Climate change is one of the most important challenges facing the world today, and already influences most aspects of human life, along with the natural world around us. Accordingly, understanding the causes, impacts and solutions to climate change is critical for environmental management, and sustainable development in general. However, climate change is a classic example of a ‘wicked problem’ – there is no single cause of climate change, and neither is there an all-encompassing solution to this issue. Similarly, there is unlikely to be a point at which climate change is definitively ‘solved’, but rather just pathways towards better (or worse) engagement with it.
As with all wicked problems, an interdisciplinary approach is essential to understanding and engaging with the issue of climate change. ENVI312 follows this approach by providing multiple perspectives from across the Sciences, Humanities, Health Science and Commerce on what climate change means, why it is a problem, and most importantly, what we can do about it. As such, ENVI312 represents a vital learning opportunity for students of all disciplines, with direct relevance for many degree programmes, as well as life beyond university.
About this paper
| Paper title | Interdisciplinary Aspects of Climate Change |
|---|---|
| Subject | Environment and Society |
| EFTS | 0.15 |
| Points | 18 points |
| Teaching period | Semester 2 (On campus) |
| Domestic Tuition Fees ( NZD ) | $1,103.10 |
| International Tuition Fees | Tuition Fees for international students are elsewhere on this website. |
- Prerequisite
- ENVI 111 or 108 points
- Schedule C
- Arts and Music, Science
- Eligibility
ENVI312 is designed to be accessible to students from all disciplines – no prior study of climate change is required.
- Contact
- Teaching staff
Associate Professor Daniel Kingston, and various staff from across the Divisions of Science, Humanities, Health Science and Commerce (contributors vary from year-to-year).
- Paper Structure
Following an introduction to key concepts in climate change, the paper structure consists of a week-by-week consideration of different aspects of climate change, each led by a different disciplinary expert. The paper concludes with a ‘student conference’, comprising group-based presentation and discussion of climate change sub-topics and their interconnections.
- Teaching Arrangements
3 lectures per week.
Assessment comprises individual and group-based internal assessment and a final exam.
- Textbooks
No single resource is required; readings are identified on a week-by-week basis.
- Course outline
- Graduate Attributes Emphasised
- Global perspective, Interdisciplinary perspective, Lifelong learning, Scholarship, Communication, Critical thinking, Cultural understanding, Ethics, Environmental literacy, Information literacy, Self-motivation.
View more information about Otago's graduate attributes. - Learning Outcomes
Students who successfully complete this paper should be able to:
- Demonstrate an understanding of the basic science of climate change.
- Demonstrate an understanding of the main impacts of climate change on different peoples, cultures, and the associated ethical dimensions of this.
- Demonstrate an understanding of the impacts of climate change on the natural world and associated ecosystem services.
- Demonstrate an understanding of how existing legal, political and economic paradigms should or could change to address climate change
- Assessment details
Assessment is 50% internal (2 essay assessments) and 50% external (final examination – essay and multiple choice).