| CODE | EER1021 | ||||||||||||
| TITLE | Understanding the Maltese Environment | ||||||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 01 - Year 1 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 5 | ||||||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | ||||||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Centre for Environmental Education and Research | ||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit will introduce students to the Local environment and to the main challenges related to the Maltese environment and resources. The unit will therefore focus on the formation of the islands and on the geological, ecological and other landscape features present. A number of fieldwork activities are designed to focus on particular aspects of the Maltese environment. The pedagogy employed in this unit will be one involving ESD - therefore this unit is transformative in nature. The unit will also include a focus on challenges and impacts such as biodiversity depletion, habitat destruction and climate change and their effects on the Maltese environment and scope for simple management methods to mitigate such challenges. Study-Unit Aims: 鈥� To develop a deeper understanding of local environmental issues; 鈥� To develop an awareness of Maltese landscape, geology and ecology; 鈥� To develop an understanding of the interdependence between chemo-physical, ecological, socio-economic and political aspects that are prevalent in the Maltese environment; 鈥� To help students appreciate how the scientific, socio-economic and political dimensions of environmental issues are synergistically related to issues related to sustainable development; 鈥� To help students appreciate that practical solutions to environmental problems often entail attitude and behavioural change that is coupled to the scientific recognition of such problems; 鈥� To enable students to think critically and analytically about different environmental scenarios. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: 鈥� identify characteristics of the Maltese environment, landscape, geology and ecology; 鈥� identify inter-relationships in various environmental systems and consequently predict possible results of unmanaged human intervention; 鈥� describe the complexity of environmental issues (arising from the interrelatedness of various components) at various levels of analysis; and; 鈥� broadly assess an environmental issue in terms of its main scientific, socio-economic, and political underpinnings and link these components to the concept of sustainability; 鈥� describe a number of simple management principles in dealing with environmental issues. 2. Skills By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: 鈥� critically evaluate environmental information and decide on its validity; 鈥� discuss the Maltese environment and local environmental issues from different perspectives to highlight their complexity; 鈥� identify and propose sustainable solutions of environmental issues; and; 鈥� identify different forms of communication to convey environmental information to a non-technical audience. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts: - Mifsud M. (2014), Environmental Science: A Maltese Perspective. Miller Publications, Malta. (pp. 478), ISBN 9789995737696 - Schembri PJ. & Baldacchino A. (2011) Ilma, Blat u Hajja Supplementary Readings: - Haslam S.H. (1998) River Valleys of the Maltese Islands: Environment and Human Impact Paperback - Mifsud M. (2003). Maltese Nature in Focus. Mireva Publications, Malta. (pp. 281), ISBN 1-870579-44-5 - Pedley M. Hughes Clarke, M & Galea, P (2002) Limestone isles in a crystal sea. The geology of the Maltese Islands. PEG, Malta. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture and Fieldwork | ||||||||||||
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| LECTURER/S | Mark C. Mifsud |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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