Module Information
Course Delivery
| Delivery Type | Delivery length / details |
|---|---|
| Lecture | 9 x 1 Hour Lectures |
| Lecture | 11 x 2 Hour Lectures |
Assessment
| Assessment Type | Assessment length / details | Proportion |
|---|---|---|
| Semester Assessment | Essay 3000 words | 40% |
| Semester Assessment | Seminar Presentation 10 minutes | 10% |
| Semester Exam | 2 Hours Written Examination (2 questions from 4) | 50% |
| Supplementary Assessment | Resubmission essay 3000 words | 40% |
| Supplementary Exam | 2 Hours Written Examination (2 questions from 4) | 60% |
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module students should be able to:
* Demonstrate a detailed knowledge of the nature of human impact on the environment at different timescales
* Evaluate the relative importance of natural environmental change in societal development
* Demonstrate an appreciation of how past human-environment interactions have contributed to current environmental debates
* Compare and contrast the human impact on the environment of different cultures in different parts of the world
Aims
This module will provide students with an understanding of the complex interrelationships between humans and the natural environment. A series of case studies will be used to examine how the palaeoenvironmental and historical record can be used to gain an insight into both the impact of climate variability on society and the nature of human impact on the environment.
Content
- Chronology and Environments of Human Evolution
- Significant of the Toba Eruption
The Late Pleistocene
- Human migrations - Australasia and the Americas
- Megafaunal extinctions
Pleistocene-Holocene Transition
- Origins of Agriculture
- Neolithic expansion: people or ideas?
- Ecological impacts of early agriculture
Holocene Environmental Change
- Cultural responses to climate change
- The nature of human impact
- The Mesoamerican Civilizations
The Historical Period
- Old World meets New: Colonial expansion and the Pristine Myth
- Societal impact of volcanic eruptions
- Industrial activities
- Cultural impacts of the Little Ice Age and ENSO events
Lessons for the future
- Vulnerability to future climate change
- Future management strategies
Notes
This module is at CQFW Level 6