Water

NR 5884 Coastal & Marine Systems (3 credits)

*NEW* Approximately 3 billion people, or half of the world’s population, live within 200 kilometers of a coastline. That figure is projected to increase dramatically by 2025. Coastal areas represent complex socio-ecological systems that provide valuable ecosystem services to people and the planet, but these ecosystems are under increasing stress with growing coastal urbanization and other anthropocentric impacts and demands. Coastal management is concerned with protecting, conserving, and managing coasts and coastal resources and requires an interdisciplinary approach to understanding and negotiating often-competing interests. In this course, we will be exploring the socio-ecological systems that comprise coastal areas or zones, as well as the pressures affecting their health and resilience. We will then examine some strategies being developed around the world to manage coastal areas for social, economic, and environmental sustainability.

Instructor(s):

Daniel J. Marcucci

Offered:

Summer I (12 weeks)

NR 5884 Watershed Stewardship (3 credits)

This course was developed as an interdisciplinary course covering: watershed identification and mapping; watershed characteristics and evaluation; stormwater engineering; stream corridor restoration; water quality monitoring; native plants and animals; exotic and invasive species; public education; volunteer coordination and training; roles and activities for teachers and students; and advocacy training.

Instructor(s):

Jim Egenrieder

Offered:

Fall

Syllabus:

Sample Course Syllabus

NR 5884 Climate Change Policy (3 credits)

*NEW* This course focuses on institutional responses to climate change at the international, national and sub-national levels, including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Kyoto Protocol, and U.S. climate policymaking under the Clean Air Act and state and regional initiatives. Both mitigation and adaptation approaches will be addressed, as well as climate geoengineering.

Instructor(s):

Wil Burns

Offered:

Summer I (12 weeks)

Syllabus:

Sample Course Syllabus

NR 5884 Climate Change Science (3 credits)

As average global temperatures continue to rise, it is imperative to not only understand the science behind climate change, but also its potential ramifications and impacts. Using scientific research, this course begins by exploring the why, how, and when behind climate change. Contemporary readings will be used to spark discussion and debate surrounding the potential implications of climate change, with topics ranging from natural disasters to human health. The course will culminate in a “Congressional Briefing” students will prepare synthesizing their knowledge of the subject, as well as proposing a political solution.

Instructor(s):

Adam Kalkstein

Offered:

Spring, Summer I (12 weeks)

Syllabus:

Sample Course Syllabus

NR 5884 Infrastructure for Resilience (3 credits)

As a burgeoning movement in the conservation, development, and planning fields, green (and blue) infrastructure refers to the formal recognition and integration of natural and green spaces, as well as green technologies, into comprehensive planning and design processes as a means to ensure the provision of ecosystem services to surrounding areas. Ranging from site-scale strategies such as green roofs for managing stormwater, to regional networks of riparian corridors, green infrastructure planning and design presents many opportunities and challenges for planners, policy and decision makers, scientists and researchers, landowners, and taxpayers across the urban-rural gradient. This course explores the broader contexts which have given rise to green infrastructure planning and design both in the US and internationally, identifies and examines different critical scales for conceptualizing green infrastructure and practical strategies being employed at each scale, and compares policy goals and programs supporting green infrastructure in the US.

Instructor(s):

Courtney E. Kimmel

Offered:

Fall

Syllabus:

Sample Course Syllabus

NR 5884 International Environmental Law & Policy (3 credits)

International environmental law has been perhaps the most dynamic sector of international law over the past 30 years, growing from a mere handful of agreements 30 years ago, focused primarily on pollution of the marine environment and the conservation of migratory birds and marine mammals, to over 700 agreements today, addressing a multitude of serious environmental issues, including depletion of the climate change, ozone layer, regulation of trade in endangered species and prevention of transboundary air pollution. Additionally, there has been steadily increasing impetus for expanding the purview of international environmental law, including causes of action for transboundary environmental harm and recognition of the rights of future generations to a healthy environment. This course will seek to provide an overview of the status of international environmental law in the 21st Century, including the sources of international law, mechanisms to assess and facilitate implementation of and compliance with international environmental law, and assessment of effectiveness of international environmental law and methods to enhance its effectiveness.

Instructor(s):

Wil Burns

Offered:

Fall, Spring

Syllabus:

Sample Course Syllabus

NR 5884 Water and Conflict (3 credits)

*NEW*  Water is a vital resource to Earth’s 7 billion humans.  Only 3% of the Earth’s water is potable, and it is not evenly distributed around the world. Some countries have easy access to this resource, while others have too little or too much.  In this course, we’ll study the management of water resources in the U.S., Bangladesh and Kiribati, the Tigris-Euphrates Basin, and Brazil.  Students will be introduced to the basic issues surrounding water management, and then case studies will be used to investigate examples of water management and conflict around the world.

Instructor(s):

Desiree Di Mauro, Becky Patton

Offered:

Fall