This graduate level seminar will focus on a review and discussion of the literature on various topics or subfields in dendrochronology, with a different topic featured each semester the seminar is offered, depending on student interests. The goal of the seminar is to become familiar with the current body of research on the featured topic, and to critique a set of papers that have appeared in the peer-reviewed literature.
In fall 2008, the topic will be dendrochronology and forest demography. The goal of the seminar is to become familiar with the current body of research on variability in spatial patterns of tree demography due to climate and disturbance as documented with dendrochronology. We will explore topics related to long-term demographic processes, shifts in treeline at upper and lower forest borders related to both rapid and slow changes in climate, changes in forest composition and density due to fire suppressing, grazing and other disturbances, and patterns and process related to episodes of recruitment and mortality over past centuries to millennia. We will also discuss methodological approaches that have been employed to investigate these changes, and the unanswered questions that remain in this area of research.
The format of the class will be journal club. Under the guidance of the instructor, students will take turns selecting papers related to dendrochronology and the seminar topic, and be responsible for leading class discussions. Two or three peer-reviewed papers will be assigned each week for group discussion.
Absences: Students are required to attend all classes. All holidays or special events observed by organized religions will be honored for those students who show affiliation with that particular religion. Absences pre-approved by the UA Dean of Students (or Dean’s designee) will be honored. Arrangements for these absences must be made before the date of the class to be missed.
Policy regarding class behavior: no cell phones, pagers, and other disruptive electronic devices.
Policies apply on academic integrity (plagiarism, cheating) within Student Code of Academic Integrity: http://dos.web.arizona.edu/uapolicies
Policies apply against threatening behavior by students: http://policy.web.arizona.edu/~policy/threaten.shtml
Students with disabilities who are registered with the Disability Resource Center must submit appropriate documentation to me if they are requesting reasonable accommodations: http://drc.arizona.edu/teach/syllabus-statement.html
The information contained in the course syllabus, other than the grade and absence policies, may be subject to change with reasonable advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.
