Module PHL2055 for 2021/2
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
PHL2055: Ecology, Environment and Conservation
This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 academic year.
How this Module is Assessed
In the tables below, you will see reference to 'ILO's. An ILO is an Intended Learning Outcome - see Aims and Learning Outcomes for details of the ILOs for this module.
Formative Assessment
A formative assessment is designed to give you feedback on your understanding of the module content but it will not count towards your mark for the module.
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tutorial Participation | Fortnightly | 1-6 | Oral |
| Essay Plan | 1 page plan of essay | 1-6 | Written |
Summative Assessment
A summative assessment counts towards your mark for the module. The table below tells you what percentage of your mark will come from which type of assessment.
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0 | 0 |
...and this table provides further details on the summative assessments for this module.
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essay 1 | 30 | 1000 words | 1-6 | Written |
| Essay 2 | 70 | 3000 words | 1-6 | Written |
Re-assessment
Re-assessment takes place when the summative assessment has not been completed by the original deadline, and the student has been allowed to refer or defer it to a later date (this only happens following certain criteria and is always subject to exam board approval). For obvious reasons, re-assessments cannot be the same as the original assessment and so these alternatives are set. In cases where the form of assessment is the same, the content will nevertheless be different.
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay 1 | Essay (1000 words) | 1-6 | August/September reassessment period |
| Essay 2 | Essay (3000 words) | 1-6 | August/September reassessment period |
Indicative Reading List
This reading list is indicative - i.e. it provides an idea of texts that may be useful to you on this module, but it is not considered to be a confirmed or compulsory reading list for this module.
Mark Colyvan, Stefan Linquist, William Grey, Paul E. Griffiths, Jay Odenbaugh, and Hugh P. Possingham (2009) A Field Guide to the Philosophy of Ecology
Marc Lange (2005) Ecological laws: what would they be and why would they matter? Oikos, 110(2), 394-403.
Weiner, Jacob (1995) On the practice of Ecology. Journal of Ecology, 83(1), 153-158.
Godfrey-Smith, Peter (2006) The Strategy of Model-Based Science. Biology and philosophy, 21(5), 725-740.
Jay Odenbaugh (2005) Idealized, inaccurate but successful: A pragmatic approach to evaluating models in theoretical ecology. Biology and Philosophy, 20(2-3), 231-255.
Mark Colyvan (2005) Probability and Ecological Complexity. Biology and Philosophy 20:869–879
Kim Sterelny (2006) Local Ecological Communities. Philosophy of Science, 73(2), 215-231.
Kirchner, James W (2002) The Gaia Hypothesis: Fact, Theory and Wishful thinking. Climatic Change, 52(4), 391-408.
Mark Sagoff Animal Liberation and Environmental Ethics: Bad Marriage and Quick Divorce. Osgoode Hall Law Journal 22 (1984): 297-307.
Sahorta Sarkar (2002) Defining “Diversity”; Assessing Diversity. The Monist, 85(1), 131-155.
Sober, Elliot (1986) Philosophical Problems for Environmentalism. IN: The preservation of the species, Norton (ed). Princeton University Press.
Mark Colyvan & Katie Steel (2011), Environmental Ethics and Decision Theory: Fellow Travellers or Bitter Enemies? Philosophy of Ecology, 11, 285.
