Courses
SCIE 102 “Introduction to Ecology” was specifically designed to address KU core program objectives (see https://core.ku.edu.tr/about-the-core-program/), as well as promote active learning & critical thinking through “hands on learning” via field trips and in-class activities (detailed below). In this course we will:
Course description (example syllabus)
Introduction
Ecology is the study of relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. It aims to understand the vital connections between plants and animals, and the world around them. The ecological environment supports our basic needs (e.g., food, water, air) and has firm implications in our daily lives. The science of ecology is truly multidisciplinary playing a fundamental role in many areas of study spanning natural sciences, social sciences, economics, medicine and humanities. For example, there is a clear link between “clinical medicine”, “public health” and “ecology”. We are currently seeing an increase in the kind and number of diseases brought about by pollution and other ecosystem changes. Human behavior in regard to how we interact with the environment and the ethical / unethical decisions we make also has clear ramifications on society as a whole. On one hand, society benefits from economic growth, especially in this age of construction / industrialization providing shelter, infrastructure and employment, whereas, on the other hand, these activities often destroy critical ecosystems important in purifying vital water resources, reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide contributing to global warming, and providing essential fish habitat that supports economically important fishing industries. In its most simplest form ecological knowledge of how animals, plants and humans interact in marine, freshwater and terrestrial environments allow us to monitor potential negative ecosystem changes before they become irreversible and can help us to manage our natural resources in a sustainable way. Finally, how humans have interacted with their environment in the past and the respective environmental responses that have occurred can help us predict future responses, so we don’t make the same mistakes. The primary goal of this course is to provide a broad knowledge base and general understanding of key ecological principles and concepts and become “ecologically literate” providing a conceptual scientific framework for contemporary ecological issues. Students will gain a good understanding of how ecologists conduct research, the quantitative tools they commonly utilize, interpret graphical representations of data, and encourage critical thinking by exploring how ecological principles can be applied to local and global environmental problems. This course adopts a “hands-on” learning approach that includes on-campus field trips, in-class exercises (see specifics below), and a guided ecological research project where students will create their own sampling design, collect data analyze/summarize the data and present results in an informal setting.
Course description
The science of ecology aims to identify, describe, and explain the physical, chemical and biological processes, and interactions that influence the distribution and abundance of organisms. Ecological processes are fundamentally important in many aspects of our daily lives and an ecological perspective is beneficial whether one is working towards a career in ecology, biology, genetics, social sciences or another field. This course will provide an overview of the fundamental principles and concepts of ecology across multiple levels of organization: individual organism, population, community, ecosystem, and landscape. Key topics include global climate/biome structure and distribution, community diversity, succession, species interactions, population structure and growth, evolution, behavior and human influences on ecosystems.