Students enrolled in the Marine Sciences for Teachers course 
will gain an understanding of marine organisms, their
environments, the structure and  functions of marine communities,
how biological processes operate in marine environments, and the
effects of human activities on sea life. 
The geology of marine environments, water chemistry, and physical
forces found in marine systems will be included in the survey of
marine ecosystems. The companion laboratory course will provide 
students with a hands-on exploration of topics relating to the 
fundamental biological principles in marine organisms and 
ecosystems. The laboratory component will focus on hands-on 
activities relating the marine science that teachers can do in 
their classrooms using readily available and inexpensive 
materials. Students will submit video evidence of laboratory
completion and submit on-line reflections and lab reports to
demonstrate mastery of the laboratory topics. The summer session
offers students the opportunity to participate in field lab
exercises in the southeastern United States as part of the
laboratory course. Collecting permits will allow teachers in the
course to collect and preserve specimens for their personal 
teaching collections. 

Enrollment in the companion course, Special Topics in Science 
Teaching, will result in the development of curricula 
corresponding to the topics in Marine Science for Teachers 
appropriate for the grade level of the teachers in the course. 
The teacher-developed curriculum will be published in CD format 
and distributed to all course participants at the end of each 
term.

1. Scientific Inquiry
2. Structure of Ocean Basins
3. Chemical and Physical Properties of Seawater
4. Currents, Tides, and Water Columns
5. Biologically Important Molecules and Biochemical Reactions
6. Cell Structure and Classification of Living Organisms
7. Reproduction and Basic Genetics
8. Principles of Evolution
9. Natural Selection
10. Marine Prokaryotes and Protists
11. Seaweeds, Marine Fungi, and Marine Plants
12. Energy Flow in Marine Ecosystems
13. Adaptations to Life in the Sea
14. Marine Invertebrates
15. Marine Fishes
16. Marine Mammals
17. Introduction to Ecology
18. Energy Flow and Nutrient Cycling
19. Intertidal Communities: Vertical Zonation and Rocky-Bottom 
Intertidal Communities
20. Soft-Bottom Intertidal Communities
21. Estuaries
22. Barrier Islands
23. Salt Marshes and Mangrove Forests
24. Coral Reefs
25. Seagrass Communities
26. The Continental Shelf
27. Open Ocean Communities
28. Deep Ocean Communities
29. Marine Resources
30. Marine Pollution: Eutrophication and Toxins
31. Global Primary Production
32. El Niño
33. Global Warming and the Carbon Cycle

All academic work must meet the standards contained in A Culture
of Honesty, the University of Georgia’s official policy on
academic honesty.  Each student is responsible for informing
themselves about the standards contained in A Culture of Honesty
before completing an academic work. Evidence of academic
dishonesty will be turned over to the Vice President for
Instruction for resolution. Students will be asked to sign an
academic honesty statement on all exams, quizzes, and group
assignments completed as part of Marine Science for Teachers. 
Information about UGA’s academic honesty policy is available on-
line at www.uga.edu/ovpi. Click on Academic Honesty for more 
information about policies and procedures at the University of 
Georgia.