HSS2012 Socio-Ecological Water Systems
4 Intermediate Liberal Arts Credits
Water is not only vital for all life on our planet, it is also intrinsically linked to all systems on which we rely as humans. Securing access to clean water for the growing global population is a defining challenge of the 21st century that is intensified by the climate crisis, pollution, unbalanced extraction rates, outdated infrastructure, and environmental injustice. Co-taught by an environmental scientist and governance analyst, this course will use a transdisciplinary approach to outline the diverse functions and uses of water in Socio-Ecological Systems (SES). Through a series of case studies, students will investigate how disruptions to the natural water cycle can lead to disruption of ecological, social, political, industrial, and economic networks. The cases will also highlight the ways in which structural injustice such as racism and socio-economic inequality pervade matters of access to clean water. In this course students will be taught system-thinking and will learn to identify and understand the interdependent/related components and feedbacks of dynamic water systems. Students will explore the concept of integrated sustainability to understand how social and political institutions are depended upon ecological integrity. The overall goal of this course is for students to develop the tools and thinking necessary to understand regional and global water challenges and to identify management solutions that are efficient, equitable, and sustainable.
Prerequisites: RHT1000 and RHT1001 and AHS1000 and NST10%%