Environmental Science
EVSC 1050: Ethics, Protocols and Practice of International Research
Cross listed with STS 2500
Robert Swap, Research Associate Professor
Prerequisite: at least one general science course.
What constitutes scientific research? What is the scientific method and how does it relate to conducting scientific research in an international setting? What are the ethics and protocols of conducting international research? And how faithfully does the actual practice of such research reflect these protocols and standards of ethics? How should students and scholars work to establish research partnerships that bring sustained benefits to the environment and to the people who inhabit the site of a given project? How can international research consortia establish a basis for community service and development? What are the ethical obligations of contemporary researchers and students who visit developing countries, especially in light of the legacy of colonialism? Through an intense combination of readings, discussions, guest presentations, and group projects, students will address all these questions. The class will be facilitated by the lead instructors with the active participation of a delegation of scholars from southern Africa; in addition, the class will also have distinguished guest instructors from the University and the wider scholarly community. Drawing on all these resources, students, working in autonomous small groups, will design a potential research project of their own and present it to the entire group.
Course focus is not so much on health/safety/risk management issues of student research but rather on student responsibilities associated with the privilege of conducting research within an international setting e.g. what to expect when conducting a research project in an unfamiliar culture, identifying and working with the values and norms of that culture, etc.
Course Objectives: Students should be able to articulate scientific questions of an international nature and defend a proposal of intended research. Their proposed efforts should incorporate concepts of the scientific method, ethics and best collaborative practices of international education and research partnerships. They should be prepared to design and undertake their own projects in partnership with colleagues in the region with a deepened awareness of both the larger issues and concrete practicalities of their chosen field of education, service and research.
An additional nonrefundable $100 fee required.
EVSC 2070/STS 2140: Earth Systems Technology and Management
Michael Gorman, Professor
Earth Systems Engineering Management (ESEM) is a comprehensive perspective that combines engineering, environmental science and psychology to explore how human beings can take care of the ecosystem. Students will listen to lectures and discuss background readings from a variety of perspectives related to ESEM. Then they will apply what they have read to a practical problem: identifying and managing national parks and other national entities like monuments, battlefields, etc. Why should these places be set aside? Are they, as Ken Burns suggest, "America's best idea?" What other countries have national park strategies?
Students will go on two field trips, one to the Shenandoah National Park and the other will be to the section of the Chancellorsville battlefield that has been preservved by the Civil War Preservation Trust.
EVSC 4559: The Ocean in Captivity [3]
Stephen Macko, Professor
This class offers students more exposure to the ocean through a mixture of in-class work and field experiences. The course addresses not only the particulars of the marine science, but also aspects of ethics (keeping marine animals in captivity or in situations that their life spans will be significantly shortened) and special difficulties that arise from captive ocean populations. Various trips to locations where the ocean is being 'captured' allow students to explore both the extinct and extant ocean and complement class and laboratory experiences at UVa. Locations for overnight field trips likely will include the National Aquaria in Baltimore and Washington, the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, and the Virginia Aquarium in Virginia Beach.
Virginia Public Radio: Meet the Oyster Professor
Additional nonrefundable $700 fee required. Added fees will include transportation, overnight accommodations, entrance fees and some course specific meals.
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