SW 335 - Nat’l Parks: America’s Best Idea

This course will begin with the history of the National Park Service and the Organic Act, passed in 1916, that required national parks to remain “unimpaired for future generations” thus creating the paradox of public use versus site preservation. The evolution of the National Park Service will be discussed with equal attention to history and science and the concept of national parks as valuable biotic reservoirs for ecosystems and endangered species and as home to spectacular mountain and canyon Western landscapes. The course will also focus on history, archaeology, and anthropology as those disciplines have been interpreted at units of the National Park Service including national monuments national parks, national recreation areas, and national seashores.

Credits: 3
Clock Hours - (Lect-Lab): (3-0)
Notes: Field trips will be required.

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