Module Catalogue 2026/27

Pre Requisite Comment

N/A

Co Requisite Comment

N/A

Aims

Global environmental change encompasses all changes to the Earth’s environment driven by both natural processes and human activity. This broad topic includes a range of issues such as climate change, sea-level change, ecosystem change, extreme events and pollution. This module will explore these global environmental issues and how they have changed through time. It will demonstrate how historical and geological records are used to provide perspective on the recent and rapid changes occurring today. The module will also provide training in the skills and tools that are used to reconstruct and interpret past environmental change as well as how geological and historical records are used to constrain and inform future predictions of environmental change.

• To provide an understanding of the causes of past climate and environmental change.
• To develop an awareness of the impacts of climate change on Earth and human systems, and of the scientific and sociopolitical approaches and challenges in addressing them.
• To explore the variety of approaches and techniques used to reconstruct past environmental change.
• To provide broad grounding in the knowledge and skills necessary for Stage 3modules and dissertations.

Outline Of Syllabus

The module will be delivered by means of lectures and practical sessions. Lectures will deliver the knowledge base, while practicals will give hands-on experience of working with a range computer and lab-based techniques and with data that are commonly used in palaeoenvironmental reconstruction.

Themes explored in the module may include:
• Introduction to global environmental change and and long-term climate change.
• Different proxy-based approaches to reconstructing past environmental change from terrestrial, marine, and ice-core records.
• Introduction to recent environmental changes during the Holocene and human-environmental interactions e.g., human development, adaptation and impacts of human activity.
• Identifying extreme events in the palaeorecord, and exploring how reconstructing past events can help inform and constrain our understanding of possible future patterns of extreme events.
• Global climate futures: approaches to consatrining predictions of furture environmental change and challenges to address the climate crisis.

Intended Knowledge Outcomes

At the end of this module you will be able to demonstrate:

• An understanding of how our climate and natural systems operate and how they change through time.
• An understanding of the impacts of climate change on Earth and human systems.
• The ability to link past evidence of environmental change with modern and furture challenges
• The ability to infer past to recent environmental change by analysing data derived from a variety of records.
• Familiarity with appropriate methodological approaches and techniques for interrogating data about past and present environmental change.
• An understanding of how researchers can inform policy
• An understanding of the scientific and sociopolitical approaches and challenges in addressing climate change impacts.

Intended Skill Outcomes

At the end of this module you will have the:

• The ability to apply appropriate lab- and computer-based methods and techniques (including GIS) to investigate past and present environmental change.
• The ability to analyse palaeoenvironmental datasets.
• Skills in the critical appraisal of approaches to investigating past environmental change.

• The capacity to produce a scientific report.

• Effective presentation skills in distilling and delivering scientific information.

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

This module combines lectures, practical session and workshops to ensure students develop a strong theoretical understanding of the concepts and methods used in global environmental change research as well as practical skills in data analysis and interpretation. The lectures will introduce key concepts and explain the tools used to reconstruct past environmental change as well as methods of constraining future predictions of environmental change. The practicals and workshops will enable students to apply the concepts and theories highlighted in the lectures. These may include, mapping of geomorphic features, using remote sensing and satellite imagery to constrain recent change, laboratory skills, and data presentation skills. 1 drop-in session will be used to help direct student and answer any queries for the poster assessment.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

We consider it essential to assess all elements of the module and to place equal weighting on practical and academic skills. The practical report will assess technical skills such as data production and analysis, in addition to the more academic theoretical and conceptual aspects of environmental change. The individual poster presentation will assess skills in poster design and presentation as well as understanding of the course material.

The format of resits is determined by the Board of Examiners.

General Notes

N/A