Environment, Development and Peace

UPM 6001-UPEACE Foundation Course

3Credits

The UPEACE Foundation Course provides a critical and concise introduction to the broad field of “Peace Studies” for students in all UPEACE programmes. It initially addresses key conceptual and theoretical underpinnings of the origins and development of peace studies as an interdisciplinary area within the fields of international relations and political economy, as well as a basic understanding of conflict analysis. Based on a critical analysis of policies, strategies, policies, institutions, organizations, and movements, the course then examines a range of core issues, dimensions, perspectives, and paradigms for understanding the root causes of conflicts and violence and constructive strategies to address them and build peace in contemporary global, international, regional, national and local contexts, including conflict management, conflict resolution, and conflict transformation; alternative discourse analysis; militarization and disarmament; human rights violations and promotion; gender inequalities, gender-based violence and gender mainstreaming; structural violence, human security, development and globalization; environmental sustainability; corporate social responsibility; cultural and religious identities; media’s role in conflict and peacebuilding; strategies of nonviolence; and peace education. This Foundations course will be essential in catalyzing the awareness, understanding, and motivation of UPEACE students from diverse academic programmes to relate, ground, or intersect their specific areas of academic and practitioner interest with core theoretical, conceptual, and analytical ideas in peace studies.

DED 6022-Sustainable Agriculture

3Credits

In this course we will become familiar with contemporary issues in sustainable agriculture and critically analyze key debates in the field. To provide context to our discussions, we situate the emergence of sustainable agricultural practices within their historic contexts (e.g., green revolution) and we will examine key economic agreements that shape current agricultural markets and trade. We critically examine our global modes of production, industrial, agroecological, and sustainable intensification and we link our analysis to the most recent programs and policies regarding agriculture promoted by the FAO of the United Nations (e.g., scaling-up of agroecology). In addition, we take on some of the most pressing agriculture issues including: climate change, livestock, water security, agricultural certifications, biotechnology (including GMOs), markets, local food, and gender. We mainstream a social justice angle in our class to ensure that we understand how programs and policies affect countries and people differently, by gender, age, and ethnicity.

DED-6007-Environment, Conflicts, and Sustainability

3Credits

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 atthe 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. Throughout the course we will be dealing with concepts like sustainability, ecological limits, limits to growth, globalization, and emphasize the importance of including power dynamics and historical, political, ecological, and economic perspectives when analyzing and discussing concepts like development, environment, and peace and conflicts.

UPM 6003-The United Nations System and UPMUNC (Part I)

2Credits

The course is intended to familiarize students with the creation, objectives, evolution, main entities, and principal areas of work of the United Nations system. The course will look in some detail at the United Nations Charter and the functions of the UN’s principal organs before delving into the UN’s work in spurring cooperation to address a number of key contemporary global challenges, such as those in the areas of sustainable development, international migration and large-scale refugee flows, and climate change and environmental degradation.

DED 6038 -Water Security and Peace

3Credits

This course explores local water security and the “ripple” effects on societies. The course will build on a coupled systems framework to understand the physical and social elements of local water security. Students will use their foundations in peace studies to reflect on how water insecurity may threaten or reinforce positive peace, particularly at the local level.  

The course will consist of an introduction to the hydrological cycle and variations in water resources over space and time, followed by a coupled systems framing of local water security, an understanding of the different ways in which we use and value water, consequences of water insecurity, the role of intersectionality in water (in)security, and how we can undertake research to better understand water

(in)security.  The course will be virtual and interactive, consisting of presentations by the lecturer and students, readings, discussions, assignments, and group work. 

DED 6085-Climate Adaptation and Justice

3Credits

Grassroots groups have consistently shown how climate change adaptation without an emphasis on social and economic justice perpetuates existing inequity. In this class, we will take a justice lens to analyze climate change impacts and adaptation efforts, with specific attention to the different solutions proposed by grassroots climate justice groups compared to corporate and state representatives in multinational climate governance meetings. Specifically, we will examine the following themes: 1) competing definitions of mitigation, adaptation, resilience, and justice, 2) frameworks and tensions in energy transitions, 3) Indigenous peoples and tribal sovereignty, 4) displacement, migration, and climate refugees, 5) gender, sexuality, and intersectional climate justice, and 6) climate reparations and critical theories on the root causes of socio-ecological injustices. Students will examine these themes through readings, multimedia resources, and contemporary case studies, culminating in a final project with presentation.

DED 6034 -Forest, Forestry and Poverty

3Credits

Deforestation is considered one of the main global environmental challenges of our times, because of its significant impact on biodiversity and its important contribution to Climate Change and Global Warming, as well as on the livelihoods of millions of people. This course analyzes the way deforestation and forest degradation have been and are being explained by both mainstream and alternative narratives. It critically engages with the way deforestation is defined and measured and discusses the various attempts to stop or reducing it. We will look at a range of conservation approaches that go from traditional protected areas over community based strategies, and the increasingly common market-based approaches and finally forest restoration. Illegal logging and timber trade will be looked at as a specific topic of particular importance since it is linked to development, poverty, and violent conflict. Additionally, this course looks at the links between poverty and deforestation, some of the possible strategies to reduce poverty through forest based activities and analyzes and discusses the importance of forests for humans and the challenges faced by those who try to manage them sustainably.

DED 6054-Coastal Resource Management

3Credits

this course will provide a brief introduction to key physical and biological characteristics of the oceans, as well as discussion concerning their relation to human history. Second, we will investigate the unique human economic, social, and cultural attributes (e.g., fishing, fishers and fishing cultures) that are most directly dependent upon them. Among the many topics within this section, the course will specifically focus on understanding artisanal vs. small-scale fisheries, largescale/industrial fishing as well as the differences and conflicts that exist between these sectors. Third, a broad overview of the development of the current resource crises and conflicts will be presented and examined via case studies from throughout the globe. Fourth, the evolution and trends in coastal and marine management over the last century will also be a central aspect of this course. We will explore and discuss the evolution from traditional top-down models to the implementation of stakeholder inclusion, participation, and co-management. We will also review the role of marine protected areas, and no-take reserves in the management and conservation of coastal resources. Finally, through practical exercises, guest lectures, and field visits, students will be able to explore the complex nexus of relations between humans and coastal/marine resources as it applies to Latin America and the case of Costa Rica.

In sum, students in this course will gain insight into and knowledge of how we have moved from the proclaimed inexhaustibility of marine resources, predominant in the 19th century, to the increasingly complex layers of marine tenure systems, marine protected areas, and precautionary approaches that characterize contemporary 21st century marine and coastal resource management regimes. 

DED 6084-Social Research Methods

3Credits

In this course we will critically examine research methodology. Our course is designed to take student sequentially through the process of thinking about and designing research. Together, we will explore the basic structure of research and examine the philosophical origins of different research approaches. I will guide students as they learn to link different information-gathering methods to different research approaches. My emphasis will be on qualitative research methodology but we will introduce quantitative data gathering and sampling. To ensure that students gain hands on experience with the process of developing methodologies and implementing different information gathering procedures, I will complement lectures with workshops where students will learn by doing. Furthermore, I believe that learning about methods requires analyzing how these methods have worked (or not) in real world case studies; thus, in class discussions of current case studies will complement workshops and lectures.

DED 6050-Climate Change Governance

3Credits

Scientists worldwide agree that human-induced climate change is occurring and have documented the environmental scenarios that humanity is moving towards. Widespread awareness about such impacts and ensuing policy actions to address it, are a relatively recent phenomenon. The creation of climate policy mechanisms and international legal instruments has been the result of a series of complex, longlasting negotiation processes that include multiple stakeholders acting across multiple scales and potentially influence global socio-economic, cultural and ethical conducts. Thus, climate governance must be analyzed over various spatial, temporal and system scales. This course examines climate change governance by looking at the interaction between these multiple elements, beginning with a historical overview of the scientific evidence, the mechanisms for that knowledge to permeate into decision making, the multilateral, regional, national and sub-national governance spheres and the most current state of affairs.

DED-6024-Food Security

3Credits

The number of undernourished people in the world is on the rise despite the fact that we currently produce enough food to feed our global population. In this course we examine how this paradox relates to inequality, conflict, and climate change. We analyze historical events that have shaped our current food security at different scales as well as frameworks and indicators to understand food security. We evaluate food crises, food riots, and how these crises link to the financialization of our food system. We also examine how different countries and actors have adopted food sovereignty to address economic and social inequalities in our food system. Other key themes in this course include: sustainable agriculture and aquaculture, food waste, nutritional transitions, urban food security, and sustainable diets, Students have the unique opportunity to learn course themes in practice during local field visits, invited lectures, and through gardening on the UPEACE organic farm.

DED 6094 -Development and Conflict in Practice: role and application of sustainability frameworks in development projects

3Credits

The course looks into the role and application of sustainability frameworks in development projects and examines how their implementation influences local dynamics. The course introduces the main international frameworks that influence development finance institutions (DFIs) and private sector development, such as the World Bank ES Safeguards, IFC Performance Standards, Equator Principles, among others. It also focuses on the dynamics and drivers of conflict around development projects and the role of existing accountability and grievance mechanisms. The course dynamics include case studies, simulations and role play.

DED-6090-Project Planning and Management for Sustainable Development

3Credits

One of the challenges for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals relates to strengthening public institutions, non-government organizations, development agencies, and other actors to transform solution ideas and proposals into concrete realities that improve the well-being of our society. 2 This course aims at reinforcing the knowledge, skills and attitudes of professionals involved in sustainable development initiatives for delivering efficient and effective solutions with the available resources. In this course, we will introduce concepts and tools on better designing and planning practices that lead to the successful funding of projects at the local or national level.

DED 6089-Indigenous Perspectives on Environment and Development

1Credits

The Seminar on Indigenous Perspectives on Environment & Development take as a point of departure the fundamentals of who are Indigenous Peoples in Costa Rica and around the world. Next, the seminar will provide an overview of the legal frameworks at the universal, regional and national levels that protect Indigenous Peoples’ rights. This will be contrasted with cases of the on-going challenges that Indigenous Peoples face in conservation initiatives, and the criminalization and violence that many face when defending their rights. The seminar will enable participants to understand and discuss traditional or indigenous knowledge systems, its relevance and relationship with the previous other themes of the seminar.   

DED 6092-Conservation through Reconciliation

2Credits

In this course, the professor will take students through an exploration in geopolitics, international dispute resolution and nature conservation from the vantage point of an Indigenous Nation Builder in Canada - The world's only multi-national Indigenous European state. What does the word "Canada" mean? Embracing the Nuu'chah'nulth worldview of Hishuk'ish Tsawaak, students will experience an intimate view into an advanced Indigenous societies perspective. We will also explore some of the successful examples arising in Canada over the past several decades of Indigenousled conservation of nature through reconciliation, including Tribal Parks and The Pathway to Canada Target 1.

DED 6055 -Gender, Environment, Development

3Credits

This course will analyze intersectional feminist perspectives on the relationships between gender, development, and the non-human environment. From identifying the ecological shifts brought on by the colonization of different contexts to understanding the feminist critiques of genetic science testing, this course explores the ways in which historical social structures deeply inform our experiences with the environment around us. In this course we will survey several key environmental topics such as exposure to chemical toxins, climate change, food sovereignty, and forest management from feminist perspectives. We will use theory and case studies from women’s studies, queer studies, environmental studies, race studies, and ethnic studies, among others, to interrogate processes such as racism, sexism, homophobia and transphobia, and classism and colonialism as they relate to our understanding of the environment and development.

DED 6043 -Urban Sustainability

3Credits

By 2050, it is estimated that two-thirds of the world’s population will live in an urban environment. In many countries in the developing world, this is already a reality, with 80-90% of their populations living in cities, with increasing and rapid rates of urbanization. Increased urban population growth, paired with other socio-economic realities that are characteristic to cities, poses enormous challenges to ensure quality of life and wellbeing for everyone, leaving no one behind. Urban sustainability goes beyond how "green" a city is. This course will be based on Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) #11 Sustainable Cities and Communities and the New Urban Agenda, and will provide an understanding on how sustainability in cities is a multi-variable concept, interconnected with other SDGs and issues such as urban planning, transport planning and design, inequality, climate action, health, gender, economic development, among others. You will learn from case studies, articles, reports and the experience of experts in the field, in addition to gaining tools and developing skills that will help you propose strategies, projects and policies to improve your community, town or city in order to make it more sustainable.

UPM-6003-The United Nations System and UPMUNC (Part II)

1Credits

The UPEACE Model United Nations Conference (UPMUNC) is the second part of a composite three credit course that begins with the two-credit introductory course on the United Nations System, taught in the first semester. Through a simulation of UN bodies, committees, procedures, and codes of conduct, this immersive and experiential educational exercise encourages the application of knowledge gained in previous courses, including an understanding of the objectives and functions of the United Nations system, as well as the development of professional skills related to research, public speaking, negotiation, mediation of conflict, and the preparation of official documents.   

Historically, the conference has been open to outside participants from colleges and universities both regionally and internationally, presenting additional possibilities for networking, dialogue, and educational exchange among all participants. UPMUNC is further enriched by special events, which typically include a panel of invited speakers, a diplomatic reception, an awards ceremony, and a closing celebration.