ENVS 205 / BIO 205: NATURAL COMMUNITIES OF WISCONSIN
EDGEWOOD COLLEGE, SUMMER 2010
SYLLABUS
PROFESSOR:
Office:
Office Hours:
Nicole Kime
Office phone:
Cell phone:
Email:
Mazzuchelli G08
by appointment
663-3446
213-1315
[email protected]
COURSE DESCRIPTION AND OBJECTIVES:
Our primary objective in this course is to learn about the plants and animals of Wisconsin and how
they come together in what we call natural communities. Although many people don’t realize it, the
history, geology, and climate of Wisconsin allow for an unique diversity of natural communities –
tropical forests are fun and the Rockies are stunning… but Wisconsin is amazing if you know
something about what you are seeing! We will explore and study examples of the aquatic, wetland,
prairie, savanna, and forest communities of Southern Wisconsin.
As a Biology course, we will look at the different factors that determine which plant and animal
species come together in a particular place to form a natural community. We will also learn strategies
for identifying our plants and animals, and take a close look at the life strategies of some of the
fascinating and important species that live in Wisconsin.
As an Environmental Studies course, we will gain a (greater) appreciation for the extent of
biodiversity present in Wisconsin. We will consider historical and cultural influences on the views of
Wisconsin residents (including you!) toward their natural environment. We will also discuss the
effects of human disturbance on the historical landscape of Wisconsin and possible solutions to the
loss and degradation of natural communities that followed European settlement.
CLASS TIMES AND LOCATIONS: June 8 – 18, Tuesday – Friday, 8 AM to 2 PM.
One overnight field trip on 16-17 June is also required.
Scheduled for Mazz G14, but we may meet in other locations.
For many of our classes, we’ll be heading off for a field trip away from the Edgewood Campus. On
some days, we’ll meet in the classroom first. On others, I may ask you to meet me at a particular
place (we will discuss transportation on the first day of class).
It is very important that you are on time for class because we won’t be staying in one place for long.
If you are unable to attend, or will be late for class, please let me know as soon as possible. If you run
into a last-minute emergency, call me on my cell phone on the morning of class so that we don’t
wonder where you are.
It is also important that you are prepared to be outdoors!!! Dress appropriately for kicking
around outside… even if it is raining or chilly. This usually means long pants, boots or tennis shoes,
and a rain jacket. Please don’t turn up for class in a dress, flip-flops, or anything that you don’t want
to get dirty. Sunscreen and bug juice are also good things to have along.
Bring a camera if you have one, a snack / lunch, some water, your field guides, the binoculars that we
issue to you, and a small notebook for recording observations.
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TEXT AND READINGS:
I expect you to do some background reading before you turn up for class, so that you can participate
fully in our explorations. Readings will come from the following sources, and the reading
assignments for each day be noted on our course schedule and website.

Kime, N.M. (lab manual) A Survey of Wisconsin’s Natural Communities. Available on the
course website.

Field guides for birds, trees, and wildflowers. I would like you to acquire one of the following;
others will be available for check-out

o
Birds of Eastern and Central North America (Peterson)
o
Wildflowers of Wisconsin (Black)
o
Eastern trees (Peterson)
o
Wisconsin trees (Tekiela)
Additional readings, which will be posted on the course website.
WEBSITE AND EMAIL:
We will use Edgewood Express as our course website (click on “my courses” in the left toolbar). I’ll
post information on class scheduling, readings, lecture slides, web links, journal assignments, etc.
here. Please see me if you are having trouble with the site.
I use Edgewood email to communicate with students, and I expect that you’ll do the same. There are
two reasons that we use only Edgewood email for this course... 1) My email system can find you
automatically for outgoing messages, and 2) incoming messages to me from other servers often end
up in my junk box (especially if they include attachments, like journal assignments). To make sure
that important emails are not missed in either direction, please check your inbox regularly and use
your Edgewood account to send emails to me.
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YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES:
Your grade will be based on three things… Total points for the course will vary from semester to
semester, as our schedule will slide around given of the nature of working in the field…
1) Your attendance and participation in scheduled classes (10 points per day).
2) Assigned journal entries for each class period (50 points per journal).
3) A final project that integrates class material on a selected topic (50 points).
Attendance and Participation in Classes:
A significant portion of your final grade will be determined by your attendance, engagement, and
participation in the class. Each class period is worth 10 points. Achieving the full 10 points per class
depends on your having demonstrated that you’ve read the assigned material before class, your ontime presence, and your active involvement in our explorations and discussions.
If you find that you need to miss class, please let me know beforehand so that we can plan for
transportation and don’t worry about you. My cell phone number is listed above, if you have a lastminute change in plans.
Field Journals:
Most of your final grade will be based on a “journal” of your experiences in the field and classroom,
with the addition of researched material and reflection added after class. We’ll discuss journal entries
in depth on the first day of class, and I’ll give you specific directions for topics to be included in each
of the journals.
Shoot for 3-6 pages of (single-spaced, 12 point Times New Roman) text for each required entry. It
is important that you include APA formatted references to all outside material in your journal
entries… the reference list is not included in your three-page minimum.
Given the timeframe of the course, all journal entries will be due to me by 2PM on the Friday
following the close of the course. Journal entries should be typed and submitted via Edgewood
Express.
Final Project
The remainder of your final grade will be based on a project in which you’ll integrate class material
on a unique topic that is of interest to you. More on this later…
Grading Scale:
We will use the following grade scale (percents): 90 = A, 88 = AB, 80 = B, 78 = BC, 70 = C, 68 =
CD, 60 = D.
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FROM THE COLLEGE:
ACADEMIC HONESTY:
As members of a scholarly community dedicated to healthy intellectual development, students and faculty at
Edgewood College are expected to share the responsibility for maintaining high standards of honesty and integrity in
their academic work. Each student should reflect this sense of responsibility toward the community by submitting
work that is a product of his or her own effort in a particular course, unless the instructor has directed otherwise. In
order to clarify and emphasize its standards for academic honesty, the College has adopted this policy.
The following are examples of violations of standards for academic honesty and are subject to academic sanctions:
Cheating on exams; submitting collaborative work as one's own; falsifying records, achievements, field or
laboratory data, or other course work; stealing examinations or course materials; submitting work previously
submitted in another course, unless specifically approved by the present instructor; falsifying documents or signing
an instructor's or administrator's name to any document or form; plagiarism*; or aiding another student in any of the
above actions.
*Plagiarism, which is defined as the deliberate use of another's ideas or words or images as if they were one's own,
can take many forms, from the egregious to the mild. Instances most commonly seen in work by students in order
from most to least serious are:
1.
2.
3.
borrowing, buying or stealing another person’s work for one’s own use; lending or selling one’s own work
for another's use as his or her own;
getting so much help on a work from someone else, including a college tutor, that the student can no longer
legitimately claim to be the author/creator;
intentionally using source material** improperly, e.g., neither citing or using quotation marks on borrowed
materials; supplying an in-text citation but failing to enclose quoted material within quotation marks;
leaving paraphrased material too close to the original version; failing to give credit to the original
author/creator as the source of an idea, image, or paraphrased material; failing to provide a list of works
cited or misusing borrowed sources through ignorance or carelessness.
**Source material can include ideas, words or images from any source in any format, (including books, newspapers,
journals, magazines, pamphlets, interviews, video and internet sites). The student’s “work” can include written
essays, oral presentations, art work, lab experiments — any ideas, words or images in any format (written, graphic,
electronic, etc.)
LEARNING SUPPORT SERVICES:
Learning support services is located in the Student Resource Center in DeRicci 206 and in SON 408. Their phone is
663-2281. They provide academic support such as peer tutoring and assistance in time management, studying, and
test-taking skills.
ACCESSIBILITY SERVICES FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES:
Our mission is to provide accommodations and accessibility support to students with disabilities that will enable
them to fully participate in programs and services that are available at Edgewood College. Information regarding
policies and procedures regarding the Disabilities Services Office can be found at our web site
http://edgenet.edgewood.edu/lss/DisabilityServices/default.htm, or by contacting Lili O'Connell, Disability Services
Coordinator, by phone at (608) 663-8347, or by emailing [email protected].
DISABILITY ACCOMMODATION STATEMENT:
If you are a student with a documented disability and are interested in accommodations for this course, contact the
Disabilities Services Coordinator (Lili O’Connell) in Learning Support Services in the Student Resource Center.
Each student shall be expected to make timely and appropriate disclosure and requests to effectively set up services.
All requests for services and disabilities documentation are confidential. If you have questions about services,
accommodations, or documentation contact the Disabilities Services Coordinator in DeRicci 206, 663-2281.
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