Bren School Masters Course

TITLE: An introduction to the study of management and conservation of coastal social-ecological systems

Prof. Stefan Gelcich

P. UNIVERSIDAD CATOLICA DE CHILE

DEPARTAMENTO DE ECOLOGIA

ALAMEDA 340, SANTIAGO, CHILE

ABSTRACT:

This course will look into management and conservation of coastal resources through an integrated social-ecological system perspective. This perspective sees people as part of and not apart from ecosystems. In the current era of human-dominated ecosystems and a biosphere shaped by human actions from local to global scales, such a perspective is rapidly gaining ground worldwide in science, is also given a strong priority among funding organizations, and is in demand in the science-policy-practice interface. This interdisciplinary course will not be constrained by a certain paradigm, but open-minded, aimed at identifying critical frontiers for improved management of coastal social-ecological systems. The course will be based on taught lectures, in which the professor will draw from his own interdisciplinary experience with coastal social-ecological systems. Students will have assignments aimed at developing basic knowledge of the human dimensions of linked social-ecological coastal systems. Assignments should introduce students to interdisciplinary analysis and synthesis which could eventually be useful to be applied in the “real world” through collaborative processes.

The Course has the following components:

  1. Lectures by Stefan Gelcich. Lectures will be based on 8main themes related to human dimensions of coastal social-ecological systems.
  1. Students bibliographicReview of a human dimensions aspect of management and conservation: In groups of 4, students will be allocated a theme, selected in advance.The theme will be informed to students with at least two weeks in advance from the due date. The teacher will select 8 themes portraying ways that human dimensions research on coastal social-ecological systems can be operationalized.No switches of themes or students will be allowed. The groups will receive ca. 4 pdf references on the theme. These references will be considered as a starting point from which students must develop their assignment. With the information (as a group/team) students are required to write an essay in which they state ways in which human dimensions research can be operationalized in the context of marine management or conservation. Essay must have a maximum of10 pages (including figures, graphs, tables, etc). The Essay must be submittedelectronically(WORD format) to the teacheron Saturday 28th April.
  1. On Friday20th: each group/team will have 15 minutes to present the main ideas of their essay, in front of the course for feedback. It will be followed by 5 minutes of questions from rest of students or teacher. It is STRONGLY recommended that the power point should not contain more than 12 slides. Oral presentations (as in a meeting or congress) will be stopped at 15 minutes.The order of the presentations will be random.
  1. The final evaluation of each student will be based on the oral presentation and the essay.
  1. I have attached an excel worksheet with the groups and topics.

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