Environment Conflict and Sustainability
This course analyzes the connections between environment, conflict, and security. After briefly going over some of the root causes of environmental and development crises, we will take a closer look at the different linkages between environmental change and human and national security, and armed or violent conflicts. We will discuss and analyze the initial understandings of environmental security, going from older frameworks of scarcity induced conflicts to natural resource abundance, and then move the discussion towards securitizing climate change, conservation conflicts, the increasingly visible violence suffered by environmental defenders, and end with the topic of environmental peacebuilding.
Prerequisites & course information
Weekly hours: 15 Seminar/Discussion hours Prerequisite(s): 9 credit units of GEOG courses including at least 3 credit units at the 200-level or higher; permission of the instructor; minimum of 60 credit units of university coursework; and 70% average in the major before departure. Restricted to students majoring in Anthropology, Biology, Environment and Society, Environmental Biology, Environmental Geoscience, Health Studies, History, Hydrology, Indigenous Studies, Political Studies, or Sociology, or who are pursuing a certificate in Geomatics or Global Studies. Note: This course is held in Costa Rica as part of a study term abroad and is part of the international experiential learning opportunities offered in the College of Arts and Science.
Sources
- Course catalogue ↗2026-2027