A diverse offering of academic courses help students examine their relationship with the natural world from a variety of perspectives; from the scientific lens of conservation biology to the cultural lens of anthropology to the intuitive lens of literature.

Round River’s student programs are accredited through Utah State University. Utah State oversees course developments and evaluations, provides faculty review, and issues transcripts for credits. Each Round River program participant is enrolled as a student at Utah State University during the program (unless otherwise directed). Grades are recorded at Utah State, and transcripts are issued which meet accepted standards for transferability. Students can then transfer these credits to their home institutions.

Students attending Northland College also have the option to enroll to our programs directly through their institution.

The number of course credits received vary per program and are listed below.

Semester (12 weeks): 15 semester credits

Summer (6 weeks): 9 semester credits

Course Descriptions

Applied Conservation Biology

3 credits (Namibia, Botswana, Chile, Taku, Wyoming)

On a global scale the world is witnessing an unprecedented decline in what has come to be called biodiversity. Human population growth and increasing rates of material consumption and technological development have increased the rate and scale at which we impact populations of native animals and plants. One goal of this course will be to address the biological and social aspects of this issue. We will explore the following questions: What is biodiversity and how is it measured? What are the major threats to biodiversity? What properties of individual species make them vulnerable or resistant to extinction? How is biodiversity valued and what is being done to preserve these values? How do our cultural perceptions affect the way biodiversity is valued?

This course gives students a solid foundation for understanding larger conservation and natural resource management issues around the world.  It serves to introduce students to the conceptual and on-the-ground efforts to document the full range of biological diversity on earth, and the importance of this endeavor.  Students will: 1) investigate human impacts on species, communities, and ecosystems; 2) integrate empirical studies on conservation biology toward the development of practical approaches to maintain genetic variation and prevent the extinction of species; 3) understand different strategies for the conservation of biodiversity, including landscape level planning and ecological modeling.

The interdisciplinary nature of this emergent field demands that this course discuss a broad range of topics which draw from the fields of ecology, landscape ecology, community ecology and genetics, as well as social, economic and community aspects of conservation.  Students will apply general concepts of conservation biology to further understand their specific program site.  Primary scientific literature will supplement local case studies and conceptual essays.

Introduction to Biological Field Methods

3 credits (Namibia, Botswana, Chile, Taku, Wyoming)

Biological field methods are what we use to appropriately observe and measure our hypotheses in the field.  It is important to know a wide range of methods in order to utilize the best ones for any given research project.  Critical to understanding biological field methods is being able to recognize limitations and shortcomings of certain methods, as well as strengths and benefits.

In this course students learn the field methods for studying a variety of organisms, while also focusing on the steps before and after fieldwork.  This will include research design, data collection, analysis, and statistics, and writing a scientific paper.  Course work involves critically reading and discussing scientific articles, though the bulk of the learning is done in the field, conducting research.  Field skills utilized may include: habitat ground trusting; vegetation transects; recording ground cover and species abundance; and various methods of wildlife surveys using range-finders, motion-sensor camera traps.  We will constantly assess the suitability of our methods, and adjust any them as needed.  Students will put newfound skills into practice by completing a field research project involving: 1) project design, 2) data collection, 3) data analysis, 4) writing a scientific report, and 5) giving a presentation.

Natural History Methodology and Application

3 credits (Namibia, Botswana, Chile, Taku, Wyoming)

Natural history is the scientific research of plants and animals in their natural environments.  This encompasses degrees of organization of the natural world, from individual organisms to entire ecosystems.  The study of natural history emphasizes the identification, life history, distribution, abundance, behavior, and inter-relationships of species.  Through careful observations, students will begin to understand the natural world around them, and will be able to identify plants and wildlife by their scientific names.  Students often find they end up knowing more about their project site’s natural history than they do about their home ecosystem.  This course offers opportunities to hone your observation skills, in hopes that you may use the same techniques to explore your own region.

This course introduces students to natural history observation and recording methodologies using a system established by zoologist Joseph Grinnell.  The Grinnell Field Journal is a systematic approach using writing, drawing and observation skills to examine biotic organizations.  During the entire program, students will move through the natural landscape, recording observations using field guides to gain an appreciation and understanding of the plants and animals encountered. 
 Learning for this course will be hands-on, in the field, often under the guidance of local people who have a deep understanding of the flora and fauna.

Students will learn the following skills: mammal identification by tracks, scat and dentition; identification of native flowering vascular plants using botanical keys; identification of birds by visual and auditory queues; and native mammal and amphibian identification.  Recorded observations will also emphasize species distribution and abundance, behavioral trends, and interrelationships.

As the class progresses, students will be encouraged to develop a personal "lens" that will contribute to their independent project.  Much of the information recorded in the student's field journal will become topics for discussions, poetry, and jumping points for independent research.

Human Impacts on Ecology (formerly titled "Wildlife Policy in Africa")

3 credits (Namibia, Botswana)

Wildlife conservation in Africa has been one of the most visible areas of contact between Africa and the West, with Western images often romanticizing Africa and its wildlife.  Little changed for more than a century, and the methods used by some of Africa’s leading wildlife conservationists have focused on establishing parks and putting armed rangers in the field.  The results are parks surrounded by people who were excluded from the planning of the area, do not derive benefit from the park’s designation, and generally do not support the park’s existence. Yet, over the decades, the supposed beneficiary of this method of conservation – the wildlife – has continued to decline in numbers. 



More recently, wildlife conservation efforts in many areas of the world have shifted towards a community-based approach to conservation. This “integrated conservation-development” approach reflects not only disenchantment with the colonial approach, but also a different and complex set of views and assumptions about the appropriate roles for the community, the market, and the state in conservation.  Current Namibian efforts at wildlife conservation generally reflect this shift in approach.  However, there are factors and histories specific to Namibia, which lead to important differences in the on-the-ground reality of wildlife conservation.  For example, we will explore the impact of Namibia’s recent independence, the influence of the apartheid regime, and the how the contours of the country’s landscape shape Namibian wildlife conservation efforts today.

Students will be expected to critically read and discuss assigned readings, focusing on applying major themes to the Namibian context.  Talks and lectures will be given by Round River program leaders, and a number of guest speakers including government personnel, local residents, farmers, researchers, and conservationists.

Applied Restoration Ecology

3 credits (Chile)

Restoration ecology is the scientific study of repairing disturbed or degraded ecosystems through human intervention. Ecological restoration involves active attempts to initiate or accelerate the recovery of an ecosystem with respect to its health, integrity and sustainability. Ecological restoration typically targets ecosystems that have been degraded, damaged, altered or entirely destroyed as the direct or indirect result of human activities. Ecological restoration techniques include removing or modifying a source of disturbance (e.g., removal of a dam), establishing soil erosion barriers, removal of invasive non-native species, reintroduction of native species, and removal of barriers to wildlife movement, among others.

In Chile’s Valle Chacabuco, Conservación Patagónica (CP) is working to repair the ecological abuses and damage that has been inflicted on the land by eighty years of intensive sheep grazing. The valley’s fragile grasslands have suffered not only the loss and impairment of native plants and wildlife species, but as well exotic species have moved in, further crowding out native species on the valley’s fragile grasslands. CP’s goal is to turn the area into a flagship national park by reversing these damages, restoring productive habitat, and creating a model of ecosystem restoration for Patagonia.

This course will provide Round River students with exposure to real-life restoration efforts in the future Patagonia National Park, and opportunities to actively participate in these efforts. Lectures from Round River instructors, CP staff, and potentially other researchers will supplement the reading materials and day-to-day experiences in Valle Chacabuco, Chile.

Humans and the Environment

3 credits (Namibia, Botswana, Chile)

Over the past several decades, the environment has become the focus of increasing scientific interest and mounting concern.  The issues we face as a global society necessitate that environmental research and action be collaborative and multidisciplinary.  Knowledge gained by physical and biological sciences is essential but not sufficient to understand and influence the driving forces underlying environmental change.  It is also important to have a critical approach that highlights the social, cultural, political, and economic dimensions of environmental issues.  

Environmental anthropology has grown from a long-standing disciplinary focus on the interactions between small-scale societies and local environments to become a distinctive yet far-ranging discipline. Generally speaking, environmental anthropologists critically examine the connections between nature and society, based on the assumption that environmental change can only be understood by including the human component.

This course covers the following topics: the evolution of environmental anthropology as a discipline, the relationship between nature and society, place-based ecological knowledge, sustainable development, globalization, political ecology, protected areas and people, community-based natural resource management, the environmental justice movement.  We will emphasize applying these themes towards understanding the local program site.  Course material is taught through readings, discussions, guest lecturers, and experiential learning, and cultural immersion.