:
absence: Students who are absent from academic participation for any reason (e.g., COVID,cold, flu and other illness or injury, family situation) and who require consideration for missed academic work should report their absence through the online absence declaration.
The declaration is available on ACORN under the Profile and Settings menu. Students should also advise their instructor of their absence. If an absence extends beyond 7 consecutive days, or if you have a non-medical personal situation preventing you from completing your academic work, you should connect with your College Registrar. They can provide advice and assistance reaching out to instructors on your behalf. If you get a concussion, break your hand, or suffer some other acute injury, you should register with Accessibility Services as soon as possible.
academic integrity: (based on material on the Office of Academic Integrity website:
http://www.artsci.utoronto.ca/osai).
Academic honesty and ethical behaviour are necessary for the proliferation and communication of research and ideas. While I do not expect to encounter instances of cheating in this class, I take academic integrity very seriously, and there are significant consequences if you are caught cheating or engaging in academic misconduct.
All academic work in this course must adhere to the Code of Behavior on Academic Matters1 . Potential offences in assignments include, but are not limited to:
– Using someone else’s ideas or words without appropriate acknowledgement.
– Copying material word-for-word from a source (including lecture and study group notes) and not placing the words within quotation marks.
– Submitting your own work in more than one course without the permission of the instructor.
– Making up sources or facts, or including references to sources that you did not use.
– Obtaining or providing unauthorized assistance on any assignment including: working in groups on assignments that are supposed to be individual work; having someone rewrite or add material to your work while “editing”.
– Lending your work to a classmate who submits it as his/her own without your permission.
For a complete list of offences, see section B of the Code. You may come to me with any questions. I am available during office hours and via email for help with assignments.
You can also get help through your college Writing Centre and the Academic Success Centre.
As a faculty member at the University, I am bound by the same Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters as you, and it is an offence for me to not report instances of academic misconduct. To remind you of these expectations, and help you avoid accidental offences, I may ask you to include a signed Academic Integrity Checklist with assignments. If you do not include the statement, your work will not be graded.
And an additional note: Team work does not mean that you can be more lax with academic integrity; on the contrary, it should reinforce the commitment all of us, as members of the academic community, place on putting forward our honest and best effort.
For additional resources see: writing support at UofT2 , UofT library advice on how to prevent plagiarism3 , Arts & Science information on academic integrity4 and specifically information on academic misconduct5 .
accommodations for academic reasons: Students with diverse learning styles and needs are welcome in this course. In particular, if you have a disability/health consideration that may require accommodations, please feel free to approach me and/or Accessibility Services at (416) 978 8060 or https://www.studentlife.utoronto.ca/as. Without registration, you will not be able to verify your situation with your instructors, and instructors will not be advised about your accommodation needs. AS will assess your situation, develop an accommodation plan with you, and support you in requesting accommodation for your course work.
Remember that the process of accommodation is private: AS will not share details of your needs or condition with any instructor, and your instructors will not reveal that you are registered with AS. Should you need specific accommodations for an assignment or learning task please let me know.
accommodation for personal reasons: There may be times when you are unable to complete course work on time due to non-medical reasons. If you have concerns, speak to me or to an advisor in your College Registrar’s office; they can help you to decide if you want to request an extension or accommodation. They may be able to provide you with a College Registrar’s letter of support to give to your instructors, and connect you with other resources on campus for help with your situation.
communication: you will find the discussion board on the quercus course website. If you need to get into contact with me directly (for example regarding marks or illness), please use your utoronto email account and mark your email clearly with the course code in the subject line. I try to answer within one working day.
complaints process at UofT: if you have an issue with the course or need to make a complaint, please take the following steps:
If appropriate, meet with a TA to discuss your concerns.
If that does not resolve the matter, schedule a face to face meeting with the course instructor. It is recommended that this meeting is being attended by a mutually agreed upon third party. If no agreement can be reached, the Associate Chair Undergraduate Affairs will fill this role.
If this does not resolve the matter, students can write a formal complaint to the Associate Chair Undergraduate Affairs.
In a last step, students can escalate their complaint to their respective college registrar.
course evaluations: are important for three reasons:
a) you can give me anonymous feedback that help me become a better teacher,
b) I can reflect on your comments to improve future offerings of this course, and
c) you provide UofT with critical information for my yearly performance review.
Please do complete course evaluations at the end of the term.
deadlines: Submissions will be due on Thursdays at 23:59. However, late submissions will be accepted until 2 days later (as a no-fault “grace period”, especially to provide a buffer for students requiring accommodations). In the rare circumstance where this may not be sufficient, please contact the instructor as soon as possible.
equity, diversity, and inclusion: The University of Toronto is committed to equity, human rights and respect for diversity. All members of the learning environment in this course should strive to create an atmosphere of mutual respect where all members of our community can express themselves, engage with each other, and respect one another’s differences. U of T does not condone discrimination or harassment against any persons or communities.
grades on Quercus: all grades published online via Quercus during the term are given without any guarantee to be accurate, and the record on file is held by the instructor.
mental health: As a student at U of T, you may experience circumstances and challenges that can affect your academic performance and/or reduce your ability to participate fully in daily activities. An important part of the University experience is learning how and when to ask for help. There is no wrong time to reach out, which is why there are resources available for every situation and every level of stress. Please take the time to inform yourself of available resources, including:
– Your College Registrar: https://www.artsci.utoronto.ca/current/faculty-registrar
– Student Life Safety & Support: https://safety.utoronto.ca/
An important part of the University experience is learning how and when to ask for help.
Please take the time to inform yourself of available resources.
missed tests, quizzes, lab exercises, assignments: please see note on “absence” above
plagiarism detection tool: Normally, students will be required to submit their course essays to the University’s plagiarism detection tool for a review of textual similarity and detection of possible plagiarism. In doing so, students will allow their essays to be included as source documents in the tool’s reference database, where they will be used solely for the purpose of detecting plagiarism. The terms that apply to the University’s use of this tool are described on the Centre for Teaching Support & Innovation website (https://uoft.me/pdt-faq).
Students are permitted to opt out of using this tool. If you choose to opt out we will use an alternative arrangement to check your work as rigorously.
Quercus info: This course uses the University’s learning management system, Quercus, to post information about the course. This includes posting readings and other materials required to complete class activities and course assignments, as well as sharing important announcements and updates. The site is dynamic and new information and resources will be posted regularly as we move through the term, so please make it a habit to log in to the site on a regular, even daily, basis. To access the course website, go to the U of T Quercus log-in page at https://q.utoronto.ca. Once you have logged in to Quercus using your UTORid and password, you should see the link or “card” for our course. You may need to scroll through other cards to find this. Click on the course link to open our course area, view the latest announcements and access your course resources. There are Quercus help guides for students that you can access by clicking on the “?” icon in the left side column.
SPECIAL NOTE ABOUT GRADES POSTED ONLINE: Please also note that any grades posted are for your information only, so you can view and track your progress through the course. No grades are considered official, including any posted in Quercus at any point in the term, until they have been formally approved and posted on ACORN at the end of the course. Please contact me as soon as possible if you think there is an error in any grade posted on Quercus.
religious accommodations: As a student at the University of Toronto, you are part of a diverse community that welcomes and includes students and faculty from a wide range of cultural and religious traditions. For my part, I will make every reasonable effort to avoid scheduling tests, examinations, or other compulsory activities on religious holy days not captured by statutory holidays. Further to University Policy, if you anticipate being absent from class or missing a major course activity (such as a test or in-class assignment) due to a religious observance, please let me know as early in the course as possible, and with sufficient notice (at least two to three weeks), so that we can work together to make alternate arrangements.
remarking of assignments: all of us make errors, and you may find an error in the grading of your work or disagree with how it was graded. You have two weeks from the date the work was returned to you to make a request for a remark. Please send me an email with a note why you should get more points, please be specific (eg, wrong summation of points,your opinion why a certain answer should be counted as correct). Note that I may not agree with your request and your grade may stay the same or even go down.
security online: the university suggest everyone check the following websites https://securityplanner.org/#/ and https://securitymatters.utoronto.ca/resources/students/ .
video sharing: You are permitted to download session videos and materials for your own academic use, but you should not copy, share, or use them for any other purpose without the explicit permission of the instructor.
