English

This course examines the historical construction of the “tropics” as both an ecological reality and an ideological concept central to Western thought. Adopting a global perspective, the course explores how European and later North American interpretations of tropical environments shaped colonial expansion, economic development, and enduring social, racial, and cultural inequalities. This course explores the multiple dimensions of this history from a global perspective, emphasizing the creation of a unified and coherent bioclimatic zones that amalgamates parts of the Americas, Africa, Asia and Oceania. After discussing the concept of ‘tropicality’ – the European gaze on non-European environments – the course covers critical aspects of that amalgamation, including colonialism, resource extractivism, and intertropical species transfer and acclimatization. The last part of the course focuses on two urgent contemporary issues, namely climate change and decolonization, seeking to discuss the future of the ‘tropics’.

This course examines how the Internet works and how everyday online activities generate data that are collected, analyzed, and monetized by digital platforms. It explores key issues related to data privacy, security, ownership, and control, addressing questions about how personal information is used and how individuals can protect themselves online. The course provides practical knowledge and tools for understanding Internet infrastructure, data tracking practices, and strategies for managing one’s digital presence with greater confidence and awareness.

Building on a comprehensive understanding of communication design, students investigate the unique characteristics of various media and move fluidly across them, developing active and creative strategies for communication. This inquiry serves as the foundation for freely experimenting with and implementing practical, hands-on projects. Topics include The domain of Communication design, The role of communication designers, Riso print workshop, Communication design issues, and Communication design and media.

Prerequisites: Completion of at least two of the following — Introduction to Communication Design, Typography Design, Brand Design, Information Design, Advertising Design

The course covers advanced topics and techniques in big data, with a focus on the algorithmic and system aspects. It provides both theoretical and hands-on experience in big data and data mining. Topics include MapReduce, textual data management, graph data management, uncertain data management, association rule mining, and state-of-the-art data mining techniques. It also covers recent developments and progress in selected areas.

In "Climate Change and Extreme Weather," students embark on an investigative journey to demystify the science behind climate change and the increasing occurrence of extreme weather events around the world. Aimed at students from a variety of academic backgrounds, this introductory undergraduate course integrates fundamental atmospheric science principles with an examination of the dynamic systems that govern Earth’s climate. Through a blend of lectures, field study, and hands-on data analysis projects, students will delve into the mechanisms of climate change, the physical processes driving extreme weather events (such as typhoons/hurricanes, droughts, floods, heatwaves, wildfires, etc.), and the methodologies scientists use to model and predict these phenomena. Emphasizing critical thinking and problem-solving, students will also investigate the role of human activity in climate change and the strategies for mitigation and adaptation. By the end of the course, students will be empowered with the knowledge and skills to navigate the complex issues surrounding climate change and extreme weather, promoting a proactive and informed approach to one of the most pressing challenges of our time.

This course for advanced undergraduate students covers components and biochemical processes of terrestrial ecosystems. Human activities have altered more than half of the ice-free terrestrial ecosystems. Students learn the components of Earth system including atmosphere, ocean, soil, and biota, and understand how these components influence the cycles of elements, water, and energy. Students are expected to discuss temporal and spatial changes of the components and consider the integrated effects of these changes on soil functions at diverse scales ranging from plots, regions, and the globe. 

Topics include History of ecosystem ecology, Water and energy balance, Plant photosynthesis: carbon input to terrestrial system, Plant and ecosystem carbon budgets, Terrestrial carbon losses, Terrestrial nutrient cycling, Temporal and spatial dynamics, Anthropocene. 

As the digital platform presents a new way for international expansion, developing an international digital marketing strategy has become a critical challenge for businesses. This course explores the realities and implications of electronic commerce from a marketer’s perspective and introduces a wide range of cross-border e-commerce issues, such as global cross-border trends, cross-border e-commerce practices, and e-commerce ecosystems, the challenges of traditional industry’s digital transformation, online consumer behavior and consumption patterns, omnichannel marketing and major e-commerce platforms in regional markets. In addition, the course introduces the concepts of e-commerce, cross-border e-commerce, and digital marketing practices through the case discussion on the practices of firms and product types to develop students' digital marketing planning and execution capabilities in the cross-border e-commerce marketplaces. 

This course examines the core concepts and research techniques of modern evolutionary biology, including natural selection, evolutionary genetics, macroevolution, and applications of evolutionary ideas to practical questions such as human health. 

This course covers the biology, agronomy, physiology, and ecology of seaweeds, in order to analyze cultivation, ecophysiology, and ecology in marine systems vs. terrestrial systems. Aspects that are relevant in this context are: limits and possibilities of seaweed production in relation to the physical environment (light, temperature, carbon); the importance of salinity for productivity and metabolism; ecological risks and environmental hazards; biodiversity, reproduction and breeding. Assumed Knowledge in PPH10306 Biology of Plants or comparable.

This course provides introductory theoretical constructs regarding society, organizations, groups, families, and individuals which enable human service professionals to understand and to interact professionally within the context in which professionals work. The content is anchored around the South African Constitution and uses a human rights approach as the overarching theoretical framework.