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Environmental Science and Policy
Tampa - Undergraduate - BS |
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CIP Code:
03.0103 |
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Program Mission Statement:
The mission of the Department of Geography at the University of South Florida is threefold: 1) to conduct basic and applied research; 2) to provide exceptional, quality education and professional development opportunitiesat the undergraduate and graduate levels; and 3) to serve the region, community, and the university. Teaching and research themes focus on: (i) Environmental Processes and Policy, (ii) Environmental Hazards, Sustainable Communities, and Vulnerability Assessment, (iii) Geographic Information Sciences, (iv) Globalization and International Development, and (v) Urban and Regional Development and Planning. The Department maintains a strong international focus and undertakes research in many settings in North America and throughout the world, particularly Africa, Asia (particularly China, India, and the Middle East), Europe, and Latin America. The Department encourages engaged teaching and scholarship within communities and has strong connections with community partners in the Tampa Bay region and many other locations around the world.
The department offers six degree programs and three graduate certificate programs. There is a BA in Geography and a BS in Environmental Science and Policy, an MA in Geography, an MA in Urban and Regional Planning, an MS in Environmental Science and Policy, an integrated Ph.D. in Geography and Environmental Science and Policy and three graduate and one undergraduate certificates. The Department is also home to the USF Botanical Gardens, the College’s Community Initiative Program, the USF Weather Station, the GIS and Cartographic Services Laboratory, and the Center for Brownfields Rehabilitation. The undergraduate programs offer a broad education in geography and environmental science and policy, which, combined with undergraduate research and practical knowledge, provides the necessary experience for a range of employment opportunities. The undergraduate certificate in Urban Studies provides opportunities for in-depth examination of urban topics. The masters’ degrees develop hands-on research undertaken with faculty mentors. The graduate certificate in GIS is designed for advanced learners interested in spatial information systems, the graduate certificate in Environmental Management and Policy focuses on training individuals in managing complex issues related to the environment, and the Community Development certificate promotes engaged scholarship. The doctoral degree is designed for advanced students specializing in research at the cutting edge of the discipline.
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Graduates of this program will be able to demonstrate the following:
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OUTCOME
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- ESP students will be able to critically evaluate public policies, regulatory structures, and public agency decisions affecting the environment.
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Methods of Assessment
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- All ESP majors must take the core course series of EVR 2861 Intro. Environmental Policy and PUP 4203 Environmental Politics and Policy. Students’ ability to critically evaluate public policies, regulatory structures, and public agency decisions affecting the environment will be evaluated through assignments, examinations, and projects in the required course series.
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OUTCOME
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- ESP students will understand the principles of environmental science, biology, chemistry, physical science (physics or geology), and scientific processes.
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Methods of Assessment
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- i. All ESP students must take EVR 2002 Intro. Environmental Science, which is a course in the Natural Sciences core knowledge area of the Foundations of Knowledge and Learning curriculum. Overall performance will be based on assignments and examinations using a course rubric which defines achievement in scientific processes and principles of environmental science as Unacceptable, Developing, Acceptable, and Outstanding.
- ii. All ESP students must complete the series of BSC 2010 Biology I – Cellular Processes and BSC 2011 Biology II – Biological Diversity. Overall performance will be based on assignments and examinations using course rubrics utilized by the instructor which define acceptable achievement of knowledge of scientific processes and principles of biology.
- iii. All ESP students must complete the series of CHM 2045 General Chemistry I and CHM 2046 General Chemistry II, both of which are courses in the Natural Sciences core knowledge area of the Foundations of Knowledge and Learning curriculum. Overall performance will be based on assignments and examinations using course rubrics utilized by the instructor which define acceptable achievement in scientific processes, inter-relationships among disciplines, and principles of general chemistry.
- iv. All ESP students must complete either PHY 2048 General Physics I, or GLY 2010 Dynamic Earth – Intro. Physical Geology, or GLY 2100 History of the Earth and Life, which are all courses in the Natural Sciences core knowledge area of the Foundations of Knowledge and Learning curriculum. For any one of these courses, overall performance will be based on assignments and examinations using course rubrics utilized by the instructor which define acceptable achievement in scientific processes and principles of physics or geology.
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OUTCOME
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- ESP students will understand and utilize the importance of interdisciplinary environmental scholarship by applying the scientific principles of biology, chemistry, calculus, and physical science to environmental research, monitoring, and policy making.
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Methods of Assessment
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- All ESP majors must take either EVR 4910 Environmental Science and Policy Project or EVR 4940 Environmental Science and Policy Internship. ESP seniors choose one of these as a comprehensive practicum, in which they work for one semester in a research setting (EVR 4910) or as an intern for a public, private, or non-profit agency (EVR 4940). Students are assessed by the instructor as Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory based on the quality of weekly journal entries, a comprehensive research paper, and evaluations from their project/internship provider on their application of principles of biology, chemistry, calculus, and physical science to environmental research, monitoring, and policy making.
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OUTCOME
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- ESP students will demonstrate the ability to utilize quantitative methods in applications of scientific processes.
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Methods of Assessment
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- i. All ESP students must take either STA 2023 Introductory Statistics or QMB 2100 Business and Economic Statistics, which are both courses in the Mathematics core knowledge area of the Foundations of Knowledge and Learning curriculum. Overall performance will be based on assignments and examinations using a course rubric which defines achievement in scientific processes and quantitative literacy.
- ii. All ESP students must take either MAC 2241 Life Science Calculus I, or MAC 2281 Engineering Calculus I, or MAC 2311 General Calculus I. Overall performance will be based on assignments and examinations evaluated by the instructor's course rubric which defines achievement in scientific processes and quantitative literacy.
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OUTCOME
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- ESP students will demonstrate critical thinking and analytical abilities, including the capacities to engage in inductive and deductive thinking and quantitative reasoning, and to construct sound arguments.
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Methods of Assessment
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- i. All ESP students must take EVR 2002 Intro. Environmental Science, a course in the Natural Science core area of the Foundations of Knowledge and Learning curriculum. All students in EVR 2002 must demonstrate critical thinking abilities as evaluated by an assessment rubric. Overall performance will be based on assignments and examinations using a course rubric which defines achievement in critical thinking as Unacceptable, Developing, Acceptable, and Outstanding.
- ii. All ESP students must take EVR 2861 Intro. Environmental Policy. A required assignment in this course is an Environmental Policy Critique Paper, in which students must critically evaluate a specific environmental policy. Performance will be evaluated using a course rubric which defines achievement in critical thinking as Unacceptable, Developing, Acceptable, and Outstanding.
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OUTCOME
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- ESP students will contribute effectively to group discussions, develop effective written communication skills, and create and deliver effective oral presentations.
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Methods of Assessment
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- i. All ESP students must take EVR 2861 Intro. Environmental Policy. A required assignment in this course is an Environmental Policy Critique Paper and Presentation, in which students must a) write a paper critically evaluating a specific environmental policy, and then b) create a PowerPoint presentation summarizing their critique. Performance will be evaluated using a course rubric which defines achievement in both quality of writing and in effectiveness of presentation as Unacceptable, Developing, Acceptable, and Outstanding.
- ii. All ESP students must take EVR 4921 Environmental Science and Policy Seminar. Students are required to attend talks and research presentations by scholars in the discipline. Students must submit written summaries of each presentation and participate in group discussions following each talk. Performance will be evaluated, per guidelines for summaries and discussions provided by the course instructor, as Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory.
- iii. All ESP students must take PUP 4203 Environmental Politics and Policy. Students must submit a four-page environmental policy analysis paper, focusing on an environmental public policy in the US, in another country, or on the international level (e.g. a law, a regulation, a local ordinance, a court decision, a government program, or a treaty). Performance is assessed based on a rubric which defines achievement in quality of writing as Unacceptable, Developing, Acceptable, and Outstanding.
- iv. All ESP students must take either EVR 4910 Environmental Science and Policy Project or EVR 4940 Environmental Science and Policy Internship. ESP seniors choose one of these as a comprehensive practicum in which they work for one semester in a research setting (EVR 4910) or as an intern for a public, private, or non-profit agency (EVR 4940). Students in both courses are required to submit a final research paper related to the nature of their project/internship work. Performance is assessed by a rubric which defines achievement in quality of writing as Unacceptable, Developing, Acceptable, and Outstanding.
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