Course Overview:
This course explores how environmental security, sustainable development, and diplomacy connect in the context of climate change and natural resources. As climate change and resource scarcity reshape our world, understanding these connections is crucial for addressing global challenges and promoting Throughout the course, we will systematically investigate strategies to advance the principles of sustainability, mitigate conflicts, and facilitate peacebuilding within the contemporary global context, characterized by the profound influence of human activities on the environment. This curriculum has been meticulously designed to furnish students with essential conflict resolution and diplomacy tools, drawing upon multidisciplinary perspectives from fields including justice, law, governance, and systems theories.
Course Objectives:
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
- Comprehend Complex Concepts:
- Grasp key concepts and theories related to environmental security, sustainable development, climate change, and natural resource conflict.
- Analyze Real-world Scenarios:
- Examine real-world scenarios from diverse viewpoints, considering geographical and sociopolitical factors.
- Engage in Active Learning:
- Actively participate in both online and in-person learning activities, including simulations, debates, teamwork, and discussions, to deepen their understanding of diplomatic approaches to environmental security.
- Explore Socio-Ecological Dimensions:
- Investigate the social and ecological dimensions of sustainability governance and international relations, focusing on justice, inclusion, integration, systems, transformation, and complexity theories.
Course Outline:
Syllabus 1: Environmental Security and Sustainable Development from Socio-Ecological Dimension
- Understanding the Interplay between Environmental Security and Sustainable Development
- Conceptual Frameworks and Approaches for Environmental Peacebuilding
Syllabus 2: Foundations of Environmental Challenges
- Fundamentals of Climate Change
- Mediating Natural Resource Conflicts
Syllabus 3: Diplomacy in Shared Resources’ Conflicts
- Water Diplomacy Framework
- Case Studies in Shared Resource Conflict: Water, Land, and Biodiversity
- Environmental Cooperation as a Mechanism for Conflict Transformation and Peacebuilding
- Political and Social Conditions Necessary for Environmental Cooperation to Facilitate Peacebuilding and Informed Decision-Making Practices
Syllabus 4: Natural Resources, Security, and Stabilization
· Environmental Justice and Governance
- Case Studies and Integrated Analysis
- Methods of Impact Assessment
Syllabus 5: Course Wrap-up and Final Assessment
- Examining Theoretical Frameworks
- Summarizing Key Learnings
- Final Project Presentation and Evaluation
Evaluation:
Students will be assessed through a variety of methods, including:
- Active participation in case study analysis, debates, and presentations
- Collaboration in simulations and group projects
- Submission of reflective essays on chosen topics
Please note that the assignment submission deadline is March 15th, 2024.