Course Syllabus

Advanced Fieldcraft Spring 2009
The Rio Grande NHH 3350-H01
T-Th 9:30 - 11 AD 248

Course Syllabus
Wild rivers are earth's renegades, defying gravity, dancing to their own tunes, resisting the authority of humans, always chipping away, and eventually always winning. Richard Bangs, River Gods

The River," corrected the Rat. "It's my world, and I don't want any other. What it hasn't got is not worth having, and what it doesn't know is not worth knowing. Lord! the times we've had together!Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows

A river is more than an amenity…. It is a treasure. It offers a necessity of life that must be rationed among those who have power over it. Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. (1841-1935), U.S. Supreme Court justice, New Jersey v. New York, 4 May 1931

If you saw what the river carried, you would never drink the water. Jamaican proverb

Filthy water cannot be washed. African Proverb, West African

We cannot make rivers whole unless we wholly understand them. Rob Brown, Wheeler School, Providence, R. I.

Course Outline
Students will learn how to research the literature, culture, and ecology of a region in preparation for immersion in a field experience, which will result in a final portfolio-style project. This course focuses on the ecology, history, culture, and environmental issues along the Rio Grande River. This course includes a mandatory week-long canoe trip along the Rio Grande in Big Bend during spring break. Students will write articles that can potentially be submitted to the Encyclopedia of the Earth.

Instructor
Dr. Mark McGinley
Room 215 McClelland Hall
mark.mcginley@ttu.edu

Office Hours:
MWF- 11-12 or by Appointment

I encourage you to make an appointment to meet with me if you need to see me. The easiest ways to do this are (1) to talk to me either before or after class or (2) to send me an email listing times when you are available to meet with me and then I will let you know which works best for me.

Expected Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, a fully-engaged student will be able to:
1. “Think critically” about environmental issues associated with the Rio Grande River . ASSESSED BY: performance in class discussions, exams, and written assignments.

2. Discuss environmental issues in a scientific associated with the Rio Grande River in a political and social context. ASSESSED BY: performance on in class discussions, exam, and written assignments.

3. Discuss how the physical conditions of the Rio Grande River and surrounding environment have affected the ecology and organismal diversity of the region. ASSESSED BY: performance on in class discussions and exams

4. Discuss how the physical conditions of the Rio Grande River and surrounding environment have affected the history and culture of the region. ASSESSED BY: performance on in class discussion and exams.

5. Communicate effectively to the general public about ecological and environmental issues. ASSESSED BY: performance on written assignment.

6. Be able to work comfortably in an outdoor environment. ASSESSED BY: performance on field trip.


Grading
Midterm Exams (in class) 20%
Take Home Exam 20%
Class participation (in class and in the field) 15%
Lesson presented during field trip 15%
Written Assignment 30%

It will be extremely important that all assignments be turned in on time!!!

Midterm Exam
The written midterm exam will cover material discussed in lectures and prior discussions.

Encyclopedia of the Earth
The Encyclopedia of Earth, a new electronic reference about the Earth, its natural environments, and their interaction with society. The Encyclopedia is a free, fully searchable collection of articles written by scholars, professionals, educators, and experts who collaborate and review each other's work. The articles are written in non-technical language and will be useful to students, educators, scholars, professionals, as well as to the general public.

There is the opportunity for you to write articles as part of this class that can be submitted for publication by the EoE. Thus, in this course you have a chance to really do some cool shit. Student-written articles that receive an “A” grade will be submitted to the EoE for publication.
Tentative Course Schedule

Week 1 (Jan 8)
Thursday- Introduction to Rivers

Week 2. (Jan 13 & 15)
Tuesday- Rio Grande River
Thursday- Climate Patterns and Hydrologic Cycle

Week 3. (Jan 20 & 22)
Tuesday- Rio Grande Ecology
Thursday- Desert Flora and Fauna

Week 4. (Jan 27 & 29)
Tuesday- Riparian Ecology
Thursday- Riparian Ecology

Week 5. (Feb 3 & 5)
Tuesday- Stream Ecology
Thursday- Stream Ecology

Week 6. (Feb 10 & 12)
Tuesday- Disturbance Ecology
Thursday- Introduced Species

Week 7. (Feb 17 & 19)
Tuesday- Tamarix
Thursday- Endangered Species

Week 8. (Feb 24 & 26)
Tuesday- Border Issues
Thursday- Midterm Exam

Week 9. (March 3 & 5)
Tuesday- Water Allocation Issues
Thursday- Water Allocation Issues

Week 10. (March 10 & 12)
Tuesday- Environmental issues
Thursday- Prep for Trip.

Spring Break March 13 – 20 – Rio Grande Trip

Week 11. (March 26)
Thursday- EoE

Week 12. (March 31 & April 2)
History & projects

Week 13. (April 7 & 9)
Projects- Take Home Exam Due

Week 14. (April 14 & 16)
Projects

Week 15. (April 21 & 23)
EoE

Week 16. (April 28)
Tuesday- Grand Finale- Presentations of Project


Any student who, because of a disabling condition, may require some special arrangement to meet course requirements should contact the instructors as soon as possible to make the necessary accommodations. Students should present appropriate verification from Disabled Student Services, Dean of Student’s Office. No requirement exists that accommodation be made prior to this approved University process.

A student who is absent from classes for the observation of a religious holy day shall be allowed to take an examination or complete an assignment scheduled for that day within a reasonable time after the absence if, not later than the fifteenth day after the first day of the semester, the student has notified the instructor of each scheduled class that the student would be absent for a religious holy day.

Texas Tech University faculty strive to foster a spirit of complete honesty and high standards of integrity. Any attempt by students to present as their own work any work not honestly performed is regarded by faculty and administration as a most serious offence and renders offenders liable to serious consequences, possibly suspension from the university. “Scholastic dishonesty” includes, but is not limited to, cheating, plagiarism, collusion, falsifying academic records, misrepresenting facts, and any act designed to give an unfair academic advantage to a student. A detailed list of offenses is available in the Code of Student Conduct, found in Part IX, pp. 20-21 in the current Student Handbook, available on line at:
http://www.studentaffairs.ttu.edu?publications/SA_handbook_2005-2006.pdf.