Environment now (5 cr)

Objective

You can identify current environmental issues. You are able to relate environmental issues to a wider context. You understand the impact of politics on environmental issues. You are able to discuss environmental issues competently. You can provide well-grounded solutions to environmental problems. You can interpret sources critically and search for information from reliable sources.

Content

What are the current environmental problems?
How do political decisions and geopolitics relate to environmental issues?
How are environmental issues discussed constructively?
How to solve environmental problems?
How do you justify your opinion expertly?
What is a good source and where to find one?

Evaluation

Students can
· use professional vocabulary and concepts in an expert way in different situations.
· evaluate information sources critically.
· work as team members in working life expert duties and identify and describe the problems of the professional field.
· evaluate operations in customer, user and target group situations.
· choose appropriate models, methods, software and techniques according to the purpose and justify these choices.
· promote teams’ goal-oriented operation.
· apply critically the ethical principles of the professional field in different situations.

Course material

Material on Learn and individually searched material.
More detailed information during the course.

Study forms and methods

You can identify current environmental issues. You are able to relate environmental issues to a wider context. You understand the impact of politics on environmental issues. You are able to discuss environmental issues competently. You can provide well-grounded solutions to environmental problems. You can interpret sources critically and search for information from reliable sources.
We’ll be looking for answers to these questions:
• What are the current environmental problems?
• How do political decisions and geopolitics relate to environmental issues?
• How are environmental issues discussed constructively?
• How to solve environmental problems?
• How do you justify your opinion expertly?
• What is a good source and where to find one?

RDI and work-related cooperation

None

Timing of exams and assignments

No exam.

Preliminary assignment due 10.9.2023.
Learning cycle 1 presentations 9.10./12.10./16.10. Reports due 19.10.2023
Learning cycle 2 presentations 23.11./27.11./30.11. Reports due 4.12.2023

Individual lecture tasks:
LT 1: due 18.9.2023
LT 2: due 9.10.2023
LT 3: due 20.10.2023
LT 4: due 2.11.2023
LT 5: due 16.11.2023
LT 6: due 4.12.2023

International cooperation

None

Student workload

135h
Two learning cycles, each ending with presentation and reporting of the results (about 65h), individual tasks and lectures (about 70h).

Course part description

Preliminary assignment: Students select an environmental problem to introduce to the group. More detailed instructions given on Learn.

Learning cycle 1 focuses on identifying root causes for the discussed environmental problems and it consists of the initial session (defining the study question), sessions for more information on the planetary boundaries and root cause analysis, finding background information to help working towards the LC aim and the completing session when the results are presented.

The presentations for learning cycle 1 results are used as the trigger for learning cycle 2. Similarly to learning cycle 1, students choose an aim to focus on, this time for finding potential solutions to the presented environmental problems.

Further information

More detailed instructions given on Learn.

Evaluation scale

1-5

Assessment methods and criteria

The course grade is given based on the total points earned during the course. The preliminary assignment is evaluated pass/to be completed (i.e. it has to be completed for an accepted grade) and the learning cycle 1 and 2 activities together yield 50p. The other half of the grade is based on individual lecture tasks.
The overall evaluation is based on the grading scale:
grade 1: 50-59p
grade 2: 60-69p
grade 3: 70-79p
grade 4: 80-89p
grade 5: over 90p
Please note late submission reduces points, and lecture attendance gives bonus points.