CCOG for CSS 200 archive revision 202604
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- Effective Term:
- Fall 2026
- Course Number:
- CSS 200
- Course Title:
- Soils and Plant Nutrition
- Credit Hours:
- 4
- Lecture Hours:
- 30
- Lecture/Lab Hours:
- 20
- Lab Hours:
- 0
Course Description
Intended Outcomes for the course
Upon completion of the course, students should be able to:
- Perform field and basic lab tests to determine existing soil properties.
- Analyze questions or problems that impact the community and/or environment using quantitative information.
- Analyze existing soil conditions to determine fertility and capacity to support plant growth.
- Recommend and make modifications to existing soil conditions to provide for optimum plant growth.
- Present data, analysis, recommendations and modifications for specific landscape sites in verbal, visual, and written format to clients in a professional manner.
- Use sustainable practices to protect, correct, and improve the health of soils, thus reducing costs, resource consumption, and environmental impact.
Quantitative Reasoning
Students completing an associate degree at Portland Community College will be able to analyze questions or problems that impact the community and/or environment using quantitative information.
General education philosophy statement
Soils are fundamental to life on Earth and crucial for human civilization. They serve as a habitat for diverse soil microorganisms, provide the growing medium for plant ecosystems ranging from forests to grasslands, act as the essential foundation for agricultural food production, and function as an important natural filter for watersheds, ensuring clean water flows into streams and rivers. This course examines the physical, chemical, and biological properties of soils, as well as how humans rely on and manage soils for food production and ecosystem services. Students will develop their ability to reason quantitatively by performing data collection and interpretation. Students will explore the biodiversity and complexity of soil ecosystems and gain practical knowledge on managing soils for both agriculture and ornamental landscapes.
Course Activities and Design
lecture
lab activities including group work, independent student work
videos
class project and presentation
Outcome Assessment Strategies
exams
weekly lab sheets
project and presentation evaluation
Course Content (Themes, Concepts, Issues and Skills)
-soils and plant interrelationships
-physical, biological and chemical properties of soils
-the use of organic and inorganic means to achieve optimum plant growth
-soil sampling and analysis