Achievement

Our first class of Trainees began in Fall 2008. As part of the ERIE-IGERT core requirements, we developed a new interdisciplinary course entitled Perspectives on Ecological Restoration. Team-taught by ERIE participants from American Studies and Philosophy, the course examined philosophical and cultural issues surrounding ecological restoration from both Native American and western perspectives. A survey conducted by our external evaluator indicated that students significantly benefited from the interdisciplinary perspective, but struggled at times to integrate the two traditions. The course was also popular with non-IGERT students, with enrollment from 7 academic departments. The results from the external evaluation will be used to improve next year’s offering.