ENVIRONMENTAL SOIL, WATER AND LAND USE -- SOS 5234

ENVIRONMENTAL SOIL, WATER AND LAND USE -- SOS 5234
Fall Semester, 2008

INSTRUCTOR:
Dr. E.A. Hanlon, Jr., Professor, Soil and Water Science Department, Southwest Florida Research and Education Center, 2686 SR 29 North, Immokalee, FL 34142-9515, phone 239-658-3400; email hanlon@ifas.ufl.edu; office hours by appointment.
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TIMES:
All 40 Lessons ("lectures") will be posted on E-Learning at the beginning of the Fall Semester. Student Bulletin board postings in E-Learning (constituting an on-line facsimile of a Discussion Session) are an integral part of the learning process and are a graded portion of this course. The instructor shall respond in a timely fashion throughout the term.

Chat sessions are planned from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. (Eastern Time) on Tuesdays during the regular semester using the Web-based system, Adobe Connect. Chat sessions will be held based upon need and possible participation of most of the class. Participants may interact with the instructor through typed questions and comments. The instructor will respond via voice through the Adobe Connect System.
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ROOM:
N/A (taught via distance education only, via E-Learning, in Fall 2008)
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CREDIT HOURS: 3
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SECTION NO.:
1326 and 2763 (Distance Education only!)
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ENROLLMENT CAP:
None.
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MATERIAL AND SUPPLY FEE:
None.
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PREREQUISITE:
SOS 3022, or SOS 5050, or equivalent
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REQUIRED TEXTS:

Mirage: Florida and the Vanishing Water of the Eastern US., by Cynthia Barnet. The University of Michigan Press. 2007. ISBN-13: 978-0-472-11563-1 (Cloth: Alkaline Paper).
Plan B 3.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization, by Lester Brown. W. W Norton and Company. 2008 ISBN 978-0-393-33087-8 (Paperback).
Water Follies: Groundwater Pumping and the Fate of America's Fresh Waters, by R.J. Glennon. Island Press, Washington. 2004. ISBN 1-55963-400-6 (Paperback).

NOTE: Textbooks can be ordered through the UF Bookstore by going to www.ufl.bkstr.com, then clicking on “Books,” and then “Textbooks.” From there, the ordering/shipping information is self-explanatory.
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COURSE OBJECTIVES:

To develop an appreciation for differences among soils and their suitability for selected uses.
To study the relationships between land use and the behavior of water in the soil and the landscape.
To explore historical and current water allocation techniques.
To develop or improve skills in using soil survey reports, contour maps, and other information having potential for application in planning the use and management of land and water.
To become familiar with methods of rating soils to determine suitability for selected uses.

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GRADING:
Examination A = 250 points (25%)
Examination B = 250 points (25%)
Final Examination = 250 points (25%)
Projects and reports = 100 points (10%)
Participation in discussion threads (bulletin boards) = 150 points (15%)
Total = 1000 points (100%)
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SCALE:
90-100% A
85-89% B+
80-84% B
75-79% C+
70-74% C
65-69% D+
60-64% D
<60% F
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DISTANCE EDUCATION PARTICIPATION:
Participants will access lectures, bulletin board, exams, etc. via the Internet.

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WORK EXPECTED:

Exams consist of computations, essay questions, and/or short answer questions, alone or in combination.
a) When True/False or Multiple Choice questions are asked, students are expected to select a choice and provide short explanations describing the reason(s) for that choice.
Students are expected to understand and to be able to work with all material from lectures, discussions, and assigned readings. Emphasis is on understanding the processes, not on memorization of information.
Project reports (usually one project) involve such subjects as interpretation of soil maps and topographic maps; understanding and use of soil survey reports; interpretation of hydrographs and other water-related information and data; explorations of water rights and water allocation; and development of soil potential ratings for urban and agricultural land uses.
Assignments handed in after the designated turn-in time automatically receive a reduction in grade at the rate of 20 percent per day after the due date. An assignment turned in five or more days late will result in a grade of zero for that project.
Since discussion threads are integral to the course, students are expected to ask questions, provide examples from their own experiences, and discuss concepts after students have read the summarized discussion documents for each lecture. Courtesy and tolerance are cornerstones of learning, especially in the written words found in discussions.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY:
1.    Mirage: Florida and the Vanishing Water of the Eastern US., by Cynthia Barnet. The University of Michigan Press. 2007. ISBN-13: 978-0-472-11563-1 (Cloth: Alkaline Paper). (Required Text)
2.    Plan B 3.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization, by Lester Brown. W. W Norton and Company. 2008 ISBN 978-0-393-33087-8 (Paperback). (Required Text)
3.    Water Follies: Groundwater Pumping and the Fate of America's Fresh Waters, by R.J. Glennon. Island Press, Washington. 2004. ISBN 1559634006 (Paperback). (Required Text)
4.    Water Crisis: Myth or Reality? Marcelino Botin Water Forum 2004, by Peter P. Rogers, M. Ramon Llamas, and Luis Martinez Cortina. Fundacion Marcelino Botin. 2004.
5.    Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water, by M. Reisner. Penguin Books, New York, NY. 1993.
6.    Rivers of Eden: The Struggle for Water and the Quest for Peace in the Middle East, by D. Hillel. Oxford University Press, New York, NY. 1994.
7.    Out of the Earth: Civilization and the Life of the Soil, by D.J. Hillel. University of California Press. 1992.
8.    Soil and Civilization, by E. Hyams. Harper Colophon Books, New York, NY.
9.    The Florida Experience: Land and Water Policy in a Growth State, by L.J. Carter. The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, MD. 1974.
10.    The Day the House Fell, by R.L. Handy. ASCE Press, New York, NY. 1995.
11.   Water Wars: A Story of People, Politics & Power , by H. Rand. Xlibris Corporation, Philadelphia. 2003.
12.   Soil Survey of Alachua County, Florida, by B.P. Thomas, E.Cummings, and W.H. Wittstruck. U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 1985. (Distance education students to have the option of using comparable soil survey reports from their own geographic areas)
13.   Selected USGS 7-1/2 minute topographic quadrangles
14.   Soil and Water Science: Key to Understanding Our Global Environment, Edited by R.S. Baker, G.W. Gee, and C. Rosenzweig. SSSA Special Publication No. 41. Soil Science Society of America, Inc., Madison, WI. 1994.
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Tentative Course Schedule For Environmental Soil, Water And Land Use, Sos 5234, Fall 2008:

Date	Lecture	Exam	Topic/Remarks	Book	Chapter(s)	To be read by
8/25	1		Soil and water in the landscape
8/27	2		Soil and water in the landscape/Soil survey
8/29	3		Soil survey	Water Follies	Intro plus Ch. 1, 2, 3 & 5	9/12
				Mirage	Prologue Ch. 1 & 2	9/12
9/1	--		No class -- Labor Day
9/3	4		The map units of soil surveys
9/5	5		Soil map units continued
9/8	6		Landscape variability
9/10	7		Soil variability
9/12	8		Soil variability continued	Water Follies	Ch. 6, 7, 8, and 9	9/26
					Ch. 3, 4, & 6	9/26
9/15	9		Map scales and scale hierarchies
9/17	10		Topographic (contour) maps
9/19	11		Behavior of water in soils
9/22	12		Movement of water in soils continued
9/24	13		Measurement of soil water
9/26	14		Soil drainage classes/Hydrologic soil groups/Surface hydrology	Water Follies	Ch. 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14	10/10
					Ch. 8, 9, and 10	10/10
9/29	15		Leaching and runoff ratings and an application
10/01	16		Total maximum daily loads (TMDLs)
10/03		A	EXAMINATION "A" includes Lectures 1 through 15
10/06	17		Minimum flows and levels (MFLs)
10/08	18		Water allocation *Return Exam A*	Water Follies	Ch. 15	10/24
					Ch. 11 and 12	10/24
10/10	19		Water quality *Begin Term Project*
10/13	20		Best management practices (BMPs)
10/15	21		Nutrient management
10/17	22		Soil erosion by water
10/20	23		Soil erosion by water continued
10/22	24		Soil erosion continued	Plan B 3.0	1: pgs 3-20 3: pgs 48-56 4: pgs 68-80 5: pgs 85-97	11/7
10/24			No class -- Homecoming
10/27	25		Wind erosion
10/29	26		Other sorts of soil erosion and "land degradation" (Parts I and II) [2 separate files to open/download]
10/31	27		Engineering properties of soils: Part 1
11/3	28		Engineering properties of soils: Part 2
11/5	29		Engineering properties of soils: Part 3
11/7	30		Engineering properties of soils: Part 4 (finally!) *Term Project Due*
11/9			EXAMINATION "B" includes Lectures 16 through 29	Plan B 3.0	6: pgs 115-117 8: pgs 152-162 9: pgs 165-169 9: pgs176-182 10: pgs 202-209	11/21
11/12	31	B	Soil interpretations *Return Exam B*
11/14	32		Soil interpretations continued
11/19	33		Soil potential ratings
11/19	34		Soil potential ratings continued; Prime and unique farmland	Plan B 3.0	12: pgs 239-245; 252-259	12/5
11/21	35		Farmland and other land/water use issues
11/24	36		Domestic wastewater disposal
11/26	37		Domestic wastewater disposal continued
11/28			No class -- Thanksgiving break
12/1	38		Rules for land application of effluent, biosolids, and septage
12/3	39		World soil and water resources
12/5	40		Government conservation programs (distribute FINAL EXAM via VISTA email)
12/8	41
12/10	42
12/12			No class -- Reading Day
12/15		FINAL	Return completed FINAL EXAM by 5:00 PM
12/22			Grades Submitted

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Academic Honesty

In fall 1995, the University of Florida student body enacted a new honor code and voluntarily committed itself to the highest standards of honesty and integrity. When students enroll at the university, they commit themselves to the standard drafted and enacted by the students:

Preamble: In adopting this honor code, the students of the University of Florida recognize that academic honesty and integrity are fundamental values of the university community. Students who enroll at the university commit to holding themselves and their peers to the high standard of honor required by the honor code. Any individual who becomes aware of a violation of the honor code is bound by honor to take corrective action. A student-run Honor Court and faculty support are crucial to the success of the honor code. The quality of a University of Florida education is dependent upon community acceptance and enforcement of the honor code.

The Honor Code: We, the members of the University of Florida community, pledge to hold ourselves and our peers to the highest standards of honesty and integrity.

On all work submitted for credit by students at the University of Florida, the following pledge is either required or implied: "On my honor, I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid in doing this assignment."

Matters of violations of academic honesty are adjudicated by the Student Honor Court, the Health Center Student Conduct Standards Committee, the Student Conduct Committee, the College of Law Honor Committee and faculty.

See a current Undergraduate Catalog for definitions of Plagiarism, Bribery, Misrepresentation, Conspiracy, and Fabrication.

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UF Counseling Services

Resources are available on-campus for students having personal problems or lacking clear career and academic goals. These resources include:

University Counseling Center, 301 Peabody Hall, 392-1575, personal and career counseling;
SHCC Mental Health, Student Health Care Center, 392-1171, personal counseling;
Center for Sexual Assault/Abuse Recovery and Education (CARE), Student Health Care Center, 392-1161, sexual assault counseling; and
Career Resource Center, Reitz Union, 392-1601, career development assistance and counseling.

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Accommodations for Students with Disabilities

Students requesting classroom accommodation must first register with the Dean of Students Office. The Dean of Students Office will provide documentation to the student who must then provide this documentation to the instructor when requesting accommodation.

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Software Use

All faculty, staff and students of the University are required and expected to obey the laws and legal agreements governing software use. Failure to do so can lead to monetary damages and/or criminal penalties for the individual violator. Because such violations are also against University policies and rules, disciplinary action will be taken as appropriate.

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ENVIRONMENTAL SOIL, WATER AND LAND USE -- SOS 5234 SYLLABUS/SCHEDULE 2008

ENVIRONMENTAL SOIL, WATER AND LAND USE -- SOS 5234
SYLLABUS/SCHEDULE 2008