737016 Guiding a local transition of the society-nature relations on the island of Samothraki (Greece)

Type
Seminar and field trip
Semester hours
3
Lecturer (assistant)
Organisation
Offered in
Sommersemester 2023
Languages of instruction
Englisch
Content

The course is designed as a preparatory online seminar in may, plus a ten-day excursion to the island of Samothraki in july, where Greek and other international students, as well as local „citizen scientists“ will join.

Modules (subject to possible changes):
Module 1 – Sociometabolic Research (SMR) on Islands: This module builds on
sociometabolic data about the island with a focus on reuse and recycling practices. Students will investigate if the remote and bounded character of islands results in extended lifetimes of certain materials regarding creative and/or pragmatic solutions in the construction sector and/or appliances and machinery.
Module 2 – Water stream hydro-morphological and physicochemical parameters analysis: In the context of this module, participants will have the chance to implement field measurements that occurred in a stream concerning several hydromorphological and physicochemical parameters.
Module 3 – Social Innovation on Islands: This module aims at investigating how islandness is reflected in the social organisation of the island community in order to overcome socio-economic or environmental problems. Is islandness a hindering or promoting factor for driving social innovation and social capital in rural communities?
Objective (expected results of study and acquired competences)

The aim is to learn and apply social ecology and environmental science approaches in a local setting while supporting a research and transition process. The course gives students the opportunity to engage in a real-life project and utilize their respective scientific competencies to support the process, gather missing information in fieldwork and contribute to a science plan for further research that would also meet local interests. This will provide them with the experience of a transdisciplinary research process, supporting a search for solutions for sustainability and coping with development challenges, and learning to interact with stakeholders in a culturally alien environment. The course will conclude with a reflection on the experiences and written student reports on the results of their specific research group.
You can find more details like the schedule or information about exams on the course-page in BOKUonline.