Biennial course. Not offered in 2015. Offered in 2016.
Climate change as a result of human activities, or anthropogenic global warming, is now generally accepted as reality and includes a wide range of climatic processes and impacts in the global system that are affected by human activities.
This course provides an introduction to climate change science, impacts and policy implications. The fundamentals are provided in an overview of climate change science, focussing on the atmospheric processes that drive climatic variability and change, and an understanding of the global carbon cycle. Current and likely future impacts of global warming on ecosystems and human activities are also considered, including biodiversity, system buffering and resilience, and regional inequality and vulnerability. Societal response strategies are also investigated, focussing on international environmental treaties, international and Australian policy approaches to global warming, and management and adaptation strategies.
Practical workshops focus on developing understanding of the carbon intensity of energy use, effective climate change communication, and science-policy interaction in the area of climate change.
Contributors to the course may include academic experts from across the ANU and representatives of various government departments, industry and business groups and research organisations.
Honours Pathway Option
Subject to the approval of the course convener, students taking this option will be expected to complete advanced readings or other research-related activities relevant to the course, and to discuss their learning in a series of four seminars (a minimum of 10% of overall assessment). All other assessment and requirements remain the same.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
On satifying the requirements of this course, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- Understand the interactions between the atmosphere and the surface (topography, vegetation, built structures), and apply this understanding in an environmental decision-making context.
- Apply an understanding of synoptic processes and the ability to interpret a range of graphical and visual data to the explanation of weather events and forecasting.
- Analyse the relationships between large-scale ocean-atmosphere processes and regional-local climates, using simple statistical techniques.
- Synthesise their understanding of climate processes at a range of scales to explain the applications of climate modelling in research and policy contexts.
- Create an original piece of research on a self-selected topic, and communicate their results in oral and written formats.
Indicative Assessment
Students who fail to submit work by the due date or fail to participate in classes, practicals and tutorials may be excluded from examination. Assessment will be based on:
- Two class tests (30%; LO 1, 2, 3, 4)
- Major research report on a topic relevant to course themes (40%; LO 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
- Presentation on the topic of the research report (10%; LO 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
- Take-home examination (20%; LO 1, 2, 3, 4)
The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.
Workload
130 hours including up to 60 contact hours in lectures, practicals and workshops/seminars, and self-study time.
Requisite and Incompatibility
Preliminary Reading
Sturman, A.P. and Tapper, N.J. (2006) The Weather and Climate of Australia and New Zealand. Oxford University Press.
Majors
Minors
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
If you are a domestic graduate coursework or international student you will be required to pay tuition fees. Tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 2
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are an undergraduate student and have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). You can find your student contribution amount for each course at Fees. Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2019 | $3840 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2019 | $5460 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.
Second Semester
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9224 | 27 Jul 2020 | 03 Aug 2020 | 31 Aug 2020 | 30 Oct 2020 | In Person | View |