Biodiversity and Conservation

Catalog description

A Scientific Reasoning Perspectives level course focused on understanding global biodiversity and conservation strategies. The course will emphasize the distinguishing features and the human and ecological relevance of the major taxa of organisms. Understanding the characteristics of organisms and the factors that determine their distribution and abundance provides critical information for devising conservation strategies. However, successful efforts to reduce the loss of biodiversity depend on the integration of multiple perspectives and knowledge from many disciplines. Students will be challenged to consider the effects of historical, cultural, economic, political, and ethical perspectives on shaping human viewpoints about biodiversity and conservation. Critical thinking and scientific writing will be utilized in evaluating conservation strategies from an interdisciplinary perspective. Prerequisite(s): Completion of FSRC Pillar Corequisite(s): None *Fulfills Civitae Core PSRC WI