Pilot Course in Climate Change

Abstract-Pilot Course in Climate Change In May of 2012 I attended the AMS Climate Studies Diversity Project held in the Washington, DC area. This implementation session was fast-paced, fully loaded with information concerning climate change, and wholly overwhelming! However, while it was fascinating and helpful, I left the session a bit uneasy as to how the material is to be implemented in the classroom. Perhaps as I begin the process of adopting the materials for use this aspect will become clearer. I plan to teach a pilot class on climate change using the AMS materials during the Spring 2013 Semester. While I believe climate change is a critical curricular inclusion, I have been able to advance it only as an elective in our program. Thus, it is unclear to what degree it will be embraced. However, because I teach a number of other related courses, there are multiple opportunities to include this material in other venues. Aaniiih Nakoda College is a small tribal college in Harlem, Montana serving fewer than 200 students from the Ft. Belknap Reservation and surrounding communities. The Ft. Belknap Reservation, located in the northeastern portion of the state, is home of both the Assiniboine (Nakoda) and Gros Ventre (Aaniiih) peoples. This area is spectacularly rich in beauty, yet remote and isolated, often serving to disconnect students from mainstream American issues such as climate change. The Aaniiih Nakoda College science faculty is diverse in background and focus, a definite strength in an institution of higher education such as this. Additionally, there is a pronounced willingness to collaborate across and among programs to create critical learning connections.