Urgent: New Aut 01 course in Urban Ecology

[Richard Roth]

We have just gotten an SLN for Geog 495 A for Autumn Quarter:
ADDED:
:AUT/2001  SLN:9653    0-GEOG   495 A   SPECIAL TOPICS
ENVIR 450 B / GEOG 495 A / URBDP 598 F, 3 credits
Thursdays, 2:30 - 4:20 PM, Anderson 22
Instructors: Gordon Bradley, Clare Ryan, John Marzluff  (Forest Resources)
Marina Alberti, Kristina Hill (Architecture and Urban Planning)
Craig ZumBrunnen (Geography)


Course Description, Goals, and Objectives
In this course students will: (a) examine and evaluate how different
disciplines study resource and environmental issues; (b) explore criteria
for conducting and evaluating quality research; (c) develop skills in
problem analysis and formulation, critiquing, working patterns, and
communication; (d) sharpen proposal writing skills, and (e) begin to
identify interdisciplinary research projects.  Environmental planners,
policy-makers, and land managers representing various private, public, and
non-governmental organizations will be invited to present proposals to the
class, seeking assistance with a high-priority management problem. Class
members will work in teams with the faculty to translate the problems into
interdisciplinary research proposals.  Each team will analyze one problem i=
n
detail to develop a research proposal.  The class culminates with a panel
=B3hearing=B2 where merits and limitations of each proposal are discussed a=
nd
one or two proposals are selected for further development.

Elective follow-up courses in Winter and Spring 2002 will focus on
developing and implementing the proposals selected for further study.

The class is open to graduate students and advanced undergraduates.


What previous students have said:
* We explored all the problems and collectively, as a faculty and student
group, decided on one broad issue to address during the rest of the year.
This approach to education is a radical departure from traditional
single-disciplinary schooling.
*
* Our research project has demanded that we acquire a bewildering array of
skills not traditionally required in our degree programs; a process made
more achievable due to our diverse backgrounds.
*
* The most valuable opportunity has been the consistent and intense
interaction among the select and diverse group of faculty and students
within this Urban Ecology program.