Introduction to Environmental Science

Course title

H0295900

Click to show questionnaire result at 2019

Course description

This course deals with the basic knowledge to understand environmental issues. Participants are expected to be able to precisely understand environment-related issues reported in news medias with understanding of principle structures of an environment.

Purpose of class

- To be able to explain environment-related issues reported in news medias based on knowledge of physics, chemistry and biology with easy terms that are understandable by senior or junior high school students.
- To be able to theoretically explain mechanisms of the environmental issues. For example, you can explain why the Earth gets warm when CO2 concentration increases by explaining the general circulation and energy balance in the atmosphere.
- To be able to clearly explain basic technical terms of environment-related issues in the field of Civil Engineering.

Goals and objectives

To be able to explain environment-related issues based on knowledge of physics, chemistry and biology.
To be able to theoretically explain mechanisms of the environmental issues.
To be able to clearly explain basic technical terms of environment-related issues in the field of Civil Engineering.

Language

Japanese

Class schedule

	Class schedule	HW assignments (Including preparation and review of the class.)	Amount of Time Required
1.	Introduction to Environmental Science - What is an Environment? - Three keys of the “Environmental Science” - Characteristics of water	Review types of environment	45minutes
2.	Water and hydrological cycle (1) - Hydrological cycle	Review storage and circulation of water on the Earth	45minutes
3.	Water and hydrological cycle (2) - Water balance - River and groundwater	Review hydrological change associated with urbanization	45minutes
4.	Lighting, heating and energy (1) - Basics of lighting as electromagnetic ray and heating	Review types and characteristics of electromagnetic ray	45minutes
5.	Lighting, heating and energy (2) - Heating, energy and an environment - Basics of thermal environment	Review mechanisms of heat transfer	45minutes
6.	Lighting, heating and energy (3) - Issues in thermal and energy environment	Review interaction between light and materials	45minutes
7.	Basics of environmental chemistry (1) - Basic knowledge of chemistry	Review basics of chemistry	45minutes
8.	Basics of environmental chemistry (2) - What is “dissolving” - Chemical substances in your surroundings	Review dissolving in views of chemistry	45minutes
9.	Basics of environmental chemistry (3) - Issues in chemical environment - Water contamination	Review types and densities of contaminants in nature	45minutes
10.	Material cycles and ecosystem (1) - Types of water quality issues - Organic water pollution	Review indices to assess organic water pollution and two kinds of decomposition	45minutes
11.	Material cycles and ecosystem (2) - Material cycles and ecosystem	Review producer, consumer and decomposer in material circulation	45minutes
12.	Urban environment and environmental issues - History of environment disruption	Review history of environmental issues	45minutes
13.	Global environmental issues - Global warming, acid deposition and ozone layer depletion	Deepen understanding of earth environmental issues	45minutes
14.	Understand whole lecture contents and prepare for the final exam	Understand whole lecture contents and prepare for the final exam	45minutes
15.		*
Total.	-	-	630minutes

Relationship between 'Goals and Objectives' and 'Course Outcomes'

	quiz	report	final exam	Total.
1.	15%	10%	10%	35%
2.	15%	0%	15%	30%
3.	20%	0%	15%	35%
Total.	50%	10%	40%	-

Evaluation method and criteria

Your final grade will be calculated according to the following process: quiz (50%, occasionally given), report (10%) and final exam (40%).
To pass, students must earn at least 60 points out of 100.

Textbooks and reference materials

Resumes for the lecture are delivered.

Prerequisites

Review physics and chemistry in high school’s level

Office hours and How to contact professors for questions