Afternoon Module     Quarter3,  2008-2009

 Course:  Seminar in Natural History      

 CourseDescription:

   In this course students read and discussed a variety of topics in natural history.  Authors included Oliver Sachs, Lewis Thomas, Charles Darwin,Gerald Durrell, Gregor Mendel, Pliny the Elder, and others of the teacher’s and students’ choosing.   Natural history is, usually, the study of living things, and their development over time, including their behavior and relationships.  It can extend to such subjects as astronomy, paleontology, geology, etc.  Students will read and then discuss the readings within the class.  The goal of this course is to acquaint students with the literature of natural history, to learn how the scientific method is applied in natural history and how students can apply it themselves, in every-day life, and, most importantly, to explore the nature of living organisms through our conversations in class.

Classformat and graded work:

   This class will be in seminar format: one student will be the Procter, who keeps track of who is to speak next.  All members of the class have the chance to participate in the discussion, with a point awarded to each member who participates, as well a point awarded to the Procter.  Anyone who speaks out of turn or is rude will receive a minus point.  

   There will be two papers, one discussing and comparing two authors we have read, and the other a paper summarizing your own natural history observations on a topic of your choice.  The Field Journal, in which you keep the raw data of your observations, will also be graded.  It will contain your observations, taken over time, of any subject that is fit for natural history.  Your grade for this piece will depend upon the number of times you made observations, the length of time you made the observations, and the detail you put into writing down those observations.

FocusSkill:

Making connections and being aware of context.

Course Grade:

Seminar participation  50 %

Tests  10%

Research Papers  20 %

Field Journal     10 %

Participation     10 %

Resources:

portaportal.com

type carolgates  under Guest Access

click on Natural History