Natural Science 0229 - Exploring Amazonia

In this course students will become intimately and extensively knowledgeable about Amazonia, a region that hosts the world's largest contiguous tropical rainforest remaining on Earth -- and four other major vegetation types. We will explore what we think we know about the Amazon region, discover what others know, and consider what no one knows, looking for kinds of information that policy-makers and farmers have to work with in making policy and land use decisions. We will co-create a collective knowledge map of environmental, social, political, cultural, and economic dimensions of this vast multi-country region. Then, sub-groups will conduct an inquiry into the science behind each dimension to identify myths in our conceptualization, gaps in our understanding, and linkages among dimensions. Learning will be largely student-driven and inquiry-based with co-creation of knowledge and analysis.

Independent Work Multiple Cultural Perspectives In this course students are generally expected to spend at least 6 to 8 hours a week of preparation and work outside of class time.