Thursdays, August 27-December 17, 2009 • 6:00-8:00 p.m.
Class will meet at the Exploration Outpost
located on the lower level
of the Orthwein Animal Nutrition Center at the Saint Louis Zoo
Noncredit fee: $295 (Full course may also be taken for credit; details below.)
Per lecture: $19 -- Take advantage of this unique opportunity to attend the lectures of your choice! See Scheduled Lectures page for lecture titles and presenter names.
Course Description
It is a fact that the earth's climate is currently warming. Evidence is all around us. Is this change merely part of the earth's natural warming and cooling cycles? If not, what are the causes? And how is the change impacting our world today? Can we do anything to alter its course? Should we do anything?
This course will explore political and scientific aspects of global climate change, including the history, evidence of the phenomenon, perspectives and predictions on the situation, and potential solutions for the problem.
This course is an intensive, in-depth analysis of global climate change designed for both undergraduate and graduate students and education professionals. Through a series of lectures, discussions of study cases, and activities, students will examine the ecological, political, and practical aspects of global climate change. Experts in a variety of disciplines with a vested interest in global climate change will serve as guest lecturers throughout the semester, including professors from Washington University, Saint Louis University, and UMSL and representatives of nonprofit organizations.
Prerequisite (for credit option only):
One of the following:
• BIO 1012 General Biology
• BIO 1811 Introductory Biology from Molecules to Organisms
• BIO 1821 Introductory Biology Organisms and the Environment
• an equivalent biology course
Instructors
Patricia Parker is an evolutionary ecologist who received her PhD from the University of North Carolina. For the last several years, she has studied the disease threats to the endemic birds of the Galapagos Islands, using approaches that include both epidemiological and population genetic perspectives. Climate change may alter disease dynamics in a manner that creates new challenges for management.
Humberto Dutra is a PhD candidate at the University of Missouri-St Louis. He received his master's degree in ecology at Campinas State University, Brazil. Currently he is investigating the effects of invasive plants on biodiversity through biotic interactions. Invasive species are a major ecological issue that might be affected by global climate change.
Registration
Participants may take this course noncredit for $295 or for 2 hours of undergraduate or graduate credit for BIO 4920 or BIO 6920 for the appropriate credit fees.
Washington University and Saint Louis University students who wish to enroll under the reciprocal agreement among these institutions should contact their advisers to register.
NONCREDIT REGISTRATION
Noncredit fee: $295
Online: Register online for Global Climate Change using your MasterCard, Visa, or Discover credit card. To register for individual lectures, please go to the Scheduled Lectures page.
By Phone: Call (314) 516-5974.
By TDD: Call (314) 516-5961.
MasterCard, Visa, or Discover credit card number must be given to assure registration.
CREDIT REGISTRATION
Current UMSL Students
Online: MyView
By Phone: Call Ashley Paterson at (314) 516-5974.
By TDD: Call (314) 516-5961.
In Person: Visit the Registrar's Office in 351 Millennium Student Center.
New UMSL Students
By Phone: Call Ashley Paterson at (314) 516-5974 to request registration information.
By TDD: Call (314) 516-5961.
This course is made possible by a partnership among:
Images provided by Elliot Miller, Robbie Hart, Kelly Halbert, and Chris Fleming.
The University reserves the right to cancel any program. In the event of cancellation, you will be notified immediately, and all program fees will be refunded.
If you must cancel a registration, you are entitled to a full refund only if you cancel prior to the first class meeting. After a credit course begins, refunds are made on a pro-rated basis in accordance with campus policy. Call (314) 516-5961 for information on canceling a registration once a credit course has begun.
The University reserves the right to modify by increase or decrease the fees charged for attendance and other services at the University, including but not limited to educational fees, at any time when in the discretion of the governing board the same is in the best interest of the University, provided that no increases can or will be effective unless approved by the governing board not less than thirty (30) days prior to the beginning of the academic term (semester, etc.) to which the fees are applicable, with all modification of fees to be effective irrespective as to whether fees have or have not been paid by or on behalf of a student prior to the effective date of the modification.