Introduction to Human Sciences at Birmingham

This module is an introduction to the Human Sciences Programme at the University of Birmingham and the associated research, teaching and learning environment strengths within the college of Life and Environmental Sciences. This first year module will therefore bring the students to a common understanding of the overarching aims of the programme and introduce students to the programme pathways of study and study content that will be available to them.

The module will be a mixture of introductory lectures across the topics covered in the programme and seminars involving staff from mixed disciplines within the programme that will give early exposure to the excitement and challenges of interdisciplinarity.

The module will also capitalise on visits to three jewels in the University of Birmingham crown, Winterbourne House and Gardens, Lapworth Museum of Geology, and the Barber Institute of Fine Art. These visits will engage students in the societal aspects of Human Sciences and will be the basis for reflective learning concerning the interplay between early 20th century culture, urbanisation and industrialisation and their relationship to subsequent unintended impacts on environments over time.

By the end of the module you should be able to:

• Understand how the Human Sciences Programme relates to areas of research excellence across the College of Life and Environmental Sciences.
• Be able to articulate the potential pathways of study that will be available to them.
• Be able to discuss with the public and their peers why the study of Human sciences is important.
• Appreciate the value of a multidisciplinary approach and the benefits and challenges of working in multidisciplinary teams.
• Understand some of the sociological aspects of the inflection point of global warming in the early to mid-1900s as illustrated by exhibits on Campus.