Lecturer(s)

Sietze Norder

Entry requirements 

For 2^nd or 3^rd year honours students only. 

Recommended prior knowledge

-

Learning Objectives

At the end of the course the student can:

• Describe similarities and differences between islands in terms of their geographies, histories, ecologies, societies and cultures.
• Explain why islands are ideal model systems for understanding human-environment interactions.
• Examine how islands have contributed to global changes and explore their potential role in future transitions.
• Communicate about insights gained during the course to both academic and the wider public.

Content

One planet, thousands of islands.

During this honours module we will make an imaginary journey across the thousands of islands that are scattered around the globe. We will start by exploring the dynamic history of islands in the millions of years prior to human settlement: the birth of an island and its subsequent lifecycle, the arrival of plant- and animal species, and the building up of unique ecosystems. Subsequently, we will follow from close by those changes that occurred when people and island ecosystems came in contact for the first time. On each island, relationships between people and nature evolved in unique ways. People modified landscapes and ecosystems, and in turn, societies were also affected by their surroundings. In many cases these local scale interactions had global repercussions. Throughout this module we will encounter numerous examples of small islands that played a crucial role in changing the course of world history. We will explore whether human-environment interactions on islands can guide our global future: could a comparison across these many miniature worlds help us to reinvent our relationship with the living world?

Class contents

• Seminars
• Lectures
• Selfstudy
• Work independently on project / thesis
• Presentation / symposium
• Fieldwork / excursion
• Guidance / feedback moment

Assessment:

Popular science essay, peer-review report, mini-reviews of the lectures and literature, and a presentation.

Min/max participants

max.25

Schedule

Check Datanose for the exact information.

Study material

A selection of articles will be provide for each meeting.

Registration

Registration is possible for 2nd year (of higher) students participating in an Honours programme from 3 December 2019 10.00 till 7 December 2019 12.00 through the online registration form that will appear on Honoursmodules IIS.

Placement will be at random. If there are still spots open after the application deadline, students will still be able to register but beware we cannot guarantee a placement.

For questions: please contact Honours-iis@uva.nl