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Course Overview
AECC Environmental Studies
Ashwani Sharma, PhD
AECC
ABILITY ENHANCEMENT COMPULSORY COURSE
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An Overview
• It is a compulsory course of 4 credits and is
generally taught to first or second semester
undergraduate students across all Indian
universities and colleges.
• 4 Credits = 4 Lectures per Week
• Target = 16 Lectures per Month
• But, in Delhi University that depends!! (Mid-
semester break, strikes, events etc.)
Contd..
• Maximum marks: 100
• Theory exam: 75 marks (that would be
evaluated based on your performance during
the end of a semester);
• Assignment: 20 marks (report submitted
based on field work or assignment submitted)
• Attendance: 05 marks (regularity or
attendance in the class)
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AECC Environmental Science
CORE MODULE SYLLABUS
Unit 1: Introduction to Environmental
Studies
• Multidisciplinary nature of environmental
studies;
• Scope and importance;
• Need for public awareness.
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Unit 2: Ecosystems
• What is an ecosystem? Structure and function
of ecosystem; energy flow in an ecosystem:
food chains, food webs and ecological
succession. Case studies of the following
ecosystems:
• Forest ecosystem;
• Grassland ecosystem;
• Desert ecosystem;
• Aquatic ecosystems.
Unit 3: Natural Resources
• Land resources and land-use change; land
degradation, soil erosion and desertification;
• Deforestation: causes and impacts due to mining,
dam building on environment, forests,
biodiversity and tribal populations;
• Water: Use and over-exploitation of surface and
ground water, floods, droughts, conflicts over
water (international & inter-state);
• Energy resources: renewable and non-renewable
energy sources, use of alternate energy sources,
growing energy needs, case studies.
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Unit 4: Biodiversity and Conservation
• Levels of biological diversity: genetic, species, and
ecosystem diversity; biogeographic zones of
India; biodiversity patterns and global
biodiversity hot spots;
• India as a mega-biodiversity nation; endangered
and endemic species of India;
• Threats to biodiversity: habitat loss, poaching of
wildlife, man-wildlife conflicts, biological
invasions; conservation of biodiversity: in-situ and
ex-situ conservation of biodiversity;
• Ecosystem and biodiversity services: ecological,
economic, social, ethical, aesthetic and
informational value.
Unit 5: Environmental Pollution
• Environmental pollution: types, causes, effects
and controls; air, water, soil and noise
pollution;
• Nuclear hazards and human health risks;
• Solid waste management: control measures of
urban and industrial waste;
• Pollution case studies.
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Unit 6: Environmental Policies and
Practices
• Sustainability and sustainable development;
• Climate change, global warming, ozone layer
depletion, acid rain and impacts on human
communities and agriculture;
• Environment Laws: the Environment (Protection)
Act, 1986; the Air (Prevention & Control of
Pollution) Act, 1981; the Water (Prevention and
control of Pollution) Act, 1974; the Wildlife
(Protection) Act, 1972; the Forest (Conservation)
Act, 1980.
• Nature reserves, tribal populations and rights,
and human wildlife conflicts in Indian context.
Unit 7: Human Communities and the
Environment
• Human population growth: Impacts on environment,
human health and welfare;
• Resettlement and rehabilitation of project affected
persons; case studies;
• Disaster management: floods, earthquake, cyclones
and landslides.
• Environmental movements: chipko, Silent valley,
Bishnois of Rajasthan;
• Environmental ethics: role of Indian and other religions
and cultures in environmental conservation;
• Environmental communication and public awareness,
case studies (e.g., CNG vehicles in Delhi).
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Unit 8: Field Work
• Visit to an area to document environmental
assets: river/ forest/ flora/fauna, etc.;
• Visit to a local polluted site-
urban/rural/industrial/agricultural;
• Study of common plants, insects, birds and
basic principles of identification;
• Study of simple ecosystems-pond, river, Delhi
ridge, etc.
• Weightage equals to 5 lectures/ course
Suggested Readings
• Carson, Rachel. 1962. Silent Spring (Boston:
Houghton Mifflin, 1962), Mariner Books, 2002.
• Cheney, J. 1989. Postmodern environmental
ethics. Environmental Ethics 11: 117-134.
• Groom, Martha J., Gary K. Meffe, and Carl
Ronald Carroll. Principles of conservation
biology. 3 Sunderland: Sinauer Associates,
2006.
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Contd..
• Heywood V.H. & Watson, R.T. 1995. Global
Biodiversity Assessment. Cambridge University
Press.
• Norton, B. G. 1984. Environmental ethics and
weak anthropocentrism. Environmental Ethics
6: 131-148.
• Odum, E.P., Odum, H.T. & Andrews, J. 1971.
Fundamentals of Ecology. Philadelphia:
Saunders.
Contd..
• Pepper, I.L., Gerba, C.P. & Brusseau, M.L. 2011.
Environmental and Pollution Science.
Academic press, 2011.
• Philander, S. George (Ed.). (2012).
Encyclopedia of global warming & climate
change. (2nd ed., Vols. 1- 3). Thousand Oaks,
CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.
• Rao MN and Datta AK, 1987. Waste Water
Treatment. Oxford and IBH Publishing Co. Pvt.
Ltd.
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Contd..
• Rosencranz, A., Divan, S. & Noble, M.L.. 2001.
Environmental law and policy in India.
• Wilson, E. O. 2006. The creation: An appeal to
save life on earth. New York: Norton.
• World Commission on Environment and
Development. 1987. Our Common Future.
Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Thank you
In case of any queries, please feel free to drop an email to
[email protected]
