Environment
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| 6 Tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) | |
| Examination | No residential school |
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Summary
Environmental concerns are broad ranging. They include global climate change; anxieties about food, polluted air, management of waste, squandering natural resources, disappearance of species and habitats; concerns over how our actions will affect future generations; and disquiet over the genetic modification of living organisms. This exciting and innovative course introduces the scientific, technological and social factors that are important in informing your approaches to these concerns. Drawing on a wide range of issues, it encourages you to understand and debate environmental changes and responses, and to consider why environmental questions are often the source of political and scientific contests and conflict.
Course content
Environmental issues are a growing source of both collective and individual concern, conflict and challenge. This interfaculty course provides an integrated approach to the various relationships, processes and activities through which humans and non-humans are linked together. Combining detailed treatments of particular subjects with connecting themes that are developed throughout, the course offers a range of resources to help you to understand, debate and act with regard to environmental issues. By the end of it you should feel confident that you have learned more about particular aspects of environments. You should also have picked up tools and skills which you can apply to environmental issues you may encounter.
The course uses a variety of media in its teaching: video and audio, websites, computer-based interactive resources and electronic conferencing. Four books make up its core:
Understanding environmental issues asks ‘How can we approach the study of environments?’ ‘Why are environmental questions so pressing?’ and ‘How can we make sense of environmental issues?’ The book begins with an investigation of an estuary, in order to set up the basic course themes of environmental changes, environmental contests and environmental responses. The issues touched on here include sea-level change, over-fishing, nuclear waste disposal, and management of biodiversity. The remaining three chapters take the topic of species extinction to introduce the course concepts of time/space, values/power/action, and risk/uncertainty.
Changing environments asks ‘How and why do environments change?’, ‘How do we determine the consequences and significance of change?’ and ‘How can we represent, model and predict changes and their consequences?’ With chapters covering the dynamic physical, biological and social processes underlying Earth systems, population–resource relationships, environmental changes affecting land, atmosphere and water, and the process of uneven development, the book’s aim is to demonstrate that change in the world is the norm, but that its consequences can vary markedly between places and over time. The analytical concepts developed in this book are time/space.
Contested environments asks ‘How and why do contests over environmental issues arise?’, ‘How are environmental understandings produced?’ and ‘Can environmental inequalities be reduced?’ There are chapters dealing with genetically modified crops, landscapes, energy supply, water wars, global trade, valuation of the environment, environmental justice, and how environmental issues are presented in the media. The aim of this book is to open up different perspectives on environmental values, contests and conflicts. The key concepts developed here are values/power/action.
Environmental responses focuses on the questions ‘What tools and approaches are available for managing environmental problems and how useful are they?’, ‘What kinds of environmental future are desirable and how might we choose among them?’ and ‘What are the constraints and opportunities for sustainable development?’ The opening chapter develops the theme of risk and uncertainty by taking examples of radioactivity and radioactive waste in Cumbria to examine the relationship between science and society. The next chapter, taking the built environment, looks at the technical problems encountered in managing risks. Three areas of policy debate are then covered: the problem of ‘greening’ the economy; the problem of achieving participative and democratic ways of dealing with environmental controversies; and the difficulties facing political response to the global problems of climate change. The course concludes with a debate on environmental futures between optimistic and pessimistic perspectives. The key concept developed in this book is risk/uncertainty.
Project work You will undertake a small-scale project, looking either at a locality or at a selected environmental issue. The aim of the project is to apply one of the key analytical concepts of the course (time/space, values/power/action, risk/uncertainty) to your chosen topic.
Vocational relevance
The study of environmental issues will equip you with a range of skills that are much sought after in a changing labour market and, in particular, could open up possibilities in the areas of environmental management and policy, and planning.
Entry
U216 is a Level 2 course and you need to have developed basic study skills, obtained either from Level 1 study with The Open University or from equivalent work at another university. If you have any doubt about the suitability of the course, please contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service.
Preparatory work
The best preparation is to search quality newspapers and television programmes for items about environmental issues and policies. Read periodicals such as New Scientist, and look for environment-related articles and editions in journals of all kinds. As this is an interfaculty course, we strongly recommend obtaining The Sciences Good Study Guide (A. Northedge et al., The Open University) and the Guide to Good Essay Writing (P. Redman, Sage).
Qualifications
U216 is a compulsory course in our
- Diploma in Environment and Development (D21)
- Diploma in Geography and Environment (D29)
- Diploma in Environmental Policy (D46)
- BA (Honours) Business Studies (B04) (with Environment)
- BA/BSc (Honours) Environmental Studies (B19)
U216 is an optional course in our
- BA/BSc (Honours) Social Sciences (B06)
- BA/BSc (Honours) Social Sciences (B06) (with Geography)
- BA/BSc (Honours) International Studies (B11)
- BSc (Honours) Life Sciences (B28)
- BA/BSc (Honours) Design and Innovation (B61)
- BSc (Honours) Technology (B20)
- Diploma in Life Sciences (E05)
- Diploma of Higher Education in Social Sciences (E50)
- Advanced Diploma in Environmental Decision Making (C18)
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.
Excluded combinations
Sometimes you will not be able to count a course towards a qualification if you have already taken another course with similar content. To check any excluded combinations relating to this course, visit our excluded combination finder or check with our Student Registration & Enquiry Service before registering.
If you have a disability or additional requirement
The course is heavily illustrated and makes active use of figures and video, but we are committed to making it as accessible as possible. You will be able to choose a project that does not require fieldwork. The course materials are available in Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). Components may not be available or fully accessible using a screen reader and mathematical, scientific, and foreign language materials may be particularly difficult to read in this way. Large print versions of the course material can be provided on request. Written transcripts are available for the audio-visual material and the printed course material is available in comb-bound format. You will need to spend considerable amounts of time using a personal computer and the internet. Our Services for disabled students website has the latest information about availability.
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
Course books, other printed materials, CD-ROMs, DVD, audio CDs, website, online forums.
You will need
A DVD player. You will also need to be able to listen to audio CDs.
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. 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 will be expected to submit your tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) online through the eTMA system unless there are some difficulties which prevent you from doing so. In these circumstances, you must negotiate with your tutor to get their agreement to submit your assignment on paper.
Professional recognition
This course may help you to gain recognition from a professional body. Ask our Student Registration & Enquiry Service for Recognition leaflet 3.2 Royal Town Planning Institute, 3.3 Professional Engineering Institutions, 3.4 Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management, 3.8 Scientific Institutions.
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 January 2011. We expect it to be available at the same time once a year.
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 Environment, Development and International Studies, Engineering and Technology, Science and Social Sciences.
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