Wageningen University and Research Center

This course provides a systematic overview of the key topics of environmental ethics. It focuses on three protracted and heated debates at the interface of environmental ethics and ecological restoration. The first debate is about the value of ecological restoration (including ‘nature development’). The second debate is about the moral status of animals within ecological restoration projects. Here the course distinguishes between (complementary) two cases: the first one is about the (re)introduction of indigenous species that were once pushed out of their native environment; the other one is about the elimination or eradication of exotic and alien species that have invaded and degraded ecosystems. Both cases show that there is considerable tension between environmental ethics and animal welfare ethics. The third debate is about the role of human intervention in the Anthropocene. Old-school conservationists want to restore and protect pristine nature and call for an attitude of humility. Ecomodernists, on the other hand, see the Anthropocene not as an ecological disaster, but as an opportunity to increase human welfare and protect nature with the use of technology.

This foundational course combines theoretical and conceptual thinking from human geography and ways to analyze and understand the reciprocal relationships between humans and their environments, both natural and built. The learning materials are designed to introduce students to key themes and concepts that relate to human/environment relationships seen from the perspective of human geography and related social sciences, ranging from the complex and evolving relationship between society and nature to the significance of urban design for human wellbeing. Students work in small groups to further explore the weekly themes through discussion and practical exercises.

A basic course on veterinary epidemiology and economics. Specific diseases and their symptoms, prevention, therapy, and economic effects are used as an illustration of the following aspects: health and disease, how to diagnose, and which organizations are involved; types of disease, pathogen transmission, available preventive measures; types and design of epidemiological studies, analysis, and interpretation; basic economic principles and methods used in decision-making regarding animal health problems; and design of disease eradication and/or prevention programs.

The course teaches the basic concepts, measures, and study designs used in epidemiology and public health. It contains lectures on study design and methodological issues, lectures by epidemiologists working in various disciplines and e-learning modules to practice knowledge on study designs, standardization, and calculations of basic epidemiological and public health measures. Assumed Knowledge MAT15303 Statistics 1 + MAT15403 Statistics 2.

This course familiarizes students with the theory and methodology of planning for urban quality of life. The course activities include theory lectures and a practical group assignment. The theory lectures focus on selected aspects of quality of life relevant to urban and regional planning. The group assignment focuses on analyzing and designing the regional spatial organization and building spatial scenarios for the future spatial development of a region. The assignment and related instruction lectures familiarize students with methods for prospective and projective scenario study. The methods and techniques are applied in the context of an urban region in the Netherlands. The overall planning task for the assignment is to develop an integrated spatial vision, scenarios, and strategies for the region for the long term (30 years) that can support the discussion about the future development of the region.  The assignment addresses some selected topics, while each group can choose its own focal issues. The main emphasis is on practicing methods and techniques for analyzing and designing spatial organization and building scenarios. The concepts for analyzing and designing the spatial organization of the area are provided in theory and instruction lectures. A study trip helps students to understand the context of the issues at hand.