I. ASCRC General Education Form (revised 1/27/11)
Use to propose new general education courses (except writing courses), to change existing
gen ed courses and to remove designations for existing gen ed courses.
Note: One-time-only general education designation may be requested for experimental courses
(X91-previously X95), granted only for the semester taught. A NEW request must be
submitted for the course to receive subsequent general education status.
Group
III. Language
VII: Social Sciences
(submit
III Exception: Symbolic Systems * VIII: Ethics & Human Values
separate forms
IV: Expressive Arts
IX: American & European
if requesting
V: Literary & Artistic Studies
X: Indigenous & Global
more than one
VI: Historical & Cultural Studies
XI: Natural Sciences
X
general
w/ lab  w/out lab X
education
group
*Courses proposed for this designation must be standing requirements of
designation)
majors that qualify for exceptions to the modern and classical language
requirement
Dept/Program CFC, Forest of Management/Forestry
Course #
NRSM 271N
(FOR/RSCN 271N)
Course Title
Conservation Ecology
Prerequisite
N/A
Credits
3
II. Endorsement/Approvals
Complete the form and obtain signatures before submitting to Faculty Senate Office
Please type / print name Signature
Date
Instructor
Andrew Larson
Phone / Email 5532/a.larson@umontana.edu
Program Chair Laurie Yung
Dean
Michael Patterson
III. Type of request
New
One-time Only
Renew X
Change
Remove
Reason for Gen Ed inclusion, change or deletion
Renewal
Description of change
N/A
IV. Description and purpose of new general education course: General Education courses
must be introductory and foundational within the offering department or within the General
Education Group. They must emphasize breadth, context, and connectedness; and relate course
content to students’ future lives: See Preamble:
http://umt.edu/facultysenate/archives/minutes/gened/GE_preamble.aspx
This course is required for students in the Wilderness and Civilization program and is also open to
students in the honors program and to other students by consent of the instructor. In this class we
provide a general overview of ecology and its application to better understanding environmental
issues, especially those that relate to wild landscapes. We also provide examples of appropriate uses of
ecological science in public policy and decision making, and discuss how people fit into ecosystem
processes and functions. Our key objective is to help students better develop their skills in critical
thinking and synthesis, in particular how to think ecologically. Key topics include landscape and
regional drivers of ecological patterns including climatic variation, historical patterns of climatic
change, disturbance ecology, and human disturbance. We then review studies of biodiversity, plant
animal interactions, and assessment of ecological function for conservation strategies. Students
participate in field trips where observations compliment discussions in lecture. We also discuss the
scientific method as it applies to ecological studies, monitoring, and adaptive management.
Students critique peer-reviewed scientific papers, and write and present a synthesis term paper in a
scientific format. Students submit a draft term paper which is reviewed by peers (2) and by the
instructor. Students then revise their term paper, incorporating comments received. They also write a
field trip report in they reflect on the most scientifically and socially impactful elements of a field trip,
and complete two exams which emphasize the understanding and application of foundational
ecological concepts.
V. Criteria: Briefly explain how this course meets the criteria for the group. See:
http://umt.edu/facultysenate/documents/forms/GE_Criteria5-1-08.aspx
1. Courses explore a discipline in the natural We have two lectures on the scientific method
and how it applies to ecological studies including
sciences and demonstrate how the scientific
working through two critiques of scientific
method is used within the discipline to draw
papers. The appropriate application of scientific
scientific conclusions.
2. Courses address the concept of analytic
uncertainty and the rigorous process required
to take an idea to a hypothesis and then to a
validated scientific theory.
information to conservation problems (including
uncertainty, and methods of science) is a key
theme of the course and is the main focus of
questions on exams and the term paper
Uncertainty is addressed in many ways by
comparing concepts that derive from physical
principles and those that come from historical,
and descriptive studies (and from empirical
data) and how this effects the appropriate uses
of these kinds of information (from wellestablished theory, to evolving subfields, and
hypotheses derived from examination of
empirical patterns seen in nature). These ideas
are reinforced with case studies which highlight
both appropriate and inappropriate uses of
scientific ideas (and strongly influenced by
uncertainty)
3. Lab courses engage students in inquirybased learning activities where they
formulate a hypothesis, design an experiment
to test the hypothesis, and collect, interpret,
and present the data to support their
conclusions.
This is not a lab course, but is closely tied to the
extensive field trips in the wilderness program.
Field trips reinforce the lectures and the term
project involves extensive independent research
& synthesis (inquiry-based). Two field trips
include training students in ecosystem
monitoring, including methods of collecting
vegetation data.
VI. Student Learning Goals: Briefly explain how this course will meet the applicable learning
goals. See: http://umt.edu/facultysenate/documents/forms/GE_Criteria5-1-08.aspx
Key principles emphasized include
1. Understand the general principles
determinants of biological diversity and
associated with the discipline(s) studied.
2. Understand the methodology and activities
scientists use to gather, validate and interpret
data related to natural processes.
3. Detect patterns, draw conclusions, develop
conjectures and hypotheses, and test them by
appropriate means and experiments.
4. Understand how scientific laws and
theories are verified by quantitative
measurement, scientific observation, and
logical/critical reasoning.
5. Understand the means by which analytic
uncertainty is quantified and expressed in the
natural sciences.
adaptation to environmental change and a
multi-scale definition of ecosystem
(composition, structure, function, scale,
disturbance, species interactions)
Patterns in field are compared with concepts
discussed in class, including field trips that
feature measuring plots, and monitoring
vegetation change.
Paper critiques and discussion of scientific
publication process and critique process
emphasizes the methods of natural science, and
in particular the many ways in which knowledge
is gained in ecological science depending on the
questions being investigated. Interpretation of
measurements and observations plant
community composition along a mountain
climate/topography gradient to detect
patterns, develop hypotheses about potential
drivers, and validate the proposed explanation.
Extensive discussion of the complex interaction
of human activities and ecological processes
focus on how to use data and analyses of these
data to test hypotheses and to synthesize
knowledge. Review and synthesis of scientific
knowledge from the literature is a major
component of the term project.
Field exercises and lectures emphasize
foundational concepts in experimental design
(randomization, replication, controls) and their
relevance to scientific inference and adaptive
management with particular emphasis on
uncertainty.
VII. Justification: Normally, general education courses will not carry pre-requisites, will carry
at least 3 credits, and will be numbered at the 100-200 level. If the course has more than one
pre-requisite, carries fewer than three credits, or is upper division (numbered above the 200
level), provide rationale for exception(s).
N/A
VIII. Syllabus: Paste syllabus below or attach and send digital copy with form.  The syllabus
should clearly describe how the above criteria are satisfied. For assistance on syllabus
preparation see: http://teaching.berkeley.edu/bgd/syllabus.html
Syllabus and Schedule -- NRSM 271N Conservation Ecology
Instructor: Andrew J. Larson
Office: Clapp (Science Complex) 404
E-mail: a.larson@umontana.edu
Phone: (406) 243-5532
Office hours: Wed. 3-5 PM and by appointment
Meetings
Jeanette Rankin Hall (JRH) 203
Wednesday 12:10 – 3:00 pm
Format: Regular Wednesday meetings will include lectures, discussions, in-class exercises and
occasional field excursions.
Course Objectives and Learning Outcomes
Ecology is the study of relationships between organisms and the physical environment,
organisms and other organisms, and the cycling of matter and energy.
This course introduces ecological theory and terminology, particularly as related to the study,
management and conservation of wild landscapes. Concepts will be illustrated with examples
from local and regional ecosystems. Students will develop their critical analysis ability, and
hone the technical communication skills necessary to integrate ecological science into natural
resource policies, management plans, and prescriptions.
Students completing the course should be able to:
1. Understand the role of abiotic factors in determining the distribution of species and
productivity of ecosystems.
2. Develop informed hypotheses about the role of biotic processes in regulation of ecosystem
composition, structure and function.
3. Clearly communicate ecological concepts and ideas verbally and with the written word.
4. Critically evaluate and apply the technical ecological literature.
5. Describe the relationship between natural disturbances, ecosystem succession, and the
application of these concepts to conservation.
Readings
Readings will be taken from taken from various books as well as scientific journal articles, will
be distributed to the class via the course website. Students should read assigned material prior
to the course meeting for which it is assigned.
Assignments
Students will write one field trip report and one research paper as part of the course. The
research paper will consist of a review of the biology, ecology, and current conservation
strategy of a species protected as Threatened or Endangered under the Endangered Species Act.
Writing assignment details will be provided in class.
Academic Integrity
Plagiarism, cheating, and other misconduct are serious violations of your contract as a student.
We expect that you will know and follow the University's policies on cheating and plagiarism.
Any suspected cases of academic misconduct will be handled according to University
regulations. More information, including definitions and examples, can be found at:
http://life.umt.edu/vpsa/student_conduct.php
Disability Accommodations
This course is accessible to and usable by otherwise qualified students with disabilities. To
request reasonable program modifications, please consult with the instructor. Disability
Services for Students will assist the instructor and student in the accommodation process. For
more information, visit the Disability Services website at http://life.umt.edu/dss.
Late Assignments
Students participating in official University activities (e.g., sports, etc.) will be allowed
extensions on assignments with terms established on a case-by-case basis.
Negotiated excused absences for non-University activities (e.g., family emergency) will be
considered on a case-by-case basis. Requests for extensions will only be considered when made
at least 1 week prior to the assignment deadline. Post-hoc extensions will be considered in
extreme circumstances (e.g., you could not make the deadline because you were unconscious or
in the hospital) on a case-by-case basis.
Unexcused late assignments will be accepted up to 4 working days (i.e., weekdays not course
meetings) after the original due date. The overall grade of the assignment will be diminished by
20% for each day late. E.g., the highest possible score for a “perfect” assignment turned in 3
days would be 40% of the possible points for an on-time assignment.
NSRM 271 Conservation Ecology 2012 Schedule
Week
Date
Topic
Reading
1
31‐Aug
Bob Marshall Trip
2
7‐Sep
Bob Marshall Trip
3
12‐Sep
Introduction: course overview; ecosystem composition,
structure, pattern and function
4
19‐Sep
productivity
Perry (2008) Ch. 15
Physical environment, photosynthesis, and primary
5
26‐Sep
Climatic water balance and how plants experience climate Stephenson 1998, Lutz et al.
2010
5
28/29‐Sept
Forest and Fire Ecology of the Pacific Northwest: Old‐
growth ponderosa pine plot re-measurement field trip
Franklin et al. 2002, Arno et al.
1995, Spies 2006
6
3‐Oct No class (all day field trip Friday Oct. 5 instead)
6
5‐Oct
Lolo Pass Field trip
Biological diversity along environmental gradients: All day
7
10‐Oct
Fire ecology and forest restoration: All day field trip to
Seeley Lake/Auggie Fuels Project; old‐growth field trip report due
Noss et al. 2006
8
17‐Oct
Test 1
9
24‐Oct
Applying disturbance ecology principles to conservation:
conserving forest biodiversity Franklin 1993, Lindenmayer and
Franklin 2002 Ch 1, 2, & 3
10
31‐Oct
design
Ch 4, 5, & 6
Landscape Ecology, matrix management, and reserve
Lindenmayer and Franklin 2002
11
7‐Nov
Applying disturbance ecology principles to conservation:
Monitoring, adaptive management, and experimental design
Lindenmayer and Franklin 2002
Ch 16
12
14‐Nov
Decomposition and nutrient cycling; Draft tem paper due
Perry et al. (2008) Ch. 17 & 18
13
21‐Nov
No class Thanksgiving
14
28‐Nov
Plant‐animal interactions and community ecology: top‐
down and bottom‐up ecosystem regulation
Perry et al. (2008) Ch. 11 & 19
15
5‐Dec Test 2
16
12‐Dec
Final papers due 5:00 pm, Dec. 13.
NRSM Conservation Ecology Assignment Schedule Fall 2012
Assignment
Due Date
Pts. possible
Pts. earned
Exams
Exam 1
Exam 2
17‐Oct
5‐Dec 100
100
Writing assignments
Field trip report
Draft Term Paper
Term Paper
10‐Oct
50
14‐Nov
50
5:00 PM, Dec. 12
Participation
Always
Total
100
100
500
Final grades calculated as % of total points possible.
Grade
% of possible pts.
A
>93%
A‐
90.0% ‐ 93.0%
B+ 87.0% ‐ 89.9%
B
83% ‐ 86.9%
B‐
80.0% ‐ 82.9%
C+ 77.0% ‐ 79.0%
C
73% ‐ 76.9%
C‐
70% ‐ 72.9%
D
60% ‐ 69.9%
F
<60%
NRSM 271N Term paper assignment
The term paper assignment involves a review and critical analysis of the biology, ecology,
threats, and current conservation strategy (i.e., recovery plan) for a species listed as threatened
or endangered under the Endangered Species Act.
In general, your paper should include six major sections: Introduction, Biology, Ecology,
Threats and Stressors, Conservation Strategy, Critical Analysis and Conclusions. I encourage
you to liberally use subsection headings within these major sections to provide additional
organizational structure to your paper.
Introduction: Provide a brief introduction to the topic of your paper, and provide the reader
with a
“road map” to the paper by outlining the major structural elements and main points.
Biology: A concise description of the focal species, including size, appearance, reproduction,
and other relevant details.
Ecology: Provide a thorough review of the scientific literature, including range and habitat,
predator‐
prey interactions, other important species interaction (e.g., parasites), disease ecology, diet,
Stressors and Threats: Provide a thorough review of the relevant scientific literature and
identify key threats such as habitat loss, harvest, poaching, climate change, etc. Stressors and
threats should be presented in the context of the species’ ecology.
Conservation Strategy: Discuss the current conservation strategy, particularly as outlined in the
recovery plan.
Critical Analysis and Conclusions: This is the most important part of the paper. Provide a
critical analysis of the current conservation strategy based on your review of the species
biology, ecology, and stressors/threats. Is the current conservation strategy and recovery plan
likely to succeed based on your review and analysis of the species’ ecology? Why or why not?
Does the recovery plan address the most important threats and stressors? Why or why not?
Provide your recommendations in terms of how conservation and recovery efforts could be
improved. I am interested in your original analysis and synthesis in this section of the paper.
Term Paper Peer Review Form
Reviewer_
Author
Guidelines: The purpose of this review is to help the author write a clearer, more effective
paper. Above all else, for you to be an effective reviewer you must provide courteous,
professional comments and suggestions. Comments phrased in a harsh, sarcastic or otherwise
unprofessional tone will alienate the author.
You will find yourself responding to three different organizational levels in the paper: the
global or whole paper level, the paragraph level, and the sentence level. The global level refers
to the big picture: what are the main ideas and arguments, overall organizational structure, and
sequence in which information and arguments are presented. The paragraph level refers to how
the author presents material and develops individual arguments, including transitions between
paragraphs and sentences. As a general rule, every paragraph should have a clear topic sentence
(which is usually the first sentence) that clearly identifies what the paragraph is about. At the
sentence level the reviewer responds to things like grammar, word choice, spelling and
sentence structure. Part of your task as a reviewer is to identify problems and suggest changes
or improvements at these different levels of organization.
As a general rule, if you make a criticism always try to provide a specific, actionable way to
address the problem. Comments that are only critical or negative, with no corresponding
suggestions for how a problem might be addressed tend to alienate authors; it is much harder
for an author to ignore a critique that is accompanied by a specific suggestion for how to
improve the manuscript.
Strive for specificity and detail with your comments. For example, rather than a terse and vague
comment such as writing “unclear” in the margin, provide a more detail, such as “word choice
is confusing here; what other terms could you use to express this idea?”
Instructions
1. Read the entire paper through once. Your objective is to get an initial sense of the topic and
arguments. What is the paper about? What is the author trying to communicate? What are the
main questions investigated or ideas advanced? Spend time during the initial read through to
examine and assimilate any figures or tables, making sure you completely understand them. Do
not allow yourself to get bogged down with sentence‐level editing (grammar, spelling, word
choice) at this stage. Do make notes to yourself and on the manuscript when you encounter
difficult or awkward sections, which you can revisit later.
At this stage write an initial summary paragraph that states the main topic and questions
investigated in this paper. This step serves three purposes. First, it demonstrates to the author
that you have in fact read the paper carefully, allowing you to establish a baseline level of
credibility as a reviewer. Second, your summary provides the author with an initial big‐picture
look at what messages the paper communicates to the reader: the reviewer’s summary tells the
author if the paper is actually communicating the intended message. Third, the initial summary
paragraph in the review forces the reviewer to organize her/his thoughts, setting the stage for a
more in depth review.
Here, provide an initial summary of the topic and main arguments presented in the manuscript:
2. Read the paper a second time, with greater attention to detail. Continue to ignore
sentence‐level issues. At this stage, focus on identifying the arguments that author is trying to
make. Are they effective? Are some components better developed than others? Are there
sections that are particularly effective? If so, note them and provide the author with positive
feedback on the manuscript.
Use the space below to provide comments on each of the major sections of the paper.
Final Analysis and Summary
Consider the major issues you've identified in the paper. At which level should the author focus
their revision effort? Check one, or number in sequence of importance.
Global
Paragraph
Line‐editing_
List the three most important improvements or revisions that the author needs to make. Make
sure that you have suggested constructive solutions to these problems.
1.
2.
3.
List the three most important strengths of this paper which the author should not lose in the
process of revision. Try to provide comments on why you thought these were strong points
(i.e., what makes them work?).
1.
2.
3.
Writing Style and tone Describe the writing style of the paper (professional, causal,
conversational) and suggest stylistic changes. Be sure to provide specific examples to support
your statements, as well as examples of how to reword to achieve a more appropriate style and
tone.
LINE‐EDITING: Choose a section of the paper to provide detailed line‐editing. Look back
over the marks you made on the manuscript, making sure that you have indicated any examples
of wordy, repetitive, or confusing sentence structure, and examples of imprecise language,
grammar and spelling errors. As you go through this section again, suggest alternative wordings
or structures. Describe below which section you have chosen for this detailed line‐editing (e.g.
"all of page 3", "first 3 paragraphs of Introduction", "first paragraph of each main section",
etc.).
Complete the attached Research Paper Feedback Form.
Research Paper Feedback Form
Raw Score
Poor Fair
Analysis & Synthesis 10
20
Content
7.5 15
Organization & Structure
3.75
Style & Tone
2
4
Spelling & Grammar 2
4
Good
30
22.5
7.5
6
6
Excellent
40
30
11.25 15
7.5
7.5
Score
See written comments on attached document. Total Score
Analysis and synthesis
Poor: No original synthesis or analysis.
Fair: Poorly developed analysis; arguments not supported with appropriate citations.
Good: Some original critical analysis and synthesis, but arguments not fully developed or only
partially supported.
Excellent: Efficient use of literature to develop interpretations, and advance new hypotheses (as
appropriate). Critical analysis of
current approaches to conservation.
Content
Poor: Lack of peer reviewed citations. Excessive use of online sources.
Fair: Most relevant content area addressed, but some significant gaps. Insufficient review of
peer reviewed literature.
Good: All relevant content areas addressed, but just exceeds a “bare minimum” level of detail.
Excellent: Detailed, nuanced review of the relevant literature; strong basis in peer‐reviewed
literature.
Organization and structure
Poor: Major sections (e.g., analysis) missing; no section headers; figures and tables missing
captions.
Fair: No or few section headers, several paragraphs in wrong sections; topic sentences don’t
agree with paragraph content.
Good: Some section headers but not to maximum effectiveness, occasional paragraphs in
wrong sections
Excellent: Effective use of section headers, clear paragraph structure, effective figures and
tables with appropriate captions.
Style and tone
Poor: Document overall written in vernacular or conversational tone, including slang.
Language imprecise, unclear.
Fair: Occasional use of jargon or slang inappropriate to audience.
Good: Appropriate to audience. Document lacks slang or vernacular terms. Opportunities to
improve clarity, conciseness, precision.
Excellent: Concise, clear writing in a professional tone. Precise, deliberately selected language.
Spelling and grammar
Poor: Errors frequent. E.g., incomplete sentences, subject‐verb disagreement, etc. Numerous
distracting spelling errors.
Fair: Occasional grammatical errors, but generally complete sentences, etc. Language wordy,
pronoun abuse (lack of clear antecedent for every pronoun). Occasional spelling errors,
moderately distracting.
Good: Errors few and not distracting. Spelling errors few, limited to commonly mistaken
words (e.g., affect vs. effect).
Excellent: Punctuation and grammar technically correct throughout, or if deviates, is used as a
stylistic device appropriate to the
style and tone of the document. Document free of spelling errors.
Please note: Approved general education changes will take effect next fall.
General education instructors will be expected to provide sample assessment items and
corresponding responses to the Assessment Advisory Committee.