Class name: “Global Change Biology”
Taught by: Visiting Assistant Professor of Biology Jamie Becker
Here’s what Becker has to say about his course:
“Global Change Biology” is a “Perspectives in Biology” course for non-biology majors focused on how anthropogenic, or human, activities impact Earth’s climate and, in turn, all living things on our planet. Over the course of the semester, the students acquire a broad understanding of the connections between human activities and the structure and function of biological systems, achieve a higher level of critical thinking that enables proper evaluation and educated decision-making regarding issues related to global change, and become acquainted with methods and tools used for analyzing past and predicting future responses to global change
I hope that students in the course develop a renewed appreciation for the many connections between the physical, chemical, and biological systems of our planet and that the course will have a sustained positive influence on the way they think and act.
As a non-majors course, the students have a diverse array of interests and are passionate about many different topics outside the field of biology. I enjoy the opportunity to provide my students with new ways of identifying and appreciating their connection to the Earth and the importance of natural systems in their daily lives, and I am excited by the possibility of students incorporating what they learn in this course into their individual endeavors.
See what other courses the Department of Biology is offering this semester.
Cool Classes is a recurring series on the Haverblog that highlights interesting, unusual, and unique courses that enrich the Haverford College experience.
Photo of the “Global Change Biology” class meeting outside on a fall day by Claire Blood-Cheney ’20.