| CODE | EER5104 | |||||||||
| TITLE | Humans, Society and the Environment | |||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course | |||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 7 | |||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 10 | |||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Centre for Environmental Education and Research | |||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | The unit is structured around the major local, regional and global land, water and air resources. Fundamental biological, chemical and physical principles will be explored for each resource. The systemic approach adopted will relate socio-economic and political considerations to the biophysical processes so that students appreciate the intricate nature of sustainable development issues. Specific case studies will be used to illustrate the principles and processes investigated. Study-unit Aims • To develop a deeper understanding of local, regional and global environmental issues. • To develop an awareness of the interdependence between chemo-physical, ecological, socio-economic and political aspects that are prevalent in environmental issues. • To help students appreciate how the scientific, socio-economic and political dimensions of environmental issues are synergistically related to issues related to sustainable development. • To help students appreciate that practical solutions to environmental problems often entail attitude and behavioural change that is coupled to the scientific recognition of such problems. • To enable students to think critically and analytically about different environmental scenarios. Learning Outcomes 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: • identify inter-relationships in various environmental systems and consequently predict possible results of unmanaged human intervention; • describe the complexity of environmental issues (arising from the interrelatedness of various components) at various levels of analysis; and • broadly assess an environmental issue in terms of its main scientific, socio-economic, and political underpinnings and link these components to the concept of sustainability. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: • critically evaluate environmental information and decide on its validity; • discuss local, regional and global environmental issues from different perspectives to highlight their complexity; • identify and propose sustainable resolutions of environmental issues; and • identify different forms of communication that are able to have an effect on pro- environmental attitudes and pro-environmental behaviour in addition to targeting environmental information to a non-technical audience. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings • The following texts are being proposed as basic reference texts: Hinrichs, R. A. & Kleinbach, M. (2002). Energy - its use and the Environment. 3rd Edition. Brooks/Cole Thomson Learning. Houghton, J. (2009). Global Warming - The Complete Briefing. 4th Edition. Cambridge University Press. Mifsud M. (2003). Maltese Nature in Focus. Mireva Publications, Malta. (pp. 281), ISBN 1-870579-44-5 (available) Manahan, S. (2005). Environmental Chemistry. Eighth edition. CRC Press. O'Neill, P. (1998). Environmental Chemistry. 3rd Edition. Blackie Academic and Professional. Pedley, M; Hughes Clarke, M & Galea, P (2002) Limestone isles in a crystal sea. The geology of the Maltese Islands. PEG, Malta. (available) UNCED, (1992). Agenda 21: Programme of Action for Sustainable Development. Rio Declaration on Environment and Development. N.Y.: United Nations. Further readings will be provided by the lecturers as part of the students' pack. These packs will provide students with current research papers on ESD. • Online Resources: State of the Environment Report (2008): http://www.mepa.org.mt/ter UNESCO Teaching Material: http://www.unesco.org/education/tlsf/ Other relevant websites, such as the European Environment Agency, will be suggested by lecturers. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture and Fieldwork | |||||||||
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| LECTURER/S | Vincent Caruana Mark C. Mifsud |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2023/4. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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