Application deadline

Concerns only admission to singular courses: Applicants from Nordic countries: 1 June for the autumn semester and 1 December for the spring semester. Exchange students and Fulbright students: 1 October for the spring semester and 15 April for the autumn semester.

In addition all students must apply by 1 June 2016 to elisabeth.cooper@uit.no. They should send a word document written in English with contact details, an outline of courses taken and grades and relevance of this course for their Masters degree.

Type of course

Master course for biology students. This course can be taken as a single subject, or as part of a Masters study in Biology. It is most appropriate for Masters students of Terrestrial Ecology, and these students will be prioritized.

This course is highly relevant to students of Terrestrial Ecology who take their Masters within the group Northern Populations and Ecosystems. It is also relevant to Japanese students who study arctic or alpine ecology.

Admission requirements

Admission requires a Bachelor in Biology or Ecology or Science with Biology/Ecology optional courses, and idally be taken up for a Masters course.

Students should be able to demonstrate an appropriate level of English.

The course teaching and student participation is based on the principle of gender equality, and we should have equal numbers of female and male students and teaching staff.

The number of places available on this course is limited to 5-8 students from each country.

The student participation in the field course will be subsidized by UiT. Funding for the course comes from SIU through a grant to Course Coordinator E.J. Cooper, so a special application and selection procedure will apply.

All students must apply by 1 June 2016 to elisabeth.cooper@uit.no. They should send a word document written in English with contact details, an outline of courses taken and grades and relevance of this course for their Masters degree.

Course content

Arctic-Alpine Terrestrial Plant Ecology

Similarities and differences between Arctic and alpine areas. Summer and Winter climate and role of snow. Biogeography/ species ranges / habitats/ tree line. Plant adaptations. Higher plants, mosses, lichens. Decomposition, soil and microbial interactions. The role of pollinators and herbivores. Carbon cycling. Effects of climatic change on arctic-alpine terrestrial ecosystems. The use of remote sensing for monitoring. Examples from limnology may also be presented. Information about Norwegian and Japanese terrestrial ecology and comparisons between them will be made.

Objectives of the course

Students will deepen their theoretical and practical understanding of Arctic-alpine terrestrial plant ecology. They will be exposed to a variety of vegetation types and experimental research activities and learn about project design, field data collection, plant identification, scientific methodology in the field and the lab.

This course will be held in English, so it will contribute to helping students to improve their English language reading, writing and oral communication skills.

This course is funded through a program enhancing cultural exchange between Norway and Japan, so it will also encourage students to learn about each other¿s country and culture.

Language of instruction and examination

Teaching language: English

Exam language: English.

Teaching methods

Research based teaching

This course will be run in Autumn 2016. The location of the field course in 2016 will be in Joatka field station, near Alta, Norway.

There will be equal number of students from UiT Norway and from Japan.

Part 1. Field Course. Norwegian and Japanese students will have a 7-10 day field course together in Northern Norway. This includes safety course, lectures, seminars, field excursions, lab work, field project and cultural exchange. Presentation of Oral report in groups. Field course will be within the period 31 August - 9 Sept 2016.

Part 2: lectures (3 hours) and of seminar (1 hour) each week for 5 weeks. Own reading minimum 40 hours.

An obligatory safety course will be run at the start of the field course. Instruction will be given in English. Detailed information needed for participation in the field course will be given in good time.

Assessment

Oral Presentation in Field course. (acceptable/ not acceptable)

Individually written Fieldwork Report to be submitted within 3 weeks of the end of Field Course. (A graded scale of five marks from A to E for pass and F for fail.) Language: English.

3-4 page Essay to be delivered during Autumn term on a subject agreed with the teachers (A graded scale of five marks from A to E for pass and F for fail).

Re-sit examination:

If the Written Report or Essay is of unacceptable standard, the student will be given the opportunity to resubmit 2 weeks later.

If the Oral presentation is of unacceptable standard, the student will be given feedback and an opportunity to rework their presentation.

Obligatory: Lectures, seminars, discussions of scientific papers, presentations, essay writing, field course with exercises, lab work and group work, discussions, report writing.

Recommended reading/syllabus