CORE 174S - Applied Natural History

Perhaps Janine M. Benyus says it best: “For the 99 percent of the time we’ve been on Earth, we were hunter and gatherers, our lives dependent on knowing the fine, small details of our world. Deep inside, people still have a longing to be reconnected with the nature that shaped our imagination, our language, our song and dance, our sense of the divine.” Yet as our lives become more digital, we become less connected to the natural world. This perilous journey results in an erosion of our sense of place and a disconnect from our deepest roots. This course focuses on connecting students to the natural world. Together students develop the skills to read modern landscapes and use both plant and animal analyses to interpret the history and ecology of forested regions. Students become familiar with Hamilton’s local ecosystems and some of the more unusual regional ecosystems of central NY. Whereas students largely focus on plants, the course exposes them to techniques of plant, insect, and animal collection and identification. Students read extensively from the primary and secondary literature and spend considerable time thinking about how humans interact with their natural world. They look to other cultures and how they use plants and animals for spiritual and curative purposes. Finally, students put together conservation strategies for one of Hamilton’s most unusual and threatened habitats: the carnivorous plant bog.

Credits: 1.00
Corequisite: None
Prerequisites: None
Major/Minor Restrictions: None
Class Restriction: No Junior, Senior
Area of Inquiry: None
Liberal Arts CORE: Scientific Perspectives

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