Environment: journeys through a changing world
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Summary
Our world is changing fast – we are experiencing pressure from climate change, growing demands for finite resources and the extinction of many plants and animals. Environment: journeys through a changing world introduces you to environmental studies and the issues arising from environmental change. It shows how people are seeking positive solutions to environmental challenges where you live, in the Arctic, Africa, the Amazon and China. It also develops the key skills and concepts needed to understand our changing world. You do not need any prior knowledge to study this course, just an interest in the future of our planet.
Course content
Are you interested in global environmental issues; how living and non-living things interact; how humans are changing the planet and are now responding to the difficult challenges this brings? If you are looking for a single course that offers a general introduction to studying the environment, then this is the course for you. You can either study it on its own or, if you wish to embark on a programme of study, it will provide the ideal foundation for a range of environment, science, social science and technology courses, diplomas and degrees.
We are living in a period of unparalleled global change: of rising population and a dramatic growth in economic wealth and technological capacity. However, this interconnected world is changing so fast that people have to work hard to understand and address the environmental issues generated by rapid economic and technological development. Studying this course will enable you to explore how and why different parts of the world are changing and how people, plants and animals are living within their changing environment. The course will show you how people are striving to manage and protect the many features of the world that we all share. It will help you to make sense of some of the stories that you hear and read about in the media, from wildlife extinctions to plans for new, greener cities. By the end of the course you will be more able to follow the debates about environmental issues and play an active part in addressing some of the great environmental challenges of the day.
Studying this course will provide you with the knowledge and skills to help you to become more informed about both the causes and concerns of environmental change. The course will take you to some of the most fascinating but also important parts of the planet in terms of understanding environmental change. This journey through our interconnected world will take in:
Block 1 Setting out from home: Rather like reading a travel guide in preparation for a journey, the first block introduces some of the language and ideas that you need to make sense of environmental change. You start by looking at two crucial global issues – loss of biodiversity and climate change – to get a sense of the influence of people on a dynamic planet. You then assess your own environmental impact in terms of your ‘carbon footprint’ and consider how to reduce it towards a more sustainable level.
Block 2 Arctic approach: This block explores a place that has long fascinated researchers, artists and adventurers. It is now thought of as a kind of early warning system for global warming and climate change. You will be given a sense of the different ways in which environmental change is investigated, communicated and experienced by the scientists who now work there and the societies who have been living there for centuries.
Block 3 Nile limits: This takes in a very diverse region of tropical forest, desert, agricultural land and cities, which makes it an illuminating place to explore environmental conflicts and efforts to overcome them by cooperation. Block 3 focuses on two issues: water resources, in particular the multiple uses of and conflicts over the Nile’s water supply; and wildlife conservation, focusing on how to support a population of threatened African mountain gorillas by balancing conservation with local community development.
Block 4 Life in the Amazon: This block investigates the richest storehouse of the world’s biological diversity. You will develop an understanding of the environmental science of tropical forests by exploring their role in global carbon and water cycles, and also as a genetic storehouse. While scientists only visit these forests, you will also make contact with indigenous communities who live there trying to secure the future of their forest home. Block 4 will discuss how your own daily choices as a consumer connect to the fate of what has been called ‘the Earth’s lungs’.
Block 5 Changing China: The pace of economic and environmental change is perhaps greater in this most populous country than anywhere else on the planet. You will follow the migration of people from countryside to city – the largest migration in human history – and gain insights into the difficult balancing act of growing sufficient food and bringing wealth and new opportunities to people in developing countries, without further damaging the world’s environment.
Block 6 Cities and sustainability: Cities now hold over half the world’s population and use or control most of the world’s resources. The final destination in your journey is the world’s first truly global city – London. It had to develop systems for supplying water, energy and transport to make a city healthy and workable, and its history may point to lessons for future city living. You will explore ideas and plans for making cities economically, socially and environmentally more sustainable as part of a more general exploration of what it means to be a concerned and responsible global citizen in the twenty-first century.
The course is presented as six block texts, together with supporting material provided by DVD and online via the course website. Each block focuses on major environmental concepts illustrated by the places you visit. In addition, study notes throughout the course will help you to improve your study skills and develop your ability to become an independent learner.
Studying this course gives you an opportunity to acquire the necessary skills that can equip you not only to join the global environmental debate but also to study further courses in environment, science, social science and technology.
You will learn
By studying a range of subjects, drawn from the natural sciences, technology and the social sciences, you will become more aware of the contributions each discipline makes to our understanding of environmental issues and concerns.
You will also explore how people from these different fields bring together their various perspectives to help understand the many interactions between the environment, organisations and human cultures and values. This sharing of different approaches can lead to new ways of thinking about environmental problems, balancing alternative interpretations and conflicting interests, and hopefully generating new solutions.
Vocational relevance
At the same time as studying the environment, this course will also develop your reading, writing, analytical and communication skills. It will help you evaluate information and arguments, interpret and use data in a variety of graphical and numerical forms, use computers for information-searching, communication and software applications, and become an independent learner. Such skills and attributes are highly valued by employers because they can be applied to a wide variety of new contexts.
Entry
Level 1 courses provide core subject knowledge and study skills needed for both higher education and distance learning, to help you progress to courses at Level 2. You are strongly advised to start your OU studies with at least one Level 1 course – either this course U116 or Introducing the social sciences (DD101), or if U116 stimulates your interest in a scientific approach to environment, Exploring science (S104).
If you are concerned about studying, our short introductory course Introducing environment (Y161) would be helpful before going on to study U116.
U116 is an interdisciplinary introduction to environmental issues that will help you to develop the necessary skills for studying at more advanced levels, such as the Level 2 course Environment (U216). It offers a great deal of help with study skills, such as taking notes, writing essays and basic scientific expressions. By the end of the course, you will be expected to be working at the level required of first year undergraduate students. We would like to encourage students from as wide a range of backgrounds as possible to study with us.
If you have any doubt about the suitability of the course, please contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service.
Qualifications
U116 is a compulsory course in our
U116 is an optional course in our
- BA/BSc (Honours) Environmental Studies (B19)
- BSc (Honours) Technology (B20)
- BA/BSc (Honours) International Studies (B11)
- Diploma of Higher Education in Social Sciences (E50)
- Certificate of Higher Education in Social Sciences (C95)
It can also count towards most of our other degrees at bachelors level, where it is equally appropriate to a BA or BSc. We advise you to refer to the relevant qualification descriptions for information on the circumstances in which this course can count towards these qualifications because from time to time the structure and requirements may change.
If you have a disability or additional requirement
Written transcripts of any audio components and Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) versions of printed material are available. Some Adobe PDF components may not be available or fully accessible using a screen reader and mathematical, scientific or foreign language materials may be particularly difficult to read in this way. Large print versions of the course materials can be provided on request. Other alternative formats of the course materials may be available in the future. Our Services for disabled students website has the latest information about availability.
This course includes use of a website and multi-media web-based activities. Some of these activities are likely to require sighted help for those with visual impairment. An Accessibility Guide for the course is under development and will be available for future presentations. If you use specialist hardware or software to assist you in operating a computer or the internet and have any concerns about accessing the types of course materials outlined you are advised to talk to our Student Registration & Enquiry Service about support which can be given to meet your needs.
If you are a new student, or new to courses using a computer or the internet, you will need to inform us of your particular needs as soon as possible, as some of our support services may take several weeks to arrange. Details of how to do this and our range of support services are described in our booklet Meeting Your Needs which you can download or request from our Student Registration & Enquiry Service.
You can also find information about accessible course materials, financial support and the Disabled Students' Allowance, equipment and other services, on our Services for disabled students website. It also includes our contact details for advice and support both before you register and while you are studying.
Course materials
What's included
Six course books, other printed materials, DVD containing activities and short television sequences, course website including activities, resources and optional supplementary website materials.
Computing requirements
This course includes online computer activities – you can access these using a web browser that can play Flash and Shockwave. Some of your course software will be provided on disk.
You will need internet access and a computer. If you have purchased a new Windows computer since 2002 it should meet your course computing requirements. Check our Technical Requirements section if your computer is older than this or is otherwise unusual. Please note that you cannot use an Apple Mac or Linux computer unless it is running windows Boot Camp or similar.
Teaching and assessment
Support from your tutor
You will have a tutor who will help you with the course material and mark and comment on your written work, and whom you can ask for advice and guidance. If you are new to the OU, you will find that your tutor is particularly concerned to help you with your study methods. We may also be able to offer group tutorials or day schools that you are encouraged, but not obliged, to attend. Where your tutorials are held will depend on the distribution of students taking the course.
Contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service if you want to know more about study with The Open University before you register.
Assessment
The assessment details for this course can be found in the facts box above.
You can choose whether to submit your tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) on paper or online through the eTMA system. You may want to use the eTMA system for some of your assignments but submit on paper for others. This is entirely your choice.
Students also studied
Students who studied this course also studied at some time:
Future availability
The details given here are for the course that starts in October 2010 and February 2011. We expect it to be available twice a year, in February and October.
How to register
To register a place on this course return to the top of the page and use the Click to register button. For more information and advice about registration see OU Study Explained.
About this page
An undergraduate course in The Open Programme, Environment, Development and International Studies and Science.
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