Weekly
journal assignments for BIOL 311, Creating a
Journals should include a minimum of three entries per week. All three entries do not need to reflect on the assigned theme. Students are encouraged to explore any other areas of nature that they wish in addition to completing the assigned activities.
Oct. 4-5: Write journal preface; drawing warm-up exercises; End Creek field trip.
Oct. 5 – Oct. 11: Look for leaves that are changing color in your area. Make some sketches of the leaves in your journal and try to identify the trees and shrubs. Go on-line and read about how and why leaves change color in the fall. What are the advantages of deciduous leaves versus evergreen leaves? Do some leaves change color earlier than others?
Oct. 12-18: Read the essay about October by Aldo Leopold and comment on it in your journal. What did you like about the essay? Do you see ways that you could emulate Aldo Leopold? Write your own essay about October nature and try to make a landscape sketch that represents the season.
Oct. 19 - 25: Observe the birds in your yard. What species are around; what are they eating? Keep a species list for the week. If possible, get out of town to look for birds in other habitats. Which species will remain throughout the winter? How can these species survive the winter when so many others move south at this time of year? Try your hand at some bird sketches!
Oct. 26 - Nov. 1: Read the essay by
Wallace Stegner, 1992, Thoughts in a Dry Land, In
Where the Bluebird Sings to the Lemonade Springs, Living and Writing in the
West, pp. 45-56, Random House, N.Y.
Stegner views scale, color and form as dominant
features of the American West. Respond to Stegner's
essay with your own impressions of the west. How have you lived in this
landscape and how have its features of scale, color and form affected you? Stegner says "The Westerner is less a person than a
continuing adaptation." Does this apply to you? How have you adapted to
living in the west? Do you think there are ways in which our culture has failed
to adapt to living in the west?
Nov. 2 –Nov. 8: Read the Aldo Leopold essay about November. Write your own essay about some aspect of the natural history of November where you live.
Nov. 9 -15:
Nov. 16– 22: Write your journal sumary. How has keeping a journal helped you find or better define your place in nature? Review your entire journal and the goals you set for yourself the first week of class. How have you progressed toward meeting your goals? As a result of this progress, have you discovered new goals?
Write me a memo suggesting topics that you think I should include for next year’s students. Do you have any favorite natural history essays that you would like to recommend? Who are your favorite nature authors?
Nov. 23 – 29: Thanksgiving week – there is no assignment for this week. You may send your journals to me now. Some people travel to new places for the holiday and want to include their trip in their journals. If so, you may send it next week.
Dec. 3: Get your journals to me! I must have them by Wednesday, Dec.. 3 at the absolute latest for you to receive a grade for this course. I cannot accept late journals; no exceptions. You may send me a photocopy of your journal if you don’t wish to send the original. I will return all of your journals to the DDE office to send back to you.