General Description of BIS 300 in Spring 2006 (C. Jackels).


This course is designed to introduce students to the Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences (IAS) Program and to concepts of interdisciplinary knowledge more generally.  It will be organized around
the general theme of “water,” which will be addressed from scientific, environmental, political, social, and cultural perspectives.  In their prior course work in mathematics, sciences, social sciences, and humanities, students should have begun to develop the fundamental quantitative and qualitative skills employed in academic writing, research, and critical thinking.  In this course, students will further develop those skills as they investigate the nature and importance of water from multiple perspectives. 

 

Specific goals of this course include:

 

1.      An introduction to the science and natural history of water.

2.      An introduction to the interplay of culture, the environment, power, and politics with the US and World freshwater resources.

3.      An awareness of the implications of the limited fresh water resource to the future population growth of the world.

4.      Development of computer, library, reading, and writing skills necessary for student success at UWB.