Course Syllabus

BIOGEOGRAPHY IN AN AUSTRALIAN CONTEXT

Course: Biology 288A/EOS 288A/ENV 288A; NS, STS.

Instructor 1: Alexander Glass, Ph.D.
Office: LSRC 116A
Office Phone: 919-684-6167
Cell Phone: 509-607-1868
E-mail: alex.glass@duke.edu

Instructor 2: Nancy Lauer, Ph.D.
Office:  1176 Duke University Law School
Office Phone: 919-613-7205
Cell Phone: 530-418-0446
E-mail: nancy.lauer@duke.edu

Required Course Text:  Grenville, K.  2005.  The Secret River.  New York, Canongate Publisher, 335p.

Class Structure.- This course is mostly an outdoor-based, experiential learning experience and you should view any and all times we are together as a group  as course time.  Here is a list of the types of activities you can expect to participate in on our trip:

• classroom discussions
• classroom lectures and presentations
• nature hikes
• city walks
• cave tour
• museum, wildlife park, and aquarium visits
• botanical garden visits
• swimming and snorkeling on reef
• swimming and snorkeling in waterfall plunge pools and creeks
• boat tours
• canoeing
• wildlife watching
• beach walks
• worksheet exercises
• tide pool walks
• tent camping
• night hikes
• plant hikes

Aside from the trips and on-location visits, several full-day classroom sessions, as well as evening review and discussion sessions, are planned.  Some will be held outdoors, making use of our incredible surroundings and resources.  For the remainder, expect class to consist of lecture, multi-media presentations, discussion, or field exercises.  Also, you will be asked to view “presentations” and watch short nature documentary excerpts on your own time. Information covered by these media will be included on quizzes and introduce important concepts ESSENTIAL to your understanding of the material we cover in the field.

Assessment.- Your course performance will be assessed based on a presentation (15%), short-answer quizzes on field information, as well as plant and animal identification (40%), a day-blog (10%), participation (20%), and online quizzes covering documentary shorts, online multimedia lectures, and museum exercises (15%).

Presentation.- You MUST do the research and preparation for this presentation BEFORE we embark on the trip.  You will not have enough time, nor sufficient access to libraries and online resources to do this while on the trip. For your 15-minute presentation (followed by 3 minutes of Q&A), you will select a group of plants or animals about which you will become the class expert.  Your presentation should include consideration of its (1) taxonomy, (2) phylogenetic relationship, (3) morphology and anatomy, (4) biogeographic range and global context, (4) behavior and ecology, (5) fossil record, (6) conservation status, and (7) application/use/meaning to Aboriginal Peoples (if applicable).

You will also write-up a letter-sized, double-sided handout summary of your organism and make enough printed copies of these to share with each individual in the group.  For an example of a handout see HERE.  You will be notified BEFORE leaving on the trip of a TENTATIVE day and time that you will be giving your presentation during our trip.

Quizzes.- There will be 4 quizzes, one for each week of our experience.  Quizzes cover all of the factual and conceptual information we learn from field excursions, guides, site visits, and in-field lectures that you gather in your field notebook.  Quizzes do not cover information from the documentary shorts, online multimedia lectures, museum exercises, or student presentations, instead these are assessed through the online quizzes.

Plant and Animal Identification Quizzes.-  You will learn about, and to identify species of plants and animals in each of the ecosystems that we will visit.   Quizzes are administered in-class and are based on identifying plants and animals based on images.

Blog.-You will be asked to write one blog post based on one day of our experience for which you will heavily utilize the notes and observations you made in your notebook.   The blog will be your way of demonstrating EVERYTHING you have learned that day, in addition to personal observations, experiences, anecdotes, etc.  Imagine that you are scientist and travel writer and want to convey your experience to a highly educated audience.

Participation.- You will be assessed based on your participation in all aspects of the course, which includes classroom time, field excursions, and group meeting discussions.  Assessment is based on the quality of your academic participation, as well as your role in our community (e.g. willingness to help out with chores, being on time, courtesy and respect for others, flexibility, enthusiasm, etc.)

Online Quizzes.- Online quizzes assess your comprehension of the information provided by the documentary shorts, online multimedia lectures, and some of the museum exercises.  These are administered through Sakai and will provide you with feedback and unlimited attempts to correctly answer the questions until the due date and deadline.

Exercises.- These are exercises (i.e. worksheets etc.) that you will be asked to complete at some of the museums, wildlife parks, exhibitions, and in the field.  Exercises will serve as the basis of online quizzes.  Some of these exercises are group exercises.

Documentary Shorts.- Throughout the trip you will have access (through DukeBox and USB) to a series of short documentaries on plants, animals, the geology of Australia.  These are largely designed to introduce you to organisms that we might not have a chance to see on our trip because they are a) rare, b) cryptic, c) nocturnal, or d) difficult to access in their natural environment.  You will watch these on your own time (by the designated deadline) and take the relevant online quiz to assess your understanding of the material.  Documentary information will NOT be assessed on the in-class quizzes unless the information was also covered in lecture, discussions, or in the field.

Multimedia Lectures.-  The multimedia lectures (on Sakai and USB) serve to provide you with a general background on Australian ecosystems, geology, history, and biogeographical concepts.  Concepts therein will be assessed using online quizzes.  Multimedia lecture information will NOT be assessed on the in-class quizzes unless the information was also covered in lecture, discussions, or in the field.

Field Notebook:.- We will discuss details about how to use your field notebook upon arrival in Darwin.

Course Reading.-The required course reading is Kate Grenville’s award-winning novel “The Secret River” which follows the life of the fictional convict William Thornhill and his wife Sal, as they make a new life in the convict colony of New South Wales in the late 18th century.  Combining historical figures, locations, and events, Grenville’s novel is an honest and historically accurate, yet fictionalized, portrayal of how the European invaders and the Aboriginal People experienced the early colonial period of Australia.  Those early experiences of suffering, violence, and oppression, as well as courage, persistence, and tenacity continue to shape and influence Australian identity, politics, and society today.

An accurate understanding of the modern Australian ecosystem and efforts to conserve it, can only be achieved through the lens of Australian history and prehistory, especially the experience of Aboriginal Peoples.  Grenville’s book provides a wonderful foundation and starting point for our discussions of the environmental impacts of colonization, the role of Aboriginal People’s stewardship of land and biodiversity, and modern efforts to protect and preserve the unique Australian ecosystem.

Academic Integrity.- Duke University holds its students to the highest standards of academic integrity and honesty. Academic dishonesty of any kind is not tolerated and might result in failure of the assignment, and/or course, and/or expulsion from the university. Plagiarism on written assignments will result in a zero for the assignment and might result in further disciplinary action through the university. As a Duke student you pledge to uphold the Duke Community Standard:

• I will not lie, cheat, or steal in my academic endeavors
• I will conduct myself honorably in all my endeavors
• I will act if the Standard is compromised

For more information on academic integrity and the Duke Community Standard see here.

Disability Accommodations.- Disability Accommodation: Students with disabilities seeking special accommodations must contact the Student Disability Access Office (SDAO) to obtain appropriate support.

If you are eligible for special accommodations for test/quiz taking times and environment, or if you require physical accommodations on field trips, please let us know well before the trip begins so we can assure that we can make the necessary preparations for you in Australia.