Methods Seminars are in-depth, interdisciplinary investigations of a particular problem or theme. These seminars focus on ways of knowing the world characteristic of the disciplines represented in the seminar, such that the forms or methods of investigation are as important as the subject matter itself.

How do we know what we know about the natural world? The scientific method provides a systematic means to answer questions and make observations about our physical surroundings, on a variety of scales, and forms the basis of the decision-making that scientists and "regular" people alike engage in on a daily basis. This course will provide a brief history and philosophy of science, in the context of understanding science as a pursuit of discovery, as well as covering major revolutions in scientific thought and theory. Students will collect and analyze data as well as investigate some past and current scientific ideas and problems, with an emphasis on environmental issues like global climate change and extinction events.