Environment and Development

COURSE OBJECTIVE
The aim of the Environment & Development course is to enable the student to examine and critically reflect on the relationships between economic and social development, and the environment.

After completion of the course students are able to:
Recognize and describe the current and potential impacts of the major international environmental concerns
Recognize, analyze and explain the complexities of environmental issues related to development at a global level
Distinguish, analyse and explain different perspectives on environmental problems and possible solutions
Recognize organizational and governance issues related to environment and development and be able to think through their consequences for actural practices
Find, analyze and critically reflect on scientific literature within a relevant topic
Present and discuss the researched topic to an audience
Function as a memebr of a project team in a research environment

COURSE CONTENT
What do we mean by the concepts of environment and development and how are the two related? What are the causes and consequences of global environmental change? How is the global community dealing with ecological problems? How can the world adequately feed more than 9 Billion people by 2050? Is sustainable development, with its notions of environmental 'friendliness', really achievable?

During the course we will address these and other ciritical and societally relevant questions. T

He course takes a multi- and interdisciplinary perspective and looks both at:
(1) Global Issues - such as environment-trade-poverty links; and
(2) Local Issues - focusing on land degradation, deforestation, water scarcity and how these have an impact on human development.

By means of illustrated case studies from all over the world students learn to appreciate the complexity and interlinked nature of environmental and development issues at both global and local levels. Students also develop their own (critical) opinion regarding current (and potential) international environmental challenges and their impacts.

TEACHING METHODS
Lectures, group discussions, field visit, and tutorials.

TYPE OF ASSESSMENT
Trip report on the field visit (15%)
Group presentation (25%)
Group poster (15%)
Individual policy paper (45%)

REMARKS
Some comments from former students:

"Many case studies, examples and pictures from own experiences presented by enthusiastic teachers"

"Eye-opening to very important topics and a lot of additional info"

"I liked the broadness of the course. I really have an overview now of the main environmental issues"

"Thanks a lot for the course, I have learned a lot and will recommend it to others!"