 Sustaining Human Societies and the Natural Environment - Australia (6 semester credits) Dates: May 10 – June 4, 2010 Instructors: Drs. Clifton Watts and Paige Schneider Sample itinerary, syllabus and course modules are attached (pdf:see below). Actual itinerary will be posted March 2010.
SYLLABUS Supporting lectures from: Dr. Andy Lewis received his PhD in marine biology from James Cook University, and in 1997 he formed Tevene’i Marine, a coral reef ecology consulting and ecotourism business based on Magnetic Island. Through the business, Dr. Lewis provides technical marine biology expertise in a range of areas, including ecotourism, sampling designs and analytical strategies for impact assessment and monitoring in tropical reef environments, information on the ecology of reef organisms for scientists and film-makers, field education programs for groups of tertiary students, and custom-designed reef ecotourism packages for scuba divers and sailboarders. Dr. Rupert Holzapfel is a German geographer and works as Senior Lecturer in the School of Business on the Cairns campus. He teaches Tourism & Hospitality Management as well as in the MBA program. His Masters Degree (Research) in Earth Sciences / Physical Geography, Economic Geography and International Technical and Economic Cooperation is from the Technical University in Aachen, Germany, and he received his Ph.D. in Geography from the University of Waikato in New Zealand. He has held various positions as Lecturer in New Zealand and in Australia, and more recently taught as Visiting Scholar at the Helsinki School of Economics in Finland. Dr. Tony Cummings has a BS in Environmental Studies and Biology from St. Lawrence University and an MS from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. His main research interests involve plant-animal interactions in rainforests and the growth and development of rainforest successional complexes, especially reforestation plantings. His interests are centered on the identification of rainforest plants and trying to understand patterns in their distribution and abundance. He is also interested in marine reserves as a conservation and fisheries management tool. Peter Whitehead is a lecturer in Earth Sciences at James Cook University. His research interests include temporal evolution and geochemistry of the Atherton Basalt Province, Cainozoic volcanism of eastern Australia and lava inflation structures and long lava flows. Valda Wallace spent twelve years working at the Royal Darwin Hospital, three years as a Diet Supervisor and nine years in the Infection Control Office, then transferred to the Northern Territory Police Service in the first squad of Police Auxiliaries. Here Val worked on the Front Counter, Communications, Watch-house, Warrants and Enquiries for three years, then spent four years working in the Domestic Violence Unit followed by three years as the Police Indigenous Liaison Officer. Val returned to Cairns in 2002 where she worked for the Department of Families for six months before acquiring her current position with the School of Indigenous Australian Studies at James Cook University. Val’s interests include Indigenous Education, Indigenous Road Safety and Domestic/Family Violence, which is reflected through her involvement as a member of various committees relating to these subjects. Sascha Thyer currently works for the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) as Program Manager of Reef HQ, which is the public aquarium for GBRMPA. She has extensive experience in marine education and worked for the Centre for Marine Studies, University of Queensland for 4 years as Aquarium Manager. She has also been involved in numerous education programs on Heron Island and at Moreton Bay Research Station. Dr Tyrone Ridgway is a Research Fellow at the Centre for Marine Studies at the University of Queensland. His most recent research focuses on coral reef connectivity. Course description This 3.5-week study abroad program will examine the natural (and related social) history and environmental conservation of North Queensland, Australia. Queensland has a wonderful year-round tropical climate and boasts some of the most diverse and remarkable natural resources in the southern hemisphere. An initial stay in Townsville, with lectures from faculty at James Cook University will be followed by an exploration of the network of national parks, reserves, offshore islands, and coastal areas of northern Queensland, before heading to Cairns for a couple of days to complete the program. In the field, we will snorkel (scuba diving is optional) and explore the marine diversity of the Great Barrier Reef; learn about Aboriginal culture and history through interactions with indigenous communities; investigate natural resource management, ecotourism and farming practices in the Outback; and hike through the tropical rainforest of the Daintree World Heritage Area to study the diverse wildlife and flora of Australia. These activities are all included in the program cost. Our program will focus on topics related to sustainable development (sustaining human societies and the natural environment) through educational travel, field trips, active participation, lecture presentations and seminars, and coursework exercises. The goal of this course is using the Queensland, Australia case to integrate the different perspectives of diverse natural, biological, and social science disciplines to improve understanding of relationships between human societies and the natural environment. The impact of humans on natural resources and their sustainable use and conservation will be emphasized. Course objectives By the end of the program students will: 1. Understand the natural history, biogeography, ecological diversity, and related social and cultural contexts of Australia through an exploration of Queensland’s network of national parks and protected areas, which encompass the Outback, rainforests, coastlines, marine reserves, and offshore islands; 2. Understand the impacts of human actions on the natural systems, and human responses to those changes, using the case of Queensland, Australia; 3. Develop an understanding of ecological education practices, integrated natural resource management, and conservation actions throughout Queensland, Australia; 4. Be able to address relationships between human societies and their natural environments from multiple disciplinary perspectives and to develop a complex, multi-faceted and holistic view of human – environment connections that cross traditional disciplinary boundaries. Prerequisites There are no pre-requisites, but eligible students must be accepted by East Carolina University and AUIP, and be in good academic standing at their home institution. Attendance and lateness policy Punctual attendance at all scheduled, program–related activities is required, including group meetings, discussions, field excursions, as well as lectures and any other scheduled activities. Participation in field activities (such as hiking, snorkeling, swimming, kayaking, etc) is voluntary and at the discretion of the student; however, should you wish not to participate you must inform the instructor and an alternate activity will be assigned. An excused absence or decision not to participate in one or any of these field activities will not affect your grade for the course. During the field studies, no student is to leave the group without the consent of the faculty supervisor. Unless an absence is approved by one of the instructors or the program directors, students will lose 10% of their final grade for each day or part-day they fail to participate. Any unexcused absences or continued late arrival to program activities may, at the discretion of the Program Director, be grounds for dismissal from the program. Academic honesty You are expected to do your own work. Any student found plagiarizing a written assignment or falsifying a course requirement will either receive a failing grade for the course and may be referred for disciplinary action. According to the ECU Undergraduate Catalog (p. 45), “Academic integrity is expected of every ECU student. Academically violating the Honor Code consists of the following: cheating, unauthorized aid or assistance or the giving or receiving of unfair advantage on any form of academic work; plagiarism, copying the language, structure, ideas, and/or thoughts of another and adopting those as one’s original work; falsification, statement of untruth, either spoken or written, regarding any circumstances relating to academic work; and attempting any act which if completed would constitute and academic integrity violation as defined above”.
As part of our partnership with AUIP, all academic work must meet AUIP standards of academic honesty (as described in the AUIP Student Manual). Each student is responsible for informing themselves about those standards before performing any academic work. Conduct regulations All students must be familiar with the general conduct regulations described in the AUIP Student Manual. Failure to obey these policies may result in dismissal from the program, at the discretion of the Program Director. Special accommodations Any student with a disability who needs an accommodation or other assistance in this course must contact Dr. Clifton Watts (wattsc@ecu.edu) or Dr. Paige Schneider (schneiderp@ecu.edu) and AUIP at least 4 weeks before the program begins. After that time, AUIP cannot guarantee that such needs can be accommodated. Some activities involve moderate exercise, such as hiking and snorkeling and participation is voluntary for all students. Coursebook and required readings A coursebook (containing required readings, field modules, and other information) will be available from Bel-Jean Copy Center (under “AUIP Cairns, Australia [program date]”) at least four weeks prior to the beginning of the program. All students must bring a copy of the coursebook with them on the program. The coursebook will not be available elsewhere and students will be responsible for getting their own copy. Contact: Bel-Jean Copy Center Pre-departure (optional) readings For pre-departure reading, we recommend: Guns, Germs, and Steel, by Jared Diamond The Fatal Impact, by Alan Morehead The Fatal Shore, by Robert Hughes Follow the Rabbit Proof Fence, by Doris Pilkington and Nugi Garimara A Town Like Alice, by Nevil Shute Dingo Makes us Human, by Deborah Bird Rose Course assignments 1. Pre-departure and orientation exercise on Australian geography, language, and culture (10%) The quiz is found in the coursebook; part of it requires the use of the internet and/or library resources and should be completed before you arrive in country. The remainder of the quiz will be completed at the beginning of the program. 2. Field modules and site quizzes (60%) The field modules and supporting readings and materials are in the Coursebook. The modules relate what we learn in the classroom with field activities. Site quizzes will comprise part of the total module grade. Please note that field experts are available as resources to help students complete the module questions on their own, not to provide answers. Each module question will be graded as follows: A - Explains the core concept(s) very clearly and with evidence of real thought, technically correct response, gives the most relevant and best examples, very clear and well-written, only relevant material included and thoughtfully concise. A minus - A very good answer, worthy of an A grade but may contain some minor content, grammatical, and/or editorial corrections. B plus - A strong answer that clearly shows thorough understanding of the material but does not contain all the necessary content required. B - Discernable evidence of grasp of concept, good and correct examples given, well-written, thoughtfully concise B minus - A well-written answer that contains most (but not all) of the content required and may suffer from some grammatical and/or editorial mistakes and omissions. C - Adequate but limited grasp of core concept(s), some examples although not necessarily the best or most relevant, legible. May lack conciseness or clarity in the response. D - Little or no grasp of core concept(s), or incorrect or no examples given, or hard to read or poorly written. F - Fails to address the question, or little or no grasp of core concept and incorrect or no examples given, or illegible. 3. Final exam (30%) The final exam will be open notes and comprehensive across the program, and may draw material from any reading, field exercises, lectures, or discussions. The exam will be comprised of a mixture of questions including multiple-choice, essay, short answer, etc. Sample essays questions for the exam include the following: a) What is your understanding of an Australian perspective on natural resource knowledge and/or use? b) How did this course influence your understanding of global or U.S. conservation and/or subsistence issues (if at all)? c) How does what you have learned in this course relate to your particular major and your potential career? What do you think the relevance of the experience in Australia is, or could be, given your goals? d) Do you think you are more likely to engage in action for ecological stewardship and/or have different environmental values or practices as a result of your Australian experience? Grade assessment Final grades for all credits will be assessed together and as follows: A 89.5 - 100 percent Course Topics See the itinerary for a full list and schedule of field activities and lectures. |