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Group 4: Environmental Sys & Societies SL

6th Form

Course Description

The main purpose of this course is to give students a coherent perspective on the interrelationships between environmental systems and societies. So what does this mean? It means that we won't just say "here is an environmental problem, isn't it terrible…..." To really understand the causes and effects of environmental problems, and how people try to manage them, we will need to look at the issues from many angles (e.g. scientific, ethical, historical, economic, cultural and socio-political). This is called taking an 'holistic' approach.

By the end of this course students will be able to adopt an informed personal response to current environmental issues (i.e. know where they stand and why). They will also understand the impact of the choices and decisions we make in our own lives on the environment.

We will use local contexts to teach underlying theory, incorporating as much fieldwork and laboratory practical work as possible, and the theory applied in a series of international case studies. Through developing links with IB schools both in the UK and overseas, students will gain an appreciation of the global diversity of environments and ecosystems, cultural and historical differences in attitudes to the environment, and differing perspectives on sustainability.

Course Structure

The Environmental Systems and Societies course will be taught through a number of modules, including: a Dalby Forest field study; Systems, Models and Ecosystems; Environmental Impact Assessment case study; The Issue of Global Warming; Biodiversity and Conservation case studies; The Rise and Rise of the Human Species; Managing the Earth's Resources; Pollution: Detection, Monitoring and Management.

 

Assessment

Informal, formative assessment will be a continuous and an integral part of the course. At the end of each topic a short summative test will be given, based on questions from past examination papers. There will be a formal assessment at the end of the first year of the course and also mock exams before Easter in the second year.

Internal assessment will be carried out through a sequence of assessed practical tasks - both in the laboratory and in the field.

External assessment will be at the end of the second year of the course, and consists of two written papers.

*Only available at standard level