Undergraduate Course: Topics in Global Environmental Change (EASC10022)
Course Outline
| School | School of Geosciences |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 4 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 10 |
ECTS Credits | 5 |
| Summary | This is a student-seminar based course, discussing hot topics in Global Environmental Change. These topics will be introduced by the lecturer, read about by all students, using recent articles in the literature, then will form the basis for student seminars and general group discussion.
The class will meet for a three-hour session, every Wednesday, 9:00-12:00 for six weeks during Semester 2 Block 4. Staff member will give a brief introduction to a topic, highlighting some of the key issues that remain to be fully resolved. They will provide a list of sub-topics, along with a reading list of papers for each. Students will then volunteer to present a 15-minute presentation on each of the sub-topics (one sub-topic each). Topics will be assigned to students on a first-come-first-serve basis during the first meeting and a limit will be imposed on the number of presentations every week so that an even distribution of student talks is achieved and all topics are covered sufficiently. The student seminars will act as the platform for a general class discussion. Students are expected to initiate discussion by asking questions and contribute to the discussion by what they understood by reading the papers. The staff members will fill in where and when necessary. At the end of the session, a staff member will introduce the following week's topic. |
| Course description |
Syllabus
Themes will vary with year, depending on what is topical. Examples of topics from past years are as follows.
1. Climate stability and climate change on geologic timescales.
2. Recent climate variability
3. What caused the glacial-interglacial changes in CO2?
4. Mechanisms of abrupt climate change.
5. Contemporary climate change and ongoing global warming.
6. Dangerous climate change and extreme weather
7. Future climate change predictions.
8. Stability of ice sheets
Timetable
https://path.is.ed.ac.uk/courses/EASC10022_SV1_SB3
Important Notice: It is Important for student wishing to enrolled to attend the first meeting on 10th of February 2020 between 10:10-11:00am held at the Grant Institute Room 304B. Topics for student presentation are assigned during the first meeting. Failing to attend may restrict your choice of topics.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | Note to personal tutors: This is an option course.
Environmental Geosciences students taking this as compulsory course should enrol in EASC10050 Global Environmental Change |
| Additional Costs | None. |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2019/20, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Block 3 (Sem 2) |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
100
(
Lecture Hours 30,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
68 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Written Exam: 0%, Course Work: 100 %, Practical Exam: 0%.
Course work marks are split as follows:
70% - 2500 Word Essay
30% - Student presentation and class discussion
Extended Common Marking Scheme:
https://www.ed.ac.uk/timetabling-examinations/exams/regulations/common-marking-scheme
Assessment deadlines
Essay Deadline: 3rd April 2020 at 4 pm (LEARN submission)
Assessment and Feedback information
https://www.ed.ac.uk/files/atoms/files/2019-taught.pdf
All details related to extensions procedures and late penalties can be found in the School of GeoSciences General Information Handbook 2019-20.
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| Feedback |
Feedback provided on student seminar presentations during the course and in addition students are encouraged to discuss essay topics they choose with lecturer who are experts in that area
Examples of feedback can be found here: http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/geosciences/teaching-organisation/staff/feedback-and-marking
Assessment and Feedback information
https://www.ed.ac.uk/files/atoms/files/2019-taught.pdf
All details related to extensions procedures and late penalties can be found in the School of GeoSciences General Information Handbook 2019-20.
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| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- To develop a critical understanding of the science underpinning Global Environmental Change, the principal agents and mechanisms that drive
- To help further develop the student's skills in critical assessment of scientific literature so that they are able to critically identify and analyse complex problems
- To help develop a student's presentation skills and to practise making formal presentations about specialised topics to an informed audiences.
- The essay assessment will give students the opportunity to critically review and consolidate their understanding of a specialised topic and offer professional level insights.
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Reading List
| Provided through Learn |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Hot_Topics_GEC |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Raja Ganeshram
Tel: (0131 6)50 7364
Email: R.Ganeshram@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Ms Katerina Sykioti
Tel: (0131 6)50 5430
Email: Katerina.Sykioti@ed.ac.uk |
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