Professor Fraser teaches the following courses in the Department of Biology at Concordia University, Montreal, QC, Canada:
Scientific Communication (BIOL 670/498, fall, every year):
This is a “learning-by-doing” course designed to help students improve the clarity, fluency and accuracy of their written and oral scientific work. It will consist of a combination of short lessons, discussions, and course exercises and assignments. The course assignments and lessons are designed to develop and improve the following scientific communication skills: (i) writing scientific papers and thesis proposals; (ii) presenting orally; (iii) making effective scientific posters; (iv) providing constructive feedback to peers; and (v) summarising science to the public (including via social media and video).
Vertebrate Biology (BIOL 330, winter, alternate years):
This course will explore how the anatomy, physiology, life history, ecology and behaviour of vertebrates interact to generate animals that function effectively in their environments, and how different vertebrate groups have evolved over the past few hundred million years. Major vertebrate groups discussed in the course are cartilaginous fishes, bony fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. Other special topics on vertebrate biology considered will include the role of ecology in vertebrate speciation, vertebrate adaptations to extreme environments, seasonal migrations, human evolution, as well as conservation issues facing different vertebrate groups worldwide.
Conservation Biology (BIOL 457, winter, alternate years):
We live in an age of unprecedented environmental change and biodiversity loss due to human population growth and activities. The collective field of applied ecology and conservation biology applies interdisciplinary scientific principles to identify and manage (or try to manage) environmental problems, and to find a balance between protecting biodiversity and providing for human needs. This course attempts to introduce students to these scientific principles. In addition, as many ecology/environmental science students exiting universities will work in applied sciences, the emphasis in course assignments is on effective scientific communication, collaboration and problem-solving. There is also an emphasis on ‘synthesis-type’ questions on exams.