Course goals

By taking this course, students will...

• acquire an "ecological literacy" about how the natural world works

• develop an understanding of how scientific methods are used to construct ecological knowledge

• gain a greater appreciation of why it is important to study the interaction of living organisms on Earth

• become familiar with some of the major ecological challenges facing the Earth today, and the important research which needs to be done to address these concerns

Student learning objectives

By the end of this course, students will be able to...

• understand and describe the major ideas of natural selection, population and community ecology, biodiversity, and sustainability

• interpret observations of life in a New York City microenvironment using principles of community ecology and succession

• address issues of ecological concern using qualitative and quantitative arguments

• identify specific ways in which natural or anthropogenic activity might influence terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems

• identify the major mass extinctions in Earth's history and their possible causes

• analyze the assertion that we are in the midst of a sixth mass extinction at the present time

• describe and debate some of the major ecological issues relating to the current and future human condition, e.g. ecosystem services, agricultural systems, the management of reserves, and human genetics.