Human-environmental Interactions-E2
| Numbering Code | U-LAS61 10010 LE17 | Year/Term | 2022 ・ First semester | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Credits | 2 | Course Type | Lecture | |
| Target Year | Mainly 1st & 2nd year students | Target Student | For all majors | |
| Language | English | Day/Period | Thu.5 | |
| Instructor name | TRENCHER, Gregory (Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies Associate Professor) | |||
| Outline and Purpose of the Course | This lecture and discussion course will introduce students to environmental challenges and the human-environmental interactions causing these. The course will use detailed case studies to explore topics of global relevance such as climate change, plastic ocean debris, the transition from gasoline to electric passenger vehicles, agriculture and diets. | |||
| Course Goals | Students will be encouraged to look critically at the environmental impacts of their own behavior as well as practices on the local, regional, national and international scale. In doing so, students will gain an interdisciplinary understanding that includes perspectives from the natural sciences about the drivers of global environmental problems and social science perspectives on the social, policy and ethical dimensions of causes and solutions. Students will be expected to contribute their ideas and express themselves in small group discussions and classroom exercises. | |||
| Schedule and Contents |
1. Introduction to course 2. Tragedy of the commons: Framework to understand human-nature relations 3. Climate Change 1: Basic science and observations 4. Climate Change 2: Extreme weather and long-term impacts 5. Climate Change 3: Social and policy dimensions 6. Climate Change 4: Geoengineering: The ultimate human-nature interaction 7. The relationship between meat, health and environmental change 8. Ocean Plastic 1: Overview of the problem and causes 9. Ocean Plastic 2: Overview of the problem and causes 10. Mini-exam and introduction to assignments 11. Group research assignment preparation 12. Managing natural parks (assignment preparation) 13. Group research presentations 14. Group research presentations 15. Feedback |
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| Evaluation Methods and Policy |
Attendance and participation 20% Mini exam 20% Student presentations 30% Student paper 30% |
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| Course Requirements | A willingness to participate in class discussions and group work. | |||
| Study outside of Class (preparation and review) | All students will be expected to participate in classroom discussions and complete assignments. Revision of class presentations is expected. | |||
| Textbooks | Textbooks/References | No text required. Readings and lecture notes will be distributed in class. | ||
