Course Overview

College Eight is rolling out a new core course effective the academic year 2009 - 10. The three quarter sequence will be taught by senior tenured professors from the Social Science, Physical and Biological Science, and Engineering Divisions of UCSC. The goal of the core course sequence is to provide students with a solid scientific and policy foundation for environmental citizenship, and to investigate solutions. Students who take all three courses will receive a College Eight Certificate in Environmental Citizenship. Students who complete all three courses with a cumulative GPA of 3.5 and above will receive Honors in the Core Course.

Fall Quarter: The Big Picture

CLEI 81A (The Environment and Us), taught by Ravi Rajan, Provost of College Eight (Department of Environmental Studies); and

CLEI 80 A or B (Environment and Society), taught by College Eight and UCSC Writing Program Faculty. This course gives a broad overview of the history of the environmental movement, as well as the challenges we face now and into the future, with a particular focus on environmental justice.

Note: BOTH Fall courses are mandatory for all freshmen. Winter and Spring courses are electives (and can be taken in any order in frosh or sophomore years), but all are designed to work synergistically together, and satisfy a number of General Education requirements.

Winter Quarter: The Science

CLEI 81B, Principles of Environmental Science. This 5-credit class will satisfy the IN and the Q requirement. CLEI 81B, Fundamentals of Environmental Science, taught by Ingrid Parker, Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Patrick Cheung, Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences. The purpose of this course is to learn about how science works to evaluate information and make smart decisions in terms of policy and personal choices. Students will also have the opportunity to do hands-on experiential learning. Meets MWF 9:30-10:40

Writing 2 Some Writing 2 classes are specially designed to work in tandem with CLEI 81B. This course will draw on the readings and lectures from CLEI 81B. Note, CLEI 81B is a co-requisite for these Writing 2 classes (TBA)

This section of Writing 2 is designed for those taking the College 8 Core 81B course, Fundamentals of Environmental Science, which will explore climate and ecosystems. In this section, we will investigate how to find and make sense out of a variety of different kinds of readings related to environmental issues and make persuasive arguments about them through understanding rhetorical principles. Students will engage in understanding and communicating concepts in environmental science, including communicating in different media for a variety of audiences and purposes. We'll write three substantial essays, as well as a final research project. Ideally, the final project will be a collaborative group project on a subject that will be the topic of the 81C culminating project, a creative solution to an environmental problem.

40147 WRIT-2 -36 Rhetoric & Inquiry TTh 12:00PM-01:45PM Hum & Soc Sci 250 Patrick McKercher

39793 WRIT-2 -10 Rhetoric & Inquiry MWF 12:30PM-01:40PM Merrill Acad 132 Hagen,J.A.

39794 WRIT-2 -11 Rhetoric & Inquiry MWF 02:00PM-03:10PM Merrill Acad 132 Hagen,J.A.

Spring Quarter: The Solutions

CLEI 81C, Technological Innovation and Environmental Challenges, taught by Ken Pedrotti, Professor and Chair of Electrical Engineering and John Vesecky, Professor of Electrical Engineering. This course explores the critical issues of energy (fossil fuels, bio-fuels, nuclear), and investigates solutions in terms of finding greater efficency in transportation, manufacturing and everyday life . Students will have the opportunity to participate in a group project that will come up with its own creative solution to a real problem.

NOTE: If at all possible, students in 81B or 81C should sign up for Wr 2 sections that are linked to those classes.

WRIT-2 Rhetoric & Inquiry Instructor: McKercher,P.M. pmmckerc@ucsc.edu and Joy Hagen
Gaia's Revenge

This class is designed for those taking the College 8 Core 81C course, Fundamentals of Environmental Science, which will explore climate and ecosystems. We will investigate how to find and make sense out of a variety of readings related to environmental issues and make persuasive arguments about them through understanding rhetorical principles. Students will engage in understanding and communicating concepts in environmental science, including communicating in different media for a variety of audiences and purposes. As in every Writing 2 course, students in this class will write several substantive essays, including a final research project. Ideally, the final project will be a collaborative group project on a subject that will be the topic of the 81C culminating project, a creative solution to an environmental problem.

Restricted to College Eight students who are concurrently enrolled in CLEI 81C.

Note: 1. Admission to the Winter Quarter and the Spring Quarter Core Courses will be open to about half of the incoming class, as well as current College Eight Sophomores, who can take them for General Education Credit. Interested students are strongly advised to enroll as soon as the portal opens in order to be assured of a place.

2. The Winter and Spring courses need not be taken in sequence. Students are welcome to take one of them in their freshmen year and the other in their Sophomore year.

3. Students who take all three courses will receive a College Eight Certificate in Environmental Citizenship.

4. Students who complete all three courses with a cumulative GPA of 3.5 and above will receive Honors in the Core Course.

5. Students who complete the entire core sequence will receive the following general education course credits: T2, T3, C1 or C2, IN, and Q. Students who take either one or two of the three quarters will receive GE credit appropriate to the courses they have passed. For more information, please contact any of the College Academic Advisors.