Natural History of Addison County
In this course, we will forge a sense of place through attention and connection— learning to see the relationships within the region's ecological communities and cultivating relationships within its human communities. To this end, students will engage in a series of field trips in Middlebury and surrounding parts of Addison County. We will use Natural History as a structuring principle, building an understanding of the ways that current landscapes are shaped by influences from bedrock geology to human history to plant and animal assemblages. Our goal over the course of the semester is to help each other find our own places within the wider community, and by so doing, to help make Middlebury feel more like home. Be ready to venture outside. [One 50-min lec. + one 3 hrs. sem./lab]