Prerequisite:

Finished second Bologna level in the appropriate field or University degree VII.

Content (Syllabus outline):

• environmental problems and the role of human behaviour in the environment
• society’s responses to human activity in the environment and the development of environmental paradigms
• environmental effects of pollution sources (transport, agriculture, industry, mining, energy, households)
• contemporary environmental challenges in urban areas
• relationship between man and living environment
• development of environmental awareness and environmentally friendly behaviour
• methods to strengthen environmental awareness and behaviour

Readings:

• Ensuring quality of life in Europe’s cities and towns. 2009. Luxembourg, Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, 108 str.
• Gardner, G. T., Stern, P. C. 2002: Environmental problems and human behaviour. Boston.
• Kirn, A. 2004: Narava – družba – ekološka zavest. Ljubljana.
• Kos, D. 2004: Tri ravni trajnostnega razvoja. Teorija in praksa, 41-1/2.
• Plut, D. 2006: Mesta in sonaravni razvoj. Ljubljana.
• Plut, D. 2008: Vrednotenje geografskega okolja in okoljska etika. Dela 29.
• Polajnar Horvat, K. 2015: Okolju prijazno vedenje. Georitem 26. Ljubljana.
• Smrekar, A. 2011: From environmental awareness in word to environmental awareness in deed: the case of Ljubljana. Acta geographica Slovenica 51-2.
• Steg, L., I. M. de Groot, J. 2018: Environmental Psychology: An Introduciton. Willey.
• Steg, L., Vlek, C. 2009: Encouraging pro-environmental behaviour: An integrative review and research agenda. Journal of environmental psychology 29.
• Špes, M. 1998: Degradacija okolja kot dejavnik diferenciacije urbane pokrajine. Geographica Slovenica 30. Ljubljana.
• Welford, M., Zarbrough, R. 2021: Human-Environment Interactions. An introduction. Springer.

Objectives and competences:

The main objective of the course is to introduce the student to selected topics from researching human-environment relations. During the course, students will gain the following competences:

• understanding the role of human behaviour in generating and solving contemporary environmental problems,
• awareness about key environmental paradigms,
• understanding the development of environmental thought, awareness, and environmental behavior as the key factors in burdening and protecting the environment,
• ability to recognize the main sources of environmental pollution and to understand their activity and effect on the environment,
• ability to understand the city as an ecosystem and awareness about key urban environmental problems,
• understanding the complexity of the relation between man and living environment and its perception and evaluation,
• ability to recognize and understand the role of internal and external factors in environmental awareness and behavior and
• awareness on the importance and role of informational and structural strategies to promote environmental awareness and behavior.
• Students will be encouraged to adopt critical thinking, use the problem approach, and independent research. Therefore,submitting an individual seminar paper on the selected topic will be required.

Intended learning outcomes:

Participation in the course will bring the student:

• an in-depth understanding of contemporary environmental problems and ways of solving them,
• the ability to recognize environmental pollution sources and their effects on the landscape,
• the ability to perform a complex evaluation of the urban environment and its elements,
• an in-depth understanding of the complex relation between man and living environment,
• the ability to understand the reciprocal factors in the development of environmental awareness and behavior, and
• practical knowledge about the usefulness of informational and structural strategies for promoting environmental awareness and changing environmental behaviors.

Assessment:

Oral exam (70 %), written paper (30 %).