F&ES 522a / 2019-2020

Topics in Community Engagement (Semester 2, October 21-December 6)

Credits: 1.5 Fall 2019: Tu,Th, 4:00-5:20, Sage 24

To be offered as a Fall-2 course, Oct. 21- Dec 6

This basic knowledge course is designed to introduce students to a range of socio-cultural and political factors that drive the actions of individual and communities surrounding natural resource management.

In Part 1: Introduction to social science and conservation we will explore basic questions such as: What is knowledge? And What is Nature? Students will be introduced to the many disciplines that the intersection of environmental problems, and specific attention will be placed on the field of political ecology.

In Part 2: Justice and Indigenous Peoples we will learn the basic concepts of “justice” and discussion the ways in which climate change can be seen as a justice issue.  We will also explore the thorny issues of integrating local knowledge with scientific knowledge.

In Part 3: Environmental Governance we explore the role of the state and markets in shaping natural resource use.  Concepts like property rights, the commons, and decentralization will be introduced. 

Finally, in Part 4: Pulling it together: Working with communities we will talk about basic approaches to community-based, participatory research and how to integrate culture and livelihoods into conservation.