Admission requirements
This course is obligatory for students of the MSc Governance of Sustainability.
Description
In this course, students will acquire knowledge on the functioning of ecosystems, the interactions between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning as well as on the causes of biodiversity loss and the consequences for human wellbeing. Nature conservation is often the result of a collaboration between a wide variety of actors on local, national and international scale. From a governance perspective, this requires insights in decision making, networks of actors and the integration thereof across multiple policy challenges. By coupling these issues, it will become possible to prepare policy documents to protect and enhance biodiversity and its multiple values to people. This integration will be tested and implemented by the students in a case involving the science-policy interface of biodiversity and ecosystems.
Course objectives
After completing this course, you will be able to:
Explain the functioning of ecosystems, biodiversity and ecosystem services as influenced by human society at different spatial scales
Explain the governing institutions relevant to biodiversity and ecosystems
Critically analyse what shapes these governing institutions, with special attention to the roles of different stakeholders
Critically analyse the effects of relevant governing institutions on natural environments and stakeholders
Apply and run Geographical Information Systems for spatial analyses
Design and execute research to formulate integrated policy solutions to biodiversity and ecosystems
Communicate and work in a project group to perform transdisciplinary research
Communicate the results of your research to academics and decision makers, both orally and in writing
Reflect on your professional attitude and participation
Timetable
In MyTimetable, you can find all course and programme schedules, allowing you to create your personal timetable. Activities for which you have enrolled via MyStudyMap will automatically appear in your timetable.
Additionally, you can easily link MyTimetable to a calendar app on your phone, and schedule changes will be automatically updated in your calendar. You can also choose to receive email notifications about schedule changes. You can enable notifications in Settings after logging in.
Questions? Watch the video, read the instructions, or contact the ISSC helpdesk.
Note: Joint Degree students from Leiden/Delft need to combine information from both the Leiden and Delft MyTimetables to see a complete schedule. This video explains how to do it.
Mode of instruction
We offer a mix of instruction methods to optimally satisfy the course objectives:
Lectures (wk1- wk6)
Through two intensive seminar-style lectures per week, the students will acquire the essential terminology, concepts and approaches on the governance of biodiversity and ecosystems. Selected monodisciplinary items will also be taught, thus making optimally use of the differences in background knowledge in the student population. The sessions will be preceded by a combination of literature, pre-recorded lectures and other media.
During the course, the changing perceptions towards nature and the concomitant biological concepts will be discussed. In parallel, the need for collaboration among different types of stakeholders is taught. In addition, the tools and concepts to analyse networks are treated..
Practicals and assignments (wk2-wk6)
During two double sessions per week, the skills for spatial analysis using Geographical Information Systems and other (quantitative) methods will be taught in a series of dedicated assignments and computer practicals. The contents of the practicals are, where possible, connected to the lectures of the respective week, and the practicals will take place until week 3 of the course, ending with an assignment.
Weeks 5 and 6 will feature more hands-on practicals / work sessions that help students apply concepts discussed in the governance lectures.
Integrated Group Assignment (wk1-wk8)
In parallel with the lectures and practicals and throughout the entire course, students will work in small groups in an interdisciplinary setting on the governance of biodiversity and ecosystems. The acquired knowledge and understanding from the lectures and practicals will be integrated by working on a real-time challenge. Each group will represent a different UN member state and will focus on the national implications of findings by the Intergovernmental science-policy Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), complemented by further research. Furthermore, they will propose policy responses, what stakeholders to engage to fulfil the policy-making goals, and what type of network and governance will be used. The specific topic of the IGA will be introduced by the instructors in the second week, during a recorded video and a Q&A. Each group has the opportunity to meet with its tutor(s) on a weekly basis.
Assessment method
The course will be graded based on the following elements (including weights):
Written individual exam (30%). The exam will test knowledge and ability to apply this, based on the information provided in the lectures, work sessions and accompanying compulsory literature.
Individual practical assignments (30%). Both the final assignments of the GIS practical and the Governance practical are prepared individually, and each counts for half of the practical assignment grade. The overall grade for the practicals is the average based on grades for both practicals. This overall grade must be a 5.5 or higher, which means that a grade for one practical can compensate for the other.
Integrated Group Assignment (30%). Group-based infographic, and presentation and discussion thereof, as well as a factsheet. For this group assignment, individual grade adjustments are possible in extreme cases. This decision will be based on the logbook as well as peer evaluations.
Participation (10%) is assessed through the successful completion of three quizzes (pass / fail), a peer review of an IGA mid-term presentation (graded) and two self and group member evaluations (graded). The quizzes test the students on knowledge based on the lectures. Completion of each quiz will result in a pass. Participation is furthermore compulsory during practicals, guest lectures, group work sessions and presentations / seminars. Depending on the circumstances, online participation will suffice too.
The final grade is the weighted average of the four components. In addition, students must have earned a minimum grade of 5.5 for all four elements to receive a final grade.
N.B: in Week 51 (the week of December 16th), there will be graded assignments for which your in-person participation is required.
The practical assignments and Integrated Group Assignment cannot be retaken or compensated. In case of extenuating circumstances, the participation grade can be compensated. The written exam can be retaken once in the same academic year. It follows the exact same form as the original written exam. The exam takes place in the digital Ans environment, in which students can read question-specific feedback. Therefore, no further feedback sessions are organised for the exam.
Reading list
Literature for this course primarily exists of scientific peer-reviewed papers from both mono-disciplinary and transdisciplinary scientific journals, supplemented with an occasional book chapter, report and policy document. All compulsory literature, as shared and indicated on Brightspace, must be studied for the written exam. Topics discussed in (recorded) lectures will also be tested in the written exam. Depending on the student’s background, preparatory reading is available for those wanting to gain or broaden knowledge on the governance or natural science aspects of this course.
Registration
As a student, you are responsible for enrolling on time through MyStudyMap.
In this short video, you can see step-by-step how to enrol for courses in MyStudyMap.
Extensive information about the operation of MyStudyMap can be found here.
There are two enrolment periods per year:
Enrolment for the fall opens in July
Enrolment for the spring opens in December
See this page for more information about deadlines and enrolling for courses and exams.
Note:
It is mandatory to enrol for all activities of a course that you are going to follow.
Your enrolment is only complete when you submit your course planning in the ‘Ready for enrolment’ tab by clicking ‘Send’.
Not being enrolled for an exam/resit means that you are not allowed to participate in the exam/resit.
Contact
Course coordinator: Alexander van Oudenhoven
Remarks
Other students than MSc Governance of Sustainability that are interested in following this course need to contact the study advisors of the programme via studyadvisor-gofs@cml.leidenuniv.nl
Software
Starting from the 2024/2025 academic year, the Faculty of Science will use the software distribution platform Academic Software. Through this platform, you can access the software needed for specific courses in your studies. For some software, your laptop must meet certain system requirements, which will be specified with the software. It is important to install the software before the start of the course. More information about the laptop requirements can be found on the student website.