Conservation Biology Journal Club
Fall 2007
Instructor: Paige Warren
Email: pswarren@nrc.umass.edu
Phone: 5-0061 or 413-512-9794
Meetings: Mondays at 11am, 312a Holdsworth, unless posted otherwise
Blog – websites.umass.edu/pswarren/
Welcome to the first semester of a journal club focused on issues in conservation biology and applied ecology. I aim to provide a forum for graduate students, postdocs, and faculty to have productive, lively, and respectful discussions focused on current work in prominent journals, such as Conservation Biology and Ecological Applications.
Readings
There will be no specific theme or focus for the discussions this semester, beyond the broad topic of conservation biology. Depending on the outcome of this semester, however, we may do more focused readings in the future. I expect this to be a diverse group of participants. So, readings should be selected to address topics of broad interest. It’s always helpful if discussion leaders each week are prepared to provide a VERY BRIEF (5 min) introduction to their chosen topic. I will aim to provide a copy of the reading 1 week in advance of each meeting and will post notifications about the reading group on the blog.
Course Credit & Requirements
I strongly encourage any student regularly attending the course to register for credit for two reasons. First, there are a limited number of time slots for leading discussion, and priority will be given to enrolled students. Second, it helps me and allows me to continue hosting this group in the future.
My only requirements of enrolled students are to attend regularly, participate in discussion of the papers, and lead discussion of a paper once during the semester. I will assist any student as needed with selecting an appropriate paper for discussion and with preparation for leading the discussion.
Guidelines for a Good Discussion
In my experience, several common sense factors lead to fun and respectful discussions:
· Read the paper before attending.
· Be considerate. Don’t interrupt others while they are talking.
· Faculty – don’t talk too much!
· Students – don’t be afraid to talk. There is no such thing as a dumb question.