Environmental Studies

This advanced course is especially designed in the format of seminars and guest lecturers to expose the student to the frontier of knowledge of climate and apprehend what are the topics available for the final thesis. Students are able to grasp what are the emerging areas on climate science and be able to select the topic for future deepening of the knowledge.

The course is structured with 1- or 2-hours long time slots and with three types of offers:

1) Seminars: >=1 hour on current research/technological challenges, delivered by specialist.

2) Lecture: >=2 hours on a more general topic of broader relevance and less technical details.

3) Short course: >=3 hours on an additional supplementary skill. Examples may include a focus on programming or on an area of transversal interest.

The exact schedule changes every year. Students are asked to check the program frequently given that it is usually updated in the course of the year based on availability of speakers.

The course gives in-depth knowledge about climate systems and how climate models are constructed. In the first half of the course different components of contemporary climate models (ocean/land/atmosphere) and interactions between them are introduced and discussed. This includes handling of typical data formats associated with climate models and the analysis of model output with varying resolution and/or complexity. The second half of the course focuses on applications in paleoclimate reconstructions and impact models and the use of ensembles to assess model uncertainties. This includes projects where students independently and in groups solve tasks using programming. Exercise in the use of simplified climate models and analysis tools as well as information retrieval and oral and written presentation techniques are included as a part of certain learning activities.

This course introduces fundamental methods and techniques for analyzing both biotic interactions and abiotic conditions in diverse marine ecosystems. Through a combination of laboratory work and field studies, students gain hands-on experience in experimental design, data collection, and analysis. Topics include measurement of abiotic factors, assessment of species interactions and community structure, evaluation of biodiversity and similarity indices, and investigation of behavioral and ecological patterns. The course also explores the effects of human activities on marine environments and examines strategies for ecosystem restoration, rehabilitation, and conservation.

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. 

This course provides students with an overall view on the state of the earth's ecosystems, their health and biodiversity, as well as the problems resulting from anthropogenic impacts. Furthermore, the student acquires notions about the conservation methods of ecosystem health. The course contents focuses on the following aspects:

• Brief history of the conservation of ecosystem diversity.
• Distribution and diversity of global ecosystems. Spatial and temporal gradients of ecosystems. Importance of biodiversity for the functioning of ecosystems, ecosystem functions, processes, and global health.
• Threats to Earth’s ecosystem diversity, mass extinctions, and global changes.
• Processes of overexploitation, degradation, and contamination of ecosystems.
• Conservation methods of ecosystems. Social, economic, and political elements for ecosystem conservation.
• National and international strategies and case studies, protected areas, ecological corridors, rewilding, and other approaches to conserve ecosystem health.
• Outline of modern technologies in support of ecosystem conservation.
• Examples of success practices in ecosystem conservation.

This course introduces key concepts for understanding the nature policy instruments, how they are selected and combined. Cases used illustrate the utility of the concepts and to engage in critical reflection on their application to actual policy situations. This enables students to explain and make sense of policy instruments and design in different national and sectoral settings. It deepens their knowledge of policy making and develops competencies to design public policies for sustainable transition.  

This course familiarizes students with aspects of mathematics which are of importance for Physics and Research Skills. Students learn how certain mathematical techniques can be applied. After completion of the course, the student is able to: solve simple differential equations; use several basis mathematical techniques, particularly: exponential- and square root functions, algebra, solving equations, functions, goniometry, linear algebra, differentiating and integrating; use numerical integration techniques to solve differential equations; use the basics of system analysis as a tool to solve environmental problems; formulate mathematical models for simple real-world applications; operationalize and analyze mathematical models by doing computer simulations; and qualitatively analyze and construct a model independently.

This course introduces the key insights, concepts, and debates of environmental sociology, with a particular emphasis on climate change, biodiversity, and other major ecological risks at stake in the so-called green transition. In doing so, the course provides the conceptual tools needed to understand, analyze, and critically-constructively engage with key questions of society-wide change towards sustainability: how much of it is currently happening across societal sectors and levels; how has it or is it currently being brought about; what shapes, conditions, or hampers more of it? To frame these questions sociologically, the course starts by reviewing debates on two contrasting diagnoses: the risk society diagnosis of Ulrich Beck and the ecological modernization diagnosis of Arthur Mol, John Dryzek, and others. At stake is the questions of the place of environmental concern, policy, and practice in late-modern social change. From here, the course delves into the main institutional vectors of environmental social change, covering in turn questions of: socio-technical change (green technological innovation, changing infrastructures); political-economic change (shifting modes of governance and politics, new circular market models); activism-driven change (environmental social movements, urban green communities); changing North-South relations (new globalized inequalities, climate justice activism); everyday practice change (emerging consumptions habits, new social distinctions and divisions); cultural value change (continuity and change in moral valuations of ‘nature’ in the Anthropocene). Throughout, focus is on understanding present-day environmental social change in light of historical experience, empirical findings, and key sociological theories (as well as, to some extent, insights from neighboring disciplines). This enables students to take stock of what near-future changes lie ahead. Alongside examining the various substantive dimensions of green transition, the course also discusses adequate methodological strategies affiliated with the different problem complexes and vectors of social change. Throughout, students work on aligning theoretical and empirical insights via their own case analyses.

This course explores the impact that the complex relationship between humans and nature has on climate and biodiversity. It discusses the historical evolution of humanity's approach to nature and those representations in Latin American literature. It focuses on the cultural/environmental implications of extractivism, histories of land use, the social impact of economy on bodies and the biosphere, the political use of nature, non-human/human relations, the emergence of Latin American environmental thinking, ecocriticism, modern Latin American literature, and some of the most important political and cultural debates of the continent in recent history.