Course Syllabus
Urban Ecology |
 |
| Semester & Location: |
Fall 2025- DIS Copenhagen |
| Type & Credits: |
Elective Course - 3 credits |
| Major Disciplines: | Sustainability and Urban Studies
|
| Faculty Members: |
Peter Gravlund Nielsen - pegn@dis.dk & Astrid M. A. Schmidt - asad@dis.dk |
| Time & Place: |
Thursday 11:40-14:35, Classroom F24-403 |
| Volunteer Opportunities That Align With This Course: |
Students often want to volunteer as part of their time in Copenhagen. Below are some opportunities that might align with your course content. These are curated by the Academics Department, and not your faculty, so please reach out to mne@dis.dk if you have questions. MadBoks About the organization & opportunity: Volunteer organization that saves and redistributes food surplus in Copenhagen. Join us to fight food waste! Sign up on your own, there are varying degrees of involvement expected from once a month to once a week, just remember to honor your commitments! Contact Information: Please contact them here to volunteer! If you have further questions please contact Roxana at roxizlate@gmail.com. Grønt Marked About the organization & opportunity: “Grønt Marked is a non-profit organization dedicated to the development of a community-based alternative food system supporting small-scale Danish produce and producers. Closing the gap between farm and fork, our project brings seasonal and local produce, and sustainable farming practices from the countryside to the city.” Volunteer run farmer's market to support local producers. Volunteers can help with set up and clean up on market days. Shifts last 3 - 4 hours Contact Information: If interested please send an email here: https://www.groentmarked.dk/english/want-to-volunteer/Links to an external site. |
Description of Course
Demographic trends reveal that the proportion of people living in cities is increasing worldwide. In this time of global change, we will examine how both nature and humans have responded ecologically and evolutionarily to urbanization. The course will examine physical and biological factors that drive the ecology of urban areas. A central goal will be to understand how interactions between humans and the environment drive and are driven by the built environment especially in the context of the physical and biological. We will examine both conceptual underpinnings and the application of theory to practice to improve human welfare and environmental quality. Where possible, we will take a comparative approach examining differences and similarities between Europe and the US.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
-
- Understand and apply the concept of the urban ecosystem, especially the interplay between humans, biological systems, and the abiotic environment
- Understand and apply climate change adaptation and mitigation in urbanizations through experiential assessments
- Apply principles of landscape ecology in an urban context, especially fragmentation and island biogeography
- Discuss and analyse scientific papers within the field of urban ecology
- Discuss and analyse evolutionary adaptation of humans and other organisms in an urban environment
- Discuss and research human well-being and biodiversity in an urban environment
Faculty
Astrid M. A. Schmidt
Ph.D in Climate change & Ecosystems of the Arctic from University of Copenhagen (Niels Bohr Institute/Natural History Museum of Denmark). M.Sc in population genetics and conservation of African elephants.
Current research interests are within citizen science on biodiversity and climate change. Work experience has involved science outreach, science education focusing on co-creation and community engagement e.g. of urban development with children and locals. With DIS since 2015.
Readings
There is no textbook for this course and many readings are found exclusively on Canvas.
- Montgomery, M. R. (2008). The urban transformation of the developing world. Science,319(5864), 761-764.
- Pataki, Diane E., et al. "Coupling biogeochemical cycles in urban environments: ecosystem services, green solutions, and misconceptions." Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment (2011): 27-36.
- Antrop, M. (2004). Landscape change and the urbanization process in Europe. Landscape and urban planning,67(1), 9-26
- Goddard, M. A., Dougill, A. J., & Benton, T. G. (2010). Scaling up from gardens: biodiversity conservation in urban environments.Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 25(2), 90-98.
- Turner, W. R., Nakamura, T., & Dinetti, M. (2004). Global urbanization and the separation of humans from nature.Bioscience, 54(6), 585-590.
- McKinney, M. L. (2006). Urbanization as a major cause of biotic homogenization. Biological conservation, 127(3), 247-260.
- Faeth, S. H., Warren, P. S., Shochat, E., & Marussich, W. A. (2005). Trophic dynamics in urban communities.BioScience, 55(5), 399-407.
- Alberti, M., Marzluff, J. M., Shulenberger, E., Bradley, G., Ryan, C., & Zumbrunnen, C. (2008). Integrating humans into ecology: opportunities and challenges for studying urban ecosystems. In Urban Ecology (pp. 143-158). Springer US.
- Andersen, H. T., Møller-Jensen, L., & Engelstoft, S. (2011). The end of urbanization? Towards a new urban concept or rethinking urbanization. European Planning Studies,19(4), 595-611.
- Busck, A. G., Hidding, M. C., Kristensen, S. B., Persson, C., & Præstholm, S. (2008). Managing urban landscapes in the Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden: Comparing planning systems and instruments in three different contexts. Geografisk Tidsskrift-Danish Journal of Geography,108(2), 1-16.
- Caspersen, O. H., Konijnendijk, C. C., & Olafsson, A. S. (2006). Green space planning and land use: An assessment of urban regional and green structure planning in Greater Copenhagen.Geografisk Tidsskrift-Danish Journal of Geography, 106(2), 7-20.
- Gill, S. E., Handley, J. F., Ennos, A. R., & Pauleit, S. (2007). Adapting cities for climate change: the role of the green infrastructure. Built Environment (1978-), 115-133.
Field Studies
Field study to Enghave Plads. Key activities: We will examine this newly developed green space for its recreational value, urban ecology, the climate change (cloud burst) adaptation, noise and soil measurements through GIS maps. Based on on-site evaluation and map analysis you will make a small assignment. Intro to the field journal
Visit to the "Health Forest Octovia". Copenhagen University developed this recreational forest "lab" to study it's effect on human health. We will explore the site and experience the different green rooms and their influence on our state of mind - while being presented with research results from the lab. Aim of the visit is to link urban biodiversity to human well-being.
Approach to Teaching
Most class sessions will be a mix of lecture/discussion and time in the field. Lecture will serve primarily to present background information to provide for more in-depth analysis of primary and secondary literature. In addition to learning the central tenets of the field, critical thinking and quantitative reasoning will be stressed through writing, discussion, and presentations.
Expectations of the Students
You attend class.
You be prepared by reading the papers and being ready discuss them in class. Being mentally and physically ready for class is important.
You be intellectually curious about the course.
You be respectful of the ideas and opinions of your classmates.
You be honest with yourself and with me about your performance in the course.
No recording of classes, unless approved by Faculty before class.
Evaluation
Class participation and reading posts: Close reading of a range of materials is a key skill to develop and enhance. We will spend much of our time when we are in a classroom discussing by bringing together our own experiences and observations with core concepts. Classes will also include student based presentations on readings and guide peer to peer discussions on readings. Before classes students are encouraged to bring questions or comments for the readings and share insight into areas of difficulty to spur better discussion during class.
Final project synopsis: In preparation for your final research project you and your team of students sketch out your aim, scope and hypothesis of your research project in a synopsis.
Final research project group work: A main goal of the class is to build your experience in designing, conducting, analyzing, interpreting, and presenting research. You will work in groups to develop a testable hypothesis on urban ecology and then work to gather data. The projects will culminate in a group presentation and a concise written manuscript. Much unpacking of this assignment will occur through the semester.
Assignments of field exercises: In order to expose you to key methods and to give you exposure to options for your research projects, we will do multiple field excursions during class time in addition to our two field studies days. Most excursions will lead to short assignments that will involve data analysis and/or data visualizations.
Field journal: Throughout the semester, you will be expected to make observations and record reflections in a journal to enhance your understanding and apply your knowledge of urban ecology in the places you visit.
Grading
|
Assignment |
Point Value |
Due Date |
|
Field Exercise #1 report |
25 |
August 29 |
|
Field Study #2 report |
25 |
September 19 |
|
Field exercise #3 Video |
25 |
October 3 |
|
Field Exercise #4 Video |
25 |
November 21 |
|
Final Project Synopsis |
150 |
November 13 |
|
Urban Field Journal |
100 |
November 20 |
|
Project Presentation & Poster |
150 |
December 4 |
| Class Participation | 100 | End of Semester |
Academic Regulations
Please make sure to read the Academic Regulations on the DIS website. There you will find regulations on:
DIS - Study Abroad in Scandinavia - www.DISabroad.org
Course Summary:
| Date | Details | Due |
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