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| Semester | fall semester 2017 |
| 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. |
| Bibliography | tba |
| Comments | Note: Special course inscription and entry requirements! Credit transfer MSD 2017 Credits may be transferred to the module "Focal areas in sustainability research" (learning agreement). Anrechnung MSD 2010 Für das publizierte Modul oder mittels LC für den Vertiefungsbereich Phil.-Hist. Beachten Sie die Teilnahmebedingungen bzgl. KP im Grundlagen- und Aufbaubereich Phil.-Hist. (sofern diese zu belegen sind). This seminar is offered by MSD, Prof. Dr. P. Burger is head of the Sustainability Research Group, Dep. Social Sciences, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. |
| Admission requirements | Special course inscription required for ALL (for details see 'course application' or 'Anmeldung'). Course inscriptions in a different way then explained ARE NOT taken into account. Limited number of participants (25), Students of the MSD and those of the mentioned fields of study (see list of modules) have priority. If you study something different you must do a master degree within the 'Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences' and may attend the seminar in case of vacancies and former inscription as explained. MSD 2017 MSD-Students who have chosen the focus area of Natural Sciences or Economics must have completed the module “Complementary knowledge in Social Sciences”. MSD 2010 MSD-Studierende, welche die Grundlagen- und Aufbaubereiche Phil.-Hist. zu absolvieren haben, müssen diese bis und mit FS 17 weitestgehend abgeschlossen haben. |
| Course application | Mandatory course inscription for ALL (additional to registration on MOnA): Link open from 22.08.17/noon - 06.09.17/midnight LINK to workspace with list of registration forms: https://adam.unibas.ch/goto_adam_crs_544052.html In case of vacancies the online inscription link remains open until the second date of teaching + 2 days. NOTE: Be aware of special entry requirements. Course registration via MOnA remains mandatory for all participants. |
| 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 Environment and Human Well-Being (Master's degree program: African Studies (Start of studies before 01.08.2013)) Modul Fields: Environment and Development (Master's degree program: African Studies) Modul Fields: Governance and Politics (Master's degree program: African Studies) Modul Wahlbereich Wasser (Master's Studies: Sustainable Development (Start of studies before 01.08.2017)) Modul: Erweiterung Gesellschaftswissenschaften M.A. (Master's degree subject: Political Science) Module: Core Competences in Social Sciences (Master's Studies: Sustainable Development) Vertiefungsmodul Global Europe: Umwelt und Nachhaltigkeit (Master's Studies: European Global Studies) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment details | Regular attendance, required reading, oral presentation, essay. |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration, dereg: cancel course registration |
| 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 |