Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/Brooklyn College/Principles of Ecology (FS2023)

Ecology is the study of the interaction between organisms and their environment, and encompasses a broad array of study areas, ranging from individual organisms to the global biosphere. While ecological research has traditionally focused on natural systems independent of human impacts, insights from this work are becoming increasingly relevant as we attempt to understand the short- and long-term impacts of human settlement on the global environment. As part of Brooklyn’s innovative program in urban sustainability, BIOL3083 aims to provide a solid foundation in ecological theory, and to encourage students to use this theory to explore life in a modern city.

Students will work in groups, selecting one of the major ecological themes of the course, and work to translate these ecological principles to an urban environment. Students will prepare a research proposal outlining their topic, and including 2-3 primary references. Following the approval of their proposal, students will develop their topic into a full article. At the conclusion of the course, students will present their articles to the class, as an integrative Wiki.

The general structure of this assignment is followed each Fall, but student research is typically lost, as there is no way to archive student research papers in a way that is accessible to future classes. My hope is that if the experiment this semester is successful, we will continue to use Wikis in future years, providing a way for students to integrate/hyperlink their research to that of previous classes.