UNIVERSITY OF GUAM

COURSE OUTLINE

Course Number: BI 201 COLLEGE(or sponsoring unit) CAS/Natural Sciences

Course Title: Natural History of Guam Credit Hours: 3

Date of Final Approvel: Semester Offered: Fall

Course counts as X General Education Requirement

Part of major program

Elective

1. CATALOG DESCRIPTION

This course is a natural history of Guam that includes the development of the Mariana Islands arc, geological history, physical geography, and a survey of the major groups of plants and animals. The course is presented by using a variety of methods including lectures, slide presentations, field specimen studies and field trips.

2. COURSE CONTENT

BI 201 is designed to provide a stimulating, up to date overview of the natural history of Guam. The course is equally divided into studies of the geology of Guam and island biogeography, while integrating the fundamental basic science background required for a general education course. Natural History of Guam introduces student not only to the basic principles of geology and biology, but to the physical sciences and to the methods and assumptions of modern science as well. This approach demonstrates the relevance of the physical sciences to natural history studies and thus helps make the study of all sciences less intimidating to nonscience students. The course also seeks to satisfy the needs and expectations of a wide range of students. A course outline is included in the copy of the syllabus that is attached.

3. RATIONALE FOR THE COURSE

The Mariana Islands arc has a long and complex history compared to hotspot islands, such as the Hawaiian Islands. Geological development of the island arc has included episodes of volcanic construction, submergence, limestone deposition, and tectonic uplift. In the absence of a general text describing the geology of Guam, students at all levels of education in Guam are unaware of the rich geological history of the island and the reasons for the disparate distribution of natural resources between northern and southern Guam. The geological history of the island also had a profound effect on the populations of plants and animals that dispersed to the island. Recently, expansion of the island’s human population has disrupted many of Guam’s unique ecosystems, upsetting the fragile balance that has characterized insular species associations for millennia. Loss of habitat, coupled with introductions of exotic species, has many Guam endemic species teetering on the brink of extinction. The quest for self-determination by Guam’s indigenous people has produced an increased interest in the history of Guam’s society and environment. As a result of this heightened awareness, students with varying backgrounds have been attracted to natural history to obtain a basic understanding of the geological and biological processes that operate in insular systems.

4. SKILLS AND BACKGROUND REQUIRED OR EXPECTED

This course is designed primarily for nonscience students, although it is also an elective for undergraduate majors in biology. It presumes that students enrolling in BI 201 have little or no background in the sciences.

5. TEACHING METHODOLOGIES AND ANTICIPATED CLASS SIZE

Classroom discussions of geological and biological principles are supplemented by slide presentations, transparencies, and videotape. Reading materials on reserve at the Marine Laboratory are available to students seeking additional information. Geological and biological specimens from the Marine Laboratory teaching collections are presented to demonstrate selected principles. Anticipated class size is 24 students.

6. ADDITIONAL COURSE DESCRIPTORS

7. LEARNING OBJECTIVES FOR STUDENTS

a) to be able to observe and interpret geological and biological processes in accordance with the scientific method;

b) to observe and evaluate some of the rocks, minerals, and soils of common geological formations on Guam and to understand the information that they provide about geological events in the development of the island;

c) to evaluate the influence of geological and biological history on the physical, chemical, and biological interrelationships of Guam’s terrestrial, aquatic, and marine environments Guam.

8. METHODS OF EVALUATION

Students comprehension of classroom discussion is evaluated by short quizzes and unit examinations. Knowledge and understanding of geological principles provides students with the tools necessary to compile geological collections of representative rocks, soils, and fossils required to complete the course.

9. REQUIRED AND RECOMMENDED TEXTS AND/OR STUDY GUIDES

No textbook is available.

10. SUBSEQUENT COURSES

No subsequent courses are presently offered.

THE CALENDAR OF ASSIGNMENTS, ATTENDANCE AND GRADING POLICIES ARE TO BE INCLUDED IN THE COURSE SYLLABUS.