Environmental Studies

This course focuses on research within the field of environmental soil science. Students learn about the following subjects at the regional scale: soil in relation to the environment and agricultural problems (e.g. ochre pollution), nutrient circulation, erosion, and heavy metals. Students also study international soil classification systems. This course covers geochemical and physical soil processes and soil classification in relation to agriculture and the environment. Students read scientific literature, apply theories and data related to the course subjects, give an oral presentation based on scientific research, and write a concise report. Students also propose solutions for complex problems at either a local or global scale using theory, data, and scientific methods.

This course investigates the interrelationship between humans and their natural environments through time using evidence from physical and human geography, archaeology, palaeoanthropology, palaeoclimatology and palaeoecology. The course takes a deep-time perspective, journeying from the emergence of humankind 6 million years ago to the present day. Case studies are used from around the word and across many different time periods, exploring how changing environments have influenced important transitions including the first migration of humans out of Africa, the emergence of symbolic behavior, the beginning of agriculture and animal domestication, and resilience and collapse of complex societies. many questions are explored such as Did environmental complexity shape brain development? Why did all other Homo species go extinct while Homo sapiens became dominant? Did humans play a role in the extinction of megafauna? Was the emergence of agriculture and domestication linked to changing environments? Is there a correlation between environmental change and the collapse of complex societies? How have human subsistence strategies and resource use impacted vegetation, animal species, soils and climate? How will anthropogenic climate change affect the future of our species?

This course explores the principles and practice of sustainability and sustainability planning. The workshop format combines reflection on the notion of sustainability with development of a sustainability planning and design project. Students collect data and develop research proposals in the course Field Methods for Examining Socio-Ecological Systems. They use that information in this course to discuss socio-ecological problems and design practical solutions based on sustainability principles.

Modern civilization which on one hand boasts of having discovered the behavior of subatomic particles has also to its credit the impending intensified energy crisis and global warming. Thus, there is an urgent need to address these challenges. This course teaches about the current global energy crisis and how clean energy resources and energy storage devices can help. In addition to the principles of various energy processes, the course highlights the research done by the scientific community. Topics include: present energy scenario, solar energy, photovoltaic converters, nuclear energy, ocean energy, tidal energy, ocean thermal energy converters, wind energy, biomass, fuel cells, world of hydrogen and Lithium ion batteries.

Sustainable development integrates improvements in human welfare with improvements in the health of the environment. It is societies attempt to solve the degradation that economic and social development has imposed on the environment. To solve environmental crises such as climate change, pollution, or destruction of biodiversity we need to integrate environmental practices into all our activities, pulling together new technologies, lifestyles, economic theories and business practices, and government policies. This course looks at how this process of integration works at the international, national, and municipal levels and from the organization perspectives of different industrial sectors, businesses, and communities. On the completion of this course, students will be able to: Integrate the principles and goals of sustainable development into sustainability efforts; Analyze and critique existing socio-technical systems for environmental performance; Explore, critique and apply options for transitioning socio-technical systems to achieve better environmental performance; Design approaches for collective action problem solving and coordination among stakeholders; Gain knowledge of several Hong Kong socio-technological systems that will be of future use in Hong Kong and elsewhere. Develop and use the skills and competencies of a sustainability professional. The course is built around group-based projects on Hong Kong's socio-technological systems. The projects integrate knowledge and skills drawn from a main text and supplemental readings. Group Demonstration 10% Individual Reading Assignments (2 x 5%) 10% Group Project Presentation 10% Report (group integration component) 15% (individual component) 25% Final Exam 30%

This is an internship through a CIEE course. Students intern at a pre-screened internship opportunity with a community based organization or a local business in a field of their choosing. Students record their experiences in a journal, which is evaluated weekly during the internship, and complete a final assignment and oral presentation. Students have the guidance of a mentor and the Academic Advisor/internship coordinator. Students learn to work successfully in a new environment, meaningfully contribute to the organization and the community it serves, gain valuable work experience, and have the opportunity to reflect and learn throughout the internship.

This course consists of two parts. Part I introduces the essential ecological principles and concepts at its different aggregation levels, from individual organism to ecosystem. Part II highlights how these concepts and principles underlie global sustainability challenges and how an understanding of ecology can contribute to solving these challenges. The course covers a broad diversity of challenges, ranging from the sixth extinction to ecological restoration and management of overabundant populations. The course draws on examples from both the global North and the global South and as such contribute to the international character of the curriculum and the emphasis on global sustainability challenges.

The course gives a general introduction to the field of Physical Geography and Ecosystems Sciences. The course covers the processes in the lithosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and the atmosphere. The course consists of four partially integrated sub-sections. The first part covers basic mineralogy, geology and soil science. Geomorphology (landscape features) is introduced, covering endogenous, exogenous, and ecological processes, abiotic and biotic developments and transformations of the landscape, and changes to the landscape at different spatial and temporal scales. The second part deals with meteorological, climatological, hydrological, and oceanographic processes and relationships at different scales. The third part covers ecosystem processes including vegetation dynamics, and the relationship between climate and the development of soil types in different biomes. Finally, in the fourth part students are introduced to remote sensing and GIS-technology. During the course, the students gain practical skills in performing presentations, in communication, computing, and library resources. Students are introduced to different methods used to gather data and information about the environment, using different field data collection techniques, remote sensing (aerial photographs and satellite images) to make maps and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) to analyze different environmental issues. Students gain analytical tools and methods for describing processes and phenomena in the world around them. The course consists of lectures, practical exercises, field visits and exercises, seminars, groups and individual project work. The exam is a traditional written exam.