Course Syllabus

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	Phone: (405)550-2355 Email: rknox@ou.edu

For a list of course activities, scroll to the bottom of this page.

Course Prerequisites 

Students must have undergraduate senior or graduate-level standing.

Course Format

The course consists of two taped lectures posted per week (asynchronous delivery) that will cover new material. 

Weeks 13 and 14 are devoted to the Comprehensive Homework Assignment.

Week 15 is devoted to a review and the Final Examination.

Course Materials

Required

• Watts, R.J. 1998. Hazardous Wastes: Sources, Pathways, Receptors. John Wiley and Sons, 764 pages.
• Scientific calculator

Supplemental

Students may find the following resources helpful:

• Blackman, W.C. 2001. Basic Hazardous Waste Management. CRC Press, 488 pages.
• Christensen, T.H. 2011. Solid Waste Technology and Management, Volumes 1 and 2. Blackwell Publishing Ltd., 1052 pages.
• LaGrega, M.D., P.L. Buckingham and J.C. Evans. 2010. Hazardous Waste Management. Waveland Press, Inc., 1232 pages.

Course Objectives

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

• Describe practical aspects of solid and hazardous waste management for environmental scientists and engineers.
• Interpret appropriate and relevant solid and hazardous waste regulatory information.
• Analyze sources, fate and transport pathways, environmental receptors, and risk assessment for hazardous or solid waste management.

Course Expectations

Grades

Grading Policy

Assignments and exam questions will provide sufficient instruction as to what is expected of students. Students are expected to read the textbook and other reading assignments before classes, to understand the main concepts of the readings and lectures, and to solve applied environmental problems based on examples given in the textbook and during lectures. If you are having difficulties performing at this level, please contact Dr. Knox for additional assistance.

 

Course Expectations

Attendance

Attendance at all Live Sessions is expected of all students, except when prior arrangements have been made with the instructor. Absences for illness or family emergencies will be accommodated as long as attempts to contact the instructor occur before class begins. Live Sessions will begin promptly—be on time! It is part (10%) of your grade!

Grades

Grading Policy

Assignments and exam questions will provide sufficient instruction as to what is expected of students. Students are expected to read the textbook and other reading assignments before classes, to understand the main concepts of the readings and lectures, and to solve applied environmental problems based on examples given in the textbook and during lectures. If you are having difficulties performing at this level, please contact Dr. Knox for additional assistance.

 

Breakdown (Subject to changes)

Graded Activities & Assignments	Individual Points
Participation (Live Session Attendance)	100
Homework/In-Class Assignments	200
Term Presentations	150
Comprehensive Assignment	150
Exam 1	100
Exam 2	100
Final Exam	200
	Total Points: 1000

Scale

Total Points Earned	Letter Grade
900-1000	A
800-899	B
700-799	C
600-699	D
600 and below	F

 

Course Components

Homework

Homework assignments will include calculation and short essay questions. See the academic dishonesty policy in the syllabus.

Late homework will NOT be accepted.  There is no such thing as late homework for grading purposes – if it is NOT turned in on time; you will receive a ZERO (no exceptions).

Homework submission will be accepted through Canvas according to the due date/time posted on Dropbox.  Typically, the due date is one week after initial posting to allow adequate time for you to inquire about the questions presented (with the exception of Quiz #1).  Homework must be neatly prepared.  It is up to you to convince the instructor that you know what you are talking about.  This will generally require good organization, well-developed discussions that feature complete sentences and clearly boxed answers when numerical results are presented.  Scanned copies of hand-written calculations are acceptable if they meet these requirements.  Homework submissions that are illegible or otherwise difficult to follow will not be reviewed or graded. You should keep a copy of all homework submissions, some will not be returned.

Comprehensive Homework Assignment

There will an end of the semester comprehensive homework assignment addressing a real world hazardous or solid waste management problem. The assignment will require the student address multiple aspects of hazardous waste management covered during the semester (e.g., waste classification, pertinent regulations, transport and fate processes, risk assessment, remediation). This assignment will be worth 200 points.

Exams

Exams will be closed-book tests with calculations, short answer, multiple choice, and essay questions.  The final exam will be a comprehensive test of major topics and of calculations previously done in homeworks and exams.  See below for important due dates regarding exams.

Course Policies

Communication Plan

The great majority of class information will be disseminated through Canvas and via email. Students are encouraged to submit questions to the instructor via email at any time. Responses will be made as quickly as possible. It is the responsibility of each student to use his or her OU email account and to read email in a timely fashion.

Due to extenuating circumstance for this course, office hours will be satisfied through weekly Live Sessions. I will try to accommodate personal requests outside of the Live Sessions times, but that will be on an as available basis.

Assignments Policy

Assignments, examinations, or projects worth less than 10 percent of a student's grade may be assigned at any time prior to pre-finals week and may be due during pre-finals week. However, no assignments, examinations, or projects may be due on the last two days of pre-finals week.

Assignments, take-home examinations, in-class examinations, or projects worth more than 10 percent of a student's grade must be scheduled at least 30 days prior to the first day of finals and must be due or given prior to pre-finals week. Any assignment that is to take the entire semester to complete may be accepted or presented during pre-finals week provided the syllabus explicitly states that the assignment can be turned in prior to pre-finals week. In-class presentation of semester assignments due before pre-finals week may be scheduled for any day other than the last two days of pre-finals week. Special case deviations from this policy must be clearly stated in the course syllabus and approved by the chair of the department through which the course is offered. Special requests made by a student for an extension of assignment deadlines into pre-finals week may be granted subject to the discretion of the instructor.

Late Policy

Late homework will NOT be accepted.  There is no such thing as late homework for grading purposes – if it is NOT turned in on time; you will receive a ZERO (no exceptions).

Make-Up Work Policy

Only Provost-approved university-sponsored activities such as scholarly competitions, fine arts performances, academic field trips, and legally required activities, such as emergency military service and jury duty, are covered by these guidelines. If notice is given two class periods before an exam or quiz (excluding pop quizzes), the instructor will make every effort to find a reasonable accommodation. Students missing an exam on account of jury duty must be allowed an accommodation by OU policy. Students missing class due to illness must be supported by a certified note of illness. Student’s missing any assignment or exam for other reasons not specified herein will be subjected to a failing grade for said assignment.

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UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA

ACADEMIC POLICIES AND STUDENT SUPPORT

Course Catalog 

Search the OU Course Catalogue.

Student Handbook

Please familiarize yourself with the OU Student Handbook.

Online Library

Access digital materials and other resources at OU Libraries.

Academic Misconduct

In addition to the course conduct policies outlined by your professor in the Course Syllabus in the online classroom, please review the Graduate Student Handbook. 

It is the responsibility of each student to be familiar with the definitions, policies, and procedures concerning academic misconduct. The Student Code is available from the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs, and is contained in the Student's Guide to Academic Integrity.

This site also defines misconduct, provides examples of prohibited conduct, and explains the sanctions available for those found guilty of misconduct.

Plagiarism 

Plagiarism is the most common form of academic misconduct at OU. There is basically no college-level assignment that can be satisfactorily completed by copying. OU's basic assumption about writing is that all written assignments show the student's own understanding in the student's own words. That means all writing assignments, in class or out, are assumed to be composed entirely of words generated (not simply found) by the student, except where words written by someone else are specifically marked as such with proper citation. Including other people's words in your paper is helpful when you do it honestly and correctly. When you don't, it's plagiarism. 

For more information about plagiarism, watch this video and then take this short course offered by University Libraries.

Reasonable Accommodation for Disabilities

The University of Oklahoma is committed to providing reasonable accommodation for all students with disabilities. Students with disabilities who require accommodations in this course should contact their professor as early in the semester as possible.

Students with disabilities must be registered with the Disability Resource Center prior to receiving accommodations in this course.

If you have a disability and you would like to make a request for reasonable accommodation, please see the Graduate Student Handbook or get in touch with the Disability Resource Center.

Adjustments for Pregnancy/Childbirth Related Issues

Should you need modifications or adjustments to your course requirements because of documented pregnancy-related or childbirth-related issues, please contact me as soon as possible to discuss your options. Generally, modifications will be made where medically necessary and similar in scope to accommodations based on temporary disability.  Learn more about the rights of pregnant and parenting students by consulting the FAQ sheets provided by the Institutional Equity Office.

Title IX Resources  

For any concerns regarding gender-based discrimination, sexual harassment, sexual misconduct, stalking, or intimate partner violence, the University offers a variety of resources, including advocates on-call 24/7, counseling services, mutual no contact orders, scheduling adjustments, and disciplinary sanctions against the perpetrator. Please contact the Sexual Misconduct Office 405-325-2215 (8-5, M-F) or OU Advocates 405-615-0013 (24/7) to learn more or to report an incident. 

Religious Holidays

It is the policy of the University to excuse absences of students that result from religious observances and to provide for the rescheduling of examinations and additional required classwork that may fall on religious holidays without penalty. It is the responsibility of the student to make alternate arrangements with the instructor at least one week prior to the actual date of the religious holiday.

Copyright Policy

It is illegal to download, upload, reproduce, or distribute any copyrighted material, in any form and in any fashion, without permission from the copyright holder or his/her authorized agent. The University of Oklahoma expects all members of its community to comply fully with federal copyright laws. If such laws appear to have been violated by any user, the university reserves the right (1) to terminate that user’s access to some or all of the university’s computer systems and information resources and (2) to take additional disciplinary actions as deemed necessary or appropriate. Repeat offenders will be sanctioned and their privileges terminated.

Registration and Withdrawal

If you choose to withdraw from this course, you must complete the appropriate University form and turn the form in before the deadline. If you stop attending the course and doing the coursework without doing the required paperwork, your grade will be calculated with missed homework and examination grades entered as zero. This could result in receiving a grade of F in the course. Deadlines are shown in the Academic Calendar, which is available from the Office of the Registrar.

Student Grievances

In addition to any policies outlined related to submitting an informal or formal grievance by your professor in the Course Syllabus in the online classroom, please review the Graduate Student Handbook for more information about the process of submitting a formal grievance.