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Course Criteria
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0.00 - 4.00 Credits
The pre-European history of Amerind cultures and their associated environments in the New World tropics will be studied. Topics to be covered include the people of tropical America; development of hunting/gathering and agricultural economies; neotropical climate and vegetation history; and the art, symbolism, and social organization of native Americans. Field and laboratory experiences will incorporate methods and problems in field archaeology, paleoenthnobotany and paleoecology, and archaeozoology.
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0.00 - 4.00 Credits
"Tropical Biology" is an intensive, three-week field course given at four sites in Panama, examining the origins, maintenance and major interactions among terrestrial plants and animals. The course provides the opportunity to appreciate (1) floral and faunal turnover among four rainforest sites (beta-diversity); and (2) floral and faunal turnover along vertical gradients, from ground to upper canopy, at two rainforest sites (vertical stratification). Students carry out individual projects at the sites. Fieldwork is supported by six orientation walks that introduce participants to common orders and families of plants and arthropods.
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0.00 - 4.00 Credits
Resilience theory provides a framework for understanding the dynamics of complex social-ecological systems in order to assess and promote sustainability. This course will apply key concepts from resilience theory (e.g., feedbacks, thresholds, regime shifts, adaptive cycles, panarchy) as we investigate the hydrological, ecological, and social dynamics that characterize the social-ecological systems of African pastoralists in water-limited landscapes. Topics will include: ecohydrology of land degradation, ecological interactions in dry savannas, human ecology of pastoralism, and challenges in common pool resource management.
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0.00 - 4.00 Credits
This field and lecture course provides an in-depth introduction to the biology of tropical coral reefs, with an emphasis on reef fish ecology and behavior. Each day begins with a lecture, followed by six to eight hours on the water, and ends with data analysis, reading and a discussion of recent papers. Students learn to identify fishes, corals and invertebrates, and learn a variety of field methods including underwater censusing, mapping, videotaping and the recording of inter-individual interactions. Each year group projects will vary depending on previous findings and the interests of the faculty.
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0.00 - 4.00 Credits
This field course will address the life history characteristics of tropical vertebrates and the physiological traits that underlie those. Students will learn how tropical life histories differ from those in the temperate zone and will use eco-physiological techniques while conducting experiments and observations at a Smithsonian Institute field station. In particular, students will trap wild vertebrates, conduct baseline behavioral and physiological measurements, attach radio transmitters to individuals and monitor them over time in the forest. Students will then analyze the data and write a scientific manuscript.
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0.00 - 4.00 Credits
An introduction to statistical models, methods, and concepts with a particular focus on applications in biology. Real data sets will be analyzed using a statistical software package in order to gain an understanding of how statistics is used in practice. Topics to be covered include probability, experimental design, point estimation, hypothesis testing, Bayesian statistics, and the application of these topics to modern biological studies.
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0.00 - 4.00 Credits
Only six percent of Africa's land area (containing a fraction of its biodiversity) is protected, and these areas are rarely large enough to sustain wildlife populations. Mostly, wildlife must share land with people also facing survival challenges. This course will explore how wildlife and people interact in Kenya, where new approaches to conservation are being developed. Lectures will cover the ecology of tropical grasslands and first principles underlying conservation and management of these landscapes. Field trips and projects will examine the dynamics between human actions and biodiversity conservation.
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0.00 - 4.00 Credits
Introduction to concepts, methods, and material of comparative natural history, with African mammals as focal organisms. Perspectives include morphology, identification, evolution, ecology, behavior and conservation. Observations and experiments on a variety of species in different habitats and at a range of scales will provide insights into the adaptive value and underlying mechanistic function of mammalian adaptations. This course will be taught in Kenya at the Mpala Research Center and nearby field sites.
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0.00 - 4.00 Credits
This advanced seminar will survey the evolutionary history of modern humans and the genetic basis of variation in our species through reading and discussion of classic and contemporary primary literature. Topics include the evolutionary origins of modern human populations, signatures of natural selection in the human genome, and approaches for discovering genetic variants that affect disease susceptibility and variation in normal traits. Significant emphasis will be placed on very recent advances made possible by the human genome project.
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0.00 - 4.00 Credits
An introduction to the study of how humans are affecting complex ecological systems at local to global scales. Students will examine nutrient cycling, energy flow, and evolutionary processes, with emphasis on experimental approaches and comparisons between terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems. Particular attention will be on human influences-climate change, biofuels, biodiversity loss, eutrophication, and acid rain. Lectures cover theoretical elements and examples from the primary literature. The laboratory is organized around a required Fall Break trip to Panama during which students conduct independent group research projects.
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