The environment knows no boundaries, while national legal systems do. It is therefore of the utmost importance to develop international law approaches in order to deal with transboundary and global environmental problems. While environmental law originally focused on local problems like smoke and noise, today we are confronted with transboundary and global environmental problems like the continuing loss of biodiversity, long-distance air-pollution, and the threat of climate change. The conservation of important nature,the sound condition of air, water and soil, and the environmental safety of products and economic activities are core concerns.
Law serves as an important instrument to improve and protect the environment. The course International Environmental Law (IEL) discusses the role of international law – and the emerging body of global environmental law – in order to protect the environment. It takes a fundamental approach which means that we will examine environmental law from the perspective of principles, environmental rights, and the choice and design of regulatory instruments. Both strengths and, unfortunately, weaknesses will be discussed. As far as international law falling short, the importance of national approaches and private initiatives will be addressed. Some specific attention will go to the European Union as a regional international organisation addressing, inter alia, environmental problems. The world-wide problem of climate change serves as the leading case of this course.
This intensive course includes:
- Weekend excursion to Brussels – visits to the European Parliament & Parlementarium, and the European Commission (to be confirmed)
- Weekend excursion to The Hague and Amsterdam – visits to the International Court of Justice, Greenpeace headquarters, International Union for the Conservation of Nature (to be confirmed)
Students will learn about the interactions between earth and land and how these interactions or processes affect our life and the stability of the planet. Emphasis will be given to the study of the most relevant tropical ecosystems such as: tropical rain forests, cloud forests, coral reefs and mangroves. Field trips to selected environments will provide on-site examples of some of the issues learned through classwork and readings. All field trips are mandatory.
Prerequisite: General Biology.
This course is aimed to highlight the importance of tropical marine biology to study the biology and the interaction of marine species that we will discovery in the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. Marine ecosystems of the eastern tropical Pacific provide a baseline source for species of high commercial interest in satisfying humans demand for food worldwide. However, numerous marine species are threatened by unsustainable human activities, such as overfishing and habitat destruction. We will develop a critical understanding of concepts and application in Marine Biology, where the students will also be introduced to a wide range of practical activities by visiting field stations and natural laboratories in Costa Rica.
Considering the renewed global interest in local sourcing and the growth of Km0 practices (locally produced), the study of sustainable food systems is an essential component in the education of an ethically-minded food industry learner. The course takes its cue from the Italian example based on regionalism and the table as an expression of local territories, and how these factors have influenced the national food industry. It analyzes the industry and the production of food (fish, meat, dairy, fruit, vegetables, and grains) and focuses on packaging, traceability (labels), and distribution while exploring the social aspect of the food supply chain. Sustainability principles will be analyzed, as well as case studies in Italian food and beverage service and retailing. A strong focus is placed on seasonality, food policies, and food education. The course objective is to provide students with a solid conceptual framework in order to analyze the Italian food industry and the food production system from a sustainable perspective. Through the understanding of the broader concept of sustainability, students will be able to explore the social, economic, and environmental implications of food production and consumption and to identify the global threats in terms of public health. Students will develop critical skills by analyzing sustainability as active citizens, consumers, and entrepreneurs. The analysis and rethinking of economic, social, and agricultural alternatives in the current food production system will also be developed. Lectures will be complemented by visits, food tours, tastings, and cooking labs.
Causes and effects of high concentrations of pollution in atmosphere. Topics include nature and sources of gaseous and particulate pollutants, their transport, dispersion, modification, and removal, with emphasis on atmospheric processes on scales ranging from individual sources to global effects; interaction with biosphere and oceans; stratospheric pollution.
Examination of theories and examples of invasion of new environments by plants and animals introduced through natural processes or by human activity.
General introduction to geological, physical, chemical, and biological processes and history of Earth’s global ocean system.
Examination of role of business in mitigating environmental degradation and incentives to be more environmentally responsive. Emphasis on corporate strategies that deliver value to shareholders while responding to environmental concerns.
Survey of field of cartography. Theory and construction of map projections, compilation procedures, principles of generalization, symbolization, terrain representation, lettering, drafting and scribing, and map reproduction methods.
Study of Earth’s physical environment, with particular reference to nature and distribution of landforms and climate and their significance to people.
Environmental planning is more than simply finding problems and fixing them. Each policy must be negotiated and implemented within multiple, complex systems of governance. Institutions and politics matter deeply. Overview of how environmental governance works in practice and how it might be improved.
Exploration of history and origin of major environmental ideas, movements or countermovements they spawned, and new and changing nature of modern environmentalism. Introduction to early ideas of environment, how rise of modern sciences reshaped environmental thought, and how this was later transformed by 19th-century ideas and rise of American conservation movements. Review of politics of American environmental thought and contemporary environmental questions as they relate to broader set of questions about nature of development, sustainability, and equity in environmental debate. Exploration of issues in broad context, including global climate change, rise of pandemics, deforestation, and environmental justice impacts of war.
Examination of issues of environmental and public health effects of intensive and extensive agriculture, influence of corporations on government, animal ethics, food deserts and urban gardening, and food insecurity. Focus on representation of such issues in documentaries, public lectures, memoirs, novels, and visual art, as well as on initiatives to address such problems through policy and activism.
Questions of population, resource use, Third World poverty, and environment. Analysis of global economic restructuring and its connections to changing organization of production and resulting environmental impacts. Case studies from Africa, Latin America, Asia, and U.S.
Good food is healthy, sustainably produced, and culturally meaningful. Introduction to basic concepts and history of food systems, food science and nutrition, fair and sustainable food production, natural resources and environmental issues including climate change and biodiversity, agriculture and food policy and law, food distribution and access, cultural identity and artistic engagements with food.
Elements of Earth science; study of Earth materials; nature and interpretation of geologic evidence; study of geologic processes; historical aspects of geology. Mandatory field trips introduce students to solving of geologic problems in field.
Students will be required to attend lectures and laboratories. Additional lab fees apply.
Introduction to fundamental principles and concepts necessary to carry out sound geographic analysis with geographic information systems (GIS). Reinforcement of key issues in GIS, such as geographic coordinate systems, map projections, spatial analysis, and visualization of spatial data. Laboratory exercises use database query, manipulation, and spatial analysis to address real-world problems.
Relationship of built environment to natural environment through whole systems approach, with focus on sustainable design of buildings and planning of communities. Emphasis on energy efficiency, renewable energy, and appropriate use of resources, including materials, water, and land.
Life on Earth and prospects for life elsewhere in context of evolution of universe from simple to complex. Course material primarily from astronomy and biology but includes some chemistry, geology, and physics. Selected topics treated in some depth, but with little or no formal mathematics.
Exploration of ways in which human activity impacts natural environment and how modification of environment can eventually have significant consequences for human activity. Examination, using case studies, of real environmental problems that confront us today.
Properties of sun, planets, asteroids, and comets. Astronomical observations relevant to understanding solar system and its origin. Dynamical problems, including examination of fallacious hypotheses. Meteoritic evidence regarding earliest history of solar system. Chemical models of solar nebula. Space exploration and its planning.
Study of geographical aspects of transportation, with focus on characteristics and functions of various modes and on complexities of intra-urban transport.
Analysis of tropical ecosystems of eastern Africa, including wildlife communities, vegetation, climate, and human impact. Discussion of national park systems and their natural and anthropogenic ecological dynamics.
