University of Iceland

The course is an introduction to the basics of ecology, concepts, approaches, and applications, with a focus on the utilization of natural resources. Topics include the history and discipline of ecology; population ecology; principles of population growth, effects of density, and population regulation. Species interactions: competition, predation, and other interaction forms. The structure and diversity of biological communities, succession, food webs, stability, and biodiversity. Ecosystems: nutrient and energy cycles and trophic efficiency.  An introduction to Icelandic ecosystems.

Nature of Iceland: Students learn about the weather and climate, geology, vegetation, and animal life. They attend lectures about the geology of Iceland and go on fieldtrips to see volcanoes, hotsprings, and lava, and they study the geography of the country. Environmental problems and nature conservation in Iceland are discussed. Field trips are an important ingredient of this part of the course, including birdwatching. Cultural legacy: The course gives an overview of Icelandic history and culture from medieval times to the present. Field trips are made to historical museums and art exhibits.

This course provides a comprehensive introduction to advanced and modern topics in Electrodynamics aimed at undergraduate and master's students. The course assumes familiarity with Newtonian mechanics, but the main concepts of special relativity and vector calculus are covered initially. 

The course provides an overview of the development of Icelandic culture from early to modern times, with emphasis on contemporary culture and art. Focus is placed on the rapid development of the country from a rural to an urban society during the past decades and the way in which the development has influenced Icelandic music, visual arts, films, theatre, and literature. 

The course covers topics of current interest in astrophysics and cosmology. Students independently search for relevant publications, learn to give comprehendible lectures, write a clear and comprehensive essay, and gain a deep understanding of a subject of their own choice within astrophysics.

This course is a historical overview of Japanese cinema from its origins in 1898 to the present day. Screenings are comprised of films by Japan's most prominent directors such as Ozu Yasujirō, Kurosawa Akira, and Mizoguchi Kenji, alongside examples that reflect important trends in contemporary Japanese film. While the course addresses questions regarding genre, style, and authorship, students also work to situate these categories within the broader cultural, social, and historical currents of Japanese cinema. Topics include but are not limited to, the impact of WWII and occupation on Japanese filmmaking, the studio system, and the Japanese New Wave. 

An individual project on the ethics of nature.

The course focuses on the study of sediments and sedimentary rocks, erosion, transport processes and accumulation of sediments, and sedimentary facies and facies associations. Emphasis is placed on linking practical work and lectures. Exercises are conducted in the field and in the laboratory. Students are taught to log sedimentary sections and to map sediments and sedimentary rocks, to take samples, and perform basic sedimentological analyses of physical properties in the lab.

The course deals with the connection between Man and Nature from the viewpoint of Moral Philosophy. It discusses the main proponents of and theories within Environmental Ethics and describes the roots of differing views of Nature, as well as different ethical orientations, i.e. anthropocentric, ecocentric, and biocentric positions. The course also deals with the integration of environmental and developmental issues, and with the connection between environmentalism and democracy. Amongst central issues discussed are the following: Can Ethics provide guidance in the solution of environmental problems? What type of beings are worthy of moral considerability? Can natural phenomena possess intrinsic value? Do animals have rights? Is there any fundamental difference in men's and women's relations to Nature? What is the ethical basis of sustainable development?

The subject of the course is active tectonic movements with emphasis on processes currently active in Iceland. Theory of plate tectonics, plate velocity models, both relative and absolute. Elastic and ductile behaviour of rocks in the crust and mantle. Brittle fracturing. Plate boundary deformation. Rifts and rifting structures. Transcurrent faulting and associated structures. Earthquakes and faulting. Measuring crustal movements, GPS-geodesy, levelling, SAR-interferometry, tilt- and strainmeters. A one-day field project is carried out in an active area. Additionally, one day field trip to the plate boundary areas of SW-Iceland. This course is only for exchange students.