PLSCI 1125

Nature Rx

Course Description

Course information provided by the Courses of Study 2019-2020.

In our contemporary culture, we are increasingly disconnected from our roots in the natural world. The majority of us live in densely populated urban areas and spend more time in front of a screen than in the woods. A growing body of evidence points to the positive benefits derived from spending even short periods of time in natural settings, including: reduced levels of stress, blood pressure, heart rate and pulse, and increased memory, ability to concentrate, and improved mood. Through supervised walks in natural settings, critical reflections, and prescribed readings, this course helps students develop closer relationships with nature, so that they will add time in nature to their regularized routines. This can then lead them to an increased awareness of their roles in positively impacting both human and natural communities.

When Offered Fall.

Course Attribute (CU-CEL, CU-SBY)

• Better articulate who you are as cultural individuals and as organisms in the complex web of nature.
• Quantify how time spent in natural settings contributes to holistic self-care and can improve overall well-being.
• Explain to others how competing forces of competition and cooperation are ever-present in the natural world, and how these relate to your life of a student.
• Explain how similar are human and natural communities, and how they can affect positive changes in both.
• Recognize how nature is all around us, both on campus and at nearby sites.

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