QUTVGEM Global Environmental Studies Course description

Ingen

No prerequisites

The course presents various ways that major environmental issues are seen as global challenges and are discussed in global fora. Furthermore, the students learn about specific cases of such issues in Ghana and other West-African countries. In these cases, the course provides insights to concerns by various actors at local and national levels. The students gain a basis for critical analysis and reflection upon the causes, dynamics and proposed solutions to environmental conflicts. The course places a significant focus on field experience, including three field trips during which the students will be able to engage directly with some of the major environmental concerns facing Ghana.

At the end of the course the student has obtained the following learning outcomes:

Knowledge

The student has attained knowledge about

• key concepts in environmental studies, such as 'sustainable development'
• ways that various types of 'power' is applied in environmental conflicts
• the role of institutions, organisations and other stakeholders in managing and regulating human impact on the environment
• the manner in which social and economic dynamics of development interact with the biophysical environment at multiple scales
• what the approach of political ecology entails
• the social constructions of the environment and environmental issues
• the political nature of important contemporary environmental issues, with a particular focus on West Africa, in general, and Ghana, in particular
• the contingent nature of truth

Skills

The student has gained skills in

• critical reading and reflexivity on environmental issues and conflicts
• basic skills in primary data collection (largely qualitative)
• writing skills and argument formulation

General competence

The student is able to

• interrogate accounts of environmental problems and appreciate the politics involved in their formulation
• discuss environmental issues insomuch as they impact on development concerns
• engage with geographical, sociological and anthropological literature documenting environmental challenges in West Africa
• understand better the complexities involved in resolving some of the major global environmental challenges

The course Global Environmental Studies combines traditional lecture-based teaching with workshop seminars, enabling students to discuss and work within smaller groups. Moreover, the teaching combines classroom methods, such as lectures and seminars, with practical sessions, such as field research, project work, visits and field trips to relevant local institutions and areas of interest. The field research provides an excellent opportunity to integrate the knowledge from the theoretical courses and apply it to real situations.

The first part of the course is a 7-week web-based self-study. After this, the students leave for Ghana to attend the regular course based on classroom teaching. The curriculum is covered by approximately 30 two-hour lectures. Additionally a permanent seminar leader will hold approximately 10 workshop seminars during the course. Students are expected to take a proactive approach to their learning. They are expected to plan and organise their studies, and take an active role in seminars, class discussions, and in making practice contacts and site visits.

The last part of the course is a group work period, during which the students form groups and write a group assignment on a particular case/project/issue, preferably in the West African area. The group work may be conducted in cooperation with local academic organisations and NGOs and provides an excellent opportunity for the students to integrate the knowledge and skills from the theoretical tutoring and apply them to real situations of problem solving. At an early stage of their stay in Ghana the students form groups of 4-5 persons. The purpose of these groups is both to work on current topics from the lectures and literature, and to fulfil the group assignments. The seminar leader is instrumental in forming the groups and supervising them during the writing process.

There will be a seminar on how to write papers. Here, the seminar leader will also suggest topics of relevance. In addition, each group will be given supervision.

Details about the deadlines of a particular semester will appear in the study guide.

Formålet med arbeidskravet er at studentene skal anvende spesialiserte kunnskaper hentet fra temaene i emnet.

1. Digital produksjon i form av bildebok. Består av digital billedbok med 8 oppslag.
2. Muntlig fremlegg for medstudenter på minimum 5 minutter pr. student.
3. Kunstproduksjon i gruppe. Gruppen presenterer kunstproduksjonen for medstudenter (varighet på 20 min) og leder deretter en diskusjon (varighet 10 min).

Arbeidskravene gjenspeiler de praktiske sidene ved emnet, all den tid de krever at studentene skaper, utforsker og sammen reflekterer kritisk over kunst- og kulturuttrykk for, med og av barn. Det gis veiledning i produksjonsprosessene.

Dersom studenten er forhindret i å presentere lages egen avtale med emneansvarlig.

Eksamen er en individuell skriftlig hjemmeoppgave. Hjemmeoppgaven skal skrives som en artikkel på 2500 ord +/- 10 %, som skal kunne publiseres i et barnehagefaglig tidsskrift. Eksamensoppgaven gis ved oppstarten av emnet og leveres i siste halvdelen av emnet.

Ny og utsatt eksamen

Ny og utsatt eksamen gjennomføres på samme måte som ved ordinær eksamen. Ved første ny og utsatt eksamen kan det leveres en bearbeidet versjon av hjemmeoppgaven. Ved senere forsøk leveres ny hjemmeoppgave.

All examination support material is permitted.

Alle hjelpemidler tillatt så lenge regler for kildehenvisning følges.

A - F