SCI1300 Climate change: From science to society
Faculty of Science
SCI1300 Climate change: From science to society is a level 1, 6-credit-point, undergraduate unit from the Faculty of Science, offered in 2020 in Semester 2 at Clayton. It has no prerequisites.
- Credit points
- 6
- Offered in 2020
- Semester 2
- Clayton
- Assessment
- No exam
- 5 tasks
- Workload
- 144 hours
- per semester
This is the 2020 handbook entry. See the 2023 entry.
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Requisites
Before SCI1300
No prerequisites or corequisites besides the enrolment rules below.
After SCI1300
No unit lists SCI1300 as a prerequisite in the 2020 handbook.
Enrolment rules
PROHIBITION: ATM1020, MON1001
Overview
Climate change is a key global challenge for modern society. It will affect all natural and human systems and has far-reaching consequences for society. Responding to the effects of climate change will require international and interdisciplinary approaches. This unit provides the scientific background to climate change, and it assesses the environmental and societal impacts, and community and political responses to climate change. Starting from the basic principles and processes that define and govern the Earth's climate, the unit explores how the different spheres on Earth interact to produce the rich past and current variability of climate in space and time. It then highlights how human influences are shaping the future of the Earth's climate. Equipped with the essential scientific background, the unit will then investigate what options humankind has to respond to the economic, ethical and political challenges of climate change, including global and national governance models required to mitigate and adapt to its effects. The unit will provide you with the foundation and knowledge to respond to climate change challenges throughout their career, independent of their specific discipline.
Offerings in 2020
| Teaching period | Campus | Mode |
|---|---|---|
| Second semester | Clayton | On campus |
Assessment
- Assessment Task 1: Daisyworld20%
- Assessment Task 2: Energy balance model20%
- Assessment Task 3: Country comparison of impacts20%
- Assessment Task 4: 2 tests during the lectures (10% each)20%
- Assessment 5: Tutorial participation 2% per tutorial up to a maximum20%
Learning outcomes
When you finish this unit, you should be able to:
- 1
Understand the basic scientific concepts underpinning natural climate change, anthropogenic climate change and responses;
- 2
Critically evaluate information on climate change, climate change impacts and responses from a variety of sources including scientific reports, blogs and the media;
- 3
Develop, apply, integrate and generate knowledge to analyse and solve problems in climate change, its impacts and the options for possible societal responses;
- 4
Demonstrate competence in information technology, data handling, problem solving, communication skills and team work;
- 5
Convey the basic concepts of climate change, its impacts and possible responses to diverse audiences.
Workload and teaching
- Tutorials24 hours
- Lectures36 hours
- Teaching approachActive learning
Three 1-hour lectures per week, one 2-hour tutorial/laboratory class per week, plus private study/research time such that the total workload is 144 hours
The unit uses active learning as its teaching approach.
Contacts
- Chief Examiners
- Dr Adam Kessler
- Unit Coordinators
- Dr Adam Kessler
Common questions
What are the prerequisites for SCI1300?
SCI1300 has no prerequisites, but enrolment rules apply.
When is SCI1300 offered?
In 2020, SCI1300 runs in Semester 2 at Clayton.
How much work is SCI1300?
The handbook expects about 144 hours of study across the semester. No students have rated its difficulty yet.
Does SCI1300 have an exam?
No. SCI1300 has 5 assessment tasks and no exam.