AP Environmental Science
Course Description
Prerequisite: Completion of two years of high school science.
Can fulfill a biological or physical science requirement for graduation.
This is a one-year college-prep laboratory science course to prepare students to take the AP Environmental Science exam. It is designed be the equivalent of a one-semester introductory college course in environmental science and incorporates many scientific disciplines such as biology, geology, environmental science, environmental action, chemistry and geography. Students will participate in laboratory experiments, field work, data collection and study environmental issues in order to understand the interrelationships of the natural world, identify and analyze environmental problems both natural and man-made, evaluate the relative risks associated with those problems, and examine alternative solutions for resolving and/or preventing them. The topics include: science is a process, energy conversions in ecological processes, the earth as an interconnected system, humans altering natural systems, environmental problems with a cultural and social context, and human survival that depends upon developing practices that will achieve sustainable systems.