While I agree that ecology courses should deal with ecology, I wonder whether there is enough emphasis on the interaction of ecosystems with humans. I am not an educator so I do not know what the current teaching trends are, but I wonder to what extent topics such as the properties of heavily fished ecosystems are covered in coursework. Do students understand the population dynamics of populations where there is high infant mortality as opposed to high adult mortality, for example? Effects of habitat modification, and so on.
I hope that we do not fall into the same situation that we see in the split between anthropology and sociology, where once "civilisation" starts to affect primitive tribes the anthropologists walk away but the sociologists are not yet interested, so this critical period receives too little attention. Bill Silvert ----- Original Message ----- From: "Malcolm McCallum" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU> Sent: Friday, August 17, 2007 4:53 AM Subject: Re: courses required for graduate ecology programs >I think not. > What you are speaking of is more appropriately placed in the environmental > science/studies degree programs rather than ecology. Mixing these two > programs would do a disservice to both majors. > > On Thu, August 16, 2007 9:39 pm, LOREN BYRNE wrote: >> Given the increasingly recognized importance of integrating the social >> sciences into ecology for topics such as ecosystem services, urban >> ecology, etc., is it time to begin shifting our ecology education >> paradigm >> toward inclusion of "non-traditional" courses as suggested correlative >> courses, if not requirements, in ecology curricula, i.e., courses in >> sociology, economics and maybe even communications? >> Many might argue (legitimately so in my opinion) that such social science >> courses could be more important and beneficial for students who want to >> go >> into conservation biology or environmental management fields than the >> standard "full year of chemistry and physics."
