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Module GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE - 2

Module code: GY261
Credits: 5
Semester: 2
Quota: 140
Department: GEOGRAPHY
International: Yes
Coordinator: Shirley Howe (GEOGRAPHY)
Overview Overview
 

There are few aspects of modernity more striking and significant than the changes that society has made to the physical and biotic environment. These changes have been so significant that we now refer to a new geological age, the Anthropocene, a period in which the primary drivers of planetary change are human actions rather than natural processes. The scale of these climatic and environmental changes becomes ever more evident and urgent, as droughts, floods, species loss, and viral pandemics occur with increasing frequency and intensity. At the same time, the fall-out of this ongoing ecological crisis is not experienced equally – parts of the world and sections of the population that have been historically marginalised carry the greatest burden of climate and environmental breakdown despite being the least responsible.

Responding to these pressing challenges requires a critical and interdisciplinary understanding of how social and physical processes interact in a complex world. We need to be informed about earth systems science and planetary boundaries while at the same time understanding the societal forces that have given rise to such an unequal and ecologically devastating global economic system. Geography is the discipline best suited to this task. In this course, students will gain a broad, critical understanding of human and physical geography approaches to global environmental change, as well as reflecting on their own place within a climate-changed world.

Module and Elective Structure:
The GY260/1 elective stream is run over two modules in semester 1 and semester 2. In semester 1, students will be introduced to key perspectives within human geography for understanding the interactions between nature and society, and how these help us to identify the societal drivers of global environmental change.

In the second semester, module two will explore earth system components and trends and the role that physical geography plays in understanding and assessing global environmental change. Students will also explore in more detail contemporary societal responses to the climate change and related environmental challenges.

Either or both of these modules (GY260, GY261) are available to all Second Year Geography students, but they are designed as a package to be taken together.

Open Learning Outcomes
 
Open Teaching & Learning methods
 
Open Assessment
 
Open Autumn Supplementals/Resits
 
Open Timetable
 
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