RMES 518 - Water and International Development

Water and International Development Course

Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability

Course Schedule	Start Date	Completion Date
This course offering	January 2011	April 2011

Course Overview

This web-based distance learning course offers a comprehensive approach to water and international development. It is intended for community leaders, professionals and graduate students interested in integrated water resource management and international / rural development. It is offered as a distributed learning course using a multi-media CD-ROM textbook which contains the course material, and WebCT-Vista for class discussions, updates and assignments. The course is equivalent to a 3-credit graduate level course and students can register for UBC academic credit as Resource Management and Environmental Studies 518, on a professional development basis, or for credit towards the UBC Watershed Management Certificate program.

Course Topics

Introduction to Water Issues in International Development
Global Water Issues · Why a watershed approach. Differences between industrialized and developing countries · Water as a commodity

Physical, Chemical and Biological Factors
Hydrology · Sediments · Water Quality · Biota

Socio-Economic Factors
Demand · Supply · Conservation Efficiency & Demand Management · Price and non-Price Allocations · Equity and Gender

Land Management and Water
Urban Issues · Agriculture/Forestry · Mining · Integrating Watershed Management Tools

Water and Food Security
Water Use Efficiency · Irrigation Needs · Water Pollution · Food And Water Scarcity · Water Reallocation · Food And Water Challenges

Water and Human Health
Community Supplies · Waterborne diseases · Pollution

Governance & Water Institutions
Governance Structure · Private vs. Nations · Water Institutions · Trans-boundary Issues · Conflict Management · Failures and Innovation

Special Topics
Climate Change · Water Harvesting & Irrigation · Reservoir Management · Aquifer Management · Non-point sources of pollution · Protection of Water Supplies · Eco-Tourism · Ecological Services

Case Studies
South African Water Management · Middle East: Jordan Valley · Water Quality and Quantity in Jamaica · People and Resource Dynamics Project in Nepal · Hydropower in Nepal · Himalayan Andean Watershed Comparison · Bolivian Water Wars · Tourism on Everest

Course Prerequisites

A Bachelor’s degree in a related field, such as environmental sciences, engineering, planning, geography or biology is recommended. Academic or professional experience related to land and water resource management in an urban context is desirable.

Course Requirements and Graded Assignments

This is a distributed learning course and the students are expected to read all the material in the electronic text book (See Lesson Plan). There are two written assignments, required participation in discussions over the internet, and a final examination.

	Grading
Assignment #1 - Term paper	25% of final mark
Assignment #2 - Term paper	25% of final mark
Final Examination	40% of final mark
Participation in the Internet discussions	10% of final mark

Questions will be posted on the bulletin board every month and we expect the students to take an active role and respond to each question on a regular basis (within 2-3 weeks). All responses will be posted on the Internet Bulletin Board and all participants can read and respond to the contributions.

All assignments will be marked using the UBC % scale. Dr. Hans Schreier and and Dr. Sandra Brown will review and mark the assignments. Final Mark for UBC graduate credit, professional credit or certificate = 3 credits.

Relation to the Watershed Management Certificate Program?

IRES also offers other distance-learning courses in Watershed Management. These include: Integrated Watershed Management, Urban Watershed Management, and Agricultural Watershed Management. Together these courses cover most aspects of water management and land use impacts on water.

The Integrated Watershed Management course is an introduction to the subject but is not a prerequisite to taking this course; however, those with limited knowledge about watershed issues are encouraged to take the Integrated Watershed Management course first. Those who have already taken the Integrated Watershed Management course and are interested in international development issues will find this course a great follow-up; there is limited overlap in content between the two courses.

Information access

The classroom is open 24 hours per day but access to the Bulletin Board is restricted and each student will receive a login name to access the bulletin board to post information and to participate in the discussions. No login is needed to access the web site where all instructions will be posted on a regular basis. Every Wednesday we will post new information on the web-site and/or the Bulletin Board and you need to access the classroom at least once a week to get the full benefit of the course. Every week we will also post selective web-sites that provide new and exciting information covering general aspects of watershed management and specific information on the topic to be covered that week. Announcements will be posted frequently as well - check that web page often.

Instructional team

Prof Hans Schreier
Dr Sandra Brown