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| Semester | spring semester 2018 |
| Course frequency | Irregular |
| Lecturers | Jan Beck (jan.beck@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | You care for ecology, you want to conserve biodiversity, and you aim at “thinking global”? This course will equip you with the science behind it. The lecture will first remind you of the basic principles of ecology, evolution and geography, making sure we are all on the same level. I will then introduce the large-scale biogeographic structure of earth, essential background knowledge for global perspectives on “bio & eco”. You will learn about the regional and global distributions of biodiversity, their likely causal drivers, and theoretical concepts of biodiversity as far as relevant for conservation and land management. Species' range sizes, rarity and endemism will be further extensions to this topic. The lecture will show that not only do humans substantially affect natural species communities but at the same time human economy and cultures have been, and are, tightly linked to natural, climatic and ecological patterns. |
| Learning objectives | The lecture will - provide you with a solid background in ecology and biogeography in a context of conservation and land-use management, with a global perspective; - equip you sound arguments for taking conservation and sustainable management serious, - and foster a critical, science-driven, non-ideological attitude towards assessing policy in a conservation and land-use context. |
| Bibliography | The lecture will, in parts, follow the textbook “Biogeography”, 4rd ed., by Mark Lomolino, Brett Riddle, Robert Whittaker and James Brown. Further sources and suggestions for additional reading will be presented during the lecture. |
| Comments | For students of MSD 2017: Mandatory for students with Focus area in Social Sciences and in Economics. For Students with Focus area in Natural Sciences the lecture is optional, credit points are to be transferred to the "Focal Areas in Sustainability Research" module (Learning Agreement). This lecture is offered by MSD. Dr. J. Beck holds a teaching assignment. |
| Admission requirements | Participation only possible for MSD students and students who are studying a master's degree in the field of Natural Sciences. |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
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No dates available. Please contact the lecturer.
| Modules |
Modul Aufbaubereich naturwissenschaftliche Fragen von Nachhaltigkeit (Master's Studies: Sustainable Development (Start of studies before 01.08.2017)) Module: Complementary Knowledge in Natural Sciences (Master's Studies: Sustainable Development) |
| Assessment format | record of achievement |
| Assessment details | Regular attendance. Required readings and active participation. Written examination at the end of the semester. |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration, dereg: cancel course registration |
| Repeat examination | one repetition, best attempt counts |
| Scale | 1-6 0,1 |
| Repeated registration | as often as necessary |
| Responsible faculty | University of Basel |
| Offered by | Archäologie / Humangeographie / MSD |