course-details-portlet

BI2081

Nature, Environment and Sustainability

Choose study year
Credits 7.5
Level Intermediate course, level II
Course start Autumn 2024 / Spring 2025
Duration 1 semester
Language of instruction Norwegian
Location Ålesund and Trondheim
Examination arrangement School exam

About

About the course

Course content

All interventions in nature and the exploitation of natural resources involve change, whether it relates to harvest/capture, food production, invasion of alien species, area use, or industry development. In this course it will be discussed how sustainable use of nature can support development that may fulfill today's requirements without destroying the capacity to fulfill the requirements of coming generations. The course will give an introduction to different terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, their structure and function, and their turnover of energy and mass. This is related to how the vulnerability of these systems affects the biodiversity and critical levels of different interventions and influences. Various terms used to explain and describe sustainability will be introduced, such as ecosystem services, possible tools for evaluation of ecosystem limits, ecological footprints due to exploitation, production of food and goods, and life-cycle-analysis and corporate responsibility. An overview of the most important national and international institutions working with the UN sustainability goals and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (Nature agreement) will be offered. Students will work with the the different UN reports related to environmental sustainability, and how these are related to more local situations and political processes for possible change. The student group work will mostly focus on specific topics of NTNU's research activity that are related to the UN sustainability goals.

Learning outcome

Knowledge:

After the course, the student should be able to:

  • give an account of the different types ecosystems, and how various interventions can change the biodiversity and critical intervention levels.
  • give a general understanding of sustainability in relation to the use of natural resources
  • understand and explain important concepts used to explain sustainability in relation to the use of natural resources
  • have a general understanding and be able to explain how the most important tools and methods are used for evaluation of sustainability
  • be able to explain the development of the UN sustainability goals and the Nature agreemet, and how they can be applied locally and globally
  • understand and explain how the consideration of sustainability can affect the development of technology and society (knowledge for a better world)
  • understand how your own field of science can contribute to achieve the UN sustainability goals

Skills:

After the course, the student should be able to:

  • assess the consequences of different choices in a sustainability perspective
  • reflect over different ways to evaluate sustainability
  • understand available environmental data for sustainability models

General competence:

After the course, the student should be able to:

  • participate and understand discussions related to problem solving and analyses/evaluation of sustainability
  • reflect on multidisciplinary challenges related to achieving the UN sustainability goals
  • understand the principles and the significance of sustainability models
  • consider own field of science and own role in a global sustainability perspective

Learning methods and activities

Learning methods and activities

Lectures: 40 hours

Group work/øvinger: 40 hours

Obligatory project work in groups

The teaching is based on lectures and student activities such as group based work and excercises. Learning outcome should be similar for all campuses, with responsible teachers at different campuses for possible geographical adaptations and local student activities. The course consists of two modules:

1: Theoretical introduction to ecosystems and tools for evaluation of sustainability

2: Case based teaching (excercises, student projects) Estimated mean work load for a week through the semester: 2-3 hours lectures, 2-3 hours group work, and 7 hours self-study.

Compulsory assignments: Student excercises and group work

Compulsory assignments

  • Project assessment
  • Mandatory attendance

Further on evaluation

Obligatory activities in this course includes both 75% obligatory attendance and a project. Both must be approved in the same term for the student to be allowed to do the final exam.

In the case of 'fail' or 'retake', the final written examination needs to be taken again. Appeals for reassessment apply to the final written examination. The written exam can be changed to an oral exam in the semester when the course is not taught.

Course materials

Will be announced at the beginning of the course

Credit reductions

Course code Reduction From
TIØ4300 4 sp Autumn 2020
This course has academic overlap with the course in the table above. If you take overlapping courses, you will receive a credit reduction in the course where you have the lowest grade. If the grades are the same, the reduction will be applied to the course completed most recently.

Subject areas

  • Biology

Contact information

Course coordinator

Lecturers

Department with academic responsibility

Department of Biology

Examination

Examination

Examination arrangement: School exam
Grade: Letter grades

Ordinary examination - Autumn 2024

School exam
Weighting 100/100 Examination aids Code E Date 2024-12-02 Time 09:00 Duration 4 hours Exam system Inspera Assessment
Place and room for school exam

The specified room can be changed and the final location will be ready no later than 3 days before the exam. You can find your room location on Studentweb.

Ankeret/Hovedbygget
Room C215
Gnisten/Fagskolen
Room G132
43 candidates
Sluppenvegen 14
Room SL120
2 candidates
Room SL510
43 candidates
Room SL274
1 candidate

Ordinary examination - Spring 2025

School exam
Weighting 100/100 Examination aids Code E Date 2025-05-15 Time 09:00 Duration 4 hours Exam system Inspera Assessment
Place and room for school exam

The specified room can be changed and the final location will be ready no later than 3 days before the exam. You can find your room location on Studentweb.

Ankeret/Hovedbygget
Room C225
2 candidates
Sluppenvegen 14
Room SL410 orange sone
4 candidates
Room SL430
54 candidates
Room SL515
5 candidates