2024/25 Taught Postgraduate Module Catalogue

FOEV5006M City Systems: Urban Ecosystems

15 creditsClass Size: 60

Module manager: Roger Cremades Rodeja
Email: R.CremadesRodeja@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: 1 Jan to 30 Jun View Timetable

Year running 2024/25

This module is not approved as an Elective

Module summary

Ecosystems across the world are being fragmented and converted to human use. Yet ecosystems underpin social and economic activities, and are critical to a city’s infrastructure. Ecosystem services, nature based solutions, bottom-up activism and engagement with nature are slowly growing in public and policy systems, recognising that cities (and their inhabitants) can provide a sustainable network of urban green spaces that improve liveability and sustainability.

Objectives

This module aims to equip students with the knowledge and analytical skills needed to critically engage with debates and practice on ecosystems.

Learning outcomes
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following learning outcomes relevant to the subject:
1. understand ecosystems and urban ecology; key drivers of urban ecosystem change; and be able to identify the benefits that urban ecosystems provide to society/cities
2. Identify city specific issues raised in debates on the natural world, urban greening, urban green spaces, urban green infrastructure, and communicate the purpose of interventions to improve/increase the use of green spaces to address societal challenges.
3. Critically evaluate interventions in, and options for, retaining/enhancing urban ecosystems.

Skills Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following skills learning outcomes:
1. Integrated problem solving: Uses analytical and critical thinking to solve real world problem, utilising quality information/evidence
2. Sustainability related system thinking: recognises and understands relationships; analyses complex systems (environmental, economic and social systems and interdependencies across these)
3. Academic communication skills: Presents information/evidence gathered effectively & with accurate referencing

Syllabus

Details of the syllabus will be provided on the Minerva organisation (or equivalent) for the module.

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
Lectures	5	2.00	10.00
seminars	2	4.00	8.00
Practicals	1	6.00	6.00
Fieldwork	1	6.00	6.00
Private study hours			120.00
Total Contact hours			30.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			150.00

Private study

Private study will be undertaken as part of the student’s problem based learning. It will be guided around a specific problem, set by the module leader and contribute to the overall learning outcomes of the module.

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

Students will receive formative feedback (or feed forward) from their group presentations, which will directly inform their project reports. This will take the form of both oral feedback at the end of the presentations, written feedback by group, and written feedback to the cohort as a whole.

Methods of assessment

Coursework

Assessment type	Notes	% of formal assessment
Assignment	Coursework	100.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)		100.00

Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated

Reading list

The reading list is available from the Library website

Last updated: 04/09/2024

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