My teaching portfolio includes  in-person, online, and study abroad courses. Mouse around the content below to learn more about the courses I teach.

CURRENT COURSES

 FW/CJ 847: Global Risks, Conservation, and Criminology [online]

Environmental problems such as climate change and biodiversity loss do not respect national boundaries and pose risks to the global society. Many people argue that environmental problems are caused and/or exacerbated by globalization. As a result of globalization, some say, illegal and illicit opportunities surrounding the environment have grown. Globalization has been credited with breeding new forms of environmental risk, exploitation and criminalization such as aspects of migration, trade in endangered species, and internet-related behavior. In this 3-credit online graduate-level course, we will discuss the main actors in the global environmental arena; characteristics of global environmental politics; legal and normative instruments for addressing global environmental problems; key theories from risk, conservation, and criminology related to globalization; and strategies for overcoming global environmental risks. Offered every fall semester. This course is part of the Conservation Criminology Certificate Program. For more information, visit www.conservationcriminology.msu.edu.

FW 810: Methods and research in human dimensions of fisheries and wildlife management

This course examines theory and research methods related to the human dimensions of fisheries and wildlife conservation and management. We will use case studies to illustrate various applications of multidisciplinary theory and effects of conservation and management strategies. Course meetings will include short lectures, collaborative and cooperative learning exercises, class and peer-led discussions, and computer simulations. By the end of the semester, students will be familiar with the major ideas and practices related to HD, including economic and social values, individual, group, and social behavior, public involvement, decision making, risk, and communication, be able to integrate human and biological dimensions within a management context, and be able to incorporate concepts of HD research into their professional activities, recognizing their philosophy of science. Offered spring semester in even years.

FW 480-752: Paradise in peril? Exploring Madagascar’s biodiversity crisis [summer study abroad]

This study abroad program examines the nexus of biodiversity conservation and livelihood preservation on the world’s 4th largest island, Madagascar. We will visit multiple terrestrial and marine protected areas in diverse habitat types (e.g., tropical humid forest, deciduous dry forest, coastal and marine habitats,mangroves, coral reefs) to better understand the evolution and sustainability of natural resource governance in Madagascar. We will see first hand and discuss both the challenges associated with managing and enforcing protected areas (e.g., illegal logging, lemur or tortoise poaching) and the opportunities (e.g., carbon banking, ecotourism, community policing). Students will learn about how Malagasy people react to and think about environmental enforcement and environmental degradation.Guest speakers will discuss voluntary and mandatory compliance interventions designed to foster co-conservation of culture and natural resources, educational and technological innovation interventions, and captive breeding programs for Madagascar’s endemic endangered species. Students directly interact with conservation practitioners, enforcement officials, biologists, and local people to experientially learn about Malagasy culture and natural resources. To learn more about this course (including how to enroll, program fees, and dates), visit the Michigan State University Office of Study Abroad Website: www.osa.msu.edu. Click HERE to see 2008 program photos on Flickr.com and HERE to check out 2012 pics on Facebook.

FW 435: Communication for Fisheries & Wildlife Professionals

Communication is a process we engage in daily—at school, on the job, and at home. We can’t avoid it — one cannot not communicate. We’re all experienced with communication, both as the originators and as the recipients of messages.  Professionals engaged in various roles in FW management spend much of their time communicating with various colleagues, staff, supervisors, partners and stakeholders.  It is an essential part of their jobs. Apart from messages with specific persuasive intent, we’re constantly engaged in sending, receiving, and storing messages relating to all aspects of personal, family, community, and professional life. Disentangling specific messages of interest from all the background noise can be challenging. Sometimes communication is effective, sometimes it is not. Ever wonder why? This 3-credit undergraduate level course is designed to provide an introduction to communication models and theories, communication planning, and effective communication with stakeholders. The semester is organized into three sections. First, we will learn about conceptual frameworks for he field of environmental communications. Second we will discuss communication planning. Finally, we will learn about the practical tools and applications of environmental communication.  Students will have the opportunity to work with Michigan Department of Natural Resources wildlife managers on constructing real-world wolf management communication. 

PREVIOUSLY TAUGHT COURSES

FW 858: Gender, Justice & Environment

 

This multi-disciplinary course acquaints graduate students with the key debates and theoretical approaches involved in understanding environmental concerns from a gender and justice perspective. It is intended for students in the social sciences and in agricultural and natural resources who, while familiar with their own disciplinary approaches to environmental studies, are not acquainted with those used in other disciplines and are not familiar with gendered perspectives on environmental change or activism. Growing concern for the protection of the environment and for the development of more sustainable production systems have led policy makers and scholars to consider ways in which gender, class,and race mediate human-environment interactions. The course examines conceptual issues related to ecological systems, environmental policy, gender studies, and justice and equity concerns. It critically examines the complex intersections of environmental actors, agencies, and institutions in the global arena through a focus on contested gender power relations. The readings, videos, and other materials used in the class are global in focus in order to acquaint students with the similarities and differences in gendered relationships to the environment, access to resources, and in their environmental activism.

FW 893: Risk communication in fisheries and wildlife

This seminar focuses on key theoretical principles guiding the field of risk communication,highlighting ways to construct more effective risk messages, and providing students with hand-on opportunities to apply various risk communication strategies. By the end of this seminar, students will be familiar with basic principles of risk communication and be able to successfully communicate risks in fisheries and wildlife management with various media sources.

FW 293: Undergraduate Seminar in Fisheries and Wildlife

This one-credit sophomore seminar explores five case studies highlighting the integrative nature of fisheries and wildlife management. Student learning goals of the semester are to: 1) gain familiarity with fisheries and wildlife management principles and practices through discussion of case studies of increasing complexity; 2) to maintain contact with FW students during the sophomore year at MSU; 3) practice integrating knowledge from across classes and disciplines and gain appreciation of the relevance of pst and future course work to the management of earth’s ecosystems. This course is co-taught with Dr. Kelly Millenbah and Dr. Amber Peters.