Teaching
Courses we teach
Picture credit: Gabri Retez
Along with the Conservation BioGeography Lab, we teach Conservation Biogeography (3312011) for bachelor students in the summer semester. This course seeks to provide an introduction to conservation biogeography and the role of science in the effective safeguarding of the Earth’s remaining flora and fauna. Students get acquainted with the scientific basis of nature conservation, including motivations for the conservation of nature, history of biodiversity conservation, threats to biodiversity (e.g., habitat loss and fragmentation, invasive species, pollution and climate change), approaches for protecting nature and conservation planning. Course participants will learn to critically read, reflect on, and summarize primary literature, as well as to train presentation skills. Students will learn quantitative and qualitative tools to answer questions related to analyzing threats to species and communities and to guide conservation planning.
In the winter semester, we run a Hauptexkursion to the Carpathian Mountains in South-Western Romania (3312000) for bachelor students. The course strengthens understanding of social-ecological systems theories using agro-pastoral systems in Romania. These are cultural landscapes where traditional management practices are followed, and they also support a range of biodiversity, including the European Bison. In this field course, students are exposed to theories relevant to social-ecological systems, and also have the opportunity to design their own research project. They go through the entire research process, right from asking the most pertinent questions, to selecting suitable methodologies, collecting, analysing, and interpreting data, and presenting their results.
Doing a thesis with us
Picture credit: vecteezy.com
We welcome Master’s and Bachelor’s students to do a thesis with us. If our research themes are of interest to you, please reach out to us, and we would be happy to have a conversation. You can find out more about doing a thesis with us here.
Teaching Philosophy
Picture credit:depositphotos.com
We believe that how conservation and development goals are achieved is as important as the goals themselves. We strongly believe that conservation and development should be undertaken through empathetic, equitable, just, and kind means. We bring these ideas to the classroom and train students to be conceptually sound in conservation and development theories, as well as develop values that allow them to practice conservation that is just and fair.
We encourage students to critically reflect on their positionality and potential power imbalances in the future contexts that they will work in, and learn to approach solutions with caution, carefully thinking through potential repercussions of their actions. It is important that students respect that there are several different worldviews, knowledge systems, and values, and critically link these to conservation and development models pursued, as well as how they can be incorporated in alternative models. We would like to reinforce the students’ love for nature as well as build empathy for people and marginalized communities who often bear the costs of conservation.
We try to follow these guiding principles:
- The classroom as a safe space: We aspire to create a safe space in the classroom where students can be themselves and express their opinions and ideas freely.
- Foster a growth mentality: We like to challenge students to go beyond their comfort zones and explore topics that they find challenging.
- Facilitate scientific and critical thinking: We teach students how to ask scientific questions, what are the most interesting kinds of questions to ask, and how to break down questions to arrive at mechanisms.
- Build skills, knowledge, and tools needed for conservation and development: We focus on building the conceptual knowledge, skills, and tools needed for a different career in conservation and development.