Syllabus academic year 2008/2009
(Created 2008-07-17.)
ECOTOXICOLOGYTEK095

Higher education credits: 15. Grading scale: TH. Level: A (Second level). Language of instruction: The course will be given in English on demand. TEK095 overlap following cours/es: BIO644, BIO606, BIO644, BIO606, BIO644 och BIOR41. Optional for: RH4, W4, W4ne, W4ve. Course coordinator: Olog Berglund, olof.berglund@ekol.lu.se, Inst för biologisk grundutbildning. Prerequisites: The following are required for admission to the course: 90 ECTS credits program studies including VVR111 and EXTA01. Assessment: The course concludes with a written or oral examination. Assessment and allocation of the final grade is then made by evaluating each student's work over the entire course. Students who fail the ordinary examination will be given an opportunity to re-sit this shortly afterwards. Further information: Teaching consists of lectures, group work, laboratory practicals, demonstrations, and students' own projects. All elements of the course apart from lectures are compulsory. Home page: http://www.biol.lu.se.

Aim
The overall aim of the course is to give students a good grasp of basic ecotoxicological theory and practice.

Knowledge and understanding
For a passing grade the student must

Skills and abilities
For a passing grade the student must

Contents
Central to the course is to give an overall perspective on environmental pollutants covering distribution, chemical properties and persistence to effects on cells, organisms and ecosystems.

Other topics included are:

Core curriculum

The course begins with 1 ½ week of scientific philosophy in collaboration with faculty from The Institution of philosophy. Here, the students are trained in scientific methodology, constructions of hypotheses and testing of hypotheses. Scientific articles are investigated and criticized regarding scientific methodology. The critique and analyses are presented orally and in writing and discussed among the students. These ‘tools’ in scientific methodology are used by the students later during the course on scientific articles distributed during the different parts of the course.

Two laboratory exercises are conducted during the course.. The first is presented orally and the second orally and in writing (groups of 3-5 students). On the latter lab exercise the presentation is in form of opposition and defence. During both labs related scientific articles are distributed that are presented orally.

A computer exercise in Excel concerning modeling of persistent pollutants and biomagnification is performed in small groups (2-3 students) with oral presentation.

A literatureproject (in groups of 3-5 students) runs during the course. This is presented in writing and orally (45 min lecture) with opposition at the end of the course. Each group also author a question for the written exam based on their literature project.

Literature
According to a list determined by the department, available at least five weeks before the start of the course, see the web-page for Undergraduate Studies in Biology.