This semester, two Wesleyan faculty members are teaching a truly unique one-hour honors seminar. The course stands out from other similar offerings for two reasons: it's a truly interdisciplinary class, combining the fields of environmental science and political science, and the instructors, Dr. Jeffrey Simmons, associate professor of biology and environmental science, and Dr. Lisa McLeod-Simmons, assistant professor of political science, are married. The couple thought it would be fun to teach a class together, and after brainstorming ideas of how to combine their two areas of study, decided a one-hour honors seminar would be the best way to implement their idea.

The course, titled The Science and Politics of Endangered Species, involves student research, case studies, presentations, and debates. No textbook is used for the course, and students must research using the internet, books, journal articles, and newspapers to complete their assignments.

Both Dr. Simmons and Dr. McLeod-Simmons have personal and academic interests in endangered species. Dr. Simmons taught a January-term class on endangered species a few years ago, and Dr. McLeod-Simmons has completed academic research on endangered species as well as teaching a course at Wesleyan on environmental law. In fact, this past November, the couple presented a paper at the Southern Political Science Association annual meeting in Atlanta, Georgia. The paper, entitled Correlations Between Water Pollution and West Virginia Watershed Association Group Typology and Activities, proposed the idea of conducting a multi-state study to assess the connections between water pollution and watershed group activities and characteristics.

Both Dr. Simmons and Dr. McLeod-Simmons attend every class and share classroom and grading duties. Dr. Simmons covers the scientific part of the course, while Dr. McLeod-Simmons covers the political and legal aspects. Both professors agree that co-teaching the seminar is beneficial to the students. They admit that by teaching together they can ask questions and cover topics that they would never have thought of alone. When asked how having two disciplines in one course affects the students, Dr. Simmons stated, "It's probably a little more rigorous. You've got two experts holding them to a high standard in two separate fields."

"I think on a social level it lets them (the students) see us as more human," stated Dr. McLeod-Simmons. "We have lives apart from the classroom and from our offices. We are real people, which I think sometimes students forget."

In addition to being beneficial to the students, co-teaching the seminar has allowed the couple to learn more about each other in a new setting.

"Of course I know her very well, but I had no idea what she was like in the classroom, so now I can see how she teaches and how she interacts with students," Dr. Simmons disclosed.

Upon hearing this statement, Dr. McLeod-Simmons turned to Dr. Simmons and asked, "Well, what do you think?"

"Awesome professor," he said with a smile.

The couple hopes to teach the course again in the future, possibly as early as next semester.