[course] – URBDP 498A: Practical Ecology for Planners

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URBDP 498A Practical Ecology for Planners
Summer 2011
Instructor: Julia Michalak
SLN: 13731

Course description:

Humans are transforming the ecology of our planet at a massive scale
and nowhere are these changes more evident than in the urban
environment…

Traditional ecological conservation approaches have focused
on separating and protecting “nature” from people. However, it is
increasingly clear that successful ecological resilience and
sustainability will not be achieved without improving the ecological
value and integrity of the lands where people live and work, the
so-called “domesticated landscapes.” In the coming decades, planners,
designers, and developers are poised to play a key role in improving
land use practices, development patterns and landscape designs. To do
so, they need a solid understanding of how ecosystems work and how
changes associated with urban development alter ecosystem structure and
function.

In this class, students will gain a working understanding of the
fundamental ecological theories relevant to urban and transportation
planning and design. The main areas covered include urban ecology,
landscape ecology, and behavioral ecology all of which we will explore
through the lens of the urban ecosystem. In addition, students will
learn some of the methods used to generate ecological knowledge through
a series of GIS and field lab exercises. We will use the UW campus as
our laboratory as we explore the structure and function of urban
ecosystems.

The general course structure will include Tuesday lectures/discussion
and Thursday GIS or field labs. No prior experience with GIS is
required. Assignments will include readings, photo and observational
journals, lab exercises and a final exam. The class is a full summer
term. Please contact Julia Michalak with any questions:
michalaj@u.washington.edu <mailto:michalaj@u.washington.edu>. Students
from all disciplines are welcome and encouraged to attend.“

Education for Sustainability seminar

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Interested in K-12 environmental education?Want to gain first hand experience volunteering in an environmental ed organization or classroom while receiving academic credit?Then, this UW Inner Pipeline seminar might be of interest to you:

EDUC 401L:  “Education for Sustainability”

EDUC 401L SLN: 13011 Dates: Mondays, 4/4, 4/11, 4/18, 4/25, 5/2, 5/9, 5/16, 5/23
Time: 12:30-1:20pm 
Location: Mary Gates Hall, room 248 What is environmental education all about? How do educators teach young people about the earth’s ecosystems and foster an ethic of environmental stewardship? This seminar will examine the past and current state of K-12 environmental education in the U.S. and Washington State. We will explore various philosophies, models and approaches to K-12 environmental education. Students will attend weekly seminars and volunteer in related school classrooms and community organizations in Seattle for at least 2 ½ (2 credits) hours a week. Credits: 2 EDUC 401credits: 2.5 hours tutoring/week (20 hours/quarter)
3 EDUC 401 credits: 5 hours tutoring/week (40 hours/quarter)
For more information and to view other Pipeline seminar offerings, please visit our website: http://www.washington.edu/uwired/pipeline/___________________________

[Course] – ENVIR 450B: Growing Stuff: Ecology of Resource Extraction Systems

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ENVIR 450B – Growing Stuff: Ecology of Resource Extraction Systems will be taught in Spring 2011 by Stevan Harrell.  Want to get an idea of what the class will be like?  You can check out his class website from last year (which will be updated at the beginning of Spring 2011):

http://faculty.washington.edu/stevehar/resourcehome.html

Please note: The 3 required full-day field trips will be on Saturday, April 16, May 7 and May 28.

This is a field-, reading-, and writing- intensive course on how humans modify and manipulate ecosystems to produce useful resources. Throughout, we emphasize a systems perspective, closely examining the ecological, economic, and political effects of the elements of each system on one another. We also pay attention to analysis of systems at different scales of space, time, and complexity. Our specific subject matter encompasses ecosystems in Washington State that are modified to produce and extract three kinds of resources: biofuels, shellfish, and milk products. Each three-week unit, including an all-day Saturday field trip, focuses on one of these three resource types. For each unit, students are required to read a series of articles, comment formally in class on some of them, go on the field trip, keep and turn in a field journal, and write a topical essay on an assignment dealing with problems of that type of resource system.