Core Syllabus
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Week 12 (10 – 14 November) Week 13 (17 – 21 November)
Lecture: Asmeret Berhe & Teamrat Ghezzehei (Engineering), “Soil Conservation” Readings from: • Conniff, “Microbes Help Grow Better Crops”
• Robbins, “The Hidden World of Soil Under Our Feet”
• Jackson, “Tackling the Oldest Environmental Problem: Agriculture and Its Impact on Soil”
Discussion: California and the environment
Due: Quantitative Assignment #2
Core Friday: Symphony of the Soil (2012 documentary film about human reliance on 11/21 the complex and dynamic nature of soil) Week 14 (24 – 28 November)
No lecture, but discussion sections will meet as scheduled Monday through Wednesday. MODULE 7: “The Future”
The final module revisits the major themes of the course, from the perspective of how they might be affected by changes already underway, or predicted in the foreseeable future. Both threats and prospects are examined, from the possibility of a global pandemic to the implications of genetic engineering and nanotechnology. The course concludes with reflection on what we’ve learned over the semester and addresses our ongoing hopes and fears for the future, speculating on what we can do with this knowledge.
Objectives (instructors will):
• Survey costs and benefits of scientific and/or technological innovation
• Examine ethical considerations in contemporary scientific research
• Identify problems of and solutions to current scientific debates
• Explore implications of technological innovation for personal identity
Outcomes (students will be able to):
• Apply concepts of classification and ethics to current scientific debates
• Elaborate unforeseen consequences of innovation
• Assess role of technology in everyday life
• Synthesize course material by applying it to future concerns
Week 12 (10 – 14 November) Week 13 (17 – 21 November)
Lecture: Asmeret Berhe & Teamrat Ghezzehei (Engineering), “Soil Conservation” Readings from: • Conniff, “Microbes Help Grow Better Crops”
• Robbins, “The Hidden World of Soil Under Our Feet”
• Jackson, “Tackling the Oldest Environmental Problem: Agriculture and Its Impact on Soil”
Discussion: California and the environment
Due: Quantitative Assignment #2
Core Friday: Symphony of the Soil (2012 documentary film about human reliance on 11/21 the complex and dynamic nature of soil) Week 14 (24 – 28 November)
No lecture, but discussion sections will meet as scheduled Monday through Wednesday. MODULE 7: “The Future”
The final module revisits the major themes of the course, from the perspective of how they might be affected by changes already underway, or predicted in the foreseeable future. Both threats and prospects are examined, from the possibility of a global pandemic to the implications of genetic engineering and nanotechnology. The course concludes with reflection on what we’ve learned over the semester and addresses our ongoing hopes and fears for the future, speculating on what we can do with this knowledge.
Objectives (instructors will):
• Survey costs and benefits of scientific and/or technological innovation
• Examine ethical considerations in contemporary scientific research
• Identify problems of and solutions to current scientific debates
• Explore implications of technological innovation for personal identity
Outcomes (students will be able to):
• Apply concepts of classification and ethics to current scientific debates
• Elaborate unforeseen consequences of innovation
• Assess role of technology in everyday life
• Synthesize course material by applying it to future concerns