Are you interested in how knowledge is produced? Or what environmental science actually is? Studying this course will help you to describe the multifaceted nature of environmental science and the generation of knowledge within it. You will learn to relate the theoretical approaches and methodologies used in environmental science to major forms of scientific inquiry that are described within the philosophy of science. This will help you to understand the utility, limitations and uncertainties associated with various research methodologies as seen from the perspective of different theories of science and to critically assess various forms of knowledge production. The course also examines limitations and uncertainties about scientific explanations and predictions,

Course design

This course primarily builds on lectures in combination with compulsory seminars in which different theoretical and methodological topics are discussed. The grade is awarded on the basis of a written examination on the course literature and the seminars and seminar assignments.