BIO 622: Urban Ecology
Summer 2026 Elective W+ Course
In-Person Dates: 5/30, 6/14, 6/27, 7/12, 7/16, 7/25
Locations: Bronx Zoo & Field Research Sites
Note: Students will be responsible for travel to/from these sites.
Elective W+ Course – 3 credits, Letter Grade
As urbanization increases globally, it is important to understand how natural resources can best be managed within and around cities. In this course, students explore the growing field of urban ecology and investigate how diverse stakeholders in cities can work together to increase urban sustainability and livability. The course includes a project whereby students collaborate to design a comprehensive urban land use management vision for the future of an urban system of their choice. This course occurs in Dragonfly's web-based learning community.This is a Miami University online course with experiential learning on-site at an affiliated Dragonfly Advanced Inquiry Program (AIP) institution.
Student Learning Outcomes:
- Explore the historical development of New York City, with attention paid to long-lasting effects of historic city planning decisions
- Compare and analyze urban population growth patterns and urban biodiversity data to identify issues to be addressed in urban ecology
- Evaluate various coastal planning strategies employed throughout New York City to identify strengths and weaknesses of each
- Collaborate on a project to reimagine the urban systems within New York City through the use of online visulaization platforms, specifically attending to carbon, water, and biodiversity systems and the creation of digital challenges to be issued to targeted local audiences of potential stewards
- Employ community resources, including the AIP Master Institution environment, and outreach to create connections, build community partnerships and use the network as a learning resource.
- Engage in reflective and evaluative peer review in face-to-face environments and on the web to provide colleagues with personal insight, new perspectives or analyses, ideas for useful applications, and connections to other research and projects.
