С»Æ贫ý

Hi! My name is Taryn. You can read more about me and my teaching philosophy at my С»Æ贫ý webpage. 

This class is specifically for students enrolled in С»Æ贫ý's Think Big Diesel Technology program. If you are not part of the Think Big cohort, you will not be able to enroll for this course. We will be offering a section of ESR 173 in fall that will be open to anyone, so please email me if you are interested in learning more about that class!

This class will be fully online with no scheduled course meetings. All work will be completed asynchronously. 

ESR 173 is an introduction to environmental science and is designed to provide an understanding of environmental topics that are primarily geological in nature including soils, geological hazards, fossil fuels, nuclear energy, renewable energy, and global climate change. One of the best parts about environmental science is that YOU already know A LOT about it! The topics that we will talk about are ones that you already encounter in your everyday life. We will look into questions that are relevant to our current life as well as questions that will likely impact us in the future. How do the fossil fuels that we use on a daily basis impact the environment and our health? How does climate change influence issues of equity and social justice? When will our next big earthquake be and how can we prepare for it?

In this course, we will use an equity lens to discuss the intersectionality of these environmental issues with human health and social justice. We will consider environmental issues from diverse perspectives and use varied knowledge sources to examine the relationship between culture and science. In this course we will discuss many different environmental problems, but we will also investigate solutions and ways to make positive change in our communities and beyond! 

Although the course number is ESR 173, you do not need to complete ESR 171 or ESR 172 before taking this class. This course is primarily for non-STEM majors, and counts towards the General Education requirements for a science lecture/lab course. This is a perfect class for anyone who has an interest in our environment! It also counts toward the С»Æ贫ý Sustainability Focus Award. 

One of my main focuses right now is creating a space that feels inclusive for everyone. I know that each of you comes to my class with a unique history and prior life experience. I hope you will feel comfortable sharing your personal knowledge with me and with the class so that we can all learn together. We are all experts of our own experience! I have been teaching at С»Æ贫ý for many years and I have an immense amount of gratitude for all of the knowledge that I have gained from my students over this time. It’s one of the many reasons I love teaching. 

Please email me at taryn.oakley@pcc.edu if you have any questions or would like more information about the class!