Human Ecology Minor
Human Ecology Minor - Overview
Offered By: |
ANU Joint Colleges of Science |
Academic Contact: |
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Areas of Interest: |
Development Studies, Geography, Human Ecology, Policy Studies, and Resource Management and Environmental Science |
Description:
The health and wellbeing of humans depends upon the capacity of the biosphere to provide the ecosystem services that sustain them. It is now clear that humans are currently using these services at rates which cannot be sustained. The challenge is for societies to change so as to put themselves on pathways towards sustainable futures. However, initiatives designed to do this must take into account the social and cultural dimensions of such change. The challenge is to couple knowledge about biospheric processes and limits with consideration of human values, judgments and motivation, health, wellbeing and dignity, and ethical dimensions of justice and fairness. To do this coherently, Human Ecology develops integrative transdisciplinary frameworks that can combine insights from a range of disciplines concerned with the human condition with knowledge of ecosystem and Earth processes. The resulting understanding helps formulate pathways towards more humane and sustainable futures.
Learning Goals:
On completing the minor in Human Ecology students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- Understand the complex, multi-scaled interactions that characterise human-ecological situations and their associated problems.
- Apply advanced systems thinking to understand human-ecological problems in terms of more basic, simple and easily grasped concepts and processes.
- Apply critical methodological approaches to evaluate current human-ecological interactions and to critically evaluate proposed alternatives.
- Apply a range of written, oral and visual communication skills to effectively convey and discuss information about human-ecological change processes, and
- Demonstrate the ability to engage with community, government or private institutions and companies dealing with managing and improving human-ecological interactions across a range of scales.
Requirements
This minor requires the completion of 24 units, which must include:
A total of 6 units from the following compulsory course:
ENVS2011 Human Ecology
A total of 18 units from the following courses including:
6 to 12 units chosen from the following 3000 level courses:
ENVS3021 Human Futures
ENVS3040 Solving Complex Environmental Problems
A minimum of 6 units chosen from the following list:
ENVS2012 Sustainable Systems: Urban (2012)
ENVS2013 Society and Environmental Change
ENVS2014 Qualitative Research Methods for Sustainability
ENVS2022 Sustainable Systems: Rural (2013)
ENVS3007 Participatory Resource Management: Working with Communities and Stakeholders
ENVS3010 Independent Research Project
ENVS3028 Environmental Policy
PHIL2114 Sustainability, System and Agency
VCUG3001 Unravelling Complexity
If required, a maximum of 6 units chosen from the following list:
ENVS1001 Environment and Society: Geography of Sustainability
ENVS1008 Sustainable Development
ENVS2007 Economics for the Environment
ENVS2017 Vietnam Field School
ENVS3001 Climate Change Science and Policy in Practice
ENVS3020 Climate Change Science and Policy
ENVS3033 International Environmental Policy
The information published on the Study at ANU 2013 website applies to the 2013 academic year only. All information provided on this website replaces the information contained in the Study at ANU 2012 website.
