Sustainability, Climate and Ethics
The course will introduce the concept of sustainability, and you will familiarise yourself with the UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals. You will learn about how human-induced changes affect biodiversity, food production, ecosystem resilience, and society, both locally and globally. You will also learn how to recognize "green-washing" strategies and how to approach sustainability claims critically and open-mindedly.
The course will focus on what potential consequences the ongoing climate change, land use change and pollution have on food production on land and in the sea, on food security worldwide, on marine and terrestrial ecosystems and food webs, and on the native fauna and flora of Norway. You will also be introduced to ethical dilemmas in biology and sustainability.
We will discuss current events and classical dilemmas through assignments and discussions with fellow students. You will learn how to recognize misleading sustainability claims through critical thinking and how sustainability can be applied in your field of study or future profession.
The subject is reserved for students of the follwing study programmes:
- Animal Welfare (one-year programme, Steinkjer)
- Livestock Science (bachelor, Steinkjer)
- Sustainable Economy and Bioproduction (bachelor, Steinkjer)
- Nature Management (bachelor and one-year programme, Steinkjer)
- Biology (bachelor and one-year programme, Bodø)
- Aquaculture Management (bachelor, Bodø)
Other students can get admitted if there are places available. Contact student advisor.
Upon completion of the course, the student is expected to have achieved the following learning outcomes:
Knowledge
- can define the concept of sustainability and describe the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
- can account for how anthropogenic-caused climate change affects nature and society locally, regionally, and globally.
- can identify and describe ethical dilemmas in bioscience, particularly in relation to sustainability and climate change.
- can describe and compare various environmental analyses (such as Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)).
Skills
- can apply and communicate knowledge of sustainability, ethical dilemmas, and challenges due to climate change in the student’s field of study.
- can apply critical thinking to current events and hot topics.
General competences
- have insight into the UN Sustainable Development Goals and how these goals have relevance in their future professions.
- can approach sustainability claims critically and is able to recognize misleading strategies.
- can debate ethical dilemmas and future consequences of human-induced changes on the planet objectively and based on scientific facts.
Compound assessment: All parts described below must be passed to get final grade in the subject.
- Seminars - 5 compulsory seminars, comprises 0/100 of the grade, Approved/ Not approved. 4 of 5 must be approved before the final assignment.
- Written assignment - individual, comprises 100/100 of the grade, letter grades.
