| Semester | fall semester 2016 |
| Course frequency | Irregular |
| Lecturers | Paul Burger (paul.burger@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | Since „water links the local to the regional, and brings together global questions of food security, public health, urbanization and energy [...] how we use and manage water resources is central to setting the world on a more sustainable and equitable path“ (Ban Ki-moon, 2012), the resource water and its use represents a central issue within the discourse on sustainable development. The scarcity of water due to the increasing demand leads to conflicts over water use and to risks related to its management. The description and conceptualization of the problem(s), however, often lack a theoretical underpinning what leads to misleading solution strategies or to the application of inappropriate tools and instruments. The class aims to provide a scientific knapsack to investigate what the problems are, why do these problems occur, and how can these problems overcome. (I) Starting from the description of the underlying socio-ecological regime as a basic conceptualization, the meaning of water will be discussed, the current demand regarding the societal subsystems food, energy, industry and settlements identified as well as potential visions on the future of the system developed. (II) The theoretical repertoire of the social sciences will be exploited to further study aspects of conflicts, uncertainty and managing risk as well as to shed light on the transformation of institutions to deal with change. (III) Under the topic of Integrated Water Resource Management 3 or 4 case studies will be considered to examine „real-world“ problems of different water systems and to apply the theoretical reflections of the social sciences along the introduced societal subsystems. For instance water related settlement issues can be discussed by the example of Southern California; water related energy issues by the Province of Alberta; water related industry issues by the Greater Pearl River Delta; food related issues by the example of Andalucia. The focus of the seminar is on acquiring and critically assessing scientific tools for analyzing social and societal aspects of water use. |
| Learning objectives | - Students understand water issues in terms of their underlying socio-ecological regimes; - Students possess a theoretical repertoire to address conflicts, uncertainty and risks; - Students have experience in dealing with a water scarcity related case. |
| Comments | Special course application and entry requirements! For details see the relevant indications. Anrechnung im MSD: Die LV ist im Wahlbereich Wasser/Bereich Phil.-Hist. publiziert. Studierende, welche die Grundlagen- und Aufbaubereiche Phil.-Hist. zu absolvieren haben, müssen diese bis und mit FS 16 weitestgehend abgeschlossen haben. Studierende mit Studienvariante Phil.-Hist. können sich diese LV nach Rücksprache mit P. Burger mittels LC für den Veritefungsbereich anrechnen lassen. Allgemein empfehlen wir den Studierenden im MSD, LV aus dem Wahlbereich erst zu belegen, wenn die KP aus den Grundlagen- und Aufbaubereichen weitestgehend erworben sind. |
| Admission requirements | Special course inscription required for ALL (for details see 'course application'). Limited number of participants (25), Students of the MSD and MAEGS have priority. Students of other fields of study have to be registered in a master degree within the 'Phil.-Hist.' faculty. Course inscription via ISIS, email, or in a different way ARE NOT taken into account. Angaben für MSD-Studierende: MSD-Studierende, welche die Grundlagen- und Aufbaubereiche Phil.-Hist. zu absolvieren haben, müssen diese bis und mit FS16 weitestgehend abgeschlossen haben. |
| Course application | Mandatory registration for ALL: from 22.08.16/noon to 11.09.16Midnight: http://flexiform2.unibas.ch/formular.cfm?EID=8528 In case of vacancies the online application link remains open after 11.09.16 until the second week of teaching (week 39) + 2 days. NOTE: course inscription via MonA remains mandatory. |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|
No dates available. Please contact the lecturer.
| Modules |
Modul Wahlbereich Wasser (Master Sustainable Development) Vertiefungsmodul Global Europe: Umwelt und Nachhaltigkeit (Master European Global Studies) |
| Assessment format | record of achievement |
| Assessment details | Oral presentation & written essay. |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration; dereg.: not required |
| Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
| Scale | 1-6 0,1 |
| Repeated registration | as often as necessary |
| Responsible faculty | University of Basel |
| Offered by | Fachbereich Nachhaltigkeitsforschung |