Course syllabus for Environmental and resource analysis for a sustainable built environment

The course syllabus contains changes
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Course syllabus adopted 2022-05-03 by Head of Programme (or corresponding).

Overview

  • Swedish nameMiljö- och resursanalys för hållbar samhällsbyggnad
  • CodeENM165
  • Credits6 Credits
  • OwnerTKSAM
  • Education cycleFirst-cycle
  • Main field of studyCivil and Environmental Engineering
  • ThemeEnvironment 6 c
  • DepartmentTECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT AND ECONOMICS
  • GradingTH - Pass with distinction (5), Pass with credit (4), Pass (3), Fail

Course round 1

  • Teaching language Swedish
  • Application code 58122
  • Open for exchange studentsNo
  • Only students with the course round in the programme overview.

Credit distribution

0116 Examination 4 c
Grading: TH		 4 c
  • 15 Mar 2023 pm J DIG
  • 24 Aug 2023 am J DIG
0216 Written and oral assignments 2 c
Grading: UG		 2 c

In programmes

Examiner

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Eligibility

General entry requirements for bachelor's level (first cycle)
Applicants enrolled in a programme at Chalmers where the course is included in the study programme are exempted from fulfilling the requirements above.

Specific entry requirements

The same as for the programme that owns the course.
Applicants enrolled in a programme at Chalmers where the course is included in the study programme are exempted from fulfilling the requirements above.

Course specific prerequisites

A pass grade in the following courses (or courses that are equivalent with regards to learning outcomes) fulfills the entry requirements :
Buildings functions and design (BOM205), Urban space and functions (BOM210), Building materials (BOM195).

Aim

The aim of the course is for students to attain the capacity to perform basic sustainability analyzes and to make decisions that contribute to a sustainable development in their future professional roles. The student will be able to adopt the social, economic and ecological perspectives on sustainable development and also appreciate the necessity of making personal standpoints, both privately and professionally.

Learning outcomes (after completion of the course the student should be able to)

1. Describe the meaning of sustainable development and compare different definitions and interpretations (Theme 1; see Organization below)
2. Describe different perspectives within environmental ethics and explain how these can lead to different perceptions of sustainability issues with special focus on civil engineering (Theme 1)
3. Describe the ongoing depletion of different natural resources and other ecosystem services (Theme 2)
4. Analyse the big environmental challenges of our time in terms of causes, impacts and potential technical solutions with special focus on civil engineering (Theme 2)
5. Analyse the environmental impact from products through the application of a life cycle perspective (Theme 2)
6. Explain how society’s environmental impact can decrease through a transition to a sustainable energy and water and waste system and a circular economy (Theme 2)
7. Describe the drivers and tools of individuals, companies, and political actors in the transition to sustainable development (Theme 3)
8. Explain how mutual dependencies between different parts of society impact the transition to sustainable development (Theme 3)
9. Apply knowledge in sustainable development to questions with special relevance in civil engineering (Theme 4)
10. State and argue for the own perspective on sustainable development (Theme 4)

Content

This course approaches sustainability from a few different angles, though mostly from a purely scientific/technical perspective, i e with somewhat greater focus on the environment than on the other dimensions of sustainable development, but social science perspectives are also included. We want the course to show the most important aspects of how human activities affect the environment and especially emphasize a Chalmers graduate's potential to contribute to a sustainable development in the future.

Organisation

The course is built around four themes: 1. Sustainable development and environmental ethics, 2. Environmental problems and their solutions, 3. Transition to sustainable development, and 4. Sustainable development and civil engineering. The course moreover consists of two main parts. The first part, which corresponds to 4 hp, is taught through lectures followed by group exercises. This part of the course concerns all four themes of the course and is assessed through a written examination and graded (U, 3, 4, 5). The second part, equal to 2 hp, is an elaboration on theme 4 and consists of an individual writing assignment on the knowledge and skills acquired so far in the programme applied to a concrete case. This writing assignment is peer reviewed and presented and discussed in a smaller group. This assignment is scored and assessed pass/fail.
The course is given by the division of Environmental Systems Analysis with support from Communication and Learning in Science.

Literature

Gröndahl och Svanström 2010. Hållbar utveckling – en introduktion för ingenjörer. Stockholm: Liber AB

Examination including compulsory elements

Written examination and individual writing assignment.

The course examiner may assess individual students in other ways than what is stated above if there are special reasons for doing so, for example if a student has a decision from Chalmers on educational support due to disability.

The course syllabus contains changes

  • Changes to module:
    • 2022-05-02: Digital exam Changed to digital exam by Emilio
      [0116 Examination 4,0 credit] Changed to digital examination