| Course ID: | ECOL 3770S. 3 hours. |
| Course Title: | Urban Ecology |
Course
Description: | The world is becoming more and more urbanized, with over 80% of
the United States population and 50% of the world’s population
living in cities. This course will use a socio-ecological
framework to study how urbanization influences biodiversity,
ecosystem function, and the provisioning of ecosystem services
to human populations. |
| Oasis Title: | Urban Ecology |
| Nontraditional Format: | Course includes a service-learning project during the semester
that either employs skills or knowledge learned in the course or
teaches new skills or knowledge related to course objectives.
Student engagement in the service-learning component will be up
to 25% of overall instruction time. |
| Pre or Corequisite: | ECOL 3500-3500L or ECOL 3505H-3505L or permission of department |
Semester Course
Offered: | Offered spring semester every odd-numbered year. |
| Grading System: | A-F (Traditional) |
|
| Course Objectives: | • Understand and discuss socio-ecological systems thinking
• Understand and discuss how urbanization affects physical,
chemical, and biological characteristics of ecosystems
• Be able to read, interpret, and synthesize primary literature
on urban ecology
• Make scientifically informed decisions about societal issues
related to urban areas
• Be able to discuss cities as systems of natural, social, and
built components
• Be familiar with the history of urban ecology
Assessment
• Three short exams (lowest score will be dropped) (20% of grade)
• Activities related to reading assignments (10% of grade; this
will also be a method to account for attendance)
o Answers to discussion questions
o Pop quizzes
o In-class Think-Pair-Share activities
• Urban ecology journal with directed assignments (30% of grade)
o Journaling activities
• Urban field journaling
• Service-learning journaling
o Urban bird visual and sound identification
o Pre/post-settlement expression project
• Summary of service learning (40% of grade)
o Oral presentation describing organization and
service-learning experience (10 min. to be shared with community
partner and presented in front of class)
o (Preferred) professional product for the supporting
organization or (Optional) written report pertaining to service
learning experience (to be shared with community partner).
Individual contracts will be written with each student to define
the project requirements.
o Assessment of student contribution (at least 15% of total
grade; filled out by community partner, assessed by professor) |
| Topical Outline: | Human domination of earth’s ecosystems
Introduction to urban ecology
Socio-ecological systems thinking
Urban ecological frameworks
Human settlement patterns
Synergistic effects of climate and urbanization
Socioeconomic development in urban areas
Environmental justice in urban systems
Urban plant communities
Urban animal communities
Biogeochemical cycling in urban environments
Disease ecology in urban systems
Urban forestry and agroecosystems
Urban watersheds and global issues with water infrastructure
Conservation-centered urban planning
Valuation of urban ecosystem services |