GBPGBP (Global Business Program)

The UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, or Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), has come to be recognized as a common challenge for the human society, which is a manifestation of the severity of various problems we as a species are faced with. In light of this current situation, this course focuses on the concept of "sustainability" so as to provide students with an opportunity to learn about basic scientific aspects of environmental problems and also to learn about relevant social issues in an attempt to provide a holistic view of human impact on the global environment.

This course is designed to teach about ecological and social issues. Therefore, the course objectives are: 1) to understand basic scientific concepts required to comprehend various environmental problems; 2) to understand social problems related to the environmental problems dealt with in this course; and 3) to form personal perspective and opinion about the current state of human society by understanding the interrelated nature of the environmental and socioeconomic problems.

英語 / English

The course will be taught mainly in a face-to-face lecture format, however, there will also be opportunities for students to actively participate in class through, for example, group activities and discussions. In addition to in-class interactions, students will utilize the learning assistance system (Hoppii) to express their opinions/reactions and to submit questions regarding the materials presented in each class, and the instructor will give feedback/answer questions, as needed.

あり / Yes

なし / No

授業形態/methods of teaching：対面/face to face

※各回の授業形態は予定です。教員の指示に従ってください。

Week 1[対面/face to face]：Understanding sustainability and basic features of ecosystem

As an introduction to the course, the concept of sustainability and the basic features of ecosystem will be discussed.

Week 2[対面/face to face]：Atmospheric changes and their consequences

In light of the ongoing "climate crisis", the composition of the Earth's atmosphere and consequences of atmospheric changes will be discussed.

Week 3[対面/face to face]：Water cycle and the use of water resource

Water will be focused as an essential matter for sustaining life and ecosystem, and the water cycle and use of water resource will be discussed.

Week 4[対面/face to face]：Energy supply

Energy supply in ecosystem and energy issue in the human society will be discussed.

Week 5[対面/face to face]：What is "soil"?

The importance of soil in an ecosystem will be discussed in relation to ongoing environmental problems.

Week 6[対面/face to face]：What is biodiversity and why is it important?

Basic features and current state of biodiversity will be discussed in relation to its importance for the human society.

Week 7[対面/face to face]：Applied ecology for sustainable resource management

Group activity is used to integrate the concepts learned in the previous lectures and apply them to ecological problem solving.

Week 8[対面/face to face]：Ecological issues of modern agriculture

Positive and negative impacts of agricultural modernization will be discussed.

Week 9[対面/face to face]：Food production and environmental conservation

Approaches to achieving food security without degrading environment will be discussed with concrete examples.

Week 10[対面/face to face]：Is development sustainable?

Focusing on mineral resources, issues related to demand and supply of natural resources will be discussed.

Week 11[対面/face to face]：Consequences of "unwanted" development

Environmental and social problems caused by "development" in the developing world will be discussed.

Week 12[対面/face to face]：Understanding multi-stakeholder problem solving

Group work will be used to integrate the concepts learned in the previous lectures and apply them to socio-ecological problem solving.

Week 13[対面/face to face]：Toward a sustainable society

Alternative models that may help build a sustainable society will be discussed.

Week 14[対面/face to face]：What is happening in the global environment and where do we go from here?

The course contents will be reviewed to grasp the current state of the global environment, and future prospects will be discussed.

Students are expected to review contents of individual lectures, thoroughly read distributed materials, and utilize the online learning support system, as needed. Standard amounts of time to be spent for this purpose are two hours each for preparation and review.

None. Reading materials will be distributed as needed.

To be announced as needed.

Student performance will be graded based on quizzes (40 %), a final assignment (40 %), and participation/in-class contribution (20%). Quizzes will be used to evaluate understanding of course materials (Course objectives 1 and 2). The final assignment will be an opportunity for students to demonstrate their understanding of the course material by presenting their personal analysis/opinion about the current state of human society (Course objective 3). Participation will be used to evaluate student performance in each class and in-class activities.

Providing opportunities for students to interact with other students and exchange their opinions proved effective in enhancing their learning.

Students will need to have access to Hoppii.