Nature and Life ｜ Syllabus data

Course Title

Nature and Life

Course Title in English

Nature and Life

Course Type

General Courses

-

Eligible Students

School of Economics and Management

Target Grade

All

Course Numbering Code

IA9991GCA1

Credits

2.00Credits

The course numbering code represents the faculty managing the subject, the department of the target students, and the education category (liberal arts / specialized course). For detailed information, please download the separate manual from the upper right 'question mark'.

Type of Class

講義 (Lecture)

Eligible Year/Semester

Fall semester 2026

(Fall semester)

Instructor

YAMASAKI Takeshi,TANAKA Tomonori,OTA Nao

Affiliation

Institute of Natural and Environmental Sciences, University of Hyogo
Museum of Nature and Human Activities, Hyogo

Language of Instruction

English

Related SDGs

13／14／15

Office Hours and Location

Tuesday and Wednesday, 13:00–17:00
Museum of Nature and Human Activities, Hyogo

Contact

TANAKA, Tomonori: tanaka@hitohaku.jp
YAMASAKI, Takeshi: yamasaki@hitohaku.jp
OTA, Nao: nao.ota1@gmail.com

Corresponding Diploma Policy

A double circle indicates the most relevant DP number and a circle indicates the associated DP.

Corresponding Undergraduate School DP

ー

Corresponding Graduate School DP

ー

Corresponding University-Wide DP

3-2◎／1-1〇

Academic Goals of Teacher Training Course

ー

Course Objectives and Learning Outcome

This course is aimed to enhance students’ awareness for the importance of biodiversity for our sound everyday life and its current critical situation.
Students taking this course are expected to acquire the basic knowledges regarding what the biodiversity refers to, how the biodiversity contributes to our everyday life, how critically the biodiversity is situated at present, and how the biodiversity can be conserved for our descendants in future.

Subtitle and Keywords of the Class

Keywords: biodiversity, ecosystem, evolution, species, sustainability

Course Overview and Schedule

1. Biodiversity and us (TANAKA)
2. Tracing biodiversity through deep time (TANAKA)
3. Evolution’s atlas (TANAKA)
4. What is a species (TANAKA)
5. Genetic drivers of evolution (TANAKA)
6. The web of nature (YAMASAKI)
7. What has biodiversity ever done for us? (YAMASAKI)
8. Valued landscapes (YAMASAKI)
9. Nature in the city (YAMASAKI)
10. Life in freshwater (YAMASAKI)
11. The sixth extinction (OTA)
12. The exhaustible sea (OTA)
13. The climate change (OTA)
14. Invasion planet Earth (OTA)
15. What next for nature? (OTA)
16. Exam

In-person/Remote Classification

In-person

Implementation Method and Remote Credit Limit Application

• In-person classes only
• Not subject to the cap on distance-education credits

Uses of Generative AI

Limited permission for use

Precautions for using Generative AI

When using generative AI, please pay attention to the contents described in “Guidelines on the Use of Generative AI in Education at the University of Hyogo (For Students)”.

Textbook

Lecturers will prepare slides related to each topic.
After the lectures, the slides will be uploaded in Universal Passport.

References

Jonathan Silvertown (ed.). 2010. Fragile Web. The Natural History Museum, London.
Available from Amazon.

Note: We strongly recommend all students attending this course to purchase and read each section in advance.
Even so, however, since we will prepare summary with figures and tables of each chapter for each lecture, obtaining this
textbook is not the strict precondition for taking the course.

Contents and Estimated Time for Pre- and Post- Learning (Preparation and Review)

After the lectures, review of each topic for app. 90 min. is desirable.
However, it's up to you.

Contents of Active Learning

N/A

Grading Criteria and Methods

Basically, the evaluation will be conducted through the final exam.
If you have a legitimate reason for missing the exam, confirmed through the Academic Affairs Office, you may be required to take a substitute exam or submit a report.

How to Disclose Assignments and Exam Results

Comments on the exam will be shown in Universal Passport.

Precautions and Requirements for Course Registration

Ability of understanding the lecture in English, and of writing answers to questions in correct (at least intelligible) English in the exam.

Practical Education

N/A

Remarks

This course will be taught by three professional researchers, who have been engaging themselves to the science of biodiversity.

In cases where any differences arise between the English version and the original Japanese version, the Japanese version shall prevail as the official authoritative version.