Wa0005.

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KARNATAK UNIVERSITY
SYLLABUS OF ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES (Revised)
ABILITY ENHANCEMENT COMPULSORY COURSE (AECC) under NEP-2020
EFFECTIVE FROM 2023-2024
Total Contact Hours: 42 Course Credits: 3

No. of Teaching Hours/week: 3 Duration of ESA/Exam: 2 Hours
Formative assessment Marks: 40 Semester end assessment Marks: 60
Course Outcome (CO):

After completion of course, students will be able to:
CO 1. Define environmental studies and ecology with basic principles.
CO 2. To examine the natural resources and their types and utility.
CO 3. To outline the diversity and explain the conservation and its significations.
CO 4. To identify the environmental issues, types of pollutions and their impact.
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Content of ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES – AECC
Hours
Unit 1 Chapter 1: Introduction to Environmental Studies: 2
 Multidisciplinary nature of environmental studies.
 Scope and importance; Concept of sustainability and
sustainable development.
Chapter 2: Ecosystems 5
 What is an ecosystem? Structure and function of ecosystem;
Energy flow in an ecosystem: food chains, food webs and
ecological succession. Case studies of the following ecosystems:
a) Forest ecosystem
b) Grassland ecosystem
c) Desert ecosystem
d) Aquatic ecosystems (ponds, streams, lakes, rivers, oceans,
estuaries)
Chapter 3: Natural Resources: Renewable and Non-Renewable 7

Resources
 Land resources and land-use change; Land degradation, soil
erosion and desertification.
 Deforestation: Causes and impacts due to mining, dam building
on environment, forests, biodiversity and tribalpopulations.
 Water: Use and over-exploitation of surface and ground water,
floods, droughts, conflicts over water (International& Inter-state).
 Energy resources: Renewable and non-renewable energy sources,
use of alternate energy sources, growing energy needs, case
studies.
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Unit 2 Chapter 4: Biodiversity and Conservation 7
 Levels of biological diversity: Genetic, species and ecosystem
diversity; Biogeographic zones of India; Biodiversity patterns
and global biodiversity hotspots.
 India as a mega-biodiversity nation; Endangered and
endemic species of India.
 Threats to biodiversity: Habitat loss, poaching of wildlife, man-
wildlife conflicts, biological invasions; Conservation of biodiversity:
In-situ and Ex-situ conservation of biodiversity
 Ecosystem and biodiversity services: Ecological, economic, social,
ethical, aesthetic and Informational value.
Chapter 5: Environmental Pollution 7
 Environmental Pollution: Types, causes, effects and
controls; Air, water, soil and noise pollution.
 Nuclear hazards and human health risks.
 Solid waste management, Control measures of urban and
industrial waste.
 Pollution case studies.
Unit 3 Chapter 6: Environmental Policies and Practices 7
 Climate change, global warming, ozone layer depletion, acid
rain and impacts on human communities and agriculture.
 Environment Laws: Environment Protection Act; Air (Prevention
& Control of Pollution) Act; Water (Prevention and Control of
Pollution) Act; Wildlife (Protection) Act; Forest Conservation Act.
International agreements: Montreal and Kyoto protocols and
Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
 Nature reserves, tribal populations and rights, and humanwildlife
conflicts in Indian context.
Chapter 7: Human Communities and the Environment 5
 Human population growth: Impacts on environment, human
health and welfare.
 Resettlement and rehabilitation of project affected
persons; case studies.
 Disaster management: Floods, Earthquake, Cyclones and
Landslides.
 Environmental movements: Chipko, Silent valley, Bishnois of
Rajasthan.
 Environmental ethics: Role of Indian and other religions and
cultures in environmental conservation.
 Environmental communication and public awareness, casestudies
(e.g., CNG vehicles in cities).
Chapter 8: Field work (Any two) 2

 Visit to an area to document environmental assets:
river/forest/flora/fauna, etc.
 Visit to a local polluted site- urban/Rural/Industrial/
Agricultural.
 Study of common plants, insects, birds, and basic principles of
identification.
 Study of simple ecosystems – pond, lake and river.
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Reference
1. Bharucha, E. (2015). Textbook of Environmental Studies.
2. Carson, R. (2002). Silent Spring. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
3. Climate Change: Science and Politics. (2021). Centre Science and
Environment, New Delhi.
4. Gadgil, M., & Guha, R. (1993). This Fissured Land: An Ecological History of
India. Univ. of California Press.
5. Gleeson, B. and Low, N. (eds.) (1999). Global Ethics and Environment,London,
Routledge.
6. Groom, Martha J., Gary K. Meffe, and Carl Ronald Carroll. (2006). Principlesof
Conservation Biology. Sunderland: Sinauer Associates.
7. McCully, P. (1996). Rivers no more: the environmental effects of dams (pp.29-64).
Zed Books.
8. McNeill, John R. (2000). Something New Under the Sun: An EnvironmentalHistory
of the Twentieth Century.
9. Nandini, N., Sunitha N., & Sucharita Tandon. (2019). A text book on
Environmental Studies (AECC). Sapna Book House, Bengaluru.
10. Odum, E.P., Odum, H.T. & Andrews, J. (1971). Fundamentals of Ecology.
Philadelphia: Saunders.
11. Pepper, I.L, Gerba, C.P. & Brusseau, M.L. (2011). Environmental and Pollution
Science. Academic Press.
12. Rajit Sengupta and Kiran Pandey. (2021). State of India’s Environment 2021:
In Figures. Centre Science and Environment.
13. Raven, P.H., Hassenzahl, D.M. & Berg, L.R. (2012). Environment. 8th Edition. John
Wiley & Sons.
14. Rosencranz, A., Divan, S., & Noble, M. L. (2001). Environmental law and policy
in India.
15. Sengupta, R. (2003). Ecology and economics: An approach to sustainable
development. OUP.
16. Singh, J.S., Singh, S.P. and Gupta, S.R. (2014). Ecology, Environmental Scienceand
Conservation. S. Chand Publishing, New Delhi.
17. Sodhi, N.S., Gibson, L. & Raven, P.H. (Eds). (2013). Conservation Biology:
Voices from the Tropics. John Wiley & Sons.
18. Wilson, E. O. (2006). The Creation: An appeal to save life on Earth. New York:
Norton.
19. World Commission on Environment and Development. (1987). OurCommon Future.
Oxford University Press.
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Details of Formative assessment (IA) for AECC theory: 40% weightage for total marks
Type of Assessment Weightage Duration Commence

ment
Written test-1 10%(10 Marks) 1 hr 8th Week
Written test-2 10%(10 Marks) 1 hr 12 th Week
Seminar 10%(10 Marks) 10 minutes --
Case study / Assignment 10%(10 Marks) ------ --
/ Field work / Project work/
Activity
Total 40%(40 marks) of the
maximum marks allotted for
the paper
Pattern of Semester end examination:
Semester end exam for 60 marks with MCQ type for 60 questions. Each question carries 1 mark.
Duration of exam: 2 hours
Note to the teachers:
This module consists of 3 units, covering 42 hours of classroom based and field work
intended to create awareness, enhance knowledge, develop skills and attitudes necessary to
understand the Environment in its totality and enables students to participate proactively for
the cause of the environment.
1. Environmental Studies (AECC) is made compulsory core module syllabus framed by

UGC for all the Indian Universities/Colleges as per the directions given by the
Honorable Supreme Court, which believed that, conservation of environment should
be a national way of life and to be included into the education process. As suggested
by NEP-2020 State Level Environmental Science Subject Expert Committee,
Chairpersons of Board of Studies, Board of Examiners and subject experts it is
proposed to implement mandatorily.
2. Qualifications to teach Environmental Studies (AECC): A candidate with minimum
qualifications of M.Sc. in Environmental Science subject is eligible to teach
Environmental Studies (AECC) at the under graduate level at all Universities,
Deemed to be Universities, Autonomous Institutions, Government, Aided and Private
Colleges. Preference be given to candidates with UGC-NET/K-SET/Ph.D. in
Environmental Science.
However, when such candidates are not available, teachers of the subjects listed
below are to be preferred to teach ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES – AECC paper in
the following order:
a. Biological Sciences:
Botany/Zoology/Microbiology/Biotechnology/Life Sciences
b. Chemical Sciences and Earth Sciences:
Chemistry/Geology/Earth Sciences
The teachers NOT ELIGIBLE to teach Environmental Studies (AECC) paper are - Humanities
(Economics, Geography, History, Sociology, Political Science, Rural Development, Philosophy and
others), Commerce, Management, English & others languages, Communication, Performing Arts, Fine
Arts, Social work, Women Studies, Psychology, Home Science, Fashion Technology, Travel & Tourism
and other similar subjects
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1

Total Contact Hours: 42 Course Credits: 3

Course Outcome (CO):

Chapter 3: Natural Resources: Renewable and Non-Renewable 7

Chapter 8: Field work (Any two) 2

Type of Assessment Weightage Duration Commence

1. Environmental Studies (AECC) is made compulsory core module syllabus framed by

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