Are you concerned about global warming, pollution, and conservation biology?

Do you want to have a better scientific understanding of the scope of environmental problems?

Would you like to consider the scientific, political, economic, and ethical solutions to environmental problems?

An introduction to the Earth as a system, the physical and biological resources on the planet, and the impact of humanity on those resources. Students will become aware of the unique features of Earth that allowed the origin and evolution of life, the intrinsic values as well as the resource values of species and ecosystems, the extent of damage from historical and current overexploitation, efforts to restore endangered species and ecosystems, and the difficulties of reaching a sustainable relationship with the resources available in the face of increasing human population numbers compounded by increasing economic activity. The sequence is intended to help students become more informed citizens and decision makers, and it will be ideal preparation for participation in relevant majors in the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities.

Dr. Bryant directs UCI’s graduate training program in Stem Cell Biology, and he chairs the campus Environmental Science Committee. He is well known for his genetics work using fruit flies as a model system to lead to a better understanding of the control of stem cell development and of potential cancer therapies. Dr. Bryant is an avid conservation biologist and was one of the developers of the Global Sustainability minor on campus. He has written a hypertext book on "Biodiversity and Conservation”. In addition, Dr. Bryant is a superb nature photographer, and he manages the most comprehensive web site to be found anywhere dealing with local arthropods (insects and spiders).

Jean-Daniel Saphores
Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Dr. Saphores own training and work experience embodies interdisciplinary approaches to complex problems. He has a PhD in agricultural economics in addition to Master's degrees in Civil and Environmental Engineering, Economics and Geotechnical Engineering. He has been a faculty member in Economics, Social Ecology and Civil and Envirnmental Engineering and has also worked as a consulting engineer. Dr. Saphores is interested in decision making under uncertainty using the theory of "Real Options". His research projects range broadly and include topics such as global warming, biodiversity, pest management, forests, pollution regulation and transportation planning.

Sonja Djuricin
Teaching Assistant of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology

Sonja is a third year graduate student in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. She is doing research in the lab of Dr. Diane Pataki where she is studying changes in tree physiology over time in the Los Angeles basin. She is also an avid climber and an aspiring photographer..

Neeta Bijoor
Teaching Assistant of Earth System Science

Neeta is a third year graduate student in the department of Earth System Science where she joins Sonja as a researcher in the lab of Dr. Pataki. She recently advanced to candidacy. Congratulations Neeta!

Course codes:

Click here for WebSOC

Course times:

• Lectures on TuTh 2:00 - 3:20 pm
• Discussions on Mondays at 8 am, 10 am, 1 pm or 3 pm (sign up for one)

Course websites:

• Uni Stu 13A website
• Uni Stu 13B website - requires username and password; e-mail Dr. Bryant for them (pjbryant@uci.edu)

Enrollment requirements:

• Freshman year student
• Satisfactory completion of the UC Entry Level Writing Requirement
• Concurrent enrollment in Writing 39B for fall or winter quarter
• Commitment to the three-quarter sequence of courses

Breadth fulfilled:

• Category II (2 courses)
• Category III (1 course)
• Category I (equivalent of
Writing 39C - must take all three quarters to earn Writing credit)

Quarterly themes:

Fall - Dr. Pataki
• The Earth System

Winter - Dr. Bryant
• The Living Planet

Spring - Dr. Saphores
• Human Impacts, Resource Use and Sustainability

Selected topics:

Fall
• Origins of the earth
• Plate tectonics
• Earth's crust
• Energy & water cycles
• Oceans
• Atmosphere & climate
• Biosphere
• Energy Resources
• Climatic change

Winter
•Ecosystem & organism distribution
• Southern California ecosystems & organisms
• Biodiversity values
• Environmental contamination
• Endangered species
• Human population impacts

Spring
•Economics & environment
• Sustainability
• Water
• Energy
• Renewable energy sources
• Sustainability in practice