| Unit name | Environmental Life Chemistry |
|---|---|
| Unit code | CHEM20012 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Professor. Bull |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
1st year Building Blocks and Quantitative Chemistry |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
2nd year Core Chemistry |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | School of Chemistry |
| Faculty | Faculty of Science |
Why is this unit important?
The environmental impact of mankind is the defining issue of our time. As the consequences of our actions on climate, pollution and sustainability become ever more apparent the need for societal change at a global level has never been so crucial. Environmental chemistry concerns the transport, sources, reactions, effects, and the fate of all the chemical species that are present in water, soil, and air. It is central to understanding the Earth System, underpinning efforts to mitigate/reverse the negative impacts of human activity. The geosphere and how we interact with it is central to the elemental cycles and provides the support system that makes human life possible. This optional unit brings a chemical lens to bear on the terrestrial environment, introducing the elemental cycles with a particular focus on soil and the key role that it plays in the turnover of elements (in various chemical forms), how such systems can be studied and modelled and the impact that mankind’s activities have.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study
This is an optional unit delivered alongside core, practical and additional optional units at Level 2 of the BSc and MSci Chemistry programmes. It continues the environmental strand of the programme having begun with Life Chemistry: Life Through the Chemical Lens at Level 1 and continuing forward with the Level 3 unit: Advanced Environmental Life Chemistry, and the Level 4 option: Advanced Environmental Analytical Chemistry. The unit has cross-cutting connections with analytical chemistry throughout each programme as well as more specific aspects of core chemistry, e.g. kinetics, reactivity and modelling. More widely the unit aligns with the ambitions of the Bristol Futures ‘Sustainable Futures’ theme and forms part of a platform from which students may transition to environmental-based PGT or PGR programmes.
An overview of content
A more advanced understanding of the geosphere and the impact on it from human activity, from a chemical perspective, will be developed forming a natural continuation of material delivered in the earlier Level 1 optional unit (CHEM10012 Life chemistry: Life through the chemical lens). Key areas that will be explored by this unit shall be:
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit
Students will be able to understand and describe how what they have learnt within the ‘core chemistry’ units can be applied to the geosphere to understand, at a fundamental level, how it operates. This will equip them with the knowledge to start formulating and applying methodologies needed to further understand and help mitigate the effects of human activity on the Earth System.
Learning Outcomes
Content delivery will be via a blended learning involving both asynchronous and synchronous lectures, online resources and individual student led enquiry.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks:
All summative tasks will be supported by formative assessment. Learning support will be supported by workshops which will offer small group teaching guided by expert staff. Workshops involve solving problems before and within the sessions to enable real time feedback and discussion with staff. Workshops will follow specific blocks of content delivery.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark:
The unit will be assessed by a combination of coursework (35%) and an end-of-unit exam (65%). The coursework will combine quantitative elements (ILOs 1-3, 7) with the structured analysis of research papers and data (1-2, 4-7). The end-of-year exam assesses student’s progress against ILOs 1-8.
When assessment does not go to plan:
The re-assessment tasks will directly mirror those in the assessment tasks.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. CHEM20012).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
