Example Syllabus
Here I present an example syllabus for a proposed course on "Issues in Water Quality". It is not usual to have a class only focused on water quality, and this class is particularly tailored for a wide range of students who may not have much base knowledge at all on the issues discussed, such as incoming freshman and sophomores. In my proposed learning objectives, I intend to give the students base knowledge of the subject, as well as tie it into the many real problems with water quality happening around us and then I think something a bit unique is to bring in a bit of an applied engineering perspective in discussing ways to prevent or mitigate these issues. Once I have established the base knowledge, my main mechanism for achieving the discussion of problems and mitigation will be to dive into a few major case studies.
"Issues in Water Quality" Course
As humans, we depend on the availability of good, clean water to stay healthy. The same goes for most other living creatures around us. Taking this course will allow you to understand what really makes ‘good, clean water’ as well as how issues in water quality can arise, and what we might do to deal with or fix these issues. I think it’s important for every person to have some understanding of the potential stresses or threats to these water resources that we so strongly depend on. No matter what, this class will make you a more informed citizen. I also hope that some of you will feel inspired to pursue an education in environmental science or engineering and more directly work to protect these valuable resources.
Course Aims and Objectives
Aims
After taking this course, you’ll have a concrete understanding of what ‘water quality’ really is, what can cause problems in water quality, and how we can practically try to solve these problems.
Specific Learning Objectives:
You will be able to:
For the rest of the proposed course syllabus:
After taking this course, you’ll have a concrete understanding of what ‘water quality’ really is, what can cause problems in water quality, and how we can practically try to solve these problems.
Specific Learning Objectives:
You will be able to:
- Explain the factors in water that determine its ‘quality’
- List official standards by which water quality is determined
- Measure the quality of a particular sample using a variety of techniques
- Give examples of how humans can detrimentally affect water quality
- Explain physical & chemical mechanisms behind changes in water quality
- Propose means of mitigating adverse impacts on water quality
- Conduct and present a project that will utilize the above skills to explore a particular water quality issue
For the rest of the proposed course syllabus: