Dr. Inna Sokolova

1991 M.S. St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia, 1997 Ph.D. Zoological Institute of Russian Academy of Sciences, 1999-2001 Post-doctoral, Alfred-Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, Germany, 2001-2002 Post-doctoral, University of Guelph, Canada, 2002- Assistant Professor, UNC Charlotte 

Course schedule: Check calendar often for changes in lecture topics and upcoming assignments. Please note that the dates of exams and presentation WILL NOT change unless by consent of ALL students in the class.  

In class regulations: Attendance of this class and participation in discussions is mandatory. You are expected to actively participate in all discussions and voice your opinions in front of the group of peers, and to respectfully discuss other opinions. Twenty five per cent of your grade will depend on presentations and participation in discussions; if you feel uncomfortable with this you should not take this course.

Walking in and out of class during lecture distracts most students in the class. Please come to the class in time and do not walk out during the lecture, except for an emergency such as diarrhea. Cell phones should be turned off during the class. If I find your behavior distractive for other students, I will ask you to leave the class and take points from your final grade (up to 10%).

Policy on tests and missed deadlines: No curve is given in this course, and there is no extra credit work except for a few small bonuses adding up to no more than 5% of the total grade. Should you have a legitimate excuse for missing an exam (hospitalization, court appearances, a death in the family, etc.), you let me know by providing a written proof in support of the absence. I will then arrange a time for you to re-take the exam.

Academic misconduct: Your integrity is a starting assumption of mine. You are responsible for understanding the Policy on Academic Integrity at UNCC. Please consult the University policy documents at http://www.uncc.edu/unccatty/policystate/ps-105.html. Anyone caught copying on exams will receive an "F" for a semester grade in the course.

Contact policies: If you have any questions or issues to discuss, you are welcome to contact me by e-mail or personally during the office hours.  Do not leave voice mail on the phone if I am not in my office;  I will not return calls. I will be using e-mail to distribute important information, including answers to FAQs. For maximum advantage, check your UNCC 49er email account and the course Web page often.

Other policies: A significant amount of class exercises involves students' presentations and in-class discussion. Please anticipate diversity among your classmates (including the diversity of opinion) and respect it. Make sure your classmates are not excluded from the class activities or discussions. UNC Charlotte strives to create an academic climate in which the dignity of all individuals is respected and maintained. Therefore, we celebrate diversity that includes, but is not limited to ability/disability, age, culture, ethnicity, gender, language, race, religion, sexual orientation, and socio-economic status.

Presentation: 20% (200 points).

A 20 min Power Point presentation based on a selected original article on environmental toxicology followed by 10 min discussion. The suggested articles and the general outline for the presentation will be distributed in the class. I also encourage you to seek out relevant articles that are not included in the suggested list, but remember – your presentation topic must be approved by me at least 2 weeks before the presentation.

Tests: 45% (3 tests, 15% or 150 points each). Format of tests: essay and short answers. 

Final test: 15% (150 points). A 5-6 page essay on a selected topic. List of suggested topics will be distributed in the class.

Take-home assignments: 15% (150 points)

Participation and in class-discussions: 5% (50 points)

This is an important part of this course. Throughout the course I will assign original papers and discussion articles in environmental toxicology, which you will read at home, and which we will then discuss in the class. Suggested questions for the discussion will be distributed together with the assigned reading. Everybody is expected to actively participate in all in-class discussions, so come prepared and be ready to answer questions from the instructor and your peers, to ask questions, and to voice your opinions.

Total 100%=1000 points

There are no required textbooks for this course. Recommended reading include:

Landis W.G., Yu M.G. (2004) Introduction to environmental toxicology. Lewis Publishers, A CRC Press company.

Walker, Hopkin, Sibly & Peakall (1997) Principles of ecotoxicology. Taylor & Francis, London.

Newman  (2001) Fundamentals of ecotoxicology. Lewis Publishers, Boca Raton etc.