Course Overview
The goal of restoration ecology is to modify
a particular ecosystem so that it exists and functions in a preferred or desired
condition. From an ecological viewpoint, the desired condition is one that
represents a particular set of ecological functions and structures.
Attaining that condition by definition requires some modification of
current or planned land-use activities, which typically reflect and affect the values humans
have placed on that ecosystem.
The rationale for this course is that
consideration of human
values and the issues they raise are as important for resource management
and planning as ecological values. Key issues for society and management
include: determining who decides what the desirable condition for an ecosystem is, what
that desirable condition for an ecosystem should be, how and when that condition is to be attained, and how economic, social, and
cultural values will be affected and mitigated, where possible. Natural
resource managers are confronted with many difficult questions when they
attempt to undertake a restoration ecology project, such as:
Why is restoration ecology required in the course of resource
management? What has gone wrong that requires correction?
What is the target goal for restoration ecology? An approach
frequently suggested is restoring an ecosystem to a "sustainable"
condition.
How do we know when an ecosystem is in a sustainable condition?
If the "historic range of variability" is an
appropriate target, which period of history is the chosen one, and why is
that "sustainable"?
Which current and anticipated patterns of resource use need
to be changed to attain a desired level of restoration?
What are the economic and social consequences of achieving the desired
restoration condition into resource management objectives?
What methods are used to assess and understand these social and
economic consequences?
Should (and how can) stakeholders "monitor" ecological restoration
projects to assess whether desired management objectives are being
reached?
Obviously, humans are continually developing an improved understanding of how biological systems function in relation to
their environment, and also how human activities are affecting those
systems. In the
1990s, environmental core values were broadened to include
"sustainable patterns of resource use," reflecting not only
that humans are part of that environment but that their impacts on the
environment are in some cases unsustainable.
Maintaining,
restoring, or sustaining ecosystem conditions involve a complex human system
of economic, socio-cultural
and political factors that must be considered if ecosystems are to be
effectively and successfully restored.
To do so, natural resource professionals are challenged to
determine whether one condition may be more appropriate than another; i.e.,
whether a given management approach or alternative is ecologically sound,
economically viable, and socially and culturally acceptable. Failure to consider these human dimensions
can result in our falling short as managers of attaining the ecological restoration goals
we set for ourselves.
Course Objectives
Upon completion of CNR572, students should have:
- Developed an understanding of:
Concepts and principles pertaining to biophysical and
social ecosystems, their management, and various approaches to their
development for human benefits, and thus the role of humans in ecosystems;
Concepts and principles pertaining to restoration ecology
and approaches to managing for it;
The policy and resource management implications of the
human dimensions of ecosystem management for restoration ecology,
including the role of human behaviors, responses to social and ecological
change, and personal and societal values;
The history of resource management and industrial and
social development in the American West, and specifically its relation to restoration ecology;
Issues for community development in the context of
ecosystem management, such as recent concerns over the community stability
of resource-dependent towns, the relation of community development to
ecosystem management, the concept of community resilience, and the
political, economic, social, and cultural impacts of resource management
policies and decisions on communities;
The "deeper values" of natural areas: what they are,
how they and people’s "sense of place" might be significant factors in
ecosystem management;
Economics of nonmarket valuation vs. regional economic
analysis; and
Key issues related to a current case study concerning
ecological restoration.
- Completed the course readings for each section of
the course covering the topics above;
- Responded to discussion questions for each reading and
submitted them when assigned;
-
Completed assignments outlined in respective course
modules;
- Actively participated in threaded discussions of
the above topics (as explained in each lesson);
- Prepared a final project on some aspect of the
above topics, or some other related topic, and learned more about a
specific area of particular interest to the student.
Course Format and Minimum Technology Requirements
The course is only taught on-line. It is not
merely an electronic correspondence course where everyone progresses at
their own speed. Rather, it is an interactive semester-long course that will
begin in January and be completed by the end of the semester in the middle
of May. Spring break is scheduled each year in mid-March, so no
class activities are scheduled for that week (professors, as well as
students, typically are not
available then). An extra week to accommodate this break time is
incorporated into Lesson 5.
Although separated by many miles, the students taking
this course will share
ideas and essays and interact with each other and with the instructor many
times throughout the semester. We believe the students are a valuable
resource in this class, that they bring a wide variety of experience,
expertise, and diverse backgrounds to the class, and that we can all benefit
by sharing these with each other. Therefore, we will progress through the
seven lessons together by certain deadlines, ever mindful of trying to
provide enough lead-time and latitude to accommodate professional students
needs.
This is an upper-division/graduate-level course that
will require a lot of reading, thinking, integrating, and writing on your
part. It is not a course that you can fall behind in and expect to
"catch up" at the end of the semester. The actual amount
of time that you will be required to be on-line is not very great because
you can download reading assignments and complete most assignments in
Microsoft Word and then connect and post them in the Blackboard
"Assignments".
However, you should be aware that, in a three-credit university course,
students typically are expected to spend six or more hours per week in preparation
and completing assignments, in addition to their three hours in
class. We have put in a lot of effort to make this a useful and
interesting course on the human dimensions of restoration
ecology, and we are hopeful that you will find it a challenging but rewarding educational experience.
The minimum technology requirements are fully explained
in the "Start Here" section at the top of this page. It leads
you through a required survey and a technology test which allows you to
make sure the PC you are using can properly access the course web site
functions.
Blackboard is the course
software the University of Idaho provides for you to submit assignments,
engage in threaded discussions, and view your progress in the course.
Within the course home page, when you see a link to Blackboard (
Blackboard), you can
just click on that link to be connected to it. You will be asked for your
user-name and password.
In
Blackboard, your user-name is your University user-name and password.
That
should be pretty simple. However, since some of you are not regular UI
students, you may not be sure what your UI Username is.
Not to worry! In a
separate email, I will send you your individual UI Username if you need it
-- just email me if you need me to do this.
SPEAKING OF EMAIL: It is imperative
that you use the UI vandalmail system for emailing me (www.mail.uidaho.edu),
and your UI email address; this is required of all students taking UI
courses and corresponding on UI "business." When we first
started these online classes, we were looser about this, but it's proven
to be a real problem, & I WILL NOT RESPOND to other email addresses.
Required Readings
Specific reading assignments will be made for the course
lessons. Copies of the reading assignments will be available by clicking on
the .pdf files available through this Web site.
We strongly recommend that you print off the readings
-- reading hard-copies minimizes eye-strain, and you can travel with,
highlight and write notes on, and otherwise use these printed copies.
The final project and other assignments will require extensive independent
research and reading of journal articles.
See the "Citations" link for information
on the proper referencing of citations and formatting of tables and
figures, if you are unclear about these.
Communication During the Semester
You are responsible for not only keeping up with the
course, but also monitoring for messages and information I send out via
the Blackboard Discussion postings. It is a lot easier for me to communicate
with you all that way, but that means it is imperative that you frequently
check for messages from me. You can email me personally (again, charris@uidaho.edu)
if you prefer contacting me that way -- but most of my contacts with you
will be with you all as a group and through the WecCT Web-site.
Requirements for Written Assignments
Many of the assignments for this course are written
essays or reports.
We ask that you write these up and save them as attachable Word
03 (or earlier) files.
Note: Some old fogies -- like Chuck! -- and many
of your classmates haven't "paid off" Microsoft (I mean,
"paid" :>) for the latest version of Word, i.e., 2007 -- which creates files that
older versions of Word can't read!
(ALSO NOTE: MS Works'
word-processing files also aren't readable by anyone else -- you'll need to
upgrade if you don't have some version of Word!)
We also ask that you submit all
papers in Times New Roman, 12-point font and double-spaced format, and
with page numbers.
Please include your name, the date, title, etc., for each submission.
Also, see the "Citation" link for proper
formats of citations and use of references for this course. We expect that
you will follow these guidelines in all papers.
Finally, we can have lots of students and
assignments flowing in, so please put your name, the assignment
title, and date at the top of each document.
Be sure to follow the rules of good English
composition, with an introduction and conclusion, as well as the
body, of your writing expressed in clear, concise prose; each
paragraph should have a lead sentence, and the transitions from paragraph
to paragraph should be logical and clear.
In particular, your introductory paragraph to
each essay should explain your essay's purpose and what you will be
focusing on; assume the reader doesn't know what your essay is about, and
you are "clueing" them in to what you will be covering in your
essay.
You also will need to support the analysis and conclusions in
your compositions with literature: cite the readings and references you draw
upon to support the points that you make or facts that you state, and
provide a “Literature Cited” section at the end of your outline.
We also expect that your writing will be professionally
presented. You should edit and proof-read your work; if there are
misspelled words or typos in your writing, your grade will be lowered
accordingly.
NOTE -- One more time... All assignments and projects,
including discussion questions,
must be typed and checked for grammar and spelling, prepared with a line spacing of
2 lines (double-spaced) and a font size of 12 point. And don't forget
to insert page numbers for easy reference!
Assignments and Grading
You will be asked to progress in the course with the
other students as outlined by dates in specific modules. It is imperative that you
keep up in the reading and participate in threaded discussions when asked.
See more details under "Grading;" in
particular, the number of points each assignment is worth is listed in that
section.
Details about specific assignments are described in the various
lessons.
Also,
it can be difficult coordinating all the dates on these Web-pages, as well
as on Blackboard – so the standard rule of thumb here is that the dates on
the schedules for the “Lessons” and this “Grading” Web page are
always right, and they are
what to go by if there’s any confusion.
You
also can always contact your instructor with any questions.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
unfortunately is increasingly becoming a problem, and it will not be
tolerated in this course. If you are unfamiliar with what
plagiarism is, or you may be tempted to engage in it -- read on...
"Plagiarism
is literary theft. Failure to acknowledge borrowed material--whether
that failure is intended or careless--is plagiarism."
http://www.guilford.edu/campus/index.cfm?ID=700002350).
If you use written words
directly from the source you must use quotation marks and cite that
source, including page numbers. If you take the ideas of someone
else and put them in your own words you must also cite the source of
your information. Consult the class citation
guide for information on how to properly cite a source of
information.
If plagiarism is suspected, the case
may be forwarded to the Dean's Office for evaluation and possible
disciplinary action. Plagiarism can have many consequences that are
individually judged, and disciplinary actions vary. For example,
plagiarism may result in zero earned points for a student's assignment;
and the UI's policy is that a student may be failed in a course.
We
often can easily detect when the words you use are not your own -- and it
is as easy now to check on this using the Internet as it is for students
to copy.
Please
do not put us in the position of having to police this -- we don't enjoy
it any more than you do.
