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Unit of Study BIO10187 - Global Environmental Issues (2014)

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Unit Snapshot

  • Enrolment information

    This external unit will have a compulsory residential workshop at the Lismore campus. Please refer to the external residential timetable which can be found on the Environmental Science Student Centre at MySCU.

Unit description

Introduces major global and regional environmental issues associated with the impacts of human land use. Working in the context of increasing human populations, climate change and the political responses to evidence for increasing global environmental change, the unit examines issues of soils, water, air and biological degradation, placing Australian regional issues into a global context.

Unit content

The schedule of topics covers curriculum content delivered in the Online Study Guide and during residential exercises. This unit explores the following overlapping topics:

  • ecosystems and their services, environmental resources and their use
  • human population growth, sustainability and environmental health
  • environmental change, land degradation, biodiversity, climate change, and water
  • management and policy responses.

Underpinning this exploration, we introduce the use of scientific inquiry to build understanding of the complexities of these topics, and evaluate current policy and management responses.

Availabilities

Location Domestic International
Online Session 1 Session 1

Learning outcomes and graduate attributes

Unit Learning Outcomes express learning achievement in terms of what a student should know, understand and be able to do on completion of a unit. These outcomes are aligned with the graduate attributes. The unit learning outcomes and graduate attributes are also the basis of evaluating prior learning.

On completion of this unit, students should be able to:

GA1: Intellectual rigour, GA2: Creativity, GA3: Ethical practice, GA4: Knowledge of a discipline, GA5: Lifelong learning, GA6: Communication and social skills, GA7: Cultural competence
Learning outcome count Learning outcome description GA1 GA2 GA3 GA4 GA5 GA6 GA7
1 identify and define significant global environmental issues regarding environmental degradation, human population growth, resource use, and climate change
2 examine global environmental issues in terms of the science underpinning our understanding, and the link between science and management and policy responses
3 demonstrate an ability to present succinct summaries, analyses and arguments regarding complex issues concerning the global environment, using a range of communication techniques
4 reflect on the academic principles underpinning scientific inquiry as well as the student's learning process.

On completion of this unit, students should be able to:

  1. identify and define significant global environmental issues regarding environmental degradation, human population growth, resource use, and climate change
    • GA2:
    • GA4:
    • GA5:
  2. examine global environmental issues in terms of the science underpinning our understanding, and the link between science and management and policy responses
    • GA2:
    • GA4:
    • GA5:
  3. demonstrate an ability to present succinct summaries, analyses and arguments regarding complex issues concerning the global environment, using a range of communication techniques
    • GA2:
    • GA4:
    • GA5:
  4. reflect on the academic principles underpinning scientific inquiry as well as the student's learning process.
    • GA2:
    • GA4:
    • GA5:

Prescribed learning resources

Prescribed Texts
  • No prescribed texts.

Prescribed Learning Resources may change in future Teaching Periods.