WALKING BIOLOGY

Course Description

"The lasting pleasures of contact with the natural world are not reserved for scientists but are available to anyone who will place himself under the influence of earth, sea and sky and their amazing life.”       - Rachel Carson, The Sense of Wonder (1965)

This course is designed to introduce students to the "wild" natural habitats around us, and to the flora and fauna residing there. This quarter we will focus on observing nature from a variety of perspectives – human both present and past, and other animals both large and small. We will visit a diverse range of terrestrial and aquatic habitats in and around campus. In each of these natural communities we will observe patterns, learn about natural history and discuss ecological and evolutionary questions. There will be several reading and writing assignments, and students will keep a field journal.

Normative number of units for this course is 3, which will be earned by completing all the course assignments and attending all field trips.
 

Required Text

ISBN: 978-1597142410; Joan Easton Lentz, A Naturalist’s Guide to the Santa Barbara Region, Heyday Books