ENVS 4003

Coral Reefs & Environmental Ch

Lec 01 selected

Coral reefs are iconic marine ecosystems both biologically and economically. This class introduces students to the biology of both tropical and cold-water corals, key characteristics of their abiotic environments, human impacts at both local and global scales, and management options for sustainable resource use and the the protection of biodiversity.

Sections

Lecture

From the syllabus

From the Fall 2026 syllabus by Sue Gass. Open the PDF

Grading

10%Assignment 1: Coral morphologyDue Oct 2
10%Assignment 2: Coral bleachingDue Nov 18
30%Midterm examIn class, Oct 26; covers Lectures 1–10
5%Primary literature discussions (3)Peer evaluations
5%Written literature summaryDue one week after the chosen discussion
5%Term project outlineDue Nov 27; include references
25%Final term projectDue Dec 9
10%Course engagementGoals and reflections due Sept 23, Oct 30, and Dec 11

Textbook

  • The Biology of Coral Reefs, 2nd Edition, Charles R.C. Sheppard et al. (free)

Course rules

Late work
Late assignments without prior notice, an SDA, or an approved extension lose 10% per day.
Absences
Students may submit up to two SDAs for missed classes and two additional SDAs for late assignments per term.
SDA deadlines
After submitting an SDA, students have three days to submit the assignment.
Missed midterm
Follow the SDA protocol; a make-up midterm will be scheduled one week later.
Engagement
Two missed classes are allowed without deductions; after that, engagement grades are prorated based on attendance.
AI use
AI is prohibited for Assignments 1 and 2 and for generative editorial work or autonomous content creation.

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