College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences 2015-2016 Catalog

213 MACS 0960 – Alaska Coastal Ecology This course takes place at a remote field laboratory at the southern tip of the Kenai Peninsula along the south central coast of Alaska. Each day will consist of a combination of lectures and lab exercises at the laboratory and field trips to the surrounding bays, beaches, glaciers and riparian environments. Topics include zooplankton productivity, intertidal environments, fish and invertebrate ecology, marine mammals and bird populations, high latitude ecosystem management and detection and impacts of climate change. You will explore the environment via boat and on foot. You will also visit the Alaska SeaLife Center to view marine mammals and birds up-close and learn about in- depth research and rehabilitation being conducted. Students will have opportunities to sea kayak, fish, glacier hike and even cold water snorkeling. MACS 0965 – Water World Revisited: Exploring Coastal Futurology This short course will feature readings, discussions, short digital video interviews and video case studies, and short lectures by the instructors. You will examine the context of futurology of coastal zones and oceans. Students will be assessed for participation in on-line discussions, short student video contributions to the class and weekly written brainstorming notes on the weekly topics. The major themes of the course are (1) Climate change and the urgency for humans to restore climate balance; (2) The interaction of human activity and climate; (3) Futuristic oceanic and coastal zone settlement and manufacturing ideas; (4) Futuristic energy systems, climate and the ethics of proposed human engineering of climate and habitat. MACS 0985 – Climate Change at High Latitudes High latitudes are undergoing rapid and significant change associated with climate warming. Climatic changes in these regions interact with and affect the rate of the global change through atmospheric circulation, biogeophysical, and biogeochemical feedbacks. Changes in environmental conditions are often first exhibited in high latitudes and more sensitive to fluctuations. This course will explore the impacts of current and projected long-term environmental changes in both the northern and southern hemispheres’ bodies of water. Primary literature will be read and discussed covering a range of topics from the physical, chemical and biological perspectives as well as predictive models. Web sites and links of organizations and agencies studying high latitudes will be provided. Students will be responsible for active discussions weekly online and a term paper discussing a chosen topic related to high latitude environmental change. MACS 0990 – Marine Mammals Marine mammals discusses the physiology and behavioral aspects of many species throughout the world’s oceans. MACS 0995 – Conservation Behavior: Marine Mammals Conservation Behavior, with a focus on Marine Mammal ConservationConservation behavior is the application of animal behavior knowledge to solving wildlife conservation problems. This course introduces upper level students to the relatively new discipline of Conservation Behavior and its importance to strategies for Marine Mammal Conservation. Concepts from ethology (Tinbergen's 4 perspectives on behavior), behavioral analysis (Skinner's matrix on how animals learn), and measuring behavior (Martin & Bateson) will be reviewed to ensure all students have the basic terminology & skills necessary for successful completion of the course. Learning activities would include extensive reading and written reading analysis of the text and relevant journal articles, weekly quizzes focused on concepts and vocabulary, and a term paper in the form of a Conservation Behavior Species Brief on a marine mammal of the student's choice. Prerequisites: an undergraduate or graduate level course in animal behavior is recommended.