Mystery in Alaska: A Study of the 2000 Fishing Ban
Tun Myint, Carleton College, Northfield, MN
This material was developed as part of the
Carleton Teaching Activity Collection and is replicated on a number of sites
as part of the
SERC Pedagogic Service Project
This activity was selected for the On the Cutting Edge Reviewed Teaching Collection
This activity has received positive reviews in a peer review process involving five review categories. The five categories included in the process are
- Scientific Accuracy
- Alignment of Learning Goals, Activities, and Assessments
- Pedagogic Effectiveness
- Robustness (usability and dependability of all components)
- Completeness of the ActivitySheet web page
For more information about the peer review process itself, please see https://serc.carleton.edu/teachearth/activity_review.html.
- First Publication: June 24, 2010
- Reviewed: November 25, 2019 -- Reviewed by the On the Cutting Edge Activity Review Process
Summary
What is the role of ecosystem science in the Alaskan fishing ban imposed in July 2000 in light of the concerns over the decline of Steller's sea Lions in Alaska? This question was unpacked in the documentary film broadcast on the PBS program Natureon August 24, 2008. This project investigates hidden connections between science and society related to the case by following through the documentary and answering three main questions: (1) how do the ecosystem and social systems interact and what is the role of this interaction in the decline of Steller's sea lions?; (2) can the July 2000 fishing ban be justified by the findings?; and (3) what hypotheses and theories of sustainability read about the the class (such as gaia hypothesis, DNA-centered view of life, cell-centered views of life, theory of emergent properties, complex adaptive system theory, etc) are tenable to explain this complexity or mystery?
Learning Goals
To investigate science and society relations in the case of Steller's sea lion and the Alaskan fishing ban imposed in July 2000.
Context for Use
Team project.
Description and Teaching Materials
What is the role of ecosystem science in the Alaskan fishing ban imposed in July 2000 in light of the concerns over the decline of Steller's sea Lions in Alaska? This question was unpacked in the documentary film broadcast on the PBS program Nature on August 24, 2008. This project will investigate hidden connections between science and society related to the case by following through the documentary.
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/a-mystery-in-alaska/introduction/888/
Project Guidelines (Acrobat (PDF) 120kB Apr28 09) Teaching Notes and Tips
This project is most appropriate for teams. I have 4 to 6 students in each team. I established teams so that diverse body of students in each team in terms of their interests and strength.
Assessment
Team presentation to entire class and final report.
References and Resources