Teaching - Geo352: Introduction to Soil Science - Understanding Environmental Issues (Fall Semester)

(Graduate students are able to enroll for this course under Geo534 - for more info: rensch@buffalo.edu)

"For in the end we will conserve only what we love.
We will love only what we understand.
And we will understand only what we are taught."
- Baba Dioum, Senegalese Conservationist, Scholar and Statesman,
in a Speech at the General Assembly of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature
held in New Delhi, India (1968)

Instructor: Chris S. Renschler (rensch@buffalo.edu)

Time schedule: Tuesdays and Thursdays 12:30 - 1:50 pm (352 Fillmore)

Office Hours: Tuesday and Thursday 11:00 am - 12:00 pm (116 Wilkeson)

Audience: Undergraduate Students in Geography, Geology, Civil Engineering, Planning or Environmental Studies, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, or permission by instructor.

Objectives: This interdisciplinary course introduces students to soil science. The emphasize in the course is to learn the most important soil properties and processes, such as soil-forming processes, composition and classification of soils, and the spatial distribution of major soil categories. The most relevant analysis methods for soil properties, soil/plant relationships, nutrients, land management practices, and ecological problems are discussed. The interdisciplinary nature of this course allows students to understand key properties and processes not only in soils, but in the environment in general - a must for everybody interested in understanding environmental issues.

Required Textbook: Nyle C. Brady and Ray R. Weil, 2004: Elements of the Nature and Properties of Soils. Second Edition. Pearson/Prentice Hall. (ISBN 0-13-048038-X). Companion webpage (Jump to each chapter for Quizzes, Web Links, and Color Photos) Other helpful sources for information are at Ten Key Messages, Careers in Soils, and other Soil Facts provided by the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS).

The course includes the following topics (reading is recommended before the class):

• The Soils Around Us (p.1-25)
• Formation of Soils from Parent Materials (p.26-57)
• Soil Classification (p.58-93)
• Soil Architecture and Physical Properties (p.94-133)
• Soil Water: Characteristics and Behavior (p.134-161)
• Soil and the Hydrologic Cycle (p.162-199)
• Soil Aeration and Temperature (p. 201-233)
• The Colloidal Fraction: Seat of Soil Chemical and Physical Activity (p. 235-265)
• Soil Acidity, Alkalinity, and Salinity (p. 266-315)
• Organisms and Ecology of the Soil (p. 316-351)
• Soil Organic Matter (p. 353-385)
• Nitrogen and Sulfur Economy of Soils (p. 386-420)
• Soil Phosphorus, Potassium, and Micronutrients (p. 422-470)
• Practical Nutrient Management (p. 472-514)
• Soil Erosion and Its Control (p. 516-556).

Schedule: The official course webpage is only accessible through UBlearns - enrolled students must check on UBlearns for the latest updates in schedule and syllabus. Please note that the schedule of chapters and activities may change.

Activities: Students are evaluated [% of total grade] based on their performance in:

• [75%] Three Exams (25% each)
• [24%] Four Activity Reports on Assignments (1 page maximum; all assignments are due as single sheet hard copy before class exactly 1 week after the activity took place; past due delivery will result in a 1-point penalty per day; that means no submission will be accepted 6 days past the due date!)
• [1%+] Extra Credit Points (1 point = 1 % added to the total score at the end of the semester): Extra Credit Points can be gained by active participation and correct answering questions during the class, especially in the interactive review sessions before exams. Reading chapters before class will help you to actively participate and prepare yourself for the exams).

Exam: There will be three exams with 50 multiple-choice and 16 true-false questions (total points per exam: 22; time limit: 80 minutes). There will be no final exam.

Make-up exams will be only given where a student contacts me before or at the day of the scheduled test and offers an acceptable excuse. Make-up exams must be taken no more than 7 days after the scheduled exam date (usually during my office hours), except where prolonged illness prevents this. In case of an illness or accident a medical certificate from either a doctor or health service will be required. The instructor reserves the right to alter the course schedule and format of the exams as is deemed necessary.

Assigned activity reports (six assigned tasks; total points per report: 4) have to be submitted through UBlearns drop box and email notice to instructor before the first class in the week following the activity. Failure to submit in time will result in a point reduction of 10% per day.

The final letter grades are A (90-100%), A- (85-89%), B+ (80-84%), B (75-79 %), B- (70-74%), C+(65-69%), C (60-64%), C- (56.6-60%), D+ (53.3-56.6%), D (50-53.3%), and F (0-50%).

For incomplete work, academic integrity, and disability services refer to the University undergraduate Incomplete Policy, Integrity Policy, and the University’s Disability Service Office (you must register with the office to receive accommodation for physical and learning disabilities), respectively.

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Copyright 2014 Chris Renschler