Mineral and nonrenewable energy resources have been produced by geologic processes acting over much of Earth’s history—consequently, they are erratically distributed over the Earth, and many resources are concentrated heavily in a small number of countries.  Nevertheless, the demand and markets for these resources are global, and conflict over resources has often shaped the course of human events and will continue to do so.  Discussion of each resource will include an overview of how the resources form geologically, what each resource is used for, which nations are the major resource holders and producers and which nations are most dependent on imports.

The use and impacts of earth resources are intrinsically global in scope and involve complex interrelationships among nations, government agencies, corporations, individuals and the local and global environment.  Ownership, exploitation and scarcity of resources create tensions among nations, between the interests of corporations and individuals, and between the interests of development and conservation. 

Understanding the use of earth resources and their impacts on society and the environment also requires an understanding of their interdisciplinary dimensions.  The geology of the resources creates technical and engineering challenges in their extraction, processing and refining.  Their global distribution creates political and economic challenges including the formation of cartels, the support of oppressive regimes by resource companies, and the prosecution of wars which have changed the course of history on the largest scales.  The impacts of resource extraction and use create political and scientific challenges as solutions to environmental problems are sought and political efforts are waged to implement those solutions.  All of these scenarios play out in diverse ways in different countries with differing legal systems and cultural norms.

There are positive and negative aspects to the extraction and use of every resource, and a central emphasis of the course is to consider the uses of each resource together with the associated political, economic and environmental issues, rather than treating each of those topics separately.  Because everyone living in industrialized society is involved in the use of mineral and energy resources, the relationships between individuals and the pros and cons of resource are emphasized.

Please review the FIU's Policies webpage. The policies webpage contains essential information regarding guidelines relevant to all courses at FIU, as well as additional information about acceptable netiquette for online courses.

Cheating, plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty are very serious forms of academic misconduct and will not be tolerated. University policies for academic misconduct are very strict, and the results of cheating and/or plagiarism can be a failing grade or ultimately expulsion from the University.

Please be aware that FIU and Department of Environmental Studies academic honesty policies will be upheld. Plagiarism in any form will not be tolerated and is considered cheating. This includes copying text directly from websites, previously written papers, and other sources without acknowledging the original source or author. Cheating on exams also has serious consequences, up to and including expulsion. Plagiarized film reviews are easy to detect and find and last semester several people flunked the course for using them.

Notice: If a student has a disability and needs assistance with class, please contact the Disability Resource Center (GC 190; 305-348-3532). It is the responsibility of each student to work with the Center and Instructor to make arrangements as needed for their accommodations.

Course Late Assignment Policy

All assignments submitted after the assignment due date are subject to the following deductions.

You must contact your instructor before attempting late assignments.

Online Assessment Issues Policy

If you encounter a problem when conducting an assessment (e.g., exam, quiz, discussion, etc.) and/or have problems uploading documents to the assignment dropbox, then you must contact FIU online for assistance.  They will contact me with additional instructions at which point a determination will be made regarding the next course of action.  There is no exception to this policy.

One of the greatest barriers to taking an online course is a lack of basic computer literacy. By computer literacy we mean being able to manage and organize computer files efficiently, and learning to use your computer's operating system and software quickly and easily. Keep in mind that this is not a computer literacy course; but students enrolled in online courses are expected to have moderate proficiency using a computer. Please go to the "What's Required" webpage to find out more information on this subject.

This course utilizes the following tools:

• Youtube
• ApprenNet
• Zaption
• Adobe Connect

Please visit our Technical Requirements webpage for additional information.

Please visit our ADA Compliance webpage for information about accessibility involving the tools used in this course.

Please visit Blackboard's Commitment Accessibility webpage for more information. 

For additional assistance please contact FIU's Disability Resource Center.

There are no prerequisites for this course.

Florida International University is a community dedicated to generating and imparting knowledge through excellent teaching and research, the rigorous and respectful exchange of ideas and community service. All students should respect the right of others to have an equitable opportunity to learn and honestly to demonstrate the quality of their learning. Therefore, all students are expected to adhere to a standard of academic conduct, which demonstrates respect for themselves, their fellow students, and the educational mission of the University. All students are deemed by the University to understand that if they are found responsible for academic misconduct, they will be subject to the Academic Misconduct procedures and sanctions, as outlined in the Student Handbook.

Academic Misconduct includes: Cheating – The unauthorized use of books, notes, aids, electronic sources; or assistance from another person with respect to examinations, course assignments, field service reports, class recitations; or the unauthorized possession of examination papers or course materials, whether originally authorized or not. Plagiarism – The use and appropriation of another’s work without any indication of the source and the representation of such work as the student’s own. Any student who fails to give credit for ideas, expressions or materials taken from another source, including internet sources, is responsible for plagiarism.

Learn more about the academic integrity policies and procedures as well as student resources that can help you prepare for a successful semester.

This is an online course, which means most (if not all) of the course work will be conducted online. Expectations for performance in an online course are the same for a traditional course. In fact, online courses require a degree of self-motivation, self-discipline, and technology skills which can make these courses more demanding for some students.

Students are expected to:

• Review the how to get started information located in the course content
• Introduce yourself to the class during the first week by posting a self introduction video in the appropriate blog
• Take the practice quiz to ensure that your computer is compatible with Blackboard
• Interact online with instructor/s and peers
• Review and follow the course calendar
• Log in to the course at least four (4) times per week
• Respond to blogs as stated in the "Apprennet Video Discussion" section
• Respond to messages within no more than two (2) days
• Submit assignments by the corresponding deadline

The instructor will:

• Log in to the course at least five (5) times per week
• Respond to discussion boards, blogs and journal postings within two (2) days
• Respond to messages within 2 days (48 hours)
• Grade assignments within ten (10) days of the assignment deadline.

Communication in this course will take place via Messages.

Messages is a private and secure text-based communication system which occurs within a course among its Course members. Users must log on to Blackboard to send, receive, or read messages. The Messages tool is located on the Course Menu, on the left side of the course webpage. It is recommended that students check their messages routinely to ensure up-to-date communication. 

Announcements will be posted throughout the semester discussing various topics relating the course.  Announcements can also contain important reminders about due dates and/or discussion certain elements of topics covered during the course.  It is extremely important that you check and read the announcements on a regular basis.

Visit our Writing Resources webpage for more information on professional writing and technical communication skills.

Blogs are an open communications tool for students to share their thoughts. Here you can post text, images, links and attachments, open for comments.

1. This course has 1 assignment utilizing the Video Blog tool. Within the lesson 1 folder you will find information on how to upload a video to YouTube and how to upload a video through Video Everywhere into the Introduce Yourself blog.  Students will upload all course videos to their personal YouTube channel and then into the assignment's particular blog by the due date noted in the Blogs portion of this syllabus:
2. Blogs can be found in the Bog portion of the course menu or within the content area of the course.

Discussions and participation are required, just as if you were in a face to face class. Online does not mean silent or student guided. This semester, all course discussions will be hosted through the Apprennet video discussion tool.  Students will be required to reply to all discussion questions by uploading a 2 minute video to the Apprennet tool.  After this is completed, students will then be required to review 4 randomly assigned classmates’ discussion videos. 

Discussion participation will be evaluated based on:

• the number of classmates videos students review (minimum is 4) and
• the feedback students share through comments and grading rubrics. 

After students have completed these two steps, Apprennet will allow students access to professor Rego’s response to the discussion question.  

All discussions will require that students submit their video for peer review by Thursday @ 11:59pm of the week the discussion is assigned and all peer-reviews must be completed by the following Monday @ 11:59pm for students to receive full credit.

For any additional questions about the Apprennet video discussion tool please visit the Apprennet's Knowledge Base website or submit a ticket to the Apprennet’s help desk.  The help desk is available for live chats from Monday through Friday from 9am – 5pm.

Keep in mind; responses such as ‘I agree’ or ‘yea…what he said’ will result in zero points of credit. You can earn your grade and exemplary participation will earn higher scores. Read the rubric below for more information. Each discussion requires an individual (1) post as well as four (4) feedback and rubric forms.

There will be four (4) quizzes over the course of the term. Typically, each quiz will focus on the chapters for that given period and Blackboard content. However, given the nature of science, many concepts are interconnected with each other and therefore all content may be found within a quiz. Quizzes will be multiple choices format.

There are two exams for this course. The last exam will be given at the scheduled exam time during final exam week and will be semi-comprehensive. Exams will be multiple choice and short response format. No make-ups will be allowed for exams without a written excuse from a doctor, parent, or legal guardian. For more information contact me.

In order to mitigate any issues with your computer and online assessments, it is very important that you take the "Practice Quiz" from each computer you will be using to take your graded quizzes and exams. It is your responsibility to make sure your computer meets the minimum hardware requirements.

Assessments in this course are not compatible with mobile devices and should not be taken through a mobile phone or a tablet. If you need further assistance please contact FIU Online Support Services.

Active Learning Exercises:
Students will participate in a course blog of the book “Encounters with the Archdruid.”  Students will discuss resource and conservation issues raised in the book and answer several questions.  More detailed instructions are provided in the course content area.  In addittion, a quiz will be taken after the course blog discussions are completed.  The date of the quiz is listed in the weekly calendar below.  There is no make-up assignment for this activity.

Co-curricular Activities:
Students will complete an Earth Resources shopping assignment at a local Home Depot, Lowes, Ace Hardware, and/or any other business devoted to distributing products that contain the earth resources discussed in class.  You are not required to purchase any products and the instructions shall be provided in the appropriate learning module.

Group Learning Exercise:
Students will participate in a debate/roleplaying exercise in which they debate and devise solutions to major problems facing extractive industries, such as the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, Japan nuclear plant failures, hydraulic fracturing “fracking”, and/or other related topics.  Students will divide into groups representing different parties with distinct viewpoints on the problem, such as citizens groups, multinational corporations, government agencies and others as may be applicable.  Students will create their own quiz questions from posted articles and upload the information (questions only!) to a group Wiki page.  Also, each group is required to submit the questions and answers in a general template in a dropbox folder.  A quiz will be given based on the questions provided to the group Wiki page.  The questions remain on the wiki page for several days and the quiz is posted two weeks after the assignment. Additional information about this assignment shall be provided in the appropriate learning module

Adobe Connect is an online meeting room where you can interact with your professor and fellow students by sharing screens, sharing files, chatting, broadcasting live audio, and taking part in other interactive online activities. We will be utilizing this tool to conduct office hours

Meetings will be available on the following dates:

• Meetings will be available on Wednesdays from 1pm - 3pm

Requirements for using Adobe Connect:

• Disable any window pop-up blocker.
• Adobe Flash Player is required to successfully run your Adobe Connect meeting. You can test your computer to make sure your computer and network connections are properly configured to provide you with the best possible Adobe Connect meeting experience.
• Use of a combination headset and microphone with USB connection is recommended to ensure quality sound and reduce technical difficulties.
  
  Reference Adobe Connect (Tutorials & Help) to learn about the tool, how to access your meeting rooms and recordings.