Læringsmål

The primary objective of this course is to help candidates to learn how to make critical judgments on environmental sciences based issues. To achieve this goal, students will learn how to collect scientific information and use this knowledge critically to develop an objective and responsible decision-making process in environmental issues. Another aim of the course will be develop teamwork skills, to express concepts of applied environmental sciences in a simple way and to listen to the view of others.

The case studies used will all focus on scientifically based real-world issues, inserted in the context of the European Community environment.

Learning outcomes:

· Increase knowledge about specific European freshwater ecology issues

· Interdisciplinary approach to environmental problems and solutions

· Students will be introduced to group consideration of complex problems

· The tone for future professional training will be set, encompassing not only knowledge and analysis but also listening, communication and presentation skills

· Get acquainted with peers

Innhold

The emphasis will be on the practical rather than the theoretical issue, in situations that confront environmental scientists and project managers on a daily basis.

Possible topics:
· Eutrophication assessment and management: the restoration project of a Lake
· Monitoring (hydromorphological, chemical, biological e.g. benthic macroinvertebrates) in a trounsboundary river.
· Quality control and drinking water management: cyanobacterial blooms freshwater reservoirs
· Heavy metals pollution in freshwater bodies: restoration of a Lake.

In these case studies candidates will examine scientific, economic and social arguments in water resources management. They will focus on the environmental risks of pollution, human health risks, eutrophication processes, and effective procedures of assessment and restoration of freshwaters as a natural key resource. They will consider and debate the current policy trend by some local, state and national governments on the case studies.

Scientific press will be used to focus on controversial issues and discrepancies between theory and practice.

Links:

http://europa.eu.int/comm/environment/water/index.html

http://waterontheweb.org/curricula/ws/unit_01/U1mod4_5.html

http://waterontheweb.org/curricula/ws/unit_01/index.html

Organisering

This course is designed as a workshop, using case studies, to introduce students to the practical concepts that are relevant to solve freshwater environmental issues in a European setting, with community and local policies.
Students will be expected to work in small teams to analyze cases and actual situations in order to extract the lessons learned, techniques applied, and principles utilized.
In the second session, students, working in-groups and together with the expert's supervision, will critically review the available scientific literature and formulate possible solutions.

Vurderingsformer

Each group must do both an oral presentation on each case study and a final written assay

GRADING POLICY - A grade will be given to each student for the case he studied. It will be comprised of two parts:

· an instructor's grade (80 to 100 %) -- based upon both written and oral aspects of the presentation as well as upon the technical merit of the proposed solution, and

· a peer group grade (0 to 20 %) - determined by the members of the group.

Det tas forbehold om mindre justeringer i planen.