Difference between revisions of "Current Topics in Conservation Biology"

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== EEB 5370: Conservation in urban settings (Spring 2012) ==
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== EEB 5370: Conservation in urban settings (Spring 2013) ==
  
 
'''Credits:''' 1
 
'''Credits:''' 1

Revision as of 20:36, 15 January 2013

EEB 5370: Conservation in urban settings (Spring 2013)

Credits: 1

Instructor: Chris Elphick (email: chris.elphick[AT]uconn.edu)

Meeting time: 10-11 Wednesday

Location: Bamford (TLS 179)

The topic of this seminar course varies from year to year depending on what is "current" in conservation biology and what students in the program are interested in focusing on. Usually we pick a recent book or selected readings focused around a specific theme in order to get a deeper understanding of the topic than would be normal in a survey course. If you have suggestions for future topics, please let me know.

This year, the topic will be conservation in urban settings. The main text for the course will be Urban Ecology: Patterns, Processes, and Applications (Niemela et al. 2012. Oxford University Press). I was told that the paperback version is no longer available from the publisher, but I found multiple copies for sale on-line.

The book is also available as an e-book via the UConn library. The e-book can either be read on-line or downloaded. If you download it you will have access for a week, and will then need to download it again. There is a cap on the total number of downloads allowed at UConn in one year - given the class size we should not reach that cap, but I'd suggest reading on-line whenever possible just to be safe. I was told there is no limit on the number of people who can read this book simultaneously. For more information on accessing the e-book, see the email I sent around at the start of the semester (if you did not get that email, let me know) or contact the Electronic Resources Management Librarian at elibrary@lib.uconn.edu.

The course is required for students in the EEB BS/MS program, but is open to all graduate students. A few senior (and occasionally junior) undergraduates also take the course every year, and I encourage you to do so if you are interested. To be eligible as an undergraduate, you should have at least a B average and should talk to me first. Undergraduates will need a permission number to enroll. The course is limited to ~12-15 students each year and I occasionally have to turn people away, but we try to accommodate as many people as possible. Priority is given to students in the BS/MS program who need the course to graduate. Post-docs, adjuncts, and (even) faculty are welcome to join in the fun.

Schedule (subject to change)

A tentative schedule is posted below. Everyone should sign up to lead the discussion one week (see next section for tips on leading effectively). If you have EEBedia editing rights (i.e., if you are an EEB graduate student) then you can go in yourself and sign up to present. If you do not, email me and tell me when you'd like to lead so that I can put you on the schedule. If you are flexible on your topic/date, then include a note at the bottom of the schedule so that others know they can move things around. DO NOT MOVE ANYONE TO A DIFFERENT SLOT WITHOUT ASKING THEM FIRST. After the first meeting, I will assign weeks to anyone who has not yet signed up.

When it is your turn to present, you should prepare:

(i) A 5-10 minutes introduction to the material presented in your chapters (see below for more guidance). Everyone is expected to read the assigned chapters and any associated section intros/conclusions. THE TIME LIMIT WILL BE ENFORCED - PRACTICE YOUR PRESENTATION

(ii) A 5-10 min summary of a recent paper (last ~3 years) from the primary literature that is relevant to your topic and specifically addresses conservation in urban settings (rather than simply urban ecology). Others are not expected to read this paper, so you must given enough detail for them to understand the main points. You must, however, send a pdf to me (Chris) before 5 pm on the Sunday before your presentation. AGAIN, THE TIME LIMIT WILL BE ENFORCED.

(iii) Enough questions (I'd suggest 6-10) to stimulate discussion for the remaining 35-40 mins of class. These should be posted as a pdf in the Notes column of the table below by the Monday evening before you present. If you don't know how to post them, send them to me (by Sunday evening so that I can get them up by Monday).


Week Who Topic Reading Notes
23 Jan Chris E. Introduction & History pp. 1-13 Note that page numbers refer to the printed book, and differ from the e-page numbers
30 Jan Chris E. TBD
6 Feb Land Use and Climate pp. 17-44 (1.1, 1.2)
13 Feb Soils and Hydrology pp. 45-72 (1.3, 1.4)
20 Feb Urban vegetation pp. 103-115, 148-158 (2.4, 3.2) **Note: chapters out of order
27 Feb Plants of wetlands, gardens and hard surfaces pp. 75-102 (2.1, 2.2, 2.3)
6 Mar Holly Urban wildlife pp. 116-147 (2.5, 3.1)
13 Mar Urban community ecology pp. 159-188 (3.3, 3.4, 3.5)
20 Mar ---- NO MEETING: SPRING BREAK ---- Connecticut Conference on Natural Resources
27 Mar Kevin B. Urban ecosystem services I pp. 191-218 (4.1, 4.2, 4.3) co-ordinate with next week's presenter
3 Apr Urban ecosystem services I pp. 219-239 (4.4, 4.5) co-ordinate with previous week's presenter
10 Apr Effects on human society & health pp. 243-271 (5.1, 5.2)
17 Apr Planning for wildlife in the city pp. 272-297 (5.3, 5.4)
24 Apr Creating better urban ecosystems pp. 298-318 (5.5., 5.6)
1 May Chris E. Wrap-up: What have we learned? pp. 319-321

Expectations

Here are some general comments about my expectations for the class. Exact details will vary depending on the semester's topic. Generally we will read papers or have presentations and discuss them in class each week. Most discussions will be led by students, and everyone is expected to sign up to lead at least one discussion. The schedule is posted above.

Discussion leaders: Generally, my expectation is that you will present a 5-10 minute (NO MORE!) introduction to the topic. Your introduction should draw on the readings, but should not simply re-state what we have all read. Simply reiterating what the readings say is boring and doesn't accomplish much. Instead, your job as leader is to get a discussion going. This is hard (and I will help), but far more interesting for everyone involved. Here are some tips:

  • Make sure that you have enough to say to keep things moving, but do not feel that you have to say everything that you have thought of or cover every idea in the readings. If the conversation is going well, just let it take its course. The worst thing that can happen is that no one says anything. The next worst thing is that the leader completely dominates the conversation (I can be guilty of this sin myself, so feel free to cut me off if I'm talking too much).
  • In your introduction, try to synthesize the material and draw out the major points. What are the 3-5 things you'd tell your parents/partner/well-informed parrot if you were going to explain this to them over dinner - the chances are good that these are the same things we should be focused on. Also, feel free to supplement the reading material with other information on the topic to broaden the discussion.
  • Come with a list of questions to ask (more than you think you'll need). The more specific the questions are the better, as this makes them easier for people to respond to. Email around some questions a day or two before class so that people can think about them while they are reading the materials (if you email them to me, I will forward them to the rest of the class).
  • Ask people what surprised them, and why. If you're not leading, think how you'd answer this question. If people complain about the readings, ask them how things could have been done better, or what needs to be done next.
  • Where possible, try to relate your topic to those we have discussed in previous weeks so that the ideas covered by the class build over the course of the semester.
  • Being purposefully provocative (even if you don't believe what you're saying) can often help to get people talking. If the material is appropriate, set the discussion up as a debate - tell half the class that they have to argue one side and the other half that they have to argue the opposite. This approach can force people to really think about the ideas and about their preconceptions. If you are going to do this, it is best to warn people ahead of time (though don't tell them which side they will be on).
  • When you ask a question, give people lots of time to respond. A good rule is to (slowly) count to 10 in your head before moving on. This is because (a) it often takes people this long to formulate something to say and (b) the uncomfortable silence (and it can be excruciating) is often what it takes to get people talking. This sounds (and can feel) horrible, but it really works, and the discussions that result are much richer.
  • If no one answers a question, and there is a simple yes/no, do you agree/disagree, type answer, then ask for a show of hands - then you can focus in on individuals and ask them to explain their response.
  • Don't pick on individuals and make them comment unless you have to. But if no one says anything, then it is OK to do this. Everyone else is responsible for reading and thinking about the material too, so it should not be a surprise to them. Even though you are in charge of running things, the responsibility for maintaining a discussion lies with everyone in the room. If you think people are not engaging in the discussion enough, then it is your job to do something about it ... don't just expect me to do it for you.
  • Finally, in weeks when you are not leading, make sure that you have thought about the material enough that you can help the leader out. Come with at least 2 or 3 ideas to talk about if things get too quiet. If the leader has sent out questions, actually think about them before class. And be responsible about doing the reading. If you do all this stuff, others will do the same when it's your turn to lead.

The hardest part is getting the conversation started. Once it's going, it will often run itself - and if it is doing this you should let it. I've been running seminars for a few years now, and I'm only just getting to where I realize that my job is to say as little as possible. If I talk the whole time, then I'm essentially lecturing ... and this is not a lecture format ... the goals are very different, they are to get people thinking on their feet and discussing ideas to help them learn the stuff for themselves. But, it is your job to ensure that we are not just subjected to silence.

PowerPoint: When presenting a reading, I don't really mind whether you use PowerPoint or not. Often, it is not necessary, but sometimes it can help by putting up key talking points where everyone can see them. If you do use PowerPoint, it should be to help maintain a conversation, not to just reiterate what is in the reading. If there are figures that you want to ask questions about, then putting them up on a screen can be very useful. Likewise, having your questions on screen for people to refer to can help. I will reserve a projector for each class session, but you will need to go and get it from the EEB office before class. If you do not have a laptop, let me know and I will bring mine.

Grading: The course is S/U and it is unusual for people to fail. But, if you hardly ever participate in the discussions, I will fail you. This is your only warning!!


If you have never led a discussion in a seminar course before, or feel nervous about doing so, please talk to me beforehand. It isn't as hard as it might seem, and it's always easier if you're well prepared and know what to expect.

Discussion/News

If you have any information related to the course (e.g., relevant news items, related web links, etc.), feel free to post it here. Please put the date first, then your name; be concise; and organize the list so that items are in reverse chronological order. For an example of the right format, check out my Conservation Biology in the News site here. If you're not an EEB graduate student, then you can email items to me and I will add them, but please send them to me in the right format.

Course history

If you are interested in the topics that we have covered in this class in past years, I have preserved previous versions of the web page, linked below.

During 2012, the topic was trade-offs in conservation biology. To see what was covered during that course, click here.

During 2011, the topic was climate change. To see what was covered during that course, click here.

During 2010, the topic was invasion biology. To see what we covered during that course, click here.

During 2009, the topic was evidence-based conservation. To see what we covered during that course, click here.

During 2008, the topic was the history of the U.S. Endangered Species Act. To see what we covered during that course, click here.

During 2007, the topic was the biological consequences of climate change. To see what we covered during that course, click here.

During 2006, the topic was the conservation implications of invasive species. To see what we covered during that course, click here.

During 2005, the topic was relating general conservation approaches to local problems in New England. To see what we covered during that course, click here.

During 2004, the topic was the role of science in the U.S. Endangered Species Act. To see what we covered during that course, click here; for a reading list, click here.

Other information

For information about EEB's Joint B.S./M.S. degree program in Biodiversity and Conservation Biology click here

For information about the Society for Conservation Biology click here

For information on jobs in conservation biology click here

For information on jobs in wildlife biology click here