Lecture Topics | Dunton Home Page

Instructors: 
Dr. Ken Dunton (x744)
Dr. Deana Erdner (x719)

Textbooks

Bertness, M.D., S.D. Gaines, M.E. Hay.  2000.  Marine Community Ecology.  Sinauer Associates, Inc.
ISBN 0-87893-057-4

Monday and Wednesday 10:30 AM to 12:00 PM
(3 contact hours/week)

Video Conference Room ACES 3.336

Objectives of the Course

The purpose of this class is to provide graduate level inquiry- based instruction on the contemporary principles of marine ecology.  The course format consists of a weekly background lecture on a specific topic followed by a student led discussion based on readings from the primary literature on the selected topic.  Lectures are planned on Mondays with the respective discussion section on Wednesday of the same week.  The course uses a thematic approach and is divided into two major parts following the outline of the textbook.  The first half of the course concentrates on processes, and the second half on community types.

Student Class Presentations

Students will be asked to lead two discussion (lecture) sections. For each, the student is required to select one research paper for the class to read and discuss. The student will provide a one-page review that summarizes the significance of the paper in the context of existing knowledge on the selected topic. This review must be posted on the course Web page by the date and time of the corresponding Wednesday lecture. In class, the student will give a maximum 20-minute overview that integrates the most important aspects of the paper, and lead a critical and interactive discussion. Because of the balance between the number of students and number of Wednesday meetings, a majority of Wednesday sessions will include two joint presentations.  When two students are scheduled to present, they must work together to choose two interrelated papers for the discussion (e.g. opposing viewpoints on a single topic, alternative theories, comparison of analogous communities from geographically distant regions, etc.).  Each student will be expected to make at least one joint presentation.  Student presenters are expected to:

a) provide a comprehensive summary the main points of the papers;

b) state the significance or importance of the papers;

c) provide a critical assessment of the paper (does the data presented support the findings?), and;

d) elicit class participation.

Grading

The final course grade will be based on two discussion topics, the reviews, quizzes, and class participation/attendance as follows:

Discussion Topics:     20% each

Written Reviews:       10% each

Class Participation/Attendance:     10%

Quizzes (6):     30%
 

Queen Angelfish in the Flower Gardens

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