Water, Energy and Land Management
Code: 43063 ECTS Credits: 9| Degree | Type | Year | Semester |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4313784 Interdisciplinary Studies in Environmental, Economic and Social Sustainability | OT | 0 | 2 |
Contact
- Name:
- David Saurí Pujol
- Email:
- David.Sauri@uab.cat
Use of Languages
- Principal working language:
- english (eng)
Prerequisites
Oral and written English skills
Objectives and Contextualisation
The module pretends to introduce students to current debates on the management of water and energy resources, emphasizing the territorial dimension. An attempt will be made to collect case studies at different scales in different areas of the world on these issues.
The course will pay special attention to contrasting conventional management models based on centralized tecnologies, expert approaches and "top-down" management, with more alternative resources, decentralized technologies and a participatory processes open to larger segments of society. Both models will be compared in terms of governance and another very important element of the course will be the analysis of the territorial conflicts arising in the application of these management models.
Through readings of selected materials, presentations by instructors (and occasionally by invited guests) and class presentations and discussions students are expected to gain a basic, robust knowledge on water and energy alternatives and of their diferent governance frameworks.
Competences
- Apply knowledge of environmental and ecological economics to the analysis and interpretation of environmental problem areas.
- Integrate knowledge and use it to make judgements in complex situations, with incomplete information, while keeping in mind social and ethical responsibilities.
- Solve problems in new or little-known situations within broader (or multidisciplinary) contexts related to the field of study.
- Work in an international, multidisciplinary context.
Learning Outcomes
- Integrate knowledge and use it to make judgements in complex situations, with incomplete information, while keeping in mind social and ethical responsibilities.
- Know different models for managing water and energy, especially at the regional level.
- Solve problems in new or little-known situations within broader (or multidisciplinary) contexts related to the field of study.
- Understand new forms of water and energy governance.
- Understand the main territorial, social and environmental conflicts associated with water and energy management.
- Work in an international, multidisciplinary context.
Content
|
Introduction: The Water Energy Nexus |
|
From the Hydrological Cycle to the Hydrosocial Cycle |
|
The large scale: Dams, Aqueducts, Desalination Plants |
|
The small scale: Greywater, Rainwater Harvesting |
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The next resource?: Reclaimed Water |
|
Water and Cities: domestic consumption |
|
Virtual Water and the Water Footprint |
|
Water and Disasters |
|
Water: Commodity or Right? |
|
Water and Tourism |
|
Political Ecology of Energy: soft and hard energy paths |
|
Energy, Planning and Management |
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Primary energy sources: a geopolitical approach |
|
Multilevel governance and the polítics of scale |
|
Energy, social innovation and local development |
|
Energy as a social need |
|
Land use conflicts |
|
Energy policies in the European Union |
Methodology
The following activities will be carried out in the classroom:
a) Lectures. In some sessions we will have an invited speaker.
b) Seminars: a brief introduction to the specific topic given by the instructor followed by the presentation of assigned readings by students, the group discussion of the main points discussed in the readings, and a final conclusion coordinated by the instructor. Students are expected to read the assigned materials; prepare and guide discussions and participate actively in the debates
Activities
| Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type: Directed | |||
| Lectures | 15 | 0.6 | 2, 5, 4 |
| Seminars | 50 | 2 | 2, 5, 4, 1, 3, 6 |
| Type: Supervised | |||
| Assigned readings | 37 | 1.48 | 2, 5, 4, 1 |
| Tutoring | 25 | 1 | 3 |
| Type: Autonomous | |||
| Personal study | 25 | 1 | 2, 5, 4 |
| Readings | 70 | 2.8 | 2, 5, 4 |
Assessment
Two exams: one at the end of the water part and the otehr at the end of the energy part
Oral presentations of assigned readings.
Participation in seminar debates
Assessment Activities
| Title | Weighting | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Class participation | 10 % | 0 | 0 | 1, 3 |
| Oral presentation | 20% | 0 | 0 | 2, 5, 4, 1, 6 |
| Paper II ( Energy) | 30 % | 1.5 | 0.06 | 2, 5, 4, 1, 3, 6 |
| Paper I (Water) | 40 % | 1.5 | 0.06 | 2, 5, 4, 1, 3, 6 |