Programmes

 

Majors

 

Breadth Module

Environmental Studies

Academic Contributors env1

Md Shafi Noor Islam (Programme Leader)
Gabriel Yong (Coordinator)
Shirley Chin Wee Lee
Khairunnisa Haji Ibrahim
Dk. Noor Hasharina bte Pg. Haji Hassan

Description

There is growing awareness of interdependence between our human society and the natural environment that surrounds us. We cannot live without the resources that our environment provides us, such as the air we breathe, the water we drink and the food that we eat. However, increasingly, our activities are seen to be harming the very environment that supports us. Through our actions we are reducing the capacity of the environment to provide us with our needs in order to exist on this planet. Given that we live in an increasingly more densely populated, resource-hungry world, the challenge that faces us today is to learn how to manage the environment so that it will continue to sustain us in the future.

This course follows the philosophy that an ideal environment operates in a natural, self-sustaining way. However, there is increasing evidence that through our actions some environments are not able to do so which, in turn, can impact on our lives. Through careful study of how natural environments operate we can learn how to reduce the environmental pressures caused by our actions.

While all students taking this major will take the same two core modules in the first year and a single core module in the second year, there is a great deal of choice during the remaining study period. The remaining modules in this major fall into three different broad themes, reflecting the teaching strengths of the academic staff members. Students may follow one of these themes or opt to select across the full range of modules. These themes are:


The physical environment

This examines the environment as a natural system, looking at processes that shape and form the land and coastal regions. Whilst this strand will be grounded in theory, a great deal of the study will take place in the field to gain first-hand experience of how natural systems operate and how human activities can alter the behaviour of these systems.


Spatial techniques in environmental studies

This theme examines how the environment can be studied from a spatial perspective. A number of techniques will be covered, including land surveying, satellite imagery and geographical information systems (GIS), which can then be applied to examine a range of environments at different scales. A great deal of the study in this theme will be practically-based.

 

Human-environmental interactions

This theme looks at how society treats and interacts with the environment. This covers ideas such as ethics, philosophy, law and cultural values. It allows students to explore how our perceptions and beliefs modify our actions and is of fundamental importance in understanding why we consider the environment the way we do.


You may specialise in one of these strands or, if you wish, follow a broader ranging programme in environmental studies encompassing parts of all three.

As with all GenNext degrees, this undergraduate programme is designed so that you have a broad understanding of the subject area (depth) along with a wide variety of other modules from other programmes (breadth) that together will give you a well-rounded degree.

 

A blog of interesting material relating to the Environmental Studies, Geography & Development and Tourism programmes is available at http://geoenvibrunei.blogspot.com/.

Level 1000 - Foundation Year

AV-1201 Introduction to Environments & Environmental Issues
AV-1202 Environmental Systems
SC-1401 Chemistry of the Environment

Level 2000 - Establishment Year

AV-2201 Introduction to Quantitative Methods
AV-2301 Introduction to Spatial Information Systems
AV-2302 Atmospheric and Hydrological Processes
AV-2303 Environmental Hazards I
AV-2304 The Physical Environment of Brunei Darussalam
AV-2305 Philosophy and the Environment
AV-2306 Landforms and Landforming Processes
AV-2307 Ecosystem Dynamics
AV-2308 Introduction to Geomatics
AV-2309 Cartography and Map Analysis
AV-2310 Research Methods and Fieldwork in Environmental Studies
AV-2311 Environmental Ethics

Level 3000 - Discovery Year

AV-3301 Introduction to Remote Sensing
AV-3302 Climate Change: Science
AV-3303 Tropical Rainforest Environments
AV-3304 Integrated Coastal Management
AV-3305 Environmental Hazards II
AV-3306 Environmental Data Acquisition
AV-3307 Environmental and Sustainability Development Project (double coded with AD-3307)
SP-3402 Energy, Environment and Society
SP-3407 Introduction to Renewable Energy

Level 4000 - Capstone Year

AV-4301 Academic Exercise I
AV-4302 Wetland Ecology and Management
AV-4303 Environmental Impact Assessment
AV-4304 Radar Remote Sensing
AV-4305 Environmental Policy
AV-4306 Academic Exercise II
AV-4307 Biomimicry
AV-4308 Advanced Topics in GIS
AV-4309 Climate Change: Impacts, Mitigation and Adaptation
AV-4310 Environmental Modelling
AV-4311 Advanced Environmental Remote Sensing: Focus on Borneo
AV-4312 Environmental Law
AV-4313 Heart of Borneo
AD-4308 Land Use and Development
AD-4310 World Regional Geography
AF-4310 Tourism of Southeast Asia
AD-4302 BSB as a Sustainable City
SC-4365 Environmental Chemistry
SB-4301 Conservation & Management of Living Resources