[widursi]

Soils and the Environment is a very interesting course which focuses on the physical, chemical and biological properties of soils and their effect on the environment. Topics discussed include soil formation and erosion, grain and pore size distribution of soils and its significance, chemical reactions and water movement in the soil, the role of bacteria and detritus feeders in soil formation and productivity, and soil pollution.

This course has 2 one-hour lectures per week and several formal labs throughout the semester with topics that correspond to the lecture material being discussed at the time. The textbook for this course will greatly help you supplement your lecture notes, especially if you are a visual learner as it has many useful graphs and diagrams. Dr. Smith, the instructor for this course, is very passionate about soil science and makes his lectures very interesting and interactive. He often asks questions in class and expects his students to participate. Skipping this class is not a good idea – you will miss a lot of important information as the lecture notes posted on Avenue to Learn are only a guide for each lecture and are not detailed.

The midterm and exam for this course are very fair – if you attend class regularly you will not be surprised. Overall, I really enjoyed this course and would recommend it. Having some chemistry background will help you grasp certain concepts more easily; however I believe anyone would be able to do well with a little bit of effort.