Tu 12:15-1:30 and by appointment ( I am generally here on Wed)

M 2-3 pm and W 11-12 pm and by appointment

How we value landscape is directly related to what we know about that place. The Southwest is fragile and sometimes harsh, and in order to appreciate and protect it, each of us should have the chance to discover at least something of its unique biology. This class will provide the opportunity for students to gain an understanding the natural history of the region in which we live. In this field biology course, we will discuss the biogeography and biology of the Southwest. In particular, we will focus on land, the climate, and the flora and fauna of the region. We will learn to recognize deserts, grasslands, montane areas and their associated organisms. We will pay particular attention to the area closest to Albuquerque. Since there are other courses in the biology department that focus specifically on deserts and on the Rio Grande Bosque, we will not spend as much time on these systems as we might otherwise. We will discuss deserts and will talk about the deserts of the Southwest. However, we will pay particular attention to the areas of the Colorado Plateau, the Southern Rocky Mountains, and the Short-Grass Prairie. Students will develop the skills to identify plants, bugs, reptiles, birds, and mammals. There will be several field trips during scheduled lab times. We have invited guest speakers who are experts in their fields to talk with us on their fields: arthropods, geology, historical land use by both Native Americans and Hispanic settlers, and others.

Assignments will include one in-class presentation on an organism in the region and two take home assignments. In the lab section, there will be two practicals. One of these will be connected with the second home assignment. These will be an opportunity for you to demonstrate your ability to identify different groups of organisms. Your final project will consist of an oral presentation on a current conservation issue facing the Southwest. This will result in a semester-end symposium on this topic.

A Sierra Club Naturalist’s Guide: The Southern Rockies. Audrey DeLella Benedict

Grasslands: The Audobon Society Nature Guides

Class Reading Packet (purchase from Honors Office)

Suggested text: Flowering Plants of New Mexico, Robert Ivey

Also, we encourage you to beg, borrow, or buy a field guide for birds for trips.

Students are required to bring binoculars to all field trips.

1. Attendance: It is very important to attend all classes. The seminar experience requires regular attendance for the class to function well. Each absence from seminar will result in a loss of 15 points for the course, and two absences will make it very difficult to complete the course with an A. Each absence from the lab will result in the loss of 25 points. (Please see below)
2. Please, be in class on time: Students who come to class late create interruption and distraction especially in a seminar setting. These students also miss important information or special assignments that may be given at the beginning of class. It is very important that you be on time. Two late arrivals will count as one absence.
3. Class participation: Your participation in class discussion is essential to make the class more interesting and interactive. Honors seminars require regular participation and your grade will be affected by the quality of your participation.
4. Readings: Students will have regular readings, particularly at the beginning of the semester. Fulfilling the reading assignment is indispensable in order to be part of class discussions. We particularly encourage you to do the assignments before coming to the class for which they are due. While the assignments may look heavy, they set the stage for the whole semester and the readings themselves are not difficult. We have scheduled these readings to taper off as your other responsibilities become greater.
5. Course grading: This course is unusual in that there will be two grading systems. Because some students are taking this as a biology class and others as an honors class, we have worked very hard to make the grading equivalent and clear to both groups. To this end, we have established a number of available points. Honors students will receive a grade of A, Credit, or No Credit, while biology students will receive grades on the traditional scoring system of A-F. An A will be based on the same number of points for both groups while a credit is equivalent to either a B or a C under the normal system. A No Credit will be assigned in situations where the student achieves total points less than those required for a C.

   As is often the case in science courses with a lab component, the grade received will be cumulative for the seminar and lab portions calculated together, so you will receive one grade for the four units. As is normal in most such courses, the anticipated work between the two parts of the course should NOT be expected to be reflected by the distribution of those units. That is, lab will take about the same amount of effort as the seminar and assignments will sometimes overlap.

How points will be distributed:

Presentation on an organism: 50

Final Symposium Presentation: 75

Take Home writing assignments: 75 for each

Field Notebook: 25

Lab Practicals: 75 each

Attendance and Participation: 50

Email List: Please send your email address to Ursula Shepherd ASAP to sign up on a class email list. Then, do check that list for updates and questions during the semester.