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| Semester | spring semester 2018 |
| Course frequency | Every spring sem. |
| Lecturers | Philipp Hirsch (philipp.hirsch@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | Lecture: We will treat the ecological relationships of global change following a hierarchical flow: going from more abiotic effects of global change, to basic food web effects, to eventually including humans as recipients and agents of global change. A focus will lie on aquatic ecosystems because they are disproportionally affected by global change and their ecosystem services are especially threatened and especially important to humans. Model organisms and ecosystems will include – but will not be limited to – fish as sentinel organisms for global change and freshwater lakes and rivers as essential ecosystems for humans. The lecture will include specific case studies covering the many facets of global change ecology. Based on the case studies, we will discover the challenges of investigating the ecological effects of global change on several levels. The role of humans and how it interacts with ecology will also be discussed. Practical part: In parallel to the lecture the students will write an essay on a topic of their choice following the structure of a scientific paper. |
| Learning objectives | The students - know how to pose research questions relevant to ecological aspects of global chang; - can critically analyze existing research approaches and available data in the context of global change ecology; - can identify the interface between the approach of ecological sciences and other sciences to describe global change; - know the challenges of finding solutions to the negative effects of global change; - can create and defend own research questions and methodology to contribute to the solution of a self-chosen problem case study of global change ecology. |
| Bibliography | Ecology: From Individuals to Ecosystems, 4th Edition Michael Begon, Colin R. Townsend, John L. Harper ISBN: 978-1-4051-1117-1 and sources from own literature research. |
| Comments | Mandatory lecture for MSD students with focus area in Natural Sciences. Please note: Teaching starts only on 14.03.2018!!!! (compensation of 07.03.18 according announcement in class). MSD 2010: Anrechnung für den Vertiefungsbereich Phil.-Nat. möglich. MSD 2017 Recognition of credit points according publication of module or for the "Focal Areas of Sustainability Research" module (learning contract). Special remark for students MSD 2017 with focus area in Social Siences or in Economics: You must have completed the "Complementary Knowledge in Natural Sciences" module (or at least have earned 8 CP for this module). |
| Admission requirements | Non-MSD students must be studying a master's degree in the field of Natural Sciences. Entry requirements for MSD 2017: Students who have chosen the Focus area in Social Sciences or in Economics must have completed the 'Complementary Knowledge in Natural Sciences' module and may transfer the credit points to the "Focal Areas In Sustainability Research" module (Learning Agreement). Mandatory lecture for MSD students with Focus area in Natural Sciences. Students MSD 2017 with focus area in Social Siences or in Economics: You must have completed the "Complementary Knowledge in Natural Sciences" module (or at least have earned 8 CP for this module). Non MSD-students are supposed to study a master's degree within the Faculty of Natural Sciences. |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|
No dates available. Please contact the lecturer.
| Modules |
Module: Core Competences in Natural Sciences (Master's Studies: Sustainable Development) |
| Assessment format | record of achievement |
| Assessment details | Written examination at the end of the semester (50% of the grade) and as for the practical part a written essay following the structure of a scientific paper (50% of the grade). |
| 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 |