833314 Urban ecology

Type
Seminar
Semester hours
2
Lecturer (assistant)
Suarez-Rubio, Marcela
Organisation
Offered in
Sommersemester 2025
Languages of instruction
Englisch
Content

The course will use a combination of student presentations and discussions design to understand the ecological perspectives of urban environments. Specific topics included are:
• Scientific foundations of urban ecology
• Urban ecosystem processes
• Urban organisms and biodiversity
• Urban challenges
• Conservation, management, and sustainability
Objective (expected results of study and acquired competences)

This course aims to provide a general understanding of urban ecology. The course addresses how to understand urban areas as socio-ecological systems. To gain this understanding, the course will focus on discussion of primary literature and will use Vienna as a case study. Some key questions that we will discuss are: What is urban ecology? What are major urban environmental challenges? Are cities sustainable environments?

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES (LEARNING OUTCOMES):
1. Develop basic knowledge of ecological relationships in urban ecosystems.
2. Understand how urbanization affects physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of ecosystems.
3. Conduct independent literature search.
4. Summarize and synthesize key ideas.
5. Present a topic effectively.
6. Lead discussions on areas of interest in urban ecology.
7. Gain confidence in expressing in both spoken and written English.
You can find more details like the schedule or information about exams on the course-page in BOKUonline.