Ecology: Issues and Controversies

This EU addresses questions surrounding ecosystem management from a social science perspective, particularly that of "science studies." It aims to contribute to the development of a general culture related to the relationship between ecological sciences and societies, and to equip participants with the tools to analyze social issues and underlying socio-scientific controversies. The first part of the course provides the conceptual and methodological framework necessary to present a reflective tool for analyzing the roles of actors and arguments (epistemological, axiological) involved in socio-scientific controversies, and illustrates this tool with current examples. Subsequently, thematic presentations by researchers in ecology illustrate a variety of issues surrounding ecological sciences and serve as a basis for students to apply and acquire the reflective analysis tool. Students are thus assessed on their ability to use this analytical framework to take an individual and reasoned position in controversies related to ecological sciences.

  Understand and apply an analytical framework derived from science studies to analyze the social issues and socio-scientific controversies underlying ecosystem research.

Basic knowledge of general ecology.

Experience in bibliographic research.

Fluency in spoken and written English.

Continuous assessment: 100%