This module provides students with a broad overview
of the human dimensions of global environmental change. The complexity
of global change is reduced to four basic and interactive parts:
human actions that initiate changes in the structure and operation of the
biosphere; the consequences of these actions on terrestrial ecology; the
combined effects of the two on potential climate change; and human responses
to global change, with a focus on climate change. The following graphic
illustrates these four components and serves as a framework for the module:
The phrase “human dimensions of global change” refers
to the entire matrix shown above, not just to the left hand side, although
the module emphasizes driving forces and human responses/impacts.
The module has five broad objectives:
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To provide an overview of the problem and study of global environmental
change;
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To demonstrate the complexity of this change and its origins in society
and nature;
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To demonstrate the interconnections of its basic human and natural components;
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To involve students in activities that demonstrate the complexity and interconnectivity
of the subject and its basic components; and
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To illustrate to students the extent to which they may affect and may be
affected by aspects of global environmental change.
The module activities draw out the linkages and the
human components of the topic; they also raise broader questions
about the concept of global change as a whole (for example, how certain
we can be of research findings provided to date). Students actively
engage with the material through role-playing, group discussions, map interpretation,
creative writing, debates, and quantitative/qualitative data analysis and
interpretation.
