We live in a society where environmental problems dominate public debate. Ecology is one of the sciences required to find solutions to such problems; terms and ideas that came originally from ecology are used in public discussions, and in legislation. This subject will introduce students to ecology: what is studied, how it is studied, what are the strengths and limitations of ecology. Current ecological thinking will be covered, from the scale of individual organisms, through populations, and up to communities and ecosystems. Methods of study will be highlighted using evidence from molecular ecology through to field investigations.