Continue to go deep into environmental science in Part Two of this college preparatory course. We will investigate the impacts of environmental problems and the processes and policies being used to address these problems. We will consider different approaches to valuing the environment with an emphasis on the aspect of stewardship as described by recent writings of the Popes and Church. 

How to get the most out of Environmental Science: Catholic Perspectives on Stewardship of Creation, Part Two with Matt Watkins:

• First, read the course materials below before the first class meeting.

• Then have a notebook ready and available for class notes each recorded session.

• Read assignments before the recorded session.

• Re-watch the recorded session if you need to revisit information presented.

• Do the assignments, quizzes, and any extra work assigned for the week.

• Once the course is completed to the parent's, there is a Certificate of Completion at the end to be filled in for your records.

 
Special notes: This is Part Two of a two-part course.
Total classes: 13

Duration of Recording: approximately 1 hour (45-minute lecture with 15 minutes for Q&A)
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

Instructor: Matt Watkins

Instructor email: mwatkins@udel.edu

Course 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.

Course outline:

Class 1: Course Overview / Environmental Ethics and Christian Humanism

Class 2: Environmental Economics

Class 3: Pollutants: Risk, Exposure, and Health

Class 4: Earth's Changing Climate

Class 5: Atmospheric Pollution

Class 6: Water Pollution

Class 7: Midterm Review

Class 8: Agriculture

Class 9: Energy Challenges

Class 10: Urbanization; Waste Pollution

Class 11: Public Goods and Responsibility

Class 12: Environmentalism - Survivalism; Cornucopia; Sustainability

Class 13: Final Exam review / Why studying science is important
 
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: Parents will grade homework each week. Students should expect to spend 4-6 hours per week outside of the Recorded Session.  Homework will be related to the readings.

Technical Help: If you have any technical trouble or questions about course content, please email us at homeschoolconnections@gmail.com.

©2024 Homeschool Connections and Matt Watkins. All rights reserved. This course is designed by Matt Watkins.

• This material is only to be used for its intended purpose by active subscribers of Homeschool Connections. Any other use without explicit permission is in violation of the seventh commandment (yes, the 7th commandment) and in violation of US and International copyright laws.

• You may print or download to local hard disk extracts for your personal homeschool and non-commercial use only. This is not to be used for homeschool co-ops without express written permission from Homeschool Connections.