Environmental Studies

This course covers the structure and function of the ecosystem and the cycle of energy and matter through a combination of lectures and indoor and outdoor experiments. 

Topics include Development of concepts in ecosystem science,  Structure of terrestrial ecosystems, Carbon balance, Nutrient and water balance, Additional approaches, Energy, water, and carbon balance, Water use, Canopy system, Soil environment, Biological process in soils, NPP, Decomposition. 

This course provides the knowledge and understanding about how cost and environmental issues affect the choice of design solutions and which measures need a longer-term perspective than others, in order to get back the investment costs or make the building sustainable. This course also provides the knowledge and understanding related to different types of actors’ interests (city-owned property owners, private property owners, property developers (build and sell), private homeowners, builders, and manufacturers). Also included are aspects of barriers and possibilities. The course presents methodology and tools for determining life cycle perspective issues like life-cycle costs and environmental certification. This can be used for evaluation, system design and to produce convincing arguments and facts for the client.

Within a theoretical and learning-by-doing context, this course focuses on solving problems in the field of wildlife ecology and conservation. The problem-based learning approach is based on the idea that it is an effective and durable way to develop into a professional. Lectures provide the needed theory, and assignments are offered to obtain hands on experience with quantitative data analyses. During these assignments, students use advanced methodologies and software (for example excel, R, and conservation planning programs) to address problems spanning a wide range of wildlife conservation issues such as threats to species, genetic analysis, population viability analysis, the role of protected areas, the human context to conservation, and ecosystem/landscape management and planning. Furthermore, students work in groups on a case study that allow them to address species conservation issues using advanced methodologies learned earlier during the course. A working experience with excel is required (ability to make graphs and perform basic calculations and statistics). Assumed Knowledge in PEN10503 Ecology I; PEN20503 Ecology II; WEC20803 Applied Animal Ecology.

This course studies the relationship between energy and urbanization, taking a global approach that gives pride of place to cities in the Global South and emphasizing a socio-material perspective and an understanding of the social practices and hierarchies that structure cities. Furthermore, energy governance is a major issue in urban policy today, particularly in the context of ecological transition. Therefore, it studies urban energy, taking into account the long term and also looking ahead to the future. In terms of methodology, the course is rooted in geography. It uses and familiarize students with certain geographical methods such as cartography and graphic visualization. It also encourages students to engage directly and critically with social science works in the form of articles and books, leading to presentations and lectures, as well as a graded written assignment.

This course examines how life arose and evolved into the myriad of forms it takes today. The course introduces the principles of evolution and explores the tree of life, highlighting the major evolutionary advances that have enabled organisms to exploit every habitat on Earth. The major living groups of microbes, plants and animals are presented and the key features of their biology are discussed and illustrated. A wide range of examples are given, spanning microbial parasites, plants, fungi, jellyfish and corals, worms, insects, crustaceans, fish, birds, mammals. The course examines how they feed, survive and reproduce, and, importantly, how they impact our daily lives.

Today's climate and ecological issues require a great transformation in the perception of human life and the relationship of humans to nature as a whole. Ecological and environmental history is a perspective and method of history to respond to the great transformation.  

This course covers major research achievements and methods of ecological and environmental history from a global perspective and from a standpoint that history is no longer the history of humans, but the history of interactions between humans and other living things and materials. As a result, we expand our perception of history by considering the achievements and limitations of modern civilization. 

Topics include Environmental history – what is it, Imjin War, Colonial environment, Forestry/Heat, Imperial weather/Imperial Japan/Republican China, Korean War and environmental history, North Korea and environment, South Korea/post Korean War rebuilding, Park Chung-Hee era, Environment and Developmental dictatorship, legacy. 

In special cases and with the approval of the instructor concerned, a student may carry out directed studies of specific problems in natural resources conservation.

Natural history museums are institutions that collect, preserve, and interpret the natural world—from fossils and plants to animals and cultural artifacts related to nature. They play a vital role in scientific research, education, and public engagement, serving as both archives of biodiversity and spaces for cultural exchange. 

This course introduces the foundations and contemporary roles of natural history museums.  It discusses how exploration and collecting built the basis for museums; how collections are preserved and managed; how museums communicate with society, and how they address new challenges such as digital collections and ethical debates. 

This course examines the classification of natural hazards within Earth systems and explores key examples of geological, atmospheric, hydrological and biological hazards and explores the social relations and processes that turn hazard events into disasters. Given the vast majority of disasters are climate and weather-related, basics of weather, climate and climate change will be explored. Students will be introduced to key concepts in the study of hazards and disasters including underlying theories and models as well as critically interrogating concepts of vulnerability and resilience. Basic elements of the process of disaster risk reduction will be introduced. Case studies and examples from Australia and around the world will be drawn upon to unpack the nuances of hazard and disasters.

This course is designed to equip students with a comprehensive understanding of fundamental ecology principles, their practical applications, and how the concepts relate to the real world with examples from published scientific studies. Ecology is introduced at its different levels of organization, including organism-environment (biotic-abiotic) interactions, adaptations of plants and animals, the characteristics of populations as a basic biological unit in an ecosystem, intra and inter-specific interactions, community ecology, and ecosystem ecology. Students develop critical thinking and analytical skills by interpreting ecological data and applying theoretical knowledge to real-life scenarios. By the end of the course, students have a solid foundation in ecological principles, preparing them for further study or careers in conservation, environmental science, scientific research, and related fields.