Aquatic Animal Conservation Issues (Fall)

Course Information

Aquatic Animal Conservation Issues is an online course designed to introduce students (upper level undergraduate and graduate) and professionals (with an Associate’s degree or higher) to the controversial issues surrounding aquatic animal species ranging from invertebrates to marine mammals, with some emphasis on marine mammals, but also including sea turtles, fisheries, and marine ecosystems.

Course Syllabus

Format

The format of the class will focus, to a large extent, on a significant amount of reading from book chapters or primary scientific literature on the topic chosen for a given class, and discussion. For each module, students will need to complete a self-test quiz. The MediaSite lectures are taped seminars given by individuals from various places including the College of Veterinary Medicine, Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences Program, the Florida Museum of Natural History, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and US Geological Survey. Rather than have exams, students will be expected to review the reading material and the MediaSite lectures, then complete the module quiz and related homework assignments. Directions for assignments, lectures and due dates will be provided within each learning module.

Course Objectives

• Become acquainted with controversial issues surrounding the conservation of aquatic animals.
• Develop critical thinking skills with regards to identifying problems, providing possible solutions and compromises that may help to conserve aquatic animal species and their environment.
• Cultivate scientific writing skills.
• Undergraduate students will be asked to write a scientific editorial on a controversial topic of their choosing.  Drafts will be handed in prior to the final paper, students will provide critical reviews and and each student will then receive feedback.
• Graduate students will be asked to write a 5 page pro/con review paper and will be asked then to review 2 drafts from their classmates.

Course Topics

Is this course right for you? Below are the topics covered in this course. More details are also available in the course syllabus (above). Undergraduate and graduate students in our courses are often Animal Science, Fisheries & Aquatic Sciences, Marine Biology, Wildlife Ecology & Conservation, or Zoology majors. Many of the undergraduate students are on a pre-veterinary medicine track. We also offer this course to veterinary medicine students and as continuing education for veterinarian CE credit. Others interested in furthering their education may also benefit from the CE enrollment option such as aquarists, biologists, and veterinary technicians.

• Natural History and Ecosystems
• Natural History and Conservation, Sea Turtles
• Natural History and Conservation, Aquatic Ecosystems & Fish
• Natural History and Conservation, Aquatic Birds
• Aquaculture, Diseases and Impacts on Conservation
• Attitudes toward Marine Mammals
• Conservation and Management of Elasmobranchs
• Fisheries and Marine Mammals
• Conservation of the North Atlantic Right Whale
• Florida Manatee: Biology & Conservation
• Introduced and Invasive Species
• Aquatic Animal Health and Endocrine Disruption
• Coral Bleaching and Global Warming
• Aquatic Pathology and Toxicology

Registration Information

How to Register

There are multiple ways to register for each course. Please review the Non-UF Student, Continuing Education and UF Student descriptions below in order to decide which method is most appropriate for you. You may also want to review our FAQ page or Contact Us to help differentiate between these options.

Student Enrollment Options:

Please note steps for application depend on current education level and University of Florida affiliation. Please see below for details to determine your application steps.

UF Students:

• UF Tuition and Fee Rates
• University Registrars Office
• ONE.UF

Non-UF Students:

• Please choose Undergraduate or Graduate Non-UF student link below to fill out the non-degree application.
• Credits from this course may be transferable to your current institution.
• Non-degree students pay the Capital Improvement and Technology fee.
• University of Florida Critical Dates and Deadlines

Registration Deadline

Note: This class has limited enrollment and may fill up prior to the end of drop/add so we suggest registering early.

For More Information:

Distance Learning Additional Dates

Frequently Asked Questions