Spring 2026 (TuTh)

Individual Collaboration Journal Entries: due 11:59PM the night before each collaboration session. 

Team Session Reports: due 11:59PM the night after each session.

Course Calendar

Week	Assigned Course Material	Assignments Due
Week  1.1	Lecture: Course Introduction ● Explore: 2025-2026 Urban Nature projects ● Explore: Rose Canyon Open Space Park ● Skim: SYN 100 SYNposium Project Showcase and Google Site Guidelines
Week 1.2		Due: ● Canvas: 2 waivers for Field Trip by 11:59 PM ● Canvas: Collaboration Journal link by 11:59 PM ● Padlet: Resume by 11:59 PM
Week 2.1	Lecture: Field Trip – Rose Canyon Class meets 8am @ MTS 41 counter-clockwise Mandeville bus stop. No one will be in the classroom. ● Read: Wiese, A. (2018). Friends of Rose Canyon: The Practical Politics of Place and Nature…. Pp. 2-20. ● Choose and complete: 1 text of your choice from any theme in the Urban Nature Reading List	Due: ● Rose Canyon Response for Field Trip
Week 2.2	Collaboration Session (required) ● Activity: In Search of the Perfect Team	Due: ● CLR – Setting Goals by 11:59 PM ● Teammate preferences by 11:59 PM ● Field trip notes & map/nature drawing 11:59 PM
Week 3.1	Lecture: Teams Assigned & Project Brainstorm ● Read: Poon, J. (2022). The Case for Preserving Spontaneous Nature in Cities ● Choose and complete: 1 text of your choice from any theme in the Urban Nature Reading List	Due: ● Urban Nature Response ● Week 3 Collaboration Journal Entry by 11:59 PM
Week 3.2	Collaboration Session (required) ● Activity: Ethical and Equitable Collaboration	Due: ● Week 3 Team Collaboration Report 11:59 PM
Week 4.1	Lecture: Methods Overview ● Read: Norris, K. (2013). Origins of the UC Natural Reserve System. Pp. 4-8. ● Read: Lambert, M. (2019). Editor’s Introduction. xv-xvii (PDF pages 9-11) AND any methods chapter of your choice (see Canvas)	Due: ● Methods Response  ● Week 4 Collaboration Journal Entry 11:59 PM ● Sign Up for Midterm Conference by 11:59 PM  *Individual Midterm Conferences begin Week 4 and conclude Week 6. Teams are encouraged to “pace” individual conferences so only one or two team members are conferencing per week.
Week 5.1	Lecture: (Preliminary) Fieldwork Begins ● Teams may begin preliminary fieldwork or attend lecture to finalize draft of project proposal and/or Microgrant application	Due: ● Team Draft of Project Proposal by 10:50 AM ● Team’s field notes 11:59 PM in Canvas ● Week 5 Collaboration Journal Entry 11:59 PM
Week 5.2	Collaboration Session (required) ● Activity: Project Management Basics	Due: ● Week 5 Team Collaboration Report 11:59 PM ● Final Project Proposal 11:59 PM in Canvas
Week 6.1	Project/ Fieldwork Day ● There is no formal lecture during Weeks 6-7. ● Teams conduct at least one unsupervised field trip for fieldwork or attend class to work on project ● Teams submit group selfie with update re: fieldwork trip on Padlet before Week 8.	Due: ● Fieldwork Update 11:59 PM on Padlet; only one project update with group selfie need for the team’s unsupervised field trip between Weeks 6-7 ● Week 6 Collaboration Journal Entry
Week 6.2	Collaboration Session (choose where to meet) ● Activity: Revisiting Team Equity & Roles	Due: ● Week 6 Team Collaboration Report 11:59 PM
Week 7.1	Project/ Fieldwork Day ● There is no formal lecture during Weeks 6-7. ● Teams conduct one unsupervised field trip for fieldwork or work on project remotely this week ● Teams submit group selfie with update re: fieldwork trip on Padlet before Week 8.	Due: ● Fieldwork Update 11:59 PM on Padlet; only one project update with group selfie needed for the team’s unsupervised field trip between Weeks 6-7 ● Week 7 Collaboration Journal Entry 11:59 PM
Week 7.2	Collaboration Session (choose where to meet) ● Activity: Publish & Present to Public Audiences	Due: ● Week 7 Team Collaboration Report 11:59 PM
Week 8.1	Lecture ● Google Site & Draft Synthesis Showcase ● Discuss: licenses | open collaboration | publishing literacy | presenting to public audiences	Due: ● Draft SYNposium Showcase Details ● Week 8 Collaboration Journal Entry 11:59 PM
Week 8.2	Collaboration Session (choose where to meet) ● Activity: Planning Google Site & Showcase	Due: ● Week 8 Team Collaboration Report 11:59 PM ● Showcase – Project Registration 5 PM
Week 9.1	Lecture ● Work on Google Sites & Showcase Posters ● Teams provide project updates	Due: ● Draft of Team Project Cover Letter ● Week 9 Collaboration Journal Entry 11:59 PM
Week 9.2	Collaboration Session ● Activity: Preparing for Showcase	Due: ● Draft SYNposium Poster 11:59 PM
Week 10.1	Lecture ● Poster Editing Workshop  ● Mock SYNposium	Due: ● Final SYNposium Posters for Printing 6:30 PM ● Mock SYNposium Presentation Notes ● Draft of Team Project Google Site 11:59 PM ● Final Team Project Cover Letter 11:59 PM ● CLR – Preparing for Your Final Conference ● Sign Up Individual Final Conference 11:59 PM
Week 10.2	Attend Final Project SYNposium Showcase: Spring 2026 Showcase: Thursday, June 4 @ 12 – 2 PM | Recreation Gymnasium	Due: ● Final Team Project Google Site 11:59 PM  ● Signed Author Agreement Form 11:59 PM
Finals	● Individual Final Conferences all week

Synthesis 100: Engaging with a Changing Planet

Topic: Urban Nature

Course Information

Required Lecture: Tuesdays 8:00 AM – 10:50 AM; HSS 7077

Required Spring 2026 Showcase (Showcase): Thursday, June 4, 2026 | Recreation Gymnasium

Required Collaboration Session:
Each section (i.e., collaboration session) will meet in HSS 7077 unless otherwise noted

• Thursdays (section G01: 21440) 9:00 AM – 9:50 AM
• Thursdays (section G02: 21441) 10:00 AM – 10:50 AM

Dr. Brie’s Drop-In Hours and Email: biatarol@ucsd.edu
Monday 1 PM tp 2 PM in person @ HSS 7038 (Zoom by request only)
Thursday 10:30 AM to 11:30 AM on Zoom only 

Tutor: Kate Heubach

Course Overview

SYN 100 is a project-based course that builds upon foundational skills by taking a collaborative, interdisciplinary approach to complex global problems. Each section focuses on a different theme, challenge, or question related to the climate crisis. Despite the different class topics, all students will learn by designing and executing a team project that addresses their section’s theme. 

The work you will do in SYN 100 matters, and it’s therefore important that it reaches audiences beyond your own classroom. In SYN 100 you will interact with public audiences by 1) presenting your project at the Synthesis Showcase during Week 10 (see specific date and time below), and 2) publish your project on the Synthesis Project Portal in the form of a Google Site. These opportunities will challenge you to tell the story of your project and to ensure that your project lives beyond this quarter for future students to learn from.

Urban Nature is a fieldwork-oriented course.
Students are expected to read Dr. Brie’s weekly Canvas announcements to stay informed. 

In this SYN 100 course, students are also strongly encouraged to meet for class on-site: 

• Rose Canyon Open Space Park on Tuesday, April 7, 2026 rain or shine

Students must sign individual and institutional waivers for the field trip. There are TWO WAIVERS to sign and submit for the trip to Rose Canyon. 

What is the role of “urban nature” in complex socio-ecological systems? And who benefits from it? This SYN 100 section is a fieldwork-oriented course that prioritizes methods of data collection and community engagement to answer similar driving questions. Students are expected to meet for class on site at Rose Canyon Open Space Park (aka “Rose Canyon”) on Tuesday, April 7, 2026. Students must sign group and liability waivers for both field trips. Collaborative group projects focus on methods of data collection and analysis, creative modes of climate change communication, and environmental research. One additional independent team trip to Rose Canyon, Scripps Coastal Reserve, or an instructor-approved site is required before Week 8 to fulfill fieldwork expectations. Collaborative groups may build upon previous SYN 100 projects or develop their own designs around urban nature. 

Course Assignments

SYN 100 will give you the opportunity to design and execute a collaborative project throughout the quarter. There are 4 key assignments that will help structure your project. Each of these will be important artifacts of your learning throughout the quarter.

• Collaboration Journal (Weeks 2 – 10): Throughout the quarter, you will maintain an individual Collaboration Journal. Each week there will be an activity and/or prompt to which you will respond in your Journal. Journal submissions will close one week after the due date to expedite grading and ensure you remain on track with entries. 
• Project Proposal (Weeks 1 – 5): During the first half of the quarter, you will first individually, then collaboratively with your team, research your section’s topic, develop driving questions, and write a Project Proposal to frame your project ideas.   
• Team Collaboration Reports (Weeks 3 – 10): Once your team is formed in Week 3, your team will regularly update a weekly Team Collaboration Report with artifacts relevant to your team and project.
• Final Showcase Presentation & Team Google Site (Weeks 6 – 10): Your project will culminate in 1) a presentation at the Synthesis Showcase, and 2) a team Google Site that will house your project on the Project Portal for future quarters.

Collaboration Sessions

Each section of SYN 100 consists of lecture and collaboration sessions; attendance at both is required. Collaboration Sessions are facilitated by tutors in most sections and begin Week 2. 

During Collaboration Sessions, you and your team will work through activities that help you build collaboration skills and manage your project. During the Weeks 2-5 Collaboration Sessions, you will meet with your team and tutor to set-up your collaboration processes. 

During the Weeks 6-9 Collaboration Sessions, your team will have the opportunity to engage with additional activities that will challenge you to reassess your collaborative work and improve your project. See Canvas for more details on these sessions and associated assignments.

Expectations: Attendance & Late Assignment(s) Policy

Thursday’s collaboration sessions (your assigned section) are independent from the weekly Tuesday course lecture. Students are required and expected to attend each Tuesday lecture and subsequent Thursday collaboration session in which they are enrolled to fulfill the Urban Nature and Synthesis Program requirements, according to the program’s timeline. 

Attendance is required at Tuesday’s lecture and Thursday’s collaboration sessions. In collaboration sessions, there are planned activities for team-building and project development. Missing any of these lectures or collaboration sessions without prior correspondence in writing via email with both the instructor and tutor will negatively affect a student’s overall individual collaborative course grade. The impact on team dynamics and faculty trust is significant. It is imperative to assess the consequences of being an absent or consistently late collaborator and consistently submitting work late with your instructor, tutor, and teammates. 

If you are routinely late for lecture and/or collaboration sessions (i.e., arriving 5 or more minutes after class begins) and consistently submit assignments past the deadlines, including lecture assignments, collaborative journal entries, and/or collaborative session reports, there is a third-letter grade reduction or more to your individual grade (i.e., A becomes an A-). 

Missing four total lectures and/or collaboration sessions — regardless of personal circumstances — falls short of the program’s expected learning outcomes. It is grounds for a one-third or more letter-grade deduction. While the Synthesis Program and your instructor understand each student faces a unique set of challenging circumstances that may affect their ability to make it to Tuesday lectures and/or Thursday Collaboration Sessions, this lost time simply cannot be made up individually or during drop-in hours. This policy applies to students who enroll late in the course and/or miss the first week of course due to waitlist protocol, travel plans, major obligations, extracurricular activities, family emergencies, and other similar circumstances.

You will be notified in writing if you are in danger of failing the class due to excessive absences and/or missing assignments. When in doubt, communicate your circumstances in writing to all collaborators (project members, tutor, and instructor) who are involved in the project process. Collaboration is a group effort, not an individual endeavor.

Course Learning Objectives

Through this course, you will be able to: 

Engage with the climate crisis through the lens of Urban Nature

• Discuss meanings and questions of urban nature through texts and research forms
• Identify, analyze, and communicate threats to urban nature in diverse contexts and communities
• Explore urban nature to broaden collaborative experiences with environmental communication and research in relation to climate change
• Consider the purpose(s) of method(s) to ethically engage in fieldwork at an instructor-approved green space to collect, present, and share data that considers any impact(s) of climate change 
• Experiment with inclusive and creative modes of climate communication to explain the significance of fieldwork data for specific target audiences

Create a project that addresses an authentic challenge or question about the climate crisis

• Utilize design skills to create a project based on a driving question 

• Articulate and revise driving questions to frame a project that addresses a gap in knowledge or a specific challenge
• Scope a project by identifying potential methods, audiences, and resources to investigate a driving question and analyzing their accessibility
• Analyze and articulate personal and team positionality in relation to project topic, audience, and/or chosen methods, demonstrating an understanding of how identity, background, and experience influence approach to project.
• Collaboratively write a proposal that succinctly communicates the what, why, and how of a project
• Generate a plan to carry out proposed project
• Organize project driving question and goals into actionable tasks with deadlines
• Utilize team members efficiently to work on tasks in parallel
• Document project progress and collaborate with team, tutor, and instructor to iteratively adjust project plan and deadlines to work through challenges
• Ethically contribute to the open collaboration community of the Synthesis Program
• Understand how to ethically interact with past Synthesis projects and resources
• Identify and communicate team member contributions to project 
• Analyze final outcomes of project and identify remaining questions or future questions
• Create a Team Google Site that organizes and communicates project’s process and products such that a future Synthesis student could continue or expand the project

Develop and apply collaboration processes that consider the positionalities of different team members

• Analyze the advantages and disadvantages of different conflict-resolution styles
• Utilize course resources to navigate team conflict; reflect on the effectiveness of your ability to navigate team conflict
• Identify and leverage the strengths, skills, and interests of team members throughout project
• Explain how positionality can shape approaches to and experience with teamwork
• Co-create learning environment that support all team members by applying collaboration skills and the concept of positionality
• Co-create a communication plan that enables all members of collaborative team to regularly engage throughout the project

Reflect on the learning environment of the Synthesis Program and participate in opportunities to co-create learning experiences

• Define individual learning outcomes and reflect on how they connect with course objectives
• Use learning environment to experiment with different approaches and learn from these experiences 
• Take advantage of opportunities to reflect on and revise course artifacts in order to make progress toward learning outcomes 

Course Texts & Materials

All class-wide readings and materials for SYN 100 will be available on Canvas. As your team will be responsible for the direction of your project, you are expected to identify additional appropriate readings and resources on your own as needed.

Classroom as a Living Laboratory

This course is structured in a unique way and it may not seem like any of your other classes. SYN 100 is a group project-based course, which means that your learning will happen through your own exploration of real-world challenges, problems, and questions. This might mean experimenting with new skills and methods, developing new ideas, and driving your own learning. In order to be prepared for this class:

DON’T	DO
Expect to only work independently	Expect to work collaboratively with your team
Expect to be told exactly what to learn	Expect your tutor and I to mentor and guide your learning
Expect to focus on a narrow topic	Expect to work with your team to discover and apply resources, knowledge, and skill sets from all different disciplines
Expect that I or the tutors have all the answers	Expect to work collaboratively with your team to figure out problems and work through roadblocks
Expect to be told exactly what project to do	Expect to develop and complete a project that stems from your team’s collective knowledge, interests, and/or skills

Classroom as an Inclusive and Accessible Learning Space

The Synthesis Program commits to providing an equitable, inclusive and accessible learning environment for all. Students in Seventh College come from a variety of perspectives and experiences. There will be a range of beliefs around the different course topics. Throughout your time in the Synthesis Program we ask you to question your own and the positionalities and biases of others to create critical awareness of systematic racism in relation to the climate crisis and intersectional challenges. Some of the materials and conversations may be difficult at times. We aim to create an environment with mutual respect and the ability to listen even when we disagree or feel discomfort.

We also want the Synthesis Program to be a supportive learning environment taking into account that not everyone learns in the same manner. Specifically, we emphasize that there is no wrong or right way to engage with the course material.

We also want the Synthesis Program to be a supportive learning environment taking into account that not everyone learns in the same manner. Students with particular learning concerns should reach out to the Office for Students with Disabilities for assistance, or you can speak to your instructor.

Food Support for Students

If you are skipping and stretching meals, or having difficulties affording or accessing food, you may be eligible for CalFresh, California’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, that can provide up to $292 a month in free money on a debit card to buy food. Students can apply at benefitscal.com/r/ucsandiegocalfresh. 

Collaborative Learning & Grading

Throughout the Synthesis courses we will ask you to think about the different systems in place in order to understand how change happens. Many researchers argue that grading represents a system that on the surface may seem equitable and democratic but in reality functions in ways that discourage learning. Traditional grading often does not often provide a space for students to take responsibility for what and how they learn. 

If this is your first Synthesis course, it is important to understand the following: In the Synthesis courses we attempt to disrupt traditional grading and use a system we call collaborative grading. We chose the term ‘collaborative’ to signal to both instructors and students that learning is a shared process where faculty can and will expect each student to take responsibility for their own learning. This method of grading invites both instructors and students to take on new roles in the classroom. It provides the opportunity for a different approach to teaching and learning, enabling students to evolve from passive to active learners and for instructors to evolve from evaluators to facilitators.

Collaboration is a team effort. It is important to show up for weekly Tuesday lectures prior to and after the commencement of fieldwork. There are fieldwork components that you cannot duplicate on your own. Your teammates also rely on your presence to get the course work done and conduct research collaboratively. 

Be on time for your group members, tutor, and instructor. Submit your Collaboration Journal entries, Collaboration Session Reports, and all program-designed assignments by the deadlines. Showing up 5 to 20 minutes late more than three times throughout and submitting three or more assignments past the deadlines during the quarter will result in a one-third letter reduction or more to your overall course grade. 

Missing multiple classes and/or required conference(s) and team meetings and/or submitting assignments, including the individual Collaboration Journal Entries, consistently late negatively impacts the level of engagement in the course learning outcomes, healthy and realistic collaboration expectations, conceptual understandings of the course theme, grading timelines for both the instructor and tutor, and an overall level of mutual trust and respect expected for collaboration in this course. 

Students must notify the instructor in writing via email 24 hours in advance to reschedule midterm and/or final conferences. See the Collaborative Learning & Grading module on Canvas for additional details.

Missing Field Trip(s)

Students are strongly encouraged to attend the field trip(s) with the class and conduct fieldwork together for safety and collaborative reasons. Unless there are official weather warnings, we will proceed with the class field trip(s) rain or shine. 

Challenges may arise that hinder your ability to attend the class field trip(s) or engage in fieldwork with your team member(s). Please communicate with your instructor, tutor, and team members in writing via email why you could not attend the field trip(s) or conduct fieldwork as soon as possible, preferably before the field trip or fieldwork commences or within 24 hours of your absence. On the field trip(s) day(s), the instructor will not see any last-minute messages until after the field trip(s) concludes, so plan accordingly and arrive for departure on time. 

Driving to any class field trip site(s)in your personal vehicle for a scheduled field trip is not permitted due to restrictions set forth in the waivers by the university for liability reasons. Public transportation is encouraged for pedagogical reasons. If you prefer to walk to a class field trip site based on your location needs, you may indicate this preference in writing in Canvas comments when you submit both of your field trip waivers for each trip. 

Do not drive to class field trip site(s). 

If you miss a class field trip, you have one week to make it up. You are expected to visit the site or an alternative green space of your choice for the same length of time that the class spent on site for the trip. In Canvas, you will submit a selfie and landscape shot that documents your presence at the site and complete all related coursework to fulfill the course learning objectives. 

Excessive, (un)excused absences and tardies negatively affect a student’s overall collaborative course grade. It is the individual and team’s responsibility to inform the instructor and tutor how you spent this valuable class time if you did not show up for the weekly lecture to work on the project in class, arrived routinely late, missed the required collaboration sessions with your teammates, or skipped fieldwork to complete or attend other personal endeavors (including internships, work, family emergencies, lab duties, GRE preparation courses, prospective graduate school obligations, etc.). 

Academic Integrity 

The Synthesis Curriculum is designed to provide opportunities for you to work on your writing and research, and we expect you to produce your own work. 

In this course, you might engage in some activities that invite you to use AI. In those cases, I will give you explicit instructions for how to use the technology. Students should not use AI for any part of any assignment unless explicitly invited to do so by me. Whenever you use AI, you should state that in an “acknowledgements” section. (More information on the acknowledgements section will be given in class.) If you have questions or concerns about using AI with academic integrity, please reach out to me.  

If you find that your personal circumstances challenge your ability to uphold academic integrity, please speak with me or one of the directors of the Synthesis Program. Any work submitted that fails to meet these responsibilities will be in violation of your collaborative grading reflection, and you will be subject to a lower grade and possible failure of the course. The Synthesis Program may also forward any suspected work to the Office of Academic Integrity for further review which may result in additional academic sanctions, probation and/or suspension.

Here is the official UCSD statement on Academic Integrity

To uphold Academic Integrity, students shall:

• Complete and submit academic work that is their own and that is an honest and fair representation of their knowledge and abilities at the time of submission.
• Know and follow the standards of the class and the institution.

Thus, no student shall engage in an activity that undermines academic integrity or facilitates academic integrity violations by others. This includes, but is not limited to, the following behaviors:

1. No student shall procure, provide, or accept any material that contains questions or answers to any examination or assignment unless the student’s possession of the material has been authorized by the instructor.
2. No student shall complete, in part or in total, any academic work (e.g., examination, assignment, paper) or obtain academic credit (e.g., attendance, participation) for another person.
3. No student shall allow any academic work or academic credit to be completed or obtained, in part or in whole, for themselves by another person.
4. No student shall plagiarize or copy the work of others and submit it as their own work.
5. No student shall employ aids in undertaking course work or in completing any exam or assignment that are not authorized by the instructor.
6. No student shall alter graded class assignments or examinations and then resubmit them for regrading without the instructor’s permission.
7. No student shall submit substantially the same material more than once without prior authorization from the instructor, such as a paper that was written and submitted in another class.

Posting Materials Online

Any materials posted on Canvas or in class Google docs are the copyright of the faculty and instructors in the Synthesis Program and therefore should not be shared outside of Canvas on such sites as Course Hero. Recordings of class sessions are to be shared only with members of the class and should be deleted by the end of the quarter. You should notify me if you plan to record class so I can make the rest of the class aware of your recording.