PREP 063 - Pacific NW Science Issues

5.0 Credits
High school course that explores current environmental issues in the Pacific Northwest with a focus on the interrelationships between humans, plants, and animals. Emphasis on problem-solving, personal responsibility, and action. Counts toward high school Lab Science or Contemporary World Problems credit. S/U grade option.
Prerequisite Oreintation and advising are required before taking this course.
Course-level Learning Objectives (CLOs)
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

Analyze processes that have caused changes to the features of the Earth’s surface, including plate tectonics, glaciation, volcanism, etc.
Explain the factors that influence weather and climate and how these patterns relate to Northwest ecosystems.
Describe the complex, integrated, and regulated processes (such as photosynthesis and energy transfer in a food web) by which organisms use matter and energy to sustain life.
Analyze and describe the living and nonliving factors that affect organisms in ecosystems and the relationships among species within selected Pacific Northwest ecosystems.
Describe the process of evolution and the concepts of natural selection, speciation, adaptation, and biological diversity.
Analyze and explain the effects human activities have on the capacity of Pacific Northwest ecosystems to sustain biological diversity.
Conduct systematic and complex scientific investigations and evaluate results of such investigations.
Apply scientific knowledge and skills to solve problems or propose solutions to regional environmental challenges in the Pacific Northwest.