ES1S205 - Fundamentals of Natural History  01 Jul 2022 - 31 Aug 2028 | Version 1

Associated Module Information

Module Code: ES1S205
Module Title: Fundamentals of Natural History 
Faculty: Faculty of Computing, Engineering and Science
Faculty Group: Applied Sciences
Faculty Sub Group: Earth and Environment
Module Leader: Ian Skilling
Module Team: Amelia Grass, Richard Penrose
First Intended Intake: SEP 2027 Final Year of Intake: 2027
Date Closed:
Credit Value: 20 Credit Level: 4
Language: English
Percentage of Module Taught in Welsh: 0
Equivalent Module:
HECOS codes: 100469 - environmental management 101318 - biodiversity conservation
HECOS Code Weighting: 40 60

Document Version Information

Version 1
Valid From 01 Jul 2022
Valid To 31 Aug 2028

Module Aims

To provide an overview of the past, present and future of natural history, particularly in the context of the UK

To develop all of the fundamental skills necessary to become a competent naturalist and to move forward with a career in natural history.

Content Summary

The history and philosophy of natural history.

Key figures in natural history and an understanding of their contribution.

Explore the boundaries and crossover between biology, geology and natural history.

Examine the diversity and importance of natural history collections

The importance of field skills, observation, recording, collecting and “citizen science”.

Advanced natural history specimen collection, preparation, curation and display.

Public engagement and outreach in natural history: books, exhibition design, visitor attractions and media.

Skills to move forward in a natural history career: producing a CV, finding jobs, preparing for employment.

Introduction to basic scientific concepts: scientific Method, hypothesis testing and experimental design.

Practical statistics skills applied to biological and geological data involving different variable types, such as descriptive statistics, parametric and non-parametric tests, the normal distribution model and linear regression.

Learning and Teaching Methods

Activity Type Hours
Lecture 20
Practical classes and workshops 22
Fieldwork 6
Directed Study 151
Formative Assessment - Independent 1
Total Hours Selected 200

Learning Outcomes

# Learning Outcome
LO1 To appreciate the past, present and future of natural history and its position within the sciences and wider society
LO2 To develop the basic knowledge and technical skillsets to engage in a natural history career.

Module Requisites

N/A

Assessment Criteria

Assessment Category Assessment Type Description Duration Word Count Weight (%) Best of? Pass Mark
Asynchronous Assessment Poster 1 Scientific Poster 0 1000 50 No 40
Asynchronous Assessment Essay 1 Popular science essay: To write an essay in the style of a popular science magazine article 0 1500 50 No 40

Assessment Matrix

Assessment Type Learning Outcomes
LO1 LO2
Poster 1
Essay 1

Reading List

Westwood & Moss: Natural Histories, 25 Species Which Changed Our World.

Goldacre, Ben. Bad Science

Understanding Earth (Grotzinger et al.)

Wilkinson. Ecology and Natural History (New Naturalist)

Fortey, Richard. Life: A History of the First Four Billion Years of Life on Earth

Range of UK Wildlife Field Guides