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Field Studies in Conservation

Social Awareness & Responsibility

Course Description

This experiential field program is appropriate for students of all disciplines and for anyone with an interest in the conservation, preservation, and natural and cultural history of the world’s protected areas (including national parks, forests, and marine reserves). A program fee is charged for accommodations, transport, and meals.

Additional Requirements for Graduate Students:
Graduate credit for the Course requires both of the following: (1) the quality of the presentations, written exam material, and project assignments will be of a higher quality than at the undergraduate level (accordingly, written material and project assignments will receive more rigorous grading than at the undergraduate level) and (2) a 500 typed-word integrative essay on a conservation topic (to be decided upon with the instructor) that clearly demonstrates an ability to synthesize course concepts and field material. The integrative essay is required for each 3-credit hours of enrollment. For courses offered at reduced credit loads (1 or 2 credits), the instructor retains discretion to scale or modify the requirement proportionally.

Athena Title

Field Studies in Conservation

Non-Traditional Format

The course will include extended field experience and a series of lectures combined with seminars, presentations, and/or student projects. Two field hours (excluding travel time) is equivalent to one classroom lecture hour, in which one semester credit requires 750 minutes of classroom-equivalent lectures (hence 3 semester credits requires 3*750 [2250] minutes [37.5 hours] of classroom-equivalent lectures). 1 Credit is equal to 12.5 field-hours per credit.

Prerequisite

Permission of department

Semester Course Offered

Offered fall, spring and summer

Grading System

A - F (Traditional)

Student learning Outcomes

  • Students will actively engage with the world's natural environments and protected areas.
  • Students will encourage self-awareness through personal relationships with the natural world.
  • Students will promote creative discourse on conservation and related topics.
  • Students will seek to engage in citizen science activities related to conservation.
  • Students will develop and refine oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills by participating in conservation discussions, presentations, and peer-group activities, incorporating feedback to improve their effectiveness in working with, and communicating to, diverse audiences.
  • Students will be exposed to, and engage in, techniques in environmental education and/or interpretation through field observations, citizen science experiences, and concepts in natural resources conservation and preservation.
  • Students will participate in citizen science activities (e.g., All Taxa Biodiversity Index and Coral Watch) and communicate findings to support conservation awareness and decision-making.

Topical Outline

  • 1. History of conservation and preservation in the United States and/or globally.
  • 2. Natural and cultural history of selected protected areas.
  • 3. Role-playing scenarios and simulations of conservation issues and related topics.
  • 4. Citizen science techniques and case studies.
  • 5. Wicked problems in conservation and potential solutions.

Institutional Competencies Learning Outcomes

Social Awareness & Responsibility

The capacity to understand the interdependence of people, communities, and self in a global society.


Syllabus

Public CV

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