SOE-577-kevan.moffett-2024-09-24-10-48-48

Note: Syllabus fields listed as "[tbd]" below are not required in a course revision or new course proposal's submitted syllabus.

Environments of Stability or Collapse

for Organisms and Ecosystems

SOE 577

Fall 2025

3 credits (lecture)

Prerequisites: graduate standing in natural or agricultural sciences or engineering OR undergraduate standing and a B- grade or better in BIO 372 and SOE 315 and math equivalent to or higher than level of Math 140

Course Details

Day and Time: [tbd]

Meeting Location: [tbd]

Instructor Contact Information

Instructor Name: Dr. Kevan Moffett

Instructor Contact Information: [office location, phone, email] [tbd]

Instructor Office Hours: [tbd]

Course Description

From Catalog: Dynamics and resilience of natural and human-modified ecosystems, from forests and fields to rivers and cities, and of their organisms, from grass and butterflies, to fungi and trees to frogs, fish, bears, and humans, as driven by their microclimates and environmental feedbacks with water, heat, and energy balances, variability, and vulnerability. Ecosystem and organism examples matched to student interests.

Course Materials

Books: none

Other Materials: Course readings and materials will be provided via Canvas or accessed by students as available e-resources from the WSU libraries (e.g., journal article primary sources).

Fees: none

Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)

WSU provides a thorough and useful list of university-wide learning goals (https://daesa.wsu.edu/undergraduate-learning-goals/), some of which are quoted in the first column below. Though listed by the university as ‘undergraduate’ learning goals, this course views these goals as encapsulating a key set of skills that are worthy and appropriate for students to continue to hone at any stage in their education, in their development as scientific researchers, and in their life-long learning journey. Approaching student learning with a growth-mindset, this course therefore emphasizes three types of Learning Outcomes: first, the practice itself, its ongoing and repeated effort as its own outcome; second, the improvement of the relevant skills by dint of the intentional practice, and with aid of coaching (e.g., by instructor, peers) and self-reflection; third, the development and demonstration of, in this course, graduate student-level skill in these areas (as measured by rubrics used to score assessments).

Course Learning Outcomes In this course students will practice:	Activities	Assessments
· Following social and disciplinary norms for individual and small group interactions, which includes active listening.	Class participation.	Attendance.
· Identifying diverse viewpoints, including different philosophical and cultural perspectives.	Listening and learning from peers during class discussions, and especially student discussion leaders.	Self- and instructor analysis and discussion skills reflections.
· Defining, analyzing, and solving problems. · Applying quantitative principles and methods in the solution of problems.	Answering questions posed by the instructor and student discussion leaders. Posing such questions when serving as discussion leader.
· Identifying and evaluating important assumptions in estimation, modeling, and data analysis. · Evaluating the quality of scientific and health-related information on the basis of its source and the methods used to generate it. · Assessing the accuracy and validity of findings and conclusions.	Participating in class discussions of primary literature.
· Reflecting upon changes in learning and outlook over time and by making personal, professional, and civic plans based on that self-reflection.	All course activities.
· Determining the extent and type of information needed. · Assessing credibility and applicability of information sources · Using information to accomplish a specific purpose. · Combining and synthesizing existing ideas, images, or expertise in original ways. · Choosing appropriate communication media and technology. · Tailoring messages to the audiences according to purpose, occasion, and technology used. · Explaining information presented in mathematical forms (e.g., equations, graphs, diagrams, tables, and words). · Speaking confidently and effectively in front of groups.	Preparation to lead class discussion.	Discussion leading
· Implementing well-designed search strategies. · Accessing information effectively and efficiently from multiple sources. · Making judgments and drawing appropriate conclusions based on the quantitative analysis of data, while recognizing the limits of this analysis. · Integrating and synthesizing knowledge from multiple sources. · Posing and evaluating arguments based on evidence and applying conclusions from such arguments appropriately. · Identifying scientific issues underlying global, national, local, and personal decisions and communicating positions that are scientifically and technologically informed. · Expressing concepts, propositions, and beliefs in coherent, concise, and technically correct form. · Expressing quantitative evidence in support of the argument or purpose of work (in terms of what evidence is used and how it is formatted, presented, and contextualized). · Synthesizing multiple bodies of knowledge to address real-world problems and issues. · Demonstrating a depth of knowledge within the chosen academic field of study based on integration of its history, core methods, techniques, vocabulary, and unsolved problems.	Individual project work.	Individual Project
· Accessing and use information ethically and legally.	All course activities.	Discussion and Project references. Self- and instructor analysis and discussion skills reflections.

Course Schedule

Note: A WSU semester is 15 weeks + Thanksgiving/Spring Break. The schedule below does not include the break.

Dates	Lesson Topic	Subtopics	Regular Assignments	Individual Project
Week 1	Introduction, Energy from the Sun and Other Sources		reading, class discussion
Week 2	Surface Energy Balance, Heat Stress, Thermal Homeostasis	-Earth & Ecosystems -Organisms	reading, class discussion
Week 3	Metabolism and Biological Thermodynamics	-Organisms -Ecosystems	reading, class discussion
Week 4	Perturbation, Equilibrium, and Dynamic Stable States	-Organisms -Ecosystems	reading, class discussion, first self-evaluation	Choose project model organism or ecosystem
Week 5	Water Requirements, Water Stress	-Organisms -Ecosystems	reading, class discussion
Week 6	Heat and Water Dynamics of Aquatic Systems	-Organisms -Ecosystems	reading, class discussion, [student discussion leader(s)]	Target: summary of model system metabolic thermodynamics
Week 7	Capillaries and Conduits	-Soils -Vessels	reading, class discussion
Week 8	Water and Heat Dynamics of Terrestrial Non-vascular Plants, Protists, and Fungi	-Organisms -Ecology	reading, class discussion, [student discussion leader(s)], second self-evaluation	Target: summary of model system water balance and use
Week 9	Resistance, Resilience, Interactions, and Feedbacks		reading, class discussion
Week 10	Water and Heat Dynamics of Vascular Plants	-Organisms -Ecosystems	reading, class discussion, [student discussion leader(s)]	Target: summary of model system dynamic equilibria/homeostasis
Week 11	Multiple or Alternative Stable States		reading, class discussion
Week 12	Heat and Water Dynamics of Terrestrial Macrofauna	-Organisms -Ecosystems	reading, class discussion, [student discussion leader(s)], third self-evaluation	Target: summary of model system resistance and resilience to heat and water perturbations
Week 13	Heat and Water Dynamics of Humans	-Organism -Habitat	reading, class discussion, [student discussion leader(s)]
Week 14	Water and Heat in the Anthropocene		reading, class discussion, [student discussion leader(s)]	Target: summary of model system w/rt Anthropocene change
Week 15	Synthesis		class discussion	Project Presentation
Finals Week			fourth self-evaluation	Project Paper

Expectations for Student Effort

In class:

Class Format: Most weeks of class time will consist of: discussion of the concepts and quantification of the week’s topic, via by graphics and frameworks provided by the instructor or student discussion leader, and aided by prior knowledge or thoughtful questions contributed by each student (no preparation required of non-presenting students); and collaborative examination, discussion, critique, and analysis of the assigned reading.

Class Attendance: Students are expected to attend all scheduled class meetings (anticipated as two class meetings per week for 15 weeks). Students enrolled from the Vancouver campus are expected to attend class meetings in-person. Students enrolled from other campuses are expected to attend class meetings synchronously on zoom and with an active video-link. The instructor has abundant experience conducting courses with mixed in-person and remote attendees, and will make every effort to foster an inclusive and equitable learning and participation experience (and expectations) for every student regardless of attendance mode; students are expected to do the same for themselves and for their classmates.

Practice of Analysis and Discussion Skills: All students will be expected to participate robustly in all class meetings and discussions. The instructor acknowledges that equitable participation may look or feel different for each individual, and may differ depending on class activity (e.g., asking questions of a presenter, contributing to class discussion, giving a presentation), on class topic (e.g., more conceptual or quantitative, more or less familiar to the student), and modality (e.g., in person, on video, or in writing; speaking, listening, typing in zoom chat, or drawing/graphical). The instructor is both highly aware of and always learning further about the diverse strengths and wide variety of ways that individuals may effectively absorb, process, and communicate in life, school, and science. Still, certain skills are expected to be honed as part of graduate study, such as to be able to state, explain, question, listen, discuss, opine, revise, justify, muster evidence, synthesize, and collaborate with others. To encourage intentional practice and improvement of these skills, the instructor and student will each provide a brief assessment of the student’s development, demonstration, and improvement of such skills at four points in the semester (weeks 4, 8, 12, 16) using a rubric that will list various relevant skills and several levels of apparent development, demonstration, or mastery. The instructor will list of some skills that all students will naturally practice during the course, and each student will add a few additional skills to their personalized version of the list, to foster their own individualized goals. The instructor and student both use the same rubric to reflect on the student’s progress on the listed skills during the course.

Outside of class:

For graduate classes, for each hour of lecture equivalent, students should expect to have a minimum of two hours of work outside of class. For this 3-credit course, this Academic Rule anticipates roughly 3 hours of in-class time and a minimum of at least 6 hours of out-of-class effort by each student in each week of the semester.

Assigned Readings: Assigned readings are to be completed outside of class time and prior to the relevant class meeting, to enable full participation in collaborative discussion. Assigned readings are anticipated to consist of approximately one journal article per class meeting, i.e., approximately two articles or equivalent per week.

Student-led Discussions: To prepare to lead class a class discussion, outside of class students will: (1) choose which week(s)* they will present (see available weeks in course schedule); (2) choose an organism or ecosystem within the week’s topic and notify the instructor of their choice at least two weeks in advance of the scheduled discussion; (3) choose and read at least two primary sources (journal articles) on the water, heat, and state dynamics of their organism/ecosystem; (4) share one of the primary sources with the instructor and class (as the pre-discussion assigned reading) at least one week in advance of the schedule discussion; (5) assemble some relevant photographs, figures, and data (including some from the primary sources, but may also include other graphics or text-book material) to share with the class to aid in explaining and fostering discussion about the water, heat, and state dynamics of the organism/ecosystem; and (6) prepare one reasonably challenging, quantitative, formative practice question for the class to calculate or investigate and answer (individually or collectively) regarding the heat, water, and/or state dynamics of the organism/ecosystem. The student will then lead an in-class discussion focusing their presentation and fostering collaborative class discussion on their prepared items (4-6) as above.

*The number of times each student will lead class discussion, and whether students do so individually, in pairs, or in groups, will be decided collaboratively by the class in the second week of the semester. Each student will lead discussion at least once but no more than twice. The course schedule lists 6 weeks of student-led discussions, with each week including one discussion at the organism scale and one discussion at the ecosystem scale; hence the schedule anticipates 12 student-led discussions in the semester. If, for example, there are 12 students in the class, the class may decide to have each student lead class discussion alone once, or for each student to co-lead class discussion twice. If there are 6 students in the course, each student will likely lead discussion twice. If there are 9 students in the class, the class may decide to have each student alone lead discussion once and co-lead a second discussion with a partner, or a similar arrangement for other irregular numbers of students in the course. If there are fewer than 6 students in the course, each student will lead discussion twice and the instructor will most likely cover leading the remaining discussion slots.

Independent Project: During the semester each student will select a model system of interest to them, such as a key organism or ecosystem central to their graduate research, and conduct a deeper dive into the existing state of scientific knowledge about the chosen model. This reading of literature will primarily be conducted outside of class time, and guided by milestone dates for having reviewed and briefly summarized at least some literature on subtopics within the project (see course schedule). Specifically, students will find and read literature on what is known about the water, heat, and energy requirements, sensitivities, and balances of their model system, the model’s tendencies of homeostasis and the water and heat feedbacks with the surrounding habitat or landscape that allow this dynamic stable state to exist, and the system’s potential tendencies or triggers to exhibit other multiple or alternative stable states (including, at a minimum, system vitality vs. organism mortality or ecosystem collapse). Each student’s findings regarding the current state of understanding of these things for their model organism or ecosystem will be summarized and communicated as a short final presentation shared with the class and as a final paper assignment. These final papers are not expected to be exhaustive literature reviews but are expected to cover the assigned subtopics competently and to demonstrate sophisticated (more than cursory or elementary) synthesis and understanding of those subtopics. The final presentation is intended to share the investigating student’s interest, excitement, and learning with their peers, and will be relatively brief (to fit time for all students to present in the final class week). Instead of a traditional synchronous presentation, students may alternatively create or record a presentation or multi-media engagement, activity, or interpretation that they share with the class synchronously or asynchronously. Specific requirements, guidelines, and grading rubrics for the project milestones, presentation, and paper will be provided in the first weeks of the course, before students choose their model system.

Grading

Assignment Breakdown
Type of Assignment	Points		Percent of Overall Grade
Attendance	30 classes x 1 point = 30		19%
Analysis & Discussion Skills Evaluations	Instructor eval.	4 x 5 points = 20	13%
Analysis & Discussion Skills Evaluations	Self-eval.	4 x 5 points = 20	13%
Discussion Leading	30		19%
Project Milestones	6 milestones x 3 points = 15		9%
Project Presentation	15		9%
Project Paper	30		19%

Grading Schema Final percentage scores in the course will be rounded to a whole percent prior to assigning letter grades, e.g., an 89.4 will be a B+ and an 89.5 will be an A-.
Grade	Percent	Grade	Percent
A	93-100	C	73-77
A-	90-92	C-	70-72
B+	87-89	D+	67-69
B	83-86	D	60-66
B-	80-82	F	0-59
C+	77-79

Attendance and Make-Up Policy

Students should make all reasonable efforts to attend all class meetings.

(1) If a student is unable to attend class in person, their first option should always be to attend class synchronously via zoom instead, if at all possible. Doing so, the student will not be counted as absent and should participate in the class discussion as fully as they are able, as usual. IMPORTANT NOTE: If there are not students enrolled from other campuses in the course, or the instructor does otherwise not routinely have zoom ‘dialed into’ the class meetings, it is the responsibility of the student to notify the instructor by email - before the start of the class - that they will need zoom activated for that class meeting, to make remote attendance possible.

(2) If unable to attend class synchronously at all, it is the responsibility of the student to inform the instructor as soon as possible (as soon as anticipated if in advance, or as soon after the missed class as feasible if unexpected), to explain to the instructor the general reason for the absence, and to make up class work missed within a reasonable amount of time.

Make-up work for non-exempt* class absences:

(a) The first two non-exempt class absences by a student (if not a discussion leader on the day missed) can have participation points restored by completing a small make-up assignment that the instructor will provide regarding the assigned reading and missed class discussion topic. (b) The third and fourth non-exempt class absences by a student (if not a discussion leader on the day missed) can have participation points restored by completing a larger make-up assignment that the instructor will provide regarding the assigned reading and missed class discussion topic. (c) Further non-exempt absences (5^th class and beyond) will earn zero class participation points and without make-up available.

Make-up work for absent discussion leader: (i) If a student is unexpectedly unable to attend class in person on the day they are to be class discussion leader, they should instead attend and lead the discussion synchronously via zoom if at all possible. (See (1), above).

(ii) If the student cannot attend the class meeting at all, the instructor will first try to reschedule the missed time as soon as possible within the existing course schedule, while also taking into account the availability of any discussion co-leaders also impacted.

(iii) If rescheduling the missed discussion is infeasible but there is a co-leader present at the scheduled time, the co-leader(s) will be offered the choice to either: conduct an equitable portion of the discussion themselves at that time, as scheduled, or share equally in an asynchronous discussion make-up activity. If the co-leader chooses the former, they will lead ‘their’ portion of the discussion as scheduled (e.g., ‘half’ the intended material, if the presentation was to be in a pair and one student is absent) and will choose on-they-fly which aspects of the planned discussion they wish to cover. In this case, the instructor will record the partial discussion and post it on the course website for the absent student to review. For the portion of the discussion not covered synchronously by a co-leader, or if the co-leader chooses to participate in the asynchronous make-up instead of the synchronous discussion-leading, or if there is no co-leader, the discussion leader(s) will make-up the discussion activity and learning opportunity asynchronously. This asynchronous discussion-leading will consist of three aspects: 1. recording an audio and graphics/slides/video presentation or other multi-media engaging format to share with the class on the course site (to cover items (4-5) under 'Student-led Discussions’ above); 2. fostering an asynchronous discussion of the presentation material and assigned reading (such as via the course site discussion board or other means approved by the instructor), and in which the discussion leader(s) participates actively by instigating and responding to multiple rounds of question/answer/discussion, and which active discussion includes their prepared formative practice question (see item (6) under 'Student-led Discussions’ above); and 3. striving to achieve 1. and 2. a manner that provides as engaging and equitable a group learning experience as a synchronous discussion, as much as feasible, despite the asynchronous format. The initiation of this asynchronous discussion by posting to the class site the recorded/multimedia presentation is to occur within a week of the missed class time (unless extenuating circumstances), and the subsequent back-and-forth of the active, asynchronous discussion fostered with the class by the discussion leader is to extend no more than a week after the initiation.

*Exempt absences:

This course considers an absence “exempt” if due to a circumstance covered by WSU Academic Regulation 72: 1. necessary and unmovable university-related commitment (e.g., research or assistantship requirement), 2. military service, 3. Access accommodation, 4. reasonable religious accommodation, 5. adverse weather or other external emergency/disaster condition that makes it unsafe or not possible to attend class from wherever the student is located, 6. unusual extenuating circumstances (e.g., prolonged severe illness). (https://registrar.wsu.edu/academic-regulations/) In this course, exempt absences will typically have the missed participation points restorable as in option (a) above (‘a small make-up assignment that the instructor will provide’), and in addition to the student still being permitted two non-exempt absences under option (a) above. If the nature of the exempt absence is such that this remedy seems inequitable or infeasible, the instructor and student will together identify an appropriate and equitable means to make-up or waive the missed participation points, and in doing so may make use of the advice and assistance of the Access Center or other such university resources and policies, if relevant.

Academic Integrity Statement

You are responsible for reading WSU's Academic Integrity Policy, which is based on Washington State law.

If you have any questions about what you can and cannot do in this course, ask me.

If you cheat in your work in this class you will:

-Earn zero points on any involved assignments

-Be reported to the Center for Community Standards

-Have the right to appeal my decision

-If you appeal, you will not be able to drop the course of withdraw from the course until the appeals process is finished

If you want to ask for a change in my decision about academic integrity, use the form at the Center for Community Standards website. You must submit this request within 21 calendar days of my decision.