Seeta Sistla: (1) Ecosystem Ecology: A Biogeochemical Perspective; (2) Art & Ecology: Understanding Changing New England Landscapes at Hampshire College
About this Course
(1) 200-level lab/field/lecture course; size varies by year from 8 – 15 students
(2) A 200-level co-taught interdisciplinary course; size: 17 students
(1) Two 1 hour and 20 minute lecture blocks and a 3 hour weekly lab; (2) One full day weekly meeting which included field trips to various ecology research and artistic instillation sites around New England, class project work, and lecture.
(1) A 200-level lab/field/lecture course that covered carbon and nutrient cycling in the context of global change
(2)A 200-level co-taught interdisciplinary course that approached global environmental change issues from a blended natural science and artistic (visual, audio, multi-media, and writing) perspective to interpret and communicate data and scientific ideas (special course taught only this semester)
(1) Ecosystems are defined by the interactions between the plants, animals, microorganisms and abiotic, environmental features that affect them. This course will cover the flows of energy, carbon, and nutrients within ecosystems, tracing the key processes that define ecosystem function. Through the course, we will develop the connections between organisms, abiotic factors and ecosystem processes and learn how to critically analyze primary scientific literature. The effects of environmental change on ecosystem processes (and the human connection to these changes) will be highlighted.
(2) This class is a seminar in two simultaneous topics: art and ecology. The purpose of this class is to model working methods of engaging with the environment that will nurture both scientists and artists. We hope that by working in both areas at once, we might find where they complement one another. Where they are at odds, we hope to have a discussion.
We will practice foundational skills in this course: data gathering, specimen collecting; use of audio/visual technology and more. But we are placing the greatest emphasis on the most foundational skill of all: how to think about the natural world, of which you are inseparably a part, with the greatest amount of context possible. To do this we will study areas under active research by today's ecologists: alternative energy, climate change, hydrology, human modifications to the environment and the measurable consequences.
For additional context we will view the work of artists whose practices wander into these same domains – often reaching the same conclusions, despite pursuing different questions.
Central to this course is a series of field trips and guest speakers which will cover these topics directly and obliquely. We have chosen readings to cover a range of local history, American history, specific ecological topics, primary scientific sources, and "flavor" readings intended to stoke your imagination. We hope that by seeing these sites in person, participating in ongoing studies and producing expressive works of art that you will gain a new perspective on the environment and your place in it.
I was not expecting to use the InTeGrate modules in my Art & Ecology course and was pleasantly surprised to find modules that fit the bill for helping me develop the course content in a meaningful way. Although I did not use all parts of the Cli-Fi: Climate Science in Literary Texts module, it helped to frame that aspect of the course.
My Experience Teaching with InTeGrateMaterials
(1) I used a modified version of the Systems Thinking module in my Ecosystem Ecology course. Students in this course came from a variety of backgrounds ranging from several classes in the sciences to no scientific background, which meant that the course had to both communicate fundamental scientific information on climate change and appeal to students who wanted to delve deeper into the primary literature and data analysis from their laboratory project studying the influence of land use type (two differently managed fields and two forests) on soil qualities.
(2) I used a modified version of the Cli-Fi: Climate Science in Literary Texts module in my co-taught Art & Ecology course. Students in this course came from a variety of backgrounds ranging from several classes in the sciences to no scientific background and a strong background in art or design to no experience in these areas. This meant that the course had to both communicate fundamental scientific information on climate change and to teach basic skills in art interpretation and design (which included tasks as varied as sign creation, audio-/visual-scapes of global change study sites, artistic interpretation of data from primary literature, and creative writing).
Relationship of InTeGrate Materials to my Course
(1) I covered the Systems Thinking module – modified to fit the course needs – incorporated into 3 class days. I did not use the Stella model units due to class time constraints.
(2) I covered the Cli-Fi: Climate Science in Literary Texts module – modified to fit the course needs – in one full course session plus part of an introductory session on foundational climate science information earlier in the semester. For a final project, students were allowed the choice of a cli-fi final project, which several students pursued. These projects were presented to the class on a final day.
(1) Unit 1. This unit focused on providing a basic overview of how a system is defined, systems terminology, and how to interpret a system diagram. I used this unit in the 1st and 2nd week of class. I took advantage of the 'Introductory System Slides' (which I modified slightly). I found it an effective way to quickly develop the concept of systems thinking and link it to ecosystem ecology and global change science. I did not do a formal pre- and post-exercise knowledge survey, as that did not fit with the tenor of this seminar-style course, but did probe students' knowledge of systems thinking before and after the slides and exercise on drawing a system with in class discussion.
Unit 2. The goal of this unit was to allow students to create a diagram of a complex system relevant to the course and to explore the connections between the components of the system in a quantitative and qualitative manner. Pairs of students did this to begin the laboratory section of the course, which focused on the characterizing the effects of land use on soil quality (which was tied to a 7 week long field/laboratory project). After the class had visited the field sites, collected plant and soil data, and read more primary literature (several weeks into the project), they were asked to re-draw their system maps (created in pairs) and use this to develop hypotheses about what differences in soil characteristics they might expect to see in these systems due to land use differences.
Units 3-4. Our class did not use these units.
Unit 5. This unit focused on having the students describe quantitative relationships among components of a complex system and create graphs of quantitatively measurable behaviors in the system as a function of time. Students were also tasked with discussing the current level of knowledge about the system's components. My class diagramed arctic biome feedbacks to climate warming (land-based greening and marine ice loss), which was based on a set of primary literature readings assigned to the class. Students drew a system's sketch of arctic C cycling and the destabilizing/stabilizing feedbacks associated with rapid climate warming. Students pair-shared their systems drawings. As a class we discussed limitations in knowledge on pool sizes of organic C stocks, biotic responses to changing climate conditions, and flux rates. We also discussed how different data collection and experiments across scales can inform these limitations.
Unit 6. This unit focused on systems thinking synthesis. Our class discussed the field/laboratory study on land use effects on soil quality from a system's perspective after completing the class data set and preliminary analyses. Students wrote a lab report that required a discussion of the linkages between land use, plant community, and soil quality that delved into the data they had collected as well as the primary literature.
(2) Unit 1. This unit focused on providing a basic overview of climate science and providing students with a grounding in understanding climate change from a systems perspective. We completed this unit in the beginning of the semester, by reviewing a graph of global atmospheric CO2 concentration as well as other graphs that represent critical changes in the Anthropocene (i.e. actively cycling nitrogen, global energy demand). We also worked on a class concept map linking the earth systems and connecting them to the climate system. Because not all students were comfortable with interpreting graphical data, this was important for setting the stage developing student understanding of our changing global climate as well as beginning to develop skills to qualitatively interpret quantitative data.
One additional component I added to this unit was intended to develop an appreciation of the complexity of spatial and temporal scaling in climate science by having student teams retrieve natural objects (or take photos of organisms) in a scavenger hunt format from the campus that they estimated to be within a range of ages (days to millions of years) and discuss with the class how they estimated the age of the object, how it fit into the ecosystem where it was found, and how environmental change might affect or not affect the object over time.
Unit 2. Our class did not use this unit.
Unit 3. The goals of this unit were to: "1) demonstrate an understanding of the goals and audiences of different types of genres (blog, editorial, short story, and peer-reviewed journal article); 2) identify rhetorical argumentative strategies present in different types of texts; and 3) discuss the ways that various genres engage with climate change concepts." I modified this unit quite a bit. Our class used several climate science pieces chosen by guest speakers (a climate fiction novelist and a climate science investigative journalist) instead of the five readings in the unit and did not explicitly discuss the rhetorical aspects of the text as that was beyond the scope of the class. We did spend a lot of discussion time talking about the effectiveness of different methods of communicating climate science information through texts with regards to the assigned readings and who the target audience of the different pieces were.
Unit 4. Due to constraints on class time, we did not explicitly use this unit, which provides 2 climate fiction stories for students to read and analyze. Instead, one of our final project prompts (among several choices) was to write a cli-fi story, which was then presented to the class.
Unit 5. I modified this Unit to focus on data from the Harvard Forest LTER, which our class visited. The class was tasked with reviewing papers on a global change factor of their choosing from research conducted at the Harvard Forest, creating a representation of the experiment/data in a non-graphical way that was understandable for a non-specialist audience, and presenting this project to the class.
Assessments
(1) Assessments included reading reflections, in class discussion, in class 'gallery walks' that allowed students to share their system diagrams, and formal assessment of laboratory reports, as well as pair-sharing exercises.
(2) Students turned in detailed reflections on all assigned readings and were given verbal and written critiques on their projects. Class discussion also demanded participation from all students, which demonstrated their understanding of the material.
Outcomes
(1) Systems thinking is a critical skill across the sciences and is especially pertinent in an ecosystem ecology/global change ecology context. While I have previously taught about system linkages and stabilizing/destabilizing feedbacks in my Ecosystem Ecology course, I found this module to be very helpful in helping students to understand systems terminology interpret systems diagrams, and diagram systems that they were learning about. I plan to redesign the course to incorporate all of the units into the course.
(2) Students responded well to the Cli-Fi: Climate Science in Literary Texts module, which helped to draw students into pursuing a deeper understanding of climate science through written work that is not necessarily solely based in primary scientific literature. Students were motivated to create their own cli-fi pieces (some are considering further pursing this type of project during their undergraduate studies) and delve into pieces intended for non-scientific audiences. I plan to incorporate this module into other climate science courses I teach.
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