Seminar in Natural Science (online)

Field Trip Information

This semester we will take a field trip to the Field Museum of Natural History (Sun., Oct. 21st, 2pm), one of the premier science museums in the country, where we'll visit the new temporary exhibit on the life and work of Charles Darwin.  This trip not only will be a fun change of pace but also will give us a chance to meet face-to-face.  Logistical information for the trip will be posted in the Discussion Board.  I encourage people to form carpools based on where you're located in the Chicago area, and will set up a discussion forum to facilitate making contact with your classmates and arranging rides.  For those unable to attend a given trip on the specified date, you may either (1) visit the site on a date convenient to you; (2) visit an alternative and comparable facility/natural area; or (3) review a web resource related to the Field Trip (see below).

Whether you're able to attend the group field trip or you do an alternative activity, you'll share your thoughts on the experience on the Discussion Board, reflecting on what you saw, experienced, and learned on each trip.  Rather than providing a running narrative of the day's activities (or a summary of the website you explored), your post should discuss issues like the key things you observed and learned; the ways the trip connected to/complemented our class discussions and readings; what you found most interesting, surprising, and/or valuable; and how this knowledge added to and/or changed your perspective on the topic.  

Alternatives for those who can't attend the scheduled field trip:

If you can't attend the scheduled field trip, I'd encourage you to visit the site yourself at a more convenient time; for those of you with families, consider this a chance to have a fun day out with your loved ones and get course credit besides!  (In my 2003 BGS 392 online seminar in humanities, for example, I had two students enrolled who were living in California, and effectively used the field trip assignments to explore some remarkable cultural institutions in their local areas.)  

: :  A web alternative to the Field Museum trip is simple, as the Darwin exhibit has a thorough and informative website you can explore (and which is required reading for week 6, to boot).  You might also check out some of the online resources at the Field Museum, such as the Research and Collections information page.  Finally, you could seek out other web-based resources on evolution.

: :  Another fascinating exhibit at the FMNH is a permanent one:  the multimedia exploration of life's evolution and diversity called Evolving Planet.  Like the Darwin project, Evolving Planet is an exciting and educational exhibit that includes many of the Field Museum's important dinosaur specimens; and it's website is a comprehensive introduction to the processes and importance of evolutionary biology.

Assignments

Field Trips

Links

Schedule

Texts

391 Home Page 

mb's Courses Page
(classes / office hours)

mb's Home Page

Lobby of Roosevelt's Alfred A. Robin Campus (opened 1996)

Roosevelt's National Landmark, the Auditorium Building, downtown Chicago

The Gage Building: home of the College of Professional Studies

Last updated 12/10/07