Module ENSS3361: GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE

Department: GEOGRAPHY (ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES)

ENSS3361: GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE

Prerequisites

• None

Corequisites

• None

Excluded Combination of Modules

• GEOG2571 Global Climate Change

Aims

• To provide an understanding of environmental (including climatic) changes as a result of natural and human-induced mechanisms.
• to analyse and explain the implications of such changes for human and physical systems.

Content

• Climatic background.
• Past climates: Pre-Holocene climates.
• Ocean circulation.
• Changes in the biosphere past, present and future.
• Mechanisms causing climatic change.
• Global Environmental Change: present-day problems, future change.
• Sea-level change.
• Field trip: Interglacial, glacial and Holocene deposits.
• demonstration of sampling (including coring).
• Workshop: discussion of critical issues and quality of evidence.
• revision of course content.

Learning Outcomes

• Understand the basic functioning of the Earth???s climate system and how this can vary
• Understand the evidence for past environmental change and the possible consequences of future change

• Utilise this knowledge to evaluate the possible causes of past and present-day environmental changes
• Place the current debate about the reality and consequences of global warming into a scientific context

• Present their understanding and judgement to an audience of their peers
• Have developed their field skills (i.e. Observational Skills/ should have experienced interpretation of sedimentary evidence from outcrop etc

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• Lectures will provide the necessary breadth of coverage, critical insight, overview and framework required by the aims and learning outcomes.
• These will be supported by additional reading lists that will enable the students to build on information provided in the lectures.
• The fieldwork will provide the students with experience of the nature of the evidence for environmental change in the field and an insight into sampling and investigative techniques (one of the assignments makes use of this experience).
• The workshop requires student participation in discussion of the issues surrounding the debate about the causes and consequences of global warming and allows staff to gauge student learning progress.
• The two assignments focus student reading in key areas and allow students to show their ability to appraise critically the evidence for past and present environmental changes.
• The class test, which combines show answer questions and a single essay question, allows students to demonstrate their breadth of knowledge of the subject material and their understanding of evidence and issues.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

Feedback is provided via discussions in class, workshop and during fieldwork. Written comment is provided on the summative essays.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University