Overview - Goals - Prerequisites - Course Structure - Requirements and Grading

Global warming has emerged as a transnational and transdisciplinary debate, ranging from naysayers to environmental apocalyptics.  It is an environmental problem with consequences at multiple scales (short to long-term and local to global) and requires multiple perspectives, including the natural sciences, social sciences and humanities.

This course is an interdisciplinary examination of the human dimensions of global climate change -- its anthropogenic causes, potential impacts on human societies, mitigation strategies, policy responses and ethics.

The primary questions we will explore in this course are:

•   What are the major anthropogenic sources of greenhouse gases and how do they vary over time, across space, and between economic sectors and social groups?

•   What are the major human consequences of global climate change for key life support systems, such as water, health and agriculture, and for economic and political systems?

•   What are the potential human responses to global climate change?  How effective are they and at what cost?  How do we value and decide among the range of options?

•   What are the underlying social processes or driving forces behind the human relationship to the global climate system, such as human attitudes and behavior, population dynamics, and economic transformation?

•   What international negotiations on climate change have taken place and what policies are under consideration?

Course Goals:

In this course, students will:

•  develop an understanding of the human dimensions of global climate change -- its causes, potential impacts on social systems, mitigation strategies, policy responses, and ethics;

•  develop an understanding of the various perspectives on climate change (industry, science, environmental NGOs, developing countries, industrialized countries);

•  develop recommendations to mitigate the impacts of climate change at various scales, ranging from individual action to international agreements;

•  develop critical thinking skills;

•  develop research, analysis and public presentation skills.  These skills should prove invaluable in each student's subsequent career, whether in business, academia or environmental activism.

Course Prerequisites:
Junior/Senior standing or instructor consent.  This course assumes some prior knowledge about global warming, and expects students to have already taken GEOG 102 Global Environmental Change and/or GEOG 321 Climatology.  While not required, these prior courses are recommended.  Students who wish to take this course without prior study should purchase and read the optional book for this class: Houghton, John. (1997) Global Warming: the complete briefing. 2nd ed., Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Course Structure:
This is a hands-on course , with students fully participating in course content.

The first couple weeks will be an introduction to the human dimensions of global climate change and to several key concepts that underlie all discussions of the issue (like "risk" and "vulnerability").  After this introduction, we will focus on the causes, consequences and solutions to climate change , using a role-playing scenario.

The Scenario and Our Mission

Treaty negotiations collapsed at the most recent world climate summit at the Hague (November, 2000).  In response, the United Nations is convening a special Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee, representing each of the major political blocs in the world negotiations on climate change (e.g. JUSSCANNZ, AOSIS, the G-77/China, OPEC, and the EU). Our mission is to negotiate a new climate treaty.

Each student will become an expert and serve as the official delegate  representing one or two countries within a bloc.  For example, a student within the EU bloc will gather information regarding greenhouse gas emissions, potential impacts and proposed solutions regarding one or two countries within this bloc (e.g. Britain or the Netherlands).  Each student will then contribute a chapter on their country and bloc as part of a complete report to the world community.  This report will serve as the basis for our subsequent treaty negotiations.

We will then hold a mock UN climate summit at the end of the class.  Each student will represent their country, work together with other bloc members, and attempt to negotiate a world climate treaty. 

Through this exercise (as well as the entire class), you will experience the many geographies of this issue -- that different countries and regions bear different responsibilities for the problem, will endure different impacts, yet must work together to solve a mutual problem.

A typical class session will focus on a single theme (e.g. impacts of sea level rise). For that day, the whole class will read an article on the subject in common.  Each student will also be responsible for finding and summarizing the impacts of the day's theme on their own assigned country.  I will introduce the general theme, then we will go into active discussion/negotiations on the issue from each of our countries' perspectives.

Course Web Page:  http://geography.uoregon.edu/hdgcc

This page will be very important.  Much of the research on global climate change is easily accessible on the web.  This page will serve as a central reference point for research.  It includes links to this syllabus, weekly readings, sources on major course themes and bloc/country-specific links.  If you find useful web sites as you do your research, please email the links to me, so I can add them to the web page.  You will visit this page early and often.

There will also be a listserv for the course to foster discussion and negotiations between you.  Please use this to ask questions and to share information.  I will also use it to send out class instructions and updates.  Please maintain this cyberspace as a safe, tolerant and respectful environment.

Course Requirements and Grading:

Participation:                                                  20%
Daily summaries:                                            40%
Chapter for final report:                                  40%

Participation will be graded by two criteria: 1) attendance; and 2) class participation.

Attendance -- you are expected to attend all scheduled class meetings.  You may miss up to 2 classes, after which your class grade will drop by one grade for each absence (i.e. from an A to a B, B to a C, etc.).  A roster will be circulated at the beginning of each class for you to sign.  Attendance at the climate summit is mandatory.

Class participation -- you are expected to make regular contributions to the ongoing discussions in class.  This class should be understood and will be maintained as a tolerant, supportive academic environment, in which each student should feel safe to voice questions, confusions, and strongly-held beliefs as we discuss issues which may be new or controversial.

Daily summaries are short summations of the essential points of an article.  They should demonstrate that you have read and understood the article and can relate it to your own country's circumstances.

Summaries are to be at least 1 page (typed, single-spaced, 12-point font, 1" margins) long.  It is highly recommended that you use a combination of narrative paragraphs and bullet points to identify the key ideas, arguments, or facts.  Summaries must include footnote citations (author name, year published, title, publisher and page numbers) for any country-specific references you incorporate.

Summaries are due in class and will be graded on a 10 point scale:

10 = excellent
8 = good
6 = satisfactory

Late summaries will be accepted, but will drop two points for each day they are late.  The worst score will be thrown out of final grade calculations.

Chapter for final report -- this is a 15 page (double-spaced) report on the country(s) you are responsible for.  It should include three main sections: 1) contributions of your country to the problem of global warming; 2) potential impacts global warming will have on your country; 3) your country's proposed actions to solve the problem, both internally and externally.  External actions include your country's bargaining position within current climate negotiations.  You will be meeting with your other bloc countries to develop a mutual position.