Integrated Learning Program - "Planet Earth"
Ecology of the Southwest
Biology 250Nx
Fort Lewis College – Fall 2009
Note: This class counts as a science course with lab (SCI-1) in the gt-Pathways General Education core of required breadth courses.
Class Meeting: Lecture: MWF 11:15-12:10 Room 110 EBH
Lab: T 8-11 Room 755 Berndt Hall
Instructor: Cynthia Dott, PhD; Associate Professor of Biology
office: 752 Berndt Hall; phone: 247-7322
e-mail: dott_c@fortlewis.edu
Office hours: T 11:15-12:15, W 12:20-2:20, Th 3:30-4:30 (please schedule ahead for Th after 4)
Course Website: http://faculty.fortlewis.edu/DOTT%5FC/ ; FLC Moodle site
Required Texts: (abbreviations used in syllabus are in parentheses)
1. Peterson Field Guide to Rocky Mountain and Southwest Forests, by John Kricher (1998) (Pet.)
2. Shrubs and Trees of the Southwest Uplands, by Francis H. Elmore (1976) (Elm.)
3. A Sand County Almanac, with essays on conservation…, by Aldo Leopold (1991 Ballantine edition) (Leo.)
4. An Introduction to Grand Canyon Ecology, by Rose Houk (1996) (Houk)
5. Beast in the Garden, by David Baron (2004) (Beast)
6. Lab Exercise Packet – available to print weekly course Moodle site
Additional readings will be assigned from the High Country News website: www.hcn.org (HCN), and from other online sources.
Supplies:
1. bound composition notebook to be used as field journal
2. pad of carbonless paper (quad-ruled) (pairs of people may share 1 pad)
3. 3-ring binder (for class notes, hand-outs, and lab exercises)
4. package of small post-it notes, 3 colors (~ yellow-red-green) (can be shared within groups)
5. manilla folder (provided) with your name on the front – this is where you will turn in and pick up assignments, quizzes, etc. Pick up your folder at the beginning of class each day, return it to the box at the end of each class session.
Program Objectives:
The main, overarching theme we will address this semester in Planet Earth – Integrated Learning Program concerns issues of environmental ethics at several different levels of analysis. What this means is that you will learn about the dynamics of physical systems (Geology), natural systems (Ecology), human perspectives and use of these systems (Environmental Policy, Composition), and human reactions to problems we encounter or create in our natural environment (Composition & all of your other courses). We will use environmental ethics as the link among these different fields of study, with our many field trips and class discussions serving as the ultimate places where you can make the “integrated” part of the Integrated Learning Program really come to life. With the new addition of an Environmental Studies (“ENVS”) major to the Fort Lewis curriculum, Planet Earth has a new and even more compelling role: it can serve as a gateway into our many environmentally-related programs at the College (ENVS, Environmental Biology or Geology, SW Studies, and more!). We are thrilled to have you – WELCOME!!
Ecology of the Southwest Objectives:
In the ecology segment of Planet Earth, I will aquaint you with the living aspects of the Southwestern environment. You will learn about the dynamic and diverse ecological settings of the Southwestern states, from habitats of the San Juan Mountains, to the cold deserts of the Colorado Plateau, to the Great Basin shrublands and the classic hot deserts most commonly associated with the southwest. We will begin with thoughts on the nature of ecology and of the southwest as a whole (A Sense of Ecology), then move on to a survey of southwestern plant and animal habitats (One Earth, Many Homes), and close with a discussion of issues relating to Southwest and Global conservation (Sustainability in Ecological Systems).
In this segment of the Integrated Learning Program, you will develop an understanding of the scientific method as a framework for studying natural systems, including both its strengths and limitations. You will have an extraordinary opportunity to experience field ecology during our lab/field exercises, several all-day field trips, and the 5 day excursion to the Grand Canyon. Here you will learn to collect, analyze and interpret ecological data, and to conduct some open-ended field studies of your own that enable you to use your new knowledge of the scientific method and natural systems.
Study Skills:
The skills you develop this semester will help you to succeed in future semesters of your college career. Make no mistake – while Planet Earth is a fun-filled and friendly program, we will all be asking you to work hard and expecting you to be a vital and involved member of our little community. So don’t let any apparent informality fool you into thinking you don’t have to do much work – you do - but often it will be FUN!
I‘m here to help you learn, but you will have to uphold your end of the bargain, too. In ILP we will keep you busy, but all of us understand that a first semester in college requires a lot of adjustments, and we are anxious to help you succeed. Come and talk to any of us any time during the semester when you have questions, don’t understand an assignment or concept, or are having troubles of any kind. We’ll try to help, or send you to people on campus who can help you out. The key is not to wait too long before coming to see us.
We will take some time our first day to outline our expectations of each other in this class, and to set up some rules of common courtesy we can all agree on; I’ll make you all copies of these rules once they’re established.
Evaluation:
Your grade for Ecology of the Southwest will be based on the following assignments, and will use the grade scheme shown below. We will have 3 lecture exams (including the final exam), 2 lecture quizzes, 2 lab quizzes, a natural history field journal, and lab assignments most weeks that will be turned in on randomly chosen weeks for a grade. Each of you will also give one brief oral presentation. The point break-down is approximately as follows:
Assignment: Points Possible: Grading:
Exams (3) ~300 points (~100 each) A = 90-100%
Quizzes/Homework ~ 100 points B = 80-89%
Lab Quizzes (2) ~ 50 points C = 70-79%
Field Journal ~ 100 points D = 60-69%
Lab Assignments ~ 50 points F = < 60%
Presentations ~ 25 points
Participation & Attendance ~ 25 points
In my courses, I follow a standard grading system: A grade of C is average (not below), B is above average, and A is truly outstanding, and as such is not a very common grade. D is well below average for college work. If you have questions about the grading scheme, or about your standing at any time during the semester, please feel free to contact me.
Assignments are due on the date assigned in the syllabus. Late assignments lose 5 points per day up to 3 days, after which they’re not accepted. Missed assignments receive 0 points. There are no make-up exams or quizzes, unless you have a signed Dean’s excuse due to extreme health or family emergency. Please make sure to check your course syllabi before scheduling trips home or weekends away!!!
This is your contract for the class – hold onto it, and consult it when you have questions.
All business aside, I expect us to have a lot of fun this semester. You have a fantastic opportunity to delve into new ideas and new ways of thinking, and to explore the Southwest on field trips and hikes that few of your peers can hope to experience in the course of a single semester. So hold on, get ready, and dig in for a super semester!!
LEARNING GOALS FOR THE SEMESTER - Indicated by Students on 8/31/09
Bio 250 – Fall 2009
Individual Learning Goals for Course
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