IS 750: Topics in Biocultural Diversity

Instructors

• Gary Holton, Linguistics, holton@hawaii.edu
• Tamara Ticktin, Botany, ticktin@hawaii.edu
• Alexander Mawyer, CPIS, mawyer@hawaii.edu

Overview

This is a seminar course which introduces students to the field of biocultural diversity and conservation, emphasizing transdisciplinary approaches to understanding the interrelationships between culture, ecology, and language. This course features lectures and discussions by key UH Mānoa faculty in anthropology, biology, botany, Hawaiian studies, natural resources, linguistics, literature, law, and more.

Course Objectives and Student Learning Outcomes

At the end of this course students will be able to:

• understand the inter-relationships between biological, cultural and linguistic diversity
• articulate the challenges inherent to quantitative approaches to measuring diversity and assessing the status of conservation efforts
• think systematically about various fields of traditional knowledge
• perceive how language influences the way humans experience and conceptualize the biological and physical environment
• provide specific examples of issues entangled in the relationships between humans and island environments
• reflect upon environmental, ecological, and human futures

Materials

Course Readings, as assigned (available at here).

For more information see the complete syllabus.