Course Title: Fundamentals of Environmental Science

Part A: Course Overview

Course Title: Fundamentals of Environmental Science

Credit Points: 12.00

Terms

Course Code

Campus

Career

School

Learning Mode

Teaching Period(s)

ENVI1208

City Campus

Postgraduate

135H Applied Sciences

Face-to-Face

 Sem 1 2013,
Sem 1 2014

Course Coordinator: Associate Professor Nichola Porter

Course Coordinator Phone: +61 3 99251787

Course Coordinator Email: nichola.porter@rmit.edu.au

Course Coordinator Location: City Campus: Building 3, level 2 room 8

Course Coordinator Availability: 9am to 5 pm by appointment


Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities

There are no specific prerequisites for this course but you are expected to have a good  background knowledge of general science. A basic understanding of Earth Sciences would be helpful. If yju don’t have this, it is highly recommened that you read through the suggested textbook.


Course Description

In this course you will study the processes which have lead to our current environment, and the interactions which occur between the atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere and ecosphere. These interactions will be illustrated with case studies using current enviornmental issues.


Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development

At the conclusion of this course you will be able to :

  • communicate infomation about enviornmental processes to a range of audiences
  • find resources on environmental issues
  • articulate the current state of knowledge about the state of the envionment
  • write a properly referenced scientific report


Your learning outcomes from course will enable you to:

  • describe the processes which have led to our current environment and the ways in which these processes impinge upon all sectons of the environment
  • critically evaluate media reports on enviornmental issues
  • explain the science behind the conclusions drawn in reports such as the IPCC(2007) and State of the Environment report (2011)


Overview of Learning Activities

Key concepts and their application will be in lectures, seminars and workshops with opportunities to discuss their use in case studies during tutorials and on-line discussion forums


Overview of Learning Resources

Lecture notes will be available on-line throught MyRMIT.


Overview of Assessment

Your ability to write a properly referenced report, explain key concepts and evaluate scientific reports  will be examined through written and oral tasks.