Integrated project in sustainability

Teacher(s)

Meyfroidt Patrick; Rousseau Raphaël;

Language

English

Main themes

Theoretical course

1. Introduction to the course and its objectives

• Defining the problem and themes for the case studies.
• The case studies will be based on a comparison of two European regions (within Belgium and Spain). The specific study themes will change each year, but examples include : tourism, transport (air traffic, high speed trains, road building, etc.), migration/demography and residential housing (retirement homes, new labour), emerging/declining industries (manufacturing, etc.), agriculture and agri-business (glass house production, fruit production), forest cover change, the impact of land use change on water resources (industrial and agricultural consumption patterns), biogeography (ecology and landscape), land degradation (the socio-economic and physical drivers of soil erosion on the loess belt and in Mediterranean environments).

1. Travaux dirigés : Themes

TD 1 Defining the problem and refining the case study objectives Small group tutorial (5 per group) Student implication : 1 hour
TD 2 Discussing progress and initial results Small group tutorial (5 per group) Student implication : 1 hour
TD 3 Field work to validate hypotheses See GEOG2161 Enseignement de terrain
TD 4 Presenting the results and conclusions of the study Seminar (in English) Student implication : 3 hours

1. Travaux personnels :

Working in small thematic groups to identify and allocate the tasks and techniques necessary to achieve the case study objectives ( 4 hours).
Tackling the problem - review of the literature and the study area, collection and use of available data resources, application of appropriate methods (40 hours).
Field work (see GEOG2161 Enseignement de terrain)
Production of the final report (12 hours).
Notions acquises : Ability to work within a team and contribute to the group's work Methodological and analytical techniques Seminar presentation skills (and ability in English) Report writing skills

Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :
1	Knowledge : To further develop understanding of the processes of human and physical geography and how these processes interact within the context of the issues and problems that occur at the regional scale. To analyse regional development policies within the European Union, and assess their impact on land use within different case study areas. Know-how : To apply fundamental geographic principles and techniques to real-world problems and thus, to bridge the gap between the classroom and geography in practice. (This will be achieved in combination with the enseignement de terrain). To develop the capacity for critical appraisal of regional policies and development in the EU. To develop and apply a working knowledge of the English language within the framework of the University language plan. Personal skills : To develop the capacity to work in groups as part of a team

Content

This course aims to offer the students the opportunity to explore the concept of sustainability through an integrated project that connects theory to real-world applications. Students will work on a general theme related to sustainable development and transition measures by engaging in group work and working individually. The general theme changes every year.

Teaching methods

The students will first work on a general theme based on a report by an international organization.
The course is divided into in-class sessions and off-class moments,  
1. During the first session, the content and objectives of the course will be introduced to the students. The following sessions will serve for regular feedback and follow-ups with the teaching team to check the advancement of the work. The last session is devoted to the oral presentation of the final work.  
2. The rest of the time is free to let the groups and the students work on their project. An informatic room is booked for these sessions every week.
The course will be given in English. All slides and supplementary documents are also in English.
Students must attend all lectures, tutorials, and practical sessions to pass the module.

Evaluation methods

Any use of generative artificial intelligences (AI) must be done responsibly and in agreement with the practices of scientific and academic integrity and the general regulation of studies and exams (RGEE, see a.o. article 107).

Teaching materials

• The slides, the primary scientific reports and several articles are available in Moodle.

Faculty or entity

> GEOG