Bio 540, Conservation Ecology
Dr. Rebecca Lewison
4-8287
PS 157A (in PS157)
Office hours: M
Lecture: MW 9-9:50, LS 134
Lab/Discussion: W
Course description
The goal
of this course is to give you a solid foundation of core concepts and
principles of conservation ecology, emphasizing current topics/debates in this
field. The course integrates readings from a current textbook (Groom et al.
2006) and primary literature to cover both the science and application
of conservation ecology.
This
course is designed for upper level undergraduates as well as first or second
year graduate students. Students’ grades will reflect their experience level. All
course activities (lectures, discussions, short writing exercises, computer
work) will require you to synthesize and integrate the concepts from lectures/readings
and apply this information to novel settings/questions. Some students
find this difficult, because their previous learning strategies of rote
memorization do not work well. You must digest and understand course
content, as well as think logically about how this information can inform
conservation decisions and science when no easy solution exists or when
information is incomplete.
Course Schedule
http://www.sci.sdsu.edu/classes/biology/bio540/lewison/schedule.htm
Course Format
Readings
and discussions, punctuated by 3 exams, a SHORT review paper (1-2 pages) an oral
presentation, some computer exercises and VERY SHORT writing assignments for
labs/discussions (single paragraph).
Materials
Course text:
Principles of Conservation, 3rd edition. Groom et al. 2006
Supplemental
readings are listed on course schedule and will be available on Blackboard.
Course
objectives
The goal
of this course is to give you a solid foundation in the core concepts, principles
and application of conservation ecology, emphasizing current topics and
debates. We will not explicitly discuss the philosophical, ethical, or cultural
aspects of conservation. However, these
aspects are intrinsic components of conservation in practice and we will touch
upon them during our discussions.
Specific
course objectives are to:
Contacting Me
I encourage you to meet with me during office hours or by
appointment.
When: There are two options: 1) Monday
Where: Physical Sciences (PS) 157A, inside my lab PS157.
How: If the lab door is closed, knock
LOUDLY. Other students work in my lab, so if you stop by when I’m not there,
please don't rely on them to pass verbal messages on to me. You can leave a
note on my door or in my mailbox in the Biology office.
Expectations
I expect
all course participants (students and instructor) to be:
What will
happen if these expectations are not met?
Part of
your grade will be based on your preparation and participation in class, so a
failure to do either will be reflected in your grade. Disrespectful behavior will
not be tolerated.
Academic dishonesty
Cheating
has rarely been a problem in my classes, and warning you about the consequences
may seem unnecessary. Nevertheless, to avoid any confusion, this is the course
policy: If you are caught cheating in an exam or on an assignment, you will
receive a zero on the exam or assignment. In addition, the event will be
reported to campus judicial authorities and may lead additional actions from
the University. For more information on the consequences of academic dishonesty,
please see: http://www.sa.sdsu.edu/srr/judicial/CheatingDisruption.html
Remember, your academic work must be your own words. If you need clarification on what
constitutes plagiarism, cheating, and other inappropriate conduct, please see: http://science.widener.edu/svb/essay/plagiar.html
Assignments
To be
prepared for lectures, you will need to have read and be ready to discuss/ask
questions on assigned readings. All assigned readings are listed on the course
schedule and will be available on Blackboard
Lab/discussion
sections will include readings, student-led discussions, in-class writing, and computer
exercises/activities. To be prepared for lab/discussions, you will need to have
read and be ready to lead a discussion/discuss these papers, or write about
assigned readings (short answer format). Again, all required reading are listed
on the course schedule and will be available on Blackboard.
Review
paper assignment: Current topics in Conservation
We won’t
be doing any major writing assignments in the course. Instead, each person will
be in charge of writing a SHORT review paper (1-2 pages) of a current topic in
conservation. There are two goals of this writing assignment:
1) It
will allow you to explore a current topic/debate in conservation in more depth
than our lectures and discussion. I encourage you to pick a topic that is
relevant to your research interests. You must choose a review topic by Sept 27th.
If you are having trouble picking a topic, please schedule an appt. with me no
later than Sept 20th.
2) The
second goal of the assignment is to encapsulate how one writes a peer-reviewed
paper, with an emphasis on flow and presentation of ideas.
Using a
minimum of 5 and a maximum of 15 peer-reviewed literature sources (you can use 1
paper already on the syllabus), each person will
present a concise summary and synthesis paper. Each person will also present their review to
the class during the last 2 lab sessions (we’ll talk a lot more about the
format of both the written review and oral presentation during class). I will
evaluate the written portion, and oral presentations will be evaluated by the entire
class.
Grading
Although the general requirements are the same for both
undergraduate and graduate students, expectations of graduate student
performance will be higher. Thus, graduate students will have to demonstrate a
more sophisticated comprehension of material. Their answers will need to be
more comprehensive, and I will grade exams and other assignments accordingly.
You will be graded on:
|
Course requirements |
Points |
% |
|
Midterm exam 1 |
80 |
18 |
|
Midterm exam 2 |
80 |
18 |
|
Lab assignments |
80 |
18 |
|
Writing assignment |
50 |
10 |
|
Presentation |
30 |
7 |
|
Participation |
30 |
7 |
|
Final exam |
100 |
22 |
|
TOTAL |
450 |
100 |
Students
with disabilities
Students who need accommodation of disabilities should
contact me privately to discuss specific accommodations for which they have
received authorization. If you have a disability, please contact Student
Disability Services at 619 594 6473,
Emergencies
Emergencies, by definition, are unexpected. I cannot
accommodate individual schedules, but for genuine emergencies I will work with
you to ensure you can complete assignments, projects, tests etc… on time.
However, I will only do so if you come talk to me
immediately when such a situation arises.
If you have any questions about this material, I would be
happy to talk with you about it (my contact information is listed on the first
page). When you are clear on the information covered in this syllabus, please
read, sign, and date the following statement and return it to me.
I have
read the Bio 540 Course Syllabus. I understand and accept its contents. I also
understand that work in this course must be my work and all required
assignments, projects, and tests must be completed to receive a passing grade for
this course.
____________________________ ___________
Signature Date