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
X
(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
general
w/ lab  w/out lab 
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 College of Forestry and Conservation
Course #
NRSM 121S
Course Title
Prerequisite
Nature of Montana
None
Credits
II. Endorsement/Approvals
Complete the form and obtain signatures before submitting to Faculty Senate Office
Please type / print name Signature
Instructor
Phone / Email
Program Chair
3.0
Date
2.23.12
Laurie Yung
6934, laurie.yung@umontana.edu
Laurie Yung, Director, Resource
Conservation Program
Dean
James Burchfield, College of Forestry
and Conservation
III. Type of request
New
One-time Only
Renew X
Change
Remove
Reason for Gen Ed inclusion, change or deletion
Description of change
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
NRSM 121S is a 100-level introductory course focused on the social, political and economic
aspects of conservation and natural resource management in Montana and the Northern
Rockies. The course examines social values, economic trends and incentives, and political
conflict through five key case studies – fire, water, wolves, forests, and climate change.
Students look at social forces at multiple scales, from the impact of global economic processes
and policies on mills in Montana and the repercussions in rural communities to the ways in
which rural residents respond to wolf recolonization and how counties, states, and the federal
government negotiate management responsibility. Social data is utilized throughout the course,
from social science research results (both qualitative and quantitative data are presented) to
economic figures to newspaper editorials.
The course is open to students from all over campus. It is typically populated by 2/3rd students
in the five majors within the College of Forestry and Conservation and 1/3rd students in majors
across campus.
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
systematically study individuals, groups, or NRSM 121 is a systematic study of the
social, political, and economic side of natural
social institutions
resource management and conservation in
Montana. It includes the study of individuals,
groups (e.g. communities, interest groups),
and social institutions (e.g. governance
through counties, states, federal government,
and international agreements).
Students in NRSM 121 analyze the way in
analyze individuals, groups, or social
which natural resource debates and practices
problems and structures
are shaped by social forces, and the ways
that management practices in turn influence
the social and economic world around them.
NRSM 121 pulls from multiple data sources
give considerable attention to ways in
to paint a complex picture of the different
which conclusions and generalizations are
social, political, and economic forces that
developed and justified as well as the
influence natural resource management.
methods of data collection and analysis
Students are asked to integrate and analyze
seemingly disparate information/data and to
reach conclusions regarding the social
processes at play.
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
describe the nature, structure, and historical NRSM 121 requires students to understand,
examine, and describe social phenomena at
development of human behavior,
a variety of scales, from individual
organizations, social phenomena, and/or
behavior, to community processes, to social
relationships
institutions, to political conflict, to
international negotiation.
use theory in explaining these individual,
group, or social phenomena
NRSM 121 employs social theory
throughout the course, including theories
related to justice and equity, political
ideology, private rights and public goods,
forms of governance, and conflict and
collaboration.
NRSM 121 requires students to assess a
understand, assess, and evaluate how
conclusions and generalizations are justified variety of social data (as well as some
ecological data) to reach conclusions about
based on data
the causes and potential outcomes of
decisions and trends in specific natural
resource arenas.
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).
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
NRSM 121S, Nature of Montana
MWF 1:10-2:00, Chemistry Room 123, Fall 2011, 3 credits
Instructor: Laurie Yung
Office Hours: MW 10-Noon
or by appointment
Office: University Hall 308
Phone: 243-6934
laurie.yung@umontana.edu
Course Description
Nature of Montana examines key issues in contemporary natural resource management and
conservation with a focus on human relationships with the environment in Montana and the
Northern Rockies. The course utilizes a case study framework to examine social conflict,
policy trends, and ecological forces as they relate to fire, water, wolves, timber, rural
development, and climate change. These topics are explored from multiple disciplinary
perspectives and provide windows into the interplay of culture, history, politics, and economics
with biophysical processes. Nature of Montana fulfills the UM social science general
education requirement. Lectures, class activities, readings, and assignments are designed to
impart information, examine different viewpoints, and encourage critical thinking.
Learning Objectives
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
 Describe key social, political, and economic forces that influence conservation and
natural resource management in Montana
 Understand the ways in which social and economic data are utilized to understand the
ways that sociopolitical forces shape current natural resource debates
 Apply knowledge and critical thinking skills to problem solving
Readings
All course readings are required and available through the University of Montana library course
reserves (password is: nature). Readings include book chapters, white papers, journal articles,
reports, and magazine and newspaper articles. Readings will include a number of chapters
from Chiras, D.D. and J.P. Reganold. (2010) Natural Resource Conservation (10th Edition).
San Francisco: Benjamin Cummings. This textbook is available for purchase at the UM
Bookstore for students who wish to have a copy. Chapters will also be placed on e-reserve for
students who are unable to purchase the book.
Important note: You are expected to complete all assigned readings before class, and to come
prepared with questions. Lectures will build on readings and assume students have a
reasonable understanding of the reading for that day. Students who fail to do readings on-time
will find lectures and classroom activities difficult to understand.
Assignments and Grading
Your course grade will be based on the following:
Midterm 1
Midterm 2
Midterm 3
Tree ID Quiz
Paper
Participation
Final Exam
Total
150 points
150 points
150 points
100 points
100 points
50 points
300 points
1000 points
Midterms
There will be three in-class midterms throughout the semester. They will not be
cumulative. Each midterm will have short answer and short essay questions that require
students to demonstrate factual knowledge and critical thinking skills. Midterms will
cover material from course readings, from lectures, films, and class activities, and from
guest speakers.
Tree ID Quiz
The tree ID quiz will require students to correctly identify photographs of trees. Extra
credit will be given for the scientific names (correctly spelled).
Paper
Students will be required to write a 3-4 page (typed, double-spaced) paper on a specific
natural resource or conservation issue relevant to Montana. Students may select an issue
of their choice, but it needs to be well-defined (e.g. energy would be too broad, but coalbed methane development would work). Students then need to write a concise,
persuasive argument about this issue akin to an op-ed one would find in a newspaper.
Because the paper is short, you will need to be clear and focused, emphasizing your main
point and providing evidence or arguments to support it. You do not need to use citations
or provide a bibliography. Papers will be evaluated based on the clarity of the argument
and the quality of the writing (including grammar, spelling, etc.). Papers will be due inclass on Friday, December 2nd.
Participation
While NRSM 121 is a large class, there will be opportunities for questions, discussions, and
group activities, allowing for interaction and active engagement with course topics. Course
grades will be based, in part, on student participation. Participation includes attendance,
punctuality, attentiveness, effort, and being prepared for class (having completed any
assignments, including the reading for that day). Participation also includes offering one's
thoughts, ideas, opinions, and questions during class. Your participation grade is not based on
knowing the "right" answers or the quantity or length of your comments (in fact, concise and
succinct comments, where appropriate, are favorable), but rather on your willingness to
contribute, evidence that you have completed and thought through material presented in the
reading, and the quality of your contributions. I realize that speaking in class is easy for some
and difficult for others. Students need to be conscious to take only their share of the discussion
time. In addition to talking in class, participation includes respect for differing opinions.
Students who arrive late, miss class, and/or fail to do readings on time will be penalized.
Students who miss one or fewer class periods will automatically get at least 45 points for
participation. Students who miss two or more class periods (except in cases of documented
illness or emergencies) will have points deducted from their participation grade.
Final Exam
The final exam will be cumulative and cover material from the entire course. Like the
midterms, the final exam will include short answer and short essay questions that require
factual knowledge and critical thinking. The final exam will cover material from readings,
lectures, films, activities, and guest speakers.
Grading Scale
Final course grades will be determined based on the following scale:
930-1000
A
900-929
A880-899
B+
830-879
B
800-829
780-799
730-779
700-729
680-699
630-679
600-629
599 and below
BC+
C
CD+
D
DF
All students must practice academic honesty. Cheating will not be tolerated and cell phones
cannot be accessible during exams. Academic misconduct is subject to academic penalty by the
course instructor and/or a disciplinary sanction by the University. All students should be
familiar with the Student Conduct Code. The Code is available for review on line at:
http://life.umt.edu/vpsa/student_conduct.php
This course is accessible and usable for 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 determining appropriate
accommodations.
Office Hours
You may contact me by e-mail or phone, or come to my office hours (MW 10-Noon). You are
always welcome to make an appointment to talk outside of office hours. I encourage you to
talk with me if you have any questions or difficulties with the material. Please don’t wait until
the day before an exam.
Communication and Expectations
Information about the course will occasionally be distributed to the class email list. Students
should check their UM email accounts regularly so that they have current information about
course readings and exams.
If students miss class, they are responsible for obtaining the material they missed. Please be
sure to borrow lecture notes from fellow students, or otherwise find out what was covered so
that you are not disadvantaged when taking your exams.
Please note that EXTENSIONS OR MAKE-UP EXAMS REQUIRE PRIOR APPROVAL
FROM THE INSTRUCTOR. In the absence of such approval (and presuming no serious
emergency), a zero will be given if you fail to take an exam or turn in an assignment. Be sure
to let me know by 11:00 am if you are going to miss the midterm or quiz and why. Make up
exams will be given the following Monday. Students with family emergencies or series
illnesses that require them to miss multiple classes will need to provide documentation (e.g. a
doctor’s note). Again, if you do not contact the instructor prior to class, you will not be able to
make up the exam.
Course Schedule
Course Introduction
Monday, 8/29
Thinking about nature, thinking about Montana
Wednesday, 8/31
Natural resource conservation and sustainability through multiple lenses
Chiras and Reganold pgs 1-16, 39-45
Friday, 9/2
The Western landscape: history and ownership
Kemmis, D. (1990) Pre-Amble. From Community and the Politics of
Place. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press. Pgs 3-7.
Critical Thinking handout
Monday, 9/5
No Class - Labor Day Holiday
Wednesday, 9/7
Lessons from ecology
Chiras and Reganold, pgs 50-84
Fire: What’s Hot in the West
Friday, 9/9
Montana fire ecology
Guest Speaker: Ron Wakimoto, Ecosystem and Conservation Sciences
Reading handout
Monday, 9/12
Fire history and policy
Guest Speaker: Jim Burchfield, College of Forestry and Conservation
Hakanson, E. (2010) Fuels Management Policy in the U.S. Forest
Service. PhD Dissertation. pgs 32-47
Wednesday, 9/14
Fire economics and the wildland urban interface
Montana Wildfire Cost Study: Technical Report (2008) and Summary:
Wildland Fire Research (2011) both by Headwaters Economics
Friday, 9/16
History, communities, planning, and risk
Pyne, S.J. (2009) Fire on the Fringe, Environmental Research Letters.
Egan, T. (2009) Excerpts from The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt and the
Fire that Saved America. New York: HMH Publishing.
Monday, 9/19
Southwest Crown of the Continent Forest Restoration Collaborative
Guest Speaker: Tim Love, Seeley Lake District Ranger, Forest Service
Reading available on course reserve
Wednesday, 9/21
Class activity/prep for midterm
Reading available on course reserve
Friday, 9/23
MIDTERM #1
Water: Shifting Foundations
Monday, 9/26
Water and water issues
Chiras and Reganold, pgs 226-239
Wednesday, 9/28
Farming and ranching, irrigation and drought
Chiras and Reganold, pgs 248-253
Miller, M. (2005) Drought Effects on the Ranching Industry in
Southeastern Colorado, Rangelands, pgs 17-18.
Friday, 9/30
Fisheries
Chiras and Reganold, pgs 306-319
Monday, 10/3
Water policy and in-stream flow
Guest Speaker: Sarah Bates, Natural Resources and Environmental
Policy
Center
Reading available on course reserve
Wednesday, 10/5
Watershed collaboration and watershed groups
Guest Speaker: Jim Burchfield, College of Forestry and Conservation
Snow, D. (2001) Montana’s Clark Fork: A New Story for a
Hardworking River. From: Across the Great Divide: Explorations in
Collaborative Conservation and the American West. Edited by Brick,
Snow, and Van de Wetering. Washington D.C.: Island Press.
Friday, 10/7
Water and energy, fracking and coal bed methane
Selected news articles and commentary
Monday, 10/10
River restoration on the Clark Fork
Milltown Reservoir Superfund Site FAQS. Clark Fork Coalition.
The Three Rs of the Milltown Superfund Project. Clark Fork River
Technical Assistance Committee.
Wednesday, 10/12
Class activity/prep for midterm
Reading available on course reserve
Friday, 10/14
MIDTERM #2
Wolves: Myths, Reality, and Politics
Monday, 10/17
Wolves in Montana
Guest Speaker: Mark Hebblewhite, Wildlife Biology
Wednesday, 10/19
Endangered species policy
Chiras and Reganold, pgs 406-426
Friday, 10/21
Ranching, hunting, and wolves
No reading
Monday, 10/24
Political conflict, economic interests, and social values
Local online commentary about wolves
Wednesday, 10/26
Class activity
Timber and Real Estate: How We “Use” our Forests
Friday, 10/28
Thinking about forest management
Guest Speaker: Jim Burchfield, College of Forestry and Conservation
Chiras and Reganold, pgs 371-392
Monday, 10/31
Forest management in the Montana context
No reading
Wednesday, 11/2
Identifying the common trees of Montana
Guest speaker: Ed Burke, Forest Management
Matthews, D. (2003) Conifers. From Rocky Mountain Natural History,
Portland: Raven Editions. pgs 43-82.
Friday, 11/4
Identifying the common trees of Montana
Guest speaker: Ed Burke, Forest Management
Monday, 11/7
Tree ID quiz and poetry reading
Wednesday, 11/9
Timber divestment and subdivision
Guest Speaker: Jill Belsky, Bolle Center for People and Forests
Reading available on course reserve
Friday, 11/11
No Class - Veteran’s Day Holiday
Monday, 11/14
Changing forest communities
Reading available on course reserve
Wednesday, 11/16
Restoration forestry
Reading available on course reserve
Friday, 11/18
MIDTERM #3
Climate Change: From Global to Local
Monday, 11/21
Climate change science, international policy, equity and justice
Chiras and Reganold, pgs 513-528
Wednesday, 11/23
No Class - Thanksgiving Holiday
Friday, 11/25
No Class - Thanksgiving Holiday
Monday, 11/28
Climate change and Montana’s forests
Guest Speaker: Cory Cleveland, Ecosystem and Conservation Sciences
Reading available on course reserve
Wednesday, 11/30
Adapting to climate change in Montana
Reading available on course reserve
Friday, 12/2
Biomass and the UM plant
Guest Speaker: Tom Javins, Associate Director Engineering and
Utilities
Reading available on course reserve
Papers Due in Class Today
Innovation and Integration: Tying it All Together
Monday, 12/5
Thinking across scales and disciplines
Reading available on course reserve
Wednesday, 12/7
Solutions in a world of multiple viewpoints
Reading available on course reserve
Friday, 12/9
Decisions in the face of uncertainty
Reading available on course reserve
Wednesday, 12/14
1:10-3:00
Final Exam
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.