vcc.ca
EVSC 2010: Environmental Science Research and Communication
Effective date
January 2026
Department
UT Sciences
School
Arts and Sciences
Description
This course explores the practice of environmental science with a focus on research and communication. Students will analyze primary literature, popular media, and presentations around current environmental science topics and issues. Students will also examine how environmental science research and reporting inform decision-making and policy. This course emphasizes communication skills including literature research and synthesis, and presentation of environmental science topics to diverse audiences.
Credits
3.0
Year of study
2nd Year Post-secondary
Prerequisites
EVSC 1100.
Corequisites
None
Course Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
- Describe various roles of environmental scientists and how they collaborate with other interested parties such as scientists, special interest groups and politicians.
- Identify regulatory frameworks governing environmental practice in BC.
- Find information regarding environmental science topics from a variety of sources.
- Critically analyze diverse sources of information related to an environmental science topic for quality, relevance and potential biases.
- Analyze scientific papers for key concepts, and identify the basis for the authors' conclusions in the data and analysis.
- Describe how environmental science informs decisions around environmental policy-making and implementation.
- Synthesize environmental science information from a variety of sources and viewpoints
- Create and deliver an oral presentation synthesizing a topic in environmental science, tailored to a specific audience.
- Consider Indigenous interests and values in environmental science.
Prior Learning Assessment & Recognition (PLAR)
None
Hours
Lecture, Online, Seminar, Tutorial: 60
Total Hours: 60
Total Hours: 60
Instructional Strategies
Lectures, class discussions, case studies, literature research and presentations
Grading System
Letter Grade (A-F)
Passing grade
D
Evaluation Plan
|
Type |
Percentage |
Assessment activity |
|
Participation |
10 |
In-class activities and group discussions |
|
Assignments |
50 |
Several written assignments such as literature review, annotated bibliography, and reports |
|
Project |
15 |
Oral presentation(s) |
|
Project |
25 |
Case study collaborative project |
Course topics
- Environmental science practice - professional roles, sectors and collaboration Current issues and trends Environmental policy and regulation Indigenous and stakeholder engagement Evaluation of information sources on environmental science topic- quality, relevance, bias Critical analysis of scientific articles Communication skills for environmental science Stakeholder communication for decision-making
Notes:
- Course contents and descriptions, offerings and schedules are subject to change without notice.
- Students are required to follow all College policies including ones that govern their educational experience at VCC. Policies are available on the VCC website at:
https://www.vcc.ca/about/governance--policies/policies/. - To find out if there are existing transfer agreements for this course, visit the BC Transfer Guide at https://www.bctransferguide.ca.