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XX30172: State of the planet

Follow this link for further information on academic years Academic Year: 2015/6
Further information on owning departmentsOwning Department/School: Programmes in Natural Sciences
Further information on credits Credits: 6
Further information on unit levels Level: Honours (FHEQ level 6)
Further information on teaching periods Period: Semester 2
Further information on unit assessment Assessment Summary: CW 40%, OR 40%, OT 20%
Further information on unit assessment Assessment Detail:
  • ORAL PRESENTATION (OR 40%)
  • 2 X SHORT REPORTS (CW 40%)
  • DISCUSSION CONTRIBUTION (OT 20%)
Further information on supplementary assessment Supplementary Assessment: Like-for-like reassessment (where allowed by programme regulations)
Further information on requisites Requisites: While taking this module you must take CE40129
Before taking this module you must take XX20085 AND take XX20001 , or have taken A-level Chemistry or equivalent.
Further information on descriptions Description: Aims:
To enable advanced study of the impact of human populations on the global environment, focusing specially on human population growth and its impact on food supply, human use of common resources, ecological services and biodiversity.

Learning Outcomes:
After taking this unit students should be able to demonstrate that they:
* Have advanced knowledge of a range of scientific and technical problems concerning the current state of the global environment, and the evidential basis for such knowledge;
* Understand historic and current impacts on the global environment of human population growth and technological advance;
* Can access and analyse web-based governmental and NGO public databases of global environmental information;
* Appreciate the importance of detailed accounting of environmental indices in appraising global situation;
* Can evaluate the worth of predictive models of future environmental change, and their implications for Homo sapiens and the biosphere;
* Are aware of historic and current proposals to limit human population and economic growth and their scientific, technological, philosophical and political implications.

Skills:
Written communication (T/F/A), Oral presentation (T/F/A), Numeracy and computation (T/F/A), Data acquisition, handling and analysis (T/F/A), Information technology (T/F/A), Information handling and retrieval (T/F/A), Group working (T/F), Working independently (T/F).

Content:
Students will present group seminars based around research into chosen topics including energy, environment and climate change natural hazards, resources and sustainability- biogeochemical cycles and human impacts, population, urbanisation and economic growth. They will present a group talk, and provide relevant demonstration samples. Students will also be required to participate fully in discussion, and to write two short reports on other groups' topics.
Further information on programme availabilityProgramme availability:

XX30172 is Optional on the following programmes:

Department of Chemistry Programmes in Natural Sciences
  • UXXX-AFB01 : BSc(Hons) Natural Sciences (Year 3)
  • UXXX-AAB02 : BSc(Hons) Natural Sciences with Study year abroad (Year 4)
  • UXXX-AKB02 : BSc(Hons) Natural Sciences with Year long work placement (Year 4)
  • UXXX-AFM01 : MSci(Hons) Natural Sciences (Year 3)
  • UXXX-AKM02 : MSci(Hons) Natural Sciences with Professional Placement (Year 4)
  • UXXX-AAM02 : MSci(Hons) Natural Sciences with Study year abroad (Year 4)

Notes:
* This unit catalogue is applicable for the 2015/16 academic year only. Students continuing their studies into 2016/17 and beyond should not assume that this unit will be available in future years in the format displayed here for 2015/16.
* Programmes and units are subject to change at any time, in accordance with normal University procedures.
* Availability of units will be subject to constraints such as staff availability, minimum and maximum group sizes, and timetabling factors as well as a student's ability to meet any pre-requisite rules.