Time Schedule:
John Lombard
OCEAN 260
Seattle Campus
Examines historical human impacts on the land/water ecosystem of the Puget Sound, roles of regional governance and citizen action, and prospects for ecological restoration. Computer labs and field trips for additional credit. Offered: jointly with ENVIR 260.
Class description
This course provides an overview of how the Puget Sound ecosystem works, the most important policy issues that confront efforts to conserve it, and some of the key conservation initiatives currently underway in the region. Guest speakers from the Puget Sound Partnership, the Cascade Agenda and other initiatives will give students the opportunity to engage directly with regional conservation leaders.
Student learning goals
Identify important ways in which the Puget Sound ecosystem has changed over the past 200 years
Identify the most important places in the region for conservation and explain why they are important
Identify key impacts that we as individuals have on both the Puget Sound ecosystem and global ecosystems and how we can reduce them
Identify key dimensions of current threats to the Puget Sound ecosystem from population growth and climate change
Apply economic, legal, policy, historical, and contemporary political lenses to evaluate current and possible future responses to these threats
General method of instruction
There will be three 50-minute lectures per week. Students may enroll in section A for lectures only (3 credits) or for section B (5 credits), which includes labs and field trips.
Recommended preparation
There are no formal prerequisites. Please have an inquiring mind and the patience to read a wide range of material. Students in section B should be comfortable with detailed web-based computer exercises and light outdoor activities in marginal weather.
Class assignments and grading
There will be two mid-term exams, one cumulative final exam, homework, writing assignments, GoPost on-line conversations, and a special assignment that encourages (but does not require) participation in at least one restoration event. Students in Section B also will submit writeups of their lab and field trip exercises.
