Co-taught with Dr Joshua Drew, this course intends to educate students – as members of our global society – as to the basic principles of marine biology that are necessary to understand the most pressing environmental problems affecting the marine sphere.  We do this through providing overviews of processes central to understanding marine ecology, examining the impacts of human activities on these processes and on marine environments and communities, and considering potential actions to mitigate or lessen the effects of these activities.

Students who take this class are exposed to multiple perspectives on important conservation issues in the marine environment and gain valuable experience in critical thinking, communication skills, and the use of science in effective debate. A week-long field trip to Glover’s Reef, within the World Heritage-listed Belize barrier reef, during spring break, provided students with practical experience in collecting and collating data necessary to inform conservation and management of marine areas.

See the course web page for more information

Update: Marine Conservation Ecology will be run next year with Josh as sole instructor