Instructors

Ian McKendry
Office: Geography Room 250
Phone: 604.822.4929
Email: ian (at) geog (dot) ubc (dot) ca

R.D. (Dan) Moore
Office: Geography Room 225
Phone: 604.822.3538
Email: rdmoore (at) geog (dot) ubc (dot) ca

Course Schedule

• Term 1
• Term 2

Course Description

The course is intended to provide an introduction at the research level to the study and analysis of environmental systems. We examine research activities within the context of observed patterns in nature, means of analyzing those patterns, and constructing a more general description of them. We also examine some intersections between science and society.

The course will extend over two terms and in the first term includes a weekly meeting and reading assignments (there is no formal text, but selected readings are assigned for each weekly topic). The reading list will be relatively heavy (compared with undergraduate experience). The regular weekly meetings will consist of lecture/discussion related to the readings and a seminar. Students will be expected to participate actively in the course by presenting commentaries on readings, posing questions and discussing questions posed by others. The course grade will be determined from student's performance in a written examination, two presented papers (on a chosen subject which may evolve into the student's research topic) and class participation.

Course Activities

In term 1, each week's activities will begin on the preceding Wednesday with an introduction to the week's topic. Reading lists and reading materials are available on this site. On the following Wednesday (Wednesday of the indicated activity week), a discussion will be held on the topic, led by one of the course participants.

The major course assignment is to prepare a research proposal (to be completed by the end of term 2, April 2009). For M.Sc. students, in particular, this should be a first draft of your intended thesis topic (your supervisors are aware of this assignment: do consult with them during preparation of your work). It is in two parts: part I is to define the topic and to present a literature review (to be completed by the end of term 1), and part 2 is to present the research proposal. An oral presentation of your work will be made for each part, in addition to the formal submitted paper.

A written examination on the material covered in term 1 will be held during the December examination period at a mutually convenient time after 11 December. There will be no other formal examination.

In term 2, we will conduct a set of activities designed to focus on proposal development. We will meet a maximum of one day per week for assorted workshops and seminars. The culmination of these activities will be the presentation and submission of a research proposal at the end of the winter term (April 2010).

Evaluation

Component	Contribution to Course Grade
Term 1
Literature review
- Formal paper	20%
- Presentation	5%
Examination	30%
Participation	10%
Term 2
Research proposal
- Formal paper	30%
- Presentation	5%
Total	100%