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| Version 2013-2014 |
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| HULG0385-1 | Pedology
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| Duration : | |
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| Number of credits : |
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| Lecturer : | Xavier Legrain |
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Language(s) of instruction :
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| French language |
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Course contents :
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| 1. Introduction (définitions, functions, threats, issues).
2. Soil composition (mineral and organic components, soil solution, soil atmosphere, soil microflora and fauna).
3. Soil properties (physical, chemical and physico-chemical).
4. Soil formation and evolution (pedogenetic factors and soil forming processes).
5. Soil classification (horizon notation, definitions and concepts, international classification systems, main soils of the world).
6. Soil cartography (definitions and concepts, methodology, field approaches, graphical design, generalisation et thematisation).
7. Principles of applied pedology (fertility management, forestry pedology, land planning, environmental management). |
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Learning outcomes of the course :
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| On the basis of basic knowledge of soil at different level of perception, the objective of the course is to sensibilize students to the importance of soils within the ecosystem and to give them the essential awareness to manage them, in a sustainable and environmentally friendly manner. Some chapters on applied pedology show concretely the interest to take into account soils in numerous domains. A field trip and many parts of the course put emphasis on an approach based on observation and soil landscape analysis. Through the personal work, the student will mobilize and integrate knowledge from the course, earn new ones, train to the reading and interpretation of a soil map, face up to technical document in order to extract a given information, follow a procedure thoroughly, show originality.
At the end of the course, the student is expected to:
- grasp the causes-effects relationships between soil compounds, properties and behaviors ;
- deduce the main practical incidences for soil management ;
- understand factors and processes leading to the diversity of soils throughout the world ;
- propose a suitable cartographic approach according to the objectives and available resources ;
- decrypt a soil map in order to extract a given information ;
- draw a field pedological diagnosis, based on observation and earned knowledge. |
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Prerequisites and co-requisites/ Recommended optional programme components :
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| Principles of chemistry, physics and biology.
Basic principles of mineralogy, petrography and geomorphology. |
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Planned learning activities and teaching methods :
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| Lectures (ppt material) + 1 field trip + personal work |
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Mode of delivery (face-to-face ; distance-learning) :
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| Classroom based teaching for lectures and field trip.
Individual planification for personal work. |
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Recommended or required readings :
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| A list of up-to-date bibliographic references and interesting web sites will be supplied to students during the first lecture session. |
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Assessment methods and criteria :
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| Oral exam (questions about the course and the personal work) + grading of personal work. Written preparation. |
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Work placement(s) :
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Organizational remarks :
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| Attendance is recommended (no syllabus, but PowerPoint slides as medium for oral explanations).
Course materials (ppt and other documents) are supplied to students in a computer format after classes, depending of the needs. |
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Contacts :
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| xavier.legrain@hech.be |
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