Fleming College

This course is designed to be an introduction to some of the basic principles of chemistry which the students will expand upon in Chemistry 1 and 2. The course will also familiarize the learner with topics such as matter and energy, atomic structure, properties and nomenclature of compounds, chemical bonding, chemical reactions, solutions, acids and bases. Students that feel they have the necessary background and training can write a challenge exam to be exempted from this course.

This course will enable students to apply specific mathematical concepts and acquire foundation skills important in the Natural Resource and Environmental Sciences. It is designed to complement and reinforce learning within other first semester courses and program areas.

Communication is an exciting and rewarding part of any career. Successful professional communication requires an understanding of both individual and organizational audiences and the ability to create effective messages for them. Critical Thinking and Communication will introduce students to the critical-thinking, problem-solving and professional communication and writing skills that are required in order to be successful advocates for ecological restoration, technical writers, and academic researchers and authors. Course content will develop skill in writing lab and field reports, academic essays and managing positive and negative messages. In this course students will learn to "see communication, understand it, and manage it." They will learn to recognize and analyze the rich examples of written and nonverbal communication found in personal and work experiences and in current ecological restoration issues as they appear in both popular and academic media. Students make an important contribution to this course in the study and experience of professional communication.

This course introduces students to the processes and materials that shape our planet. Topics include the unifying theory of plate tectonics and how it underpins fundamental geological processes that operate on and within the Earth, the geological evolution of Canada, and the dynamic relationship between Earth, climate, and humans. Students will learn to identify rocks, minerals, and soils at an introductory level, and develop an understanding of Earth and its atmosphere.

Environmental Science is a university level foundation course introducing the scientific principles required for an understanding of environmental problems and solutions in our highly technological society. Emphasis will be placed upon developing scientific literacy for students in key areas of concern such as energy use and sustainability, globalization, human population dynamics and waste management.

This course will focus on three areas of study: identification, field and lab skills. Students will identify and classify the living and non-living components of the specific ecosystems described in the Ecology and Environment (ENVR 20) course. Field skills to be developed include the ability to navigate through the natural environment and use a variety of ecosystem inventory techniques. Special emphasis will be placed on safe work habits in lab and field.

Data used in the environmental and natural resource fields are nearly always tied to a geographic location. In this course students will learn the specialized skills needed to work with spatial data including mapping fundamentals, field data collection, data management, spatial analysis, and cartography. Students will use online mapping tools and ArcGIS to analyze geographic data and apply recognized cartographic standards to create a map related to their field of study.

Environmental Science is a university level foundation course introducing the scientific principles required for an understanding of environmental problems and solutions in our highly technological society. Emphasis will be placed upon developing scientific literacy for students in key areas of concern such as energy use and sustainability, globalisation, human population dynamics and waste management.

Pre-Requisites

• Environmental Science I (SCIE 118)

GIS is the science of deriving, determining, and communicating spatial relationships between and within geographic features. This course will provide the student with the fundamental principles supporting the two main spatial data models, vector and raster, and will introduce concepts of spatial relationships and preliminary spatial analysis related to resource mapping. Students will develop entry-level skills in data capture, data query and in the usage of Geographic Information System (GIS) software.

Pre-Requisites

• Geospatial Data Techniques (GEOM 122) OR Geospatial Techniques (GEOM 36) OR Fundamentals of Geomatics (GEOM 163)

Introduction to Ecology offers an examination of the interactions between organisms and their environment at the individual, population and community level. The course will cover basic concepts, theories and methods used in ecology and the application of these to ecological and environmental problems.

This course introduces the fundamental theories, measurements, calculations and laboratory methods required to apply chemistry principles to applications in organic and inorganic chemistry. The course also provides an introduction to biochemistry. The integrated course concept and its relevance to environmental science is illustrated below.

Pre-Requisites

• Applied Chemistry in Ecological Restoration (SCIE 135)

This course deals with the identification of approximately 100 species of trees and shrubs of importance to those managing the forests resources of Ontario. Throughout the semester identification features for common trees and shrubs in both summer and winter condition are introduced and applied. A number of field trips are utilized to assist students with their identification skills. In the weekly lecture series topics such as tree growth, reproduction, photosynthesis, respiration, forest ecology and uses of trees will be introduced. At the completion of the course students will have a sound working knowledge of dendrology. The skills introduced in this semester may then be used in following semesters when working with Forest Ecosystem Classification, Restoration Ecology, Conservation Planning and other habitat management situations.

In this course students will be given the opportunity to explore Indigenous worldviews, environmental philosophies, values and ways-of-life through exposure to the perspectives of traditional Indigenous Teachings, lectures, and guest speakers. This course will cover such topics as approaches to studying the environment, the impact of colonization and colonialism on Indigenous Peoples and their environment. Students will also investigate Indigenous and non-Indigenous perspectives on Indigenous Environmental Knowledge and its use and application in environmental management with special attention being paid to interactions between Indigenous knowledge and western science. This course is designed to encourage students to use Indigenous Knowledge and western science, as well as knowledge from the social sciences, to develop sustainable resolutions to specific environmental issues currently facing Indigenous communities.

Introduction to Plant Community Systematics introduces students to concepts in systematic classification with an emphasis on local flora. The course is fundamental to the understanding of relationships, both evolutionary and ecological, among plant and animal communities; their roles in the ecosystem, and the underlying reasons for their geographical distributions. The importance of plant taxonomy in ecological restoration will be explored in terms of rebuilding viable communities based on the historical data, current conditions and the appropriate plant associations that can be reconstructed.

Pre-Requisites

• Introduction to Ecology (ECOS 27)

This course introduces the fundamental theories, measurements, calculations and laboratory methods required to apply chemistry principles to applications in organic and inorganic chemistry. The course also provides an introduction to biochemistry. The integrated course concept and its relevance to environmental science is illustrated below.

Pre-Requisites

• Introductory Chemistry I (SCIE 120)

This course is designed to introduce students to the fundamentals of descriptive and inferential statistics with an emphasis on inference. The major topics include methods of analyzing sets of data, probability, probability distributions, estimation, confidence intervals, hypothesis testing, simple linear regression and correlation. Course concepts are applied to the natural sciences.

Pre-Requisites

• Applied Mathematics in Natural Resource Sciences (MATH 63)

This course introduces the fundamental theories and applications of groundwater studies. Lecture topics will include basic principles of groundwater, aquifer investigation, wells, groundwater management, and groundwater geotechniques. Lab efforts will be directed to hydraulic conductivity determinations, flow nets, pump tests, piezometric tests, and uses of test data.

This field course provides students with exposure to the principles and practices in ecosystem restoration. Ongoing or completed projects addressing both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems will be visited thus exposing students to current techniques in the field. Students will get the opportunity to further develop their skills in taxonomical classification, ecosystem monitoring, and ecosystem assessment.

Pre-Requisites

• Environmental Science II (SCIE 119)
• Introduction to Ecology (ECOS 27)

The Ecological Land Classification (ELC) for Southern Ontario is a standardized and widely accepted tool developed to address issues with communicating ecological information amongst different environmental agencies. The ELC for Southern Ontario is utilized by provincial government, conservation authorities, private consultants, and non-government organizations; therefore, knowledge of the ELC is an essential skill in the workplace. In this course, students will learn about the ELC based on the standard curriculum published by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry. Students will introduced to the topics that form the foundation for the ELC framework, through a combination of in-class lectures and activities in the field. Students will learn about the influence of bedrock and surficial geography on ecological systems. Students will also learn about the fundamentals of soils formation and identification, including the characterization and classification of soils and soil profiles in the field. Students will gain experience in air photo interpretation, and the delineation of plant communities using Geographic Information Systems. Students will also gain experience with plant community identification and sampling in the field. The course will culminate in the application of these newly learned skills to identify, delineate, and classify plant communities on large parcel of land in the Kawartha Lakes.

This course will be an extension of Indigenous Environmental Studies I and will continue to explore the relationship between Indigenous communities and their environment and the connections between western science and Indigenous and local knowledge systems.

Pre-Requisites

• Introduction to Indigenous Environmental Studies: History and Culture (INDG 31)

A continuation of Math I, this course is designed to introduce students to the fundamentals of descriptive and inferential statistics with an emphasis on inference. The major topics include methods of analysing sets of data, probability, probability distributions, estimation, confidence intervals, hypothesis testing, simple linear regression and correlation.

Pre-Requisites

• Math I (MATH 86)

The primary objective of this course is to provide the student with the theoretical and practical knowledge of the different methods that practitioners use in the field and the different techniques used to assess impacts on the environment and understand basic ecosystem processes.

Pre-Requisites

• Environmental Science II (SCIE 119)

Readings in Environment and Restoration will introduce students to literature that illuminates and serves as the foundation of the disciplines of restoration ecology and environmental studies. It will provide students with an opportunity to study and contextualize the major themes of these disciplines as they are expressed through poetry, narrative and discursive prose. It will begin with a brief overview of the European religious views of nature represented in literature from the Middle Ages to Renaissance and contrast these with the scientific world-view of the 18th Century. We will then consider the significant redefinition of the environment and human nature in the 19th Century through the works of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau and Jack London. Finally, we will examine the emergence of the modern ecological restoration movement in seminal texts by Aldo Leopold, Rachel Carson, Edward Abbey, and native novelist Leslie Marmon Silko. As well, we will examine various selected readings, including poets Robert Frost, Wallace Stevens, William Carlos Williams, Robinson Jeffers, and Gary Snyder.

Pre-Requisites

• Critical Thinking and Communication (COMM 131)