First Year Seminar 191CNS56 - FYS- Topics in CNS

First-year (R1ST) Title: A semester outside: Learning natural history in the field

Description: Are you drawn to fragrant tree bark, searching for salamanders, and listening to birds in the spring? In the words of indigenous botanist and author Robin Wall Kimmerer, ?paying attention is a form of reciprocity with the living world, receiving the gifts with open eyes and open heart.? Naturalists, those who practice natural history, occupy a space at the nexus of science, art, and the greater-than-human-community by developing a practice of inquiry and observation. In this course, we will use the outdoors as a classroom to build these skills and a sense of belonging both with each other and in the natural world. The primary goal is to teach you how to develop your own knowledge about the natural world through direct personal observation and field journaling. Barring (terrible) weather, most of this course will take place outside on short walks on campus, and participants should be prepared to be in the elements during class time. Like other First Year Seminars, we will also spend time practicing skills to help you succeed in your first semester at UMass Amherst.