Marine Ecology Course Description
Marine Ecology is a three-credit lab science course offered jointly by Wisconsin Lutheran College in Milwaukee and Martin Luther College in New Ulm, Minnesota. The trip provides a tightly-focused immersion into marine ecology. It explores how social, cultural, and historical factors affect - and are affected by - Jamaica's marine ecosystems.
Students attend pre-course sessions to give them an orientation to the course and an introduction to the subject matter. Advance reading also serves to prepare students for the trip.
Field instruction includes a series of lectures, but the primary instruction involves hands-on experiences: snorkeling in different marine contexts, hiking and study in shore environments, collection and identification of marine organisms and lab work.
Grading is based on a notebook and journal submitted by the student and a final practical exam taken in the wet lab. A student auditing the course will participate in all activities, but will not be required to submit a notebook/journal or take the final exam.
Typical Daily Schedule:
The following is a typical daily schedule. We will make adjustments based on the weather and other factors, however, so be prepared for changes.
| 7:00 a.m. |
Breakfast |
| 7:30 a.m. |
Morning Devotion |
| 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. |
Lectures/Field Study |
| 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. |
Lunch |
| 1:15-2:30 p.m. |
Lecture |
| 2:45-5:00 p.m. |
Lab sessions (water chemistry, sediment analysis, plankton analysis, boat survey); or identification of organisms collected during field study; or off-site field study. |
| 5:30 p.m. |
Dinner |
| 7:00-8:00 p.m. |
Lecture |
| 8:00 p.m. |
Studying, or night snorkeling, or octopus hunting, or a volleyball game, etc. |