What makes for a good life in the zoo? For that matter, what makes a good zoo?

In this Introductory Seminar offered by Stanford University’s Sophomore College program, 12 students will learn, first-hand, the ins and outs of animal welfare science. Through a unique partnership with the San Francisco Zoo, class participants will learn how to apply the principles of animal behavior toward the creation of environmental enrichments; enrichments that will benefit animals, as well as the complex mission of the Zoo.

Students will perform thorough research and behavioral observation in order to gain an appreciation for their animals’ wellbeing, through the eyes of the animal itself, the zoo, and zoo guests. Students will then develop an enrichment plan, and build their zoo enrichments at Stanford’s Product Realization Lab. Following introduction of the enrichment, students will track the overall effectiveness of their inventions by further observation. Participants will also have a chance to interact with the public as docents and present their findings at a zoo-hosted conference.

This course emphasizes multiple learning styles, relying on self-guided teaching, student-led class time, hands-on experience, and service-learning. In addition, the course’s unique format encourages the formation of presentation skills, personal skills, and teamwork.

This blog contains material and daily posts from last year’s course, during which students worked with the zoo’s lions, male giraffe, and resident kinkajou. The blog also includes live-updates from our ongoing course – we’re working with bears, kangaroos, and a Komodo dragon this year! Enjoy.