COURSES
I teach a variety of courses for the Environmental Science and Studies department as well as the Liberal Program.
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My Teaching Portfolio can be found on Digication:
https://depaul.digication.com/margaret_workmans_teaching_portfolio/Welcome
ENV 204 Energy and the Environment
ENV 203 Chemistry for Environmental Studies
LSP 112 Charles Darwin and the Nature of Science
This course is designed to provide students with the scientific tools necessary to understand and critically evaluate both personal and policy decisions regarding the variety of options (e.g. fossil fuel, solar, wind, etc.) for energy generation and use. The course also focuses on the environmental impacts of all forms of energy, from the extraction of fossil fuels and mineral resources from the earth, to the generation, distribution and consumption of energy, and ultimately emission of fossil fuel combustion products, notably carbon dioxide and other heat trapping gasses, to the atmosphere.
LSP 120 or LSP 121 or MAT 130 or above is a prerequisite for this class.
ENV 203 is a course for Environmental Studies majors that develops the fundamental concepts of chemistry with experimental exploration in the context of societal issues. Chemistry topics include atomic structure, chemical bonding, chemical reactions, thermodynamics, and acid-base behavior. These topics are discussed on a "need-to-know" basis, embedded in discussions of air pollution, ozone depletion, global climate change, energy, water pollution, and acid rain.
LSP 120 or LSP 121 or MAT 130 or above is a prerequisite for this class.
The Focal Point component of this course focuses on the tensions between science and religion that surfaced in the wake of Charles Darwin’s book On the Origin of Species. The scientific debate also percolated through a host of related issues, including the implications of Darwinism for social reform, racial theories, and women’s rights and the evolving concept of causation in science and its implications for public policy.
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The Study Abroad component will take the students from the “role-playing” aspect of the course material to the real-life locations in England. They will actually get to see, hear, and touch the objects and locations referred to during the game. Students will learn about the man behind the Theory of Evolution and will get a sense of Charles Darwin— the boy, the student, the geologist, the naturalist, the explorer, the husband, and the father. They will hear from guest speakers and researchers and see first-hand the nature and process of science. By touring the Sedgewick Museum of Earth Sciences and the Zoology Museum at the University of Cambridge and the Oxford Museum of Natural History, they become scientists on The Beagle voyage. By visiting Darwin’s birthplace in Shrewsbury and his family home in Kent, they explore the cultural influences on his scientific career.