With almost 8 billion people on the planet, it is essential to understand how human activities influence our environmental systems. This course considers how two major human activities, urbanisation and agriculture, change the ecology, chemistry, and health of terrestrial and aquatic systems. Students will learn how to find, analyse and interpret information and data relevant to environmental issues. Overall, the course provides students with a basic understanding of current theories, methods, and approaches necessary to help solve complex environmental problems. Student learning will be facilitated through a combination of lectures, class discussions, field-based exercises, and tutorials.
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By the end of this course, students will be able to: Characterise the interactions between human, biophysical and ecological processes (Capability 1) Evaluate the effects of urbanization and agriculture on biodiversity and ecosystem functions (Capability 1 and 2) Obtain, analyze, synthesize and interpret data in the context of the contemporary literature (Capability 4 and 5) Recommend ways to minimize the negative impact of human activities on environmental systems (Capability 3 and 6)