| Pages |
Course Requirements |
| Home Requirements Syllabus Lecture_Notes Links JDB_HomePage JDB_email: jd363@columbia.edu 212.854.0149 Edited 3.Oct.03 |
Required Reading The main text that will be used is Island Biogeography, a book by Robert J. Whittaker. We will also read research papers that are either the original or the best formulation of the theory as well as a more recent critique of the original paper to further develop each idea. Primary literature and online information will also be used to augment the concepts and provide examples for discussion. Journals of particular importance for this class will include Ecology, Oecologica, Conservation Biology, Biological Conservation, Nature, Science, and Naturwissenschaften. Grading Students will read and discuss chapters from the text and/or primary literature papers weekly. A midterm conference with each student will give the student a chance to improve participation performance at this point. Seven short (1-2 page single spaced) research papers will be due every other week that will extend and summarize the work presented during the previous two weeks. Successful implementation and interpretation of the theoretical approaches discussed also will be assessed via a comprehensive term paper that integrates and interprets the ideas discussed during this semester for an island ecosystem of their own choosing. The paper will be written up as a literature review and will comprise no more than 15 double-spaced pages. Grading will be based on: • Participation in class: 30% • Short papers : 40% • Term paper: 30% |