Global Change Biology

Weekly seminars on selected topics offer students a broad overview and understanding of biological problems linked to a changing environment. Students will work in interdisciplinary groups with advisors to describe and analyze challenges and problems associated with cumulative change in the Earth's ecological and biogeochemical systems, such as global warming, ocean acidification, pollutant effects, habitat loss, and consumption of renewable and non-renewable resources. The emphasis is on interdisciplinary analysis of global change problems employing multiple perspectives and levels within biology. The student groups will select a focused problem within a defined ecosystem, biome, or geographical region for in-depth analysis. Analyses will be presented in both scholarly presentation and public media formats, and these outputs will be the basis for evaluation.

Knowledge:

After completing the course the student will be able to:

• Describe and discuss a range of global environmental problems
• Explain the biological processes involved in the causes and development of and possible solutions to global environmental problems

Skills:

After completing the course the student will be able to:

• Identify, define, and analyze biological problems linked to global change
• Access and evaluate primary scientific literature, technical reports, media reports, internet sources, and policy documents for analysis of environmental problems

General competence:

After completing the course the student will be able to:

• Work in a supervised, interdisciplinary group toward a common goal
• Present the results of a scholarly analysis to an informed audience in a well-designed presentation
• Explain an environmental problem to a general audience in print, sound, or video media

• Seminars and workshops: 30 hours mandatory
• Group work: 20 hours mandatory
• Compulsory assignments
  • Public presentation (group) 50%
  • Media project : Short article or sound or video recording targeted to public media (individua) 50%
• Obligatory activities