ENV47100

Science has shaped the dominant worldview of modern civilization and our understanding of the natural world more than any other human institution.  Thus, understanding the unique way science works is essential to a liberal arts education. In this course, we will explore the beauty and intricacies of nature through an experiential field-based approach via exposure to diverse methods of exploration and discovery used by field scientists worldwide. Students will have the opportunity to investigate a specific, self-chosen, topic of deeper study. Supporting discussions will cover the limits and ethics of scientific exploration; what is the essential power of methodological strategies of triangulation, independence, and replication; independent, dependent, and confounding variables; hypothesis generation; study system selection; introductory statistical analyses; and professional-quality results presentation.