Entails serving as a teaching assistant in a course previously completed with a satisfactory grade. Introduces strategies for the planning, preparation, presentation, and evaluation required for teaching at the college level. Students work with the faculty member teaching the class to develop a detailed plan for participation in the teaching of the class prior to the beginning of the semester in which the course is offered. This course may be repeated once if serving as a teaching assistant in a different course. Prerequisites: Junior or Senior standing, prior completion of the course with a grade of B or higher, and permission of instructor.

During the Fall Intensive, students experience an intensive introduction to the ecology, society, and culture of their new environment in northern New England. This includes studying local botany, human history, land-use practices of the regional economy, and the local artisan community. Students begin outdoor challenge activities and small group work, learn about establishing norms of social conduct, build community, and initiate conversations about what it means to live sustainably. This course consists of group discussions, tours, orientations to various Sterling College programs, and outdoor activities.

As one travels further north, the number of species declines dramatically, and the contrast between day and night shifts to summer-long days and winter-long nights. The culture of the circumpolar north is as markedly different as is its ecology. Intended as an overall introduction to the North, this course considers the ecological and cultural contexts for northern life.

Focuses on real people implementing sustainable practices in agriculture and natural resource management on the Japanese island of Hokkaido. The course helps students gain new insights into Japanese communities through site visits, home stays, and conversation with students at Obihiro and Hokaido universities. Tools of systems dynamics such as closed loop diagramming and stock-flow modeling are introduced and incorporated into journals. Lab fee.

Focuses on the history and development of sustainable environmental practices in Iceland, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. The course incorporates visits to schools, colleges, non-governmental planning organizations, as well as alternative building and energy generating facilities. By talking with the people of Scandinavia, students and faculty gain new insight into the web of activities needed to move a society toward caring for the earth while developing communities. Tools of systems dynamics, such as closed loop diagramming and stock-flow modeling, are introduced and incorporated into daily travel journals.

Travel to Labrador and Newfoundland or Hokaido, Japan, during the September Intensive provides opportunity for students and faculty to explore natural and human communities before returning for Fall Semester coursework. Spring Semester coursework provides the basis for field study in the Shetland Islands during Spring Intensive. Summer field study offerings vary from research opportunities in Mongolia to archaeological exploration in Canada. Lab fee. Prerequisite: HM/NS/SS255 Introduction to the North or permission of the instructor.

This field-based course is an exploration of marine environments with emphasis on the North Atlantic. We begin with an introduction to oceanographic topics such as sea floor spreading, wave dynamics, ocean currents and tides, and general marine ecology. We progress to a survey of marine algae and invertebrate phyla, and culminate with a treatment of marine vertebrates with a focus on sea birds and marine mammals. This course combines lectures and discussions with intensive field activities such as sea kayaking, tidepooling, and offshore excursions. PREREQUISITE: NS207: Ecology

Travel to Labrador and Newfoundland or Hokaido, Japan, during the September Intensive provides opportunity for students and faculty to explore natural and human communities before returning for Fall Semester coursework. Spring Semester coursework provides the basis for field study in the Shetland Islands during Spring Intensive. Summer field study offerings vary from research opportunities in Mongolia to archaeological exploration in Canada. Lab fee. Prerequisite: HM/NS/SS255 Introduction to the North or permission of the instructor.

Intended to serve as a capstone course for Circumpolar Studies majors and as an opportunity for resident and guest faculty to share their research and expertise, the Circumpolar Studies Senior Seminar will examine a particular topic of northern interest in great depth and detail. Students will be responsible for a significant related research project and presentation. Potential topics include: The Paleoecology of Central Asia and Mongolia, Imagining and Imaging the Arctic: Film, Art, and Photography in the Far North, Reindeer Herding and Caribou Hunting, Theology of the North: Shamanism, Animism, and Missions. Prerequisite: HM/NS/SS255 Introduction to the North or permission of the instructor.

Applies the principles of geometry and algebra to natural resource problems. Includes both efficient calculator use and pencil and paper techniques. Weekly problem sets emphasize showing work and making accurate unit conversions. Successful completion of the mathematics competency exam can exempt students from NS050.

This course builds concepts and skills necessary to understand laws of chemistry and physics that underlie ecological and environmental science concepts. Laboratory investigations focus on development of skills needed to succeed in the study of science. Computers interfaced with a suite of probes facilitate data collection and analysis.

Through increasingly complex investigations of the natural world, students practice scientific methods, statistical analyses, and systems thinking as they investigate the science behind environmental news stories. Appropriate technology supports development of a learning community beyond the classroom. During the second half of the semester students design and conduct investigations related to local issues, culminating in a class symposium. Co-requisite: Writing & Speaking to the Issues.

Combines a study of hydrologic processes and the dynamics of forested watershed with analysis of watersheds within 10 miles of the College. This analysis integrates fieldwork, measurements, mapping, and interpreting natural communities. Data collection of the fieldwork concludes with a written report. Comparative studies entail field trips to watersheds throughout northern Vermont. Prerequisite: NS 145 Critical Science and Mathematics

Applies principles of ecology to environmental problems of air, water, and biota. Focuses on quantitative measurements of human impacts and converting those understandings to personal change. Reviews scientific methods and fundamentals of chemistry and physics. Writing assignments refine the use of lab report and scientific paper formats. Culminates with an independent project assessing local impact and proposing solutions. (Aquatic ecosystems are studied in conjunction with NS200).

Examines a whole foods approach to nutrition through an understanding of the chemical and biochemical properties of food and their interactions within the body. Also considers the political and environmental influences of the foods we choose to eat. Designed to help students focus on their own eating practices and evaluate those habits through guidelines for eating that support good health. Prerequisite: NS135.

This course is a survey of concepts in ecology with emphasis on ecosystem ecology, biogeography, and evolution. Topics include ecosystem energetics, nutrient cycling, global weather and climate, biomes and natural communities, natural selection, diversity of life, and ecological relationships. We begin with a broad survey of ecological concepts at play in all ecosystems and apply these to specific terrestrial biomes such as tundra, boreal forest, temperate forest, temperate grassland, desert, chaparral, tropical savanna, and tropical rainforest. We conclude with an investigation into evolutionary theory and its applications to biodiversity.

Builds skills in field identification of New England birds by sight and sound. Includes extensive field work and a visit to a coastal sanctuary.

This course is a field-based botanical survey of local flora, with a focus on spring wildflowers. Students learn plant taxonomy and advanced field identification skills through intensive field exercises and exploration of a variety of New England habitats. Emphasis is on learning botanical terms and concepts through extensive use of botanical keys and field guides, as well as hands-on experience with the flora. We will follow a latitudinal cross-section of New England from south to north (with occasional forays into the adjacent mountains), following the progression of spring.

An introduction to management of specific habitats for wildlife. Concepts such as wildlife population dynamics and ecosystem management will be addressed. A strong focus is given to the diversity of wildlife management problems and the ecological basis of solution. Guest lectures by professionals figure prominently in the second half of the course. Field exercises support materials presented in class. Prerequisite: NS145: Critical Science and Mathematics

This course is a field-based exploration of the flora and vegetation of the North Woods, with an emphasis on the ecological interplay between temperate deciduous and boreal forest biomes. Students build on foundational principles of natural history and ecology through development and practice of observation, identification, and interpretation skills and the keeping of a refined naturalist field journal. Topics include a botanical survey of woody plant families and representative species, natural community composition and structure, biogeographic concepts, ecological succession, identification and classification skills (including an introduction to botanical keys, as well as extensive use of other types of field guides), and the history and philosophy of Natural History. Course format includes lectures, discussions, and a significant field component. PREREQUISITE: NS207: Ecology