Is Animal Migration Disappearing?

3 Credits

Animal migration is a fascinating and inspiring natural phenomenon, yet around the world, many migrations are in decline, and this rate has accelerated in recent years. Therefore, the pressing questions that this course addresses are: “Is animal migration disappearing? And “Is this a significant issue?” We will focus on a diversity of organisms that journey by air, land, and water to explore the ecological properties and services associated with migrating animals. We will explore the scientific, social, and political challenges to ensure that these migrations do not go extinct. We will learn about the methods used to study migration, cues for migration, variation in migratory life histories and their evolution, and assess how humans affect migrating animals. We will view this pressing question through a scientific lens and multi-disciplinary inquiry, with assignments that employ writing, presentation, data analysis, experiential learning, class discussion, and group work. This course affords students the ability to critically examine and evaluate the principles of the scientific method, model construction, and use the scientific method to explain natural experiences and phenomena.