ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS & SOCIETIES

Choice of topic

Environmental systems and societies focuses upon the interaction and integration of “natural” environmental systems and human societies. An EE in this subject should give significant (though not necessarily equal) weight to both these dimensions.

The topic should allow the student to demonstrate some grasp of how environmental systems and societies function together. For example:

• studying pure ecological principles within the context of human interaction with the environmental system

• addressing philosophical approaches to the environment in relation to specific natural systems.

Students must ensure that their topic would not be better submitted under one of the specialised subject areas of the experimental or the human sciences. For example, topics focusing exclusively on human health, disease or politics are usually more appropriate to a single-discipline essay.

The topic must be open to analytical argument. If it lends itself only to a descriptive or narrative treatment, the student will be unable to achieve marks for critical thinking in the assessment criteria.

For example, it would be of minimal value simply to describe a given nature reserve. Instead, the topic should involve an evaluation of the reserve’s relationship with a local community, or a comparison of its achievement with its original objectives or with those of another conservation initiative.

The topic must enable students to construct and support an argument from their own analysis of the information, rather than simply reporting others’ analysed data.

Analysis

Whatever their sources of data, students must produce their own analysis and argue their own conclusions.

For some students this will happen more naturally if the essay is based on primary data.

If students are using secondary data, they must disregard any earlier analysis and conclusions. It is essential that students manipulate the data in their own way, or possibly synthesize it with other sources, in order to support their own research question.

Using the systems approach

The systems approach is a central theme in the environmental systems and societies syllabus and this should be reflected to some degree in the EE. The essay should include an attempt to model, at least partially, the system or systems in question.

The term “model” in this context includes, for example:

• mathematical formulas

• maps

• graphical representations

• flow diagrams.

Students should also use the terminology from the environmental systems and societies course, where appropriate.