Oceanography ›  Unit 6

Unit 6 Humans & the Ocean

Everything this course has built toward comes down to this: humans and the ocean are inextricably connected. This final unit turns that into practice \u2014 a real issue, a real proposal, a real pitch.

📅 Weeks 13–14🏷️ 3 Activities🏷️ 1 Project🏷️ 1 Capstone Problem
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The Path Through Unit 6

You've got five minutes in front of people who control a real budget. Passion doesn't win that room \u2014 data does. Read the full brief →
Activity — builds the skill
Project — applies it, target known
Problem — the final capstone pitch
AActivity4 days total
6-1-1What the Ocean Gives Us — Food, Medicine, Resources & Jobs
1 day→
6-1-2Human Impacts — Pollution, Overfishing, Acidification & Habitat Loss
2 days→
6-1-3Policy & Management — How Oceans Are (and Aren't) Protected
1 day→
PProject🕑 3 class days

6-1-4  Brief the Issue

Pick a real, current ocean or Great Lakes issue and build a briefing on it — what's happening, what's causing it, and who it actually affects. This becomes the foundation for your capstone pitch.

Turn in: Written briefing (or short video) explaining the issue, its causes, and its impacts, backed by real sourcesOpen →
BProblem🕑 5 class days

6-2-1  The Council Pitch

You're presenting to a city council or school board on an ocean or Great Lakes sustainability issue. Research it, build a policy proposal, and defend it with data — weighing the environmental, economic, and social tradeoffs, because that's exactly what a real council will do.

Turn in: Policy proposal presentation with supporting data, a tradeoff analysis, and a clear recommendationOpen →