ECTS credits: 5 ECTS

 

Course parameters:

Language: English

Level of course: Graduate level (Master and PhD)

Time of year: August 2022

No. of contact hours/hours in total incl. preparation, assignment(s) or the like: lectures:6h/assignments:20h/fieldwork:30h/preparation:50h/report writing and presentation:35h

Capacity limits: 20 students

 

Objectives of the course:

The aim of the course is to give the participants:

1.    Basic knowledge about climate change as a scientific phenomenon, as well as about mitigating it and adapting to it.

2.    An understanding of methodologies in social and natural sciences.

3.    An understanding of the connections between the environment, the economy, and the indigenous communities.

4.    In sight in to both the challenges, innovative solutions and new opportunities offered by climate change. 

 

Learning outcomes and competences:

• The student gets the basic knowledge about climate change as a scientific phenomenon, as well as about mitigating it and adapting to it.
• The student will be able to summarize changes in the Arctic nature and the effects on society, and has obtained knowledge of methodologies in social and natural sciences.
• The student is able to look at climate change from various perspectives and make connections between the environment, the economy e.g. social ecological systems and the indigenous communities.
• The student can explain what measures can be taken to mitigate climate change and how it is possible to adapt to it considering traditional knowledge.
• Students can explain both challenges, innovative solutions and new opportunities (e.g. new shipping channels, accessing previously unreachable oil and gas sources, tourism, food resources etc.) offered by climate change.

Compulsory programme:

The summer school will be a combination of e-learning and field course. The field course includes: execution of independent project and data analyses.

 

Course contents:

The field course will take place in Greenland and involve excursions to ecosystem sites, cultural landscapes and involve interactions with the local communities to learn about traditional knowledge and their view on climate change. In the field module we will use the nature and cultural landscapes in Greenland as an interdisciplinary research tool and connect the past with the present using Ecohistory with present and future environments.

 

Prerequisites:

Master or PhD level

 

Name of lecturers:

Lise Lotte Sørensen, Andreas Massling, Efrén López-Blanco, Bjarni Sigurdsson (Agricultural University of Iceland), Thomas Juul-Pedersen (Greenland Institute of Natural Resources), Kim Pilegaard (Danish Technical University), Ann E Lennert (University of Tromsø), Henrik Meilby (University of Copenhagen) and Dorte Søgaard Schrøder (AU and GINR).

 

Type of course/teaching methods:

e-learning, lectures, fieldwork, exercises and presentations.

 

Literature:

The literature is based on the most recent scientific papers and books. Storymap will be used to in a unique way to visualize how environments, people, sciences and knowledge are interlaced and connected.  

 

Course homepage:

www.gcrc.gl and https://arctic.au.dk/  (the direct link to the description of the course will come later)

 

Course assessment:

A group presentation on the addressed project question and the data collected.

 

Provider:

Department of Environmental Science.

 

Time:

E-learning: Spring 2022.

Field course: medio August 2022

 

Place:

Nuuk, Greenland.

 

Registration:

Deadline for registration is 1 March 2022. Information regarding admission will be sent out no later than 2 weeks later.

For registration: go to www.gcrc.gl or https://arctic.au.dk/ (the direct link to the description of the course will come later)

If you have any questions, please contact Lise Lotte Sørensen, e-mail: lls@envs.au.dk