MAOK4005 Research process and topics
- Number of credits10
- Teaching semester2025 Autumn
- Language of instructionEnglish
- CampusEvenstad
- Required prerequisite knowledge
None
The course aims to (1) integrate the knowledge acquired during previous courses (in particular Wildlife in the Anthropocene) and (2) enhance students’ abilities to critically engage with the process of scientific research and publication. The course will be based on a combination of scientific papers, popular science articles, and lectures / seminars on specific topics familiar from the previous courses. Students will then be asked to critically discuss these with respect to what they say about the scientific method and the application of science in real world management situations, including the links between results and recommendations and the need to integrate insights from multiple disciplinary perspectives. The course will touch on issues related to scientific practices such as the peer review process, open access publication, predatory journals, the value of journal metrics, and citation practices.
Learning Outcome
After successful completion of the course, the student will have the following knowledge, skills, and general competence.
The student
- Knows how to critically gain new knowledge from the scientific literature on current topics within applied ecology and related to the application of ecological insights.
- Understands the research process so as to be able to critically assess the quality of a scientific study.
- Understands the different epistemologies, practices, and traditions within different disciplines.
- Understands how different disciplinary perspectives complement each other when trying to understand complex issues.
The student
- Can read, extract key relevant messages, present, and critically evaluate and discuss scientific papers from different natural and social science approaches.
- Can understand and process results produced by multiple disciplines.
The student
- Has an in-depth understanding of the measures to evaluate scientific quality of oral and written presentations.
- Can communicate and participate in discussions related to scientific publications.
Campus-based lectures, seminars, self-study, group work, group and individual presentations, in class discussions. The course will draw heavily on scientific articles as material for discussion.
Minimum 80% attendance in lectures
One presentation of an assigned scientific paper / topic in class
Completion of one group presentation
Final oral exam assessed using a grading scale from A-F, where E is the lowest passing grade.
| Form of assessment | Grading scale | Grouping | Duration of assessment | Support materials | Proportion | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Oral examination | ECTS - A-F |
| 100 |