Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

Hi! My name is Taryn. You can read more about me and my teaching philosophy at my PCC webpage. 

ESR 200 is a 4-credit science lab class and is part of the ESR majors track. ESR 150 is a pre/co-requisite for this class. This course will give you an introduction to environmental science. We will use an equity lens to discuss the intersection of environmental issues with human health and social justice. We will consider environmental issues from diverse perspectives and use varied knowledge sources to examine the relationship between culture and science. In this class we will be collecting, analyzing, and graphing data, reading peer-reviewed scientific literature, and creating lab reports. 

We are offering this class at southeast for a second year and we are so excited to be able to offer the introductory majors class on the east side!

This class will be a hybrid format with class times on Tuesdays and Thursdays. On Tuesdays we will meet synchronously via Zoom from 10-11:20. These remote session will be run in a flipped format and you will be asked to watch weekly lectures before coming to class. Attendance at all Zoom sessions is expected, however, all sessions will be recorded to increase accessibility. Make-up activities will be provided in case you need to miss a class. On Thursdays we will be meeting at Southeast campus from 9-11:50 for lab and then from 12:30- 1:50 for additional activities. Many of our lab activities will include collecting and interpreting data. Much of our lab time will be spent outside, including some off-campus field trips. If this sounds like it could be a barrier for you, please reach out and let's chat! 

One of my main focuses right now is creating a space that feels inclusive for everyone. I know that each of you comes to my class with a unique history and prior life experience. I hope you will feel comfortable sharing your personal knowledge with me and with the class so that we can all learn together. We are all experts of our own experience! I have been teaching at PCC for many years and I have an immense amount of gratitude for all of the knowledge that I have gained from my students over this time. It’s one of the many reasons I love teaching. 

Still curious? Please email me at taryn.oakley@pcc.edu if you have any questions or would like more information about the class!

To be successful in the course, you will need regular access to a computer. I also suggest downloading the Microsoft Office suite as we will be using Excel regularly in this course. You can downloaded these programs for free from PCC here: https://www.pcc.edu/technology/services/office-365/