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BIOL 107 - Environmental Science

A guide to assist you with BIOL 107 at Bay College.

Media Assignments

You are required to complete two 5-point media assignments (10 points total). A variety of options of different point values are listed below.

You may complete additional media assignments. Additional media assignment points will replace low scores on tests and quizzes. These are not “extra credit.” For example, if you get two out of 5 points on a quiz, you can do an extra media assignment, and I will change your quiz score to a 5. Extra media assignments can only be used on low test and quiz scores. You are limited to a maximum of 40 points to be used this way. Under no circumstances can media assignments be used to fix low scores on papers, lab reports, oral presentations, or regular assignments.

Summary. To earn 5 points:

  • Watch 2 hour show. (unless otherwise noted)
  • Take notes
  • Write a 1 page, double spaced discussion
  • Hand in both notes and discussion.

Current Research

The BIOL 107 Course Guide includes a variety of options for your environmental issue paper. For a more low-key 5 point media assignment option, read a paper from the course guide, take notes, and then write up a 1 page, typed, double-spaced discussion of what you learned (12 pt. font, 1” margins). I am not interested in a summary.  Instead, let me know what you thought was really interesting, cool, or confusing. Staple your notes to your write-up and hand it in. You must hand in both your notes and your written summary.


Videos, Films, Shows & Series


Read a Book or Write a Short Paper

For 30 points, write a formal 2 page paper on a topic we decide on together from one of the books posted.  Not interested in one of these? Find an alternative related to ecology, conservation or the environment and get my OK before you get started.


HHMI Lecture Series Discussion

Write a 2 page discussion for each lecture series you watch below. The Bay College Library also has most of these lectures on DVD.


Podcasts


Bill Moyers Journal

For 5 points each, watch one or more of the videos below.


IPCC Summary for Policy Makers

Read the IPCC Summary for Policy Makers. The link below will take you to the latest summary for policymakers synthesis report on Climate Change 2014. While the document is 40 pages long, the actually report is only 19, and much of the important stuff can be gleaned just from the figures. Check it out, and write up a 1 page discussion for a 5 point media assignment.


Years of Living Dangerously

Bay College Library now has the complete Showtime series, "Years of Living Dangerously" on DVD. This series does not stream online. You'll have to check out the DVD's from Bay College Library, or watch them there. There are five DVDs. Each DVD counts for one media assignment and contains two shows, or about two hours of programing. For each DVD you watch, write a one page discussion for 5 points. Watch all 5 DVDs for 25 points. Find descriptions of each show below. You can find more information online at http://yearsoflivingdangerously.com


Strange Days on Planet Earth

For 5 points each, watch any 2 episodes below. Each episode is 1 hour.


Origins

For 5 points, view episodes 1 and 2, or 3 and 4. For 10 points, view all four episodes. Each episode is 1 hour.


Evolution

For 5 points, view episode 1 (2 hours) or view episodes 2 and 3, 4 and 5, or 6 and 7 for 5 points a pair. Episodes 2 through 7 are 1 hour each.


Journey to Planet Earth

For each 5 point assignment, view any two, one hour programs below. There are now 13 programs in the Journey to Planet Earth series explore the fragile relationship between people and the world they inhabit. A common thread runs throughout all the programs — the necessity to achieve a balance between the needs of people and the needs of the environment. Many can be found streaming online. 


Rx for Survival - A Global Health Challenge

For each 5 point assignment, view Part 1, Part 2, or Part 3.


PBS NOVA Ancient Earth

Witness the dramatic history of Earth, from its birth to the emergence of humanity. Dive into the most dramatic events in Earth’s 4.5-billion-year history, from its birth to the emergence of humanity. How did a hellscape of molten lava transform into a lush, green, watery planet filled with life? With dazzlingly realistic animation based on the latest research, each of these five episodes brings to life long-lost worlds that ultimately led to the one we know today.


PBS Evolution Earth

Evolution Earth embarks on a global expedition to reveal the animals keeping pace with a planet changing at superspeed. Heading out across the globe to distant wilds and modern urban environments, five episodes track how animals are moving, using ingenuity to adapt their behavior, and even evolving in unexpected ways. At the front lines of this rapid change are the scientists, filmmakers and local communities recording the animals’ stories. We follow heart-warming tales of resilience that redefine our understanding of evolution, and hint at how nature can show us a path towards a sustainable future for Planet Earth.


PBS The Invisible Shield: Public health saved your life today and you don’t even know it.

The Invisible Shield examines how public health makes modern life possible, but it is underfunded, undervalued and misunderstood putting our health at risk. THE INVISIBLE SHIELD, a new four-part documentary series from RadicalMedia made possible by Bloomberg Philanthropies, reveals how the field of public health has saved countless lives in the U.S., protecting people from the constant threat of disease and increasing lifespans. The series explores the hidden public health infrastructure that makes modern life possible. It highlights the thousands of unsung heroes — physicians, nurses, scientists, activists, reformers, engineers, and government officials — who work together to improve health outcomes, from the days of cholera and smallpox through the most recent battle with COVID-19. 

All four episodes of THE INVISIBLE SHIELD will be available to stream on March 26, 2024, on all station-branded PBS platforms, including PBS.org and the PBS App, available on iOS, Android, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Samsung Smart TV, Chromecast and VIZIO.


Netflix