A Sense of Place: Discovering Missouri's Natural Heritage

3 units

This is the first course in the Pathfinder program, and it will introduce students to their new home for the next four years. This interdisciplinary course will cover Missouri geology, climate, archaeology, and native megafauna. We will explore many of the habitats found in Missouri (prairie, forest, glade, and stream) and the biology of our diverse plant and animal wildlife (arthropods, mollusks, fish, salamanders, lizards, birds, and mammals). This will provide a foundation that will inform the study of ecology, policy and management in other courses. In addition to weekly lectures and discussions, students in this course will visit sites across the state during three weekend camping trips and two one-day trips. Attendance on field trips is an essential component of the course. Course enrollment is open only to students admitted into the Pathfinder Fellowship program.