Science, Environment & Humans (FGHZ-0922)

Science, Environment & Humans FGHZ-0922, 3 credit units

Undergraduate General Studies Core Program. Universidad de Las Américas, Quito, Ecuador

Professor: 

Dr. José V. Montoya C. BIOMAS Research Group, UDLA.

General Studies course for undergraduate programs in social sciences, humanities, and psychology of the Universidad de Las Américas. Science, Environment & Humans FGHZ-0922 is offered all semesters and comprise outreach activities with urban, peri-urban or rural communities.

Two hours of class per week and 48 hours of community work during each semester. 

OBJETIVE: The interdisciplinary course Science, Environment & Humans deals in a transversal way with the human being (biopsychosocial being) in its relationship with the different types of scientific knowledge and in its environment (physical and social). The development of the course is based on three issues: wellbeing, environment, and society. As one of the cross-cutting humanistic subjects of the UDLA experience, it is aligned to six institutional learning outcomes: critical thinking, collaborative work, global vision and citizenship, communication and digital literacy, and research, while encompassing four of the key competencies ("Big Five"). It includes community outreach practices, which is equivalent to 48 hours of planning, preparation, execution and evaluation of an outreach project.

SYLLABUS:

Unit 1: Science and Pseudoscience

- What is science?

- What is pseudoscience?

- Internet as a source of knowledge

- Outreach project planning

Unit 2: Where do we come from and where are we going?

- Origin of the universe

- Origin of life

- Evolution

- Biodiversity from its different dimensions

- Outreach project follow-up

Unit 3: Influence of science on society and the environment

- Ecosystem services, nature contributions to people, common goods, Tragedy of the commons paradox

- Green revolution, food security and sovereignty 

- Climate change and environmental crisis

- Renewable energies, clean energies

- Health, epidemiology and infectious diseases. Vaccines and anti-vaccine movements

- Digital literacy, and big data

- Precautionary principle

- Ethical limits of science

- Outreach project final reports

Undergraduate students FGHZ-0922 (Sep 2019- Feb 2020) after finishing restoration activities at Ortega Creek, Quitumbe Neighborhood, Quito.

Reforestation activities in El Carmen Creek, Quitumbe neighborhood, Quito.