ESC-10061 - Module Specification
School of Geography, Geology and the Environment
Faculty of Natural Sciences

Programme/Approved Electives for 2022/23

Available as a Free Standing Elective

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

None

Barred Combinations

None

Description for 2022/23

Environmental issues are prominent in today¿s world and in how society shapes, and is shaped by, the planet we live on. Understanding and managing environmental issues, from global to local scales, requires multiple disciplines and interdisciplinary approaches for effective action. Students will explore the core topics of Environmental Science, Environment and Sustainability, and Ecology and Conservation degree programmes. We will evaluate some of the main environmental, ecological and sustainability problems that society faces and how can we address them, with student essays, and develop reflective practice skills to support learning. Students will also develop report writing skills from case study workshops and apply their module-wide learning to a report assessing Keele lakes and the surrounding environment.

This module aims to introduce and foster the development of core knowledge and understanding and of a range of skills and techniques that are relevant to the interdisciplinary study of Environmental Science, Environment and Sustainability, and Ecology and Conservation. Student will develop an awareness of the nature, causes and scope of environmental issues and an experience and understanding some of the key methods, tools and processes that are applied in the workplace and in the search for solutions to problems and controversies.

Intended Learning Outcomes

Discuss a range of core environmental issues drawing on different disciplines: 2
Discuss and debate how interdisciplinary approaches work together and/or in tension: 2
Communicate ideas and arguments in a range of written and oral formats (including the use of standard academic requirements such as referencing) and demonstrate competency in a range of skills necessary for successful study in higher education (e.g. numeracy and IT, visual, oral and written communication): 2
Reflect on and evaluate their own learning experience in order to improve the learning experience in future stages of the programme: 2
Successfully employ a range of laboratory, field and desk-based techniques to collect, synthesize, evaluate and present environmental (ecological, chemical, geological, geographic, social) data: 2

Study hours

12x 1hr lectures (12hrs)
2x 1hr groupwork (2hr)
4x 2hr field sessions (8hrs)
10x 2hr workshops (20hrs)
108 hours for independent study and completion of assessments

School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment