LFU:online

Course Goals

Enable students to reflect critically on the economic dimension of environmental problems and their solutions.

Understand the role of institutions to modify economic incentives leading to environmental problems.

Learning outcomes (competences)

-       Comprehend the mutual interrelation of economic activity and stocks of natural resources. This includes how extraction of natural resources for economic production reduces the size of stocks as well as how changing sizes of stocks affect economic production possibilities.

-       Comprehend the dynamic nature of pollution emissions and stocks of natural resources.

-       Defend and justify articulated arguments regarding environmental problems and policy alternatives.

-       Develop research reports on the economic aspects of environmental problems.

Scarcity of natural resources

Social norms and use of natural resources

REDD+

Fisheries

Climate change negotiations

Modeling exercises

Exercises classes: These classes will take place in computer rooms. Each student will work with one computer. We will develop some tasks together in class, and students will develop some other tasks in class (including exercises and reflection questions) and upload them to e-campus at the end of the class for evaluation.

Reading groups: In each class 1/2 of the students will be “presenters”, 1/2 “discussants”. All students will have a time slot to make a presentation using power point, and we will have 30 minutes of discussion at the end. Each presenter will summarize one of the readings. Each discussant will discuss the reflection questions for one reading. Students must change roles for each of the reading groups. Specific instructions for each reading group will be available in OLAT.

Tasks in class and a short final essay.

Please read carefully the syllabus before September 8, 2013: www.esther-blanco.com/for-students