Environment Change and Related Risks

elective courses

The course is dedicated to graduate students (studenci II stopnia)

Knowledge of English on the B2 level, both written and oral.

The course is intended to work out a risks related to environmental changes and its consequences for human activity including (forced) migration and conflicts. On the examples form different areas of the world including region of Mediterranean, it will show the multirelation between environmental, social, political, demographic and economic factors that increase risks of instability, poverty and exclusion or alternatives for mitigation and adaptation strategies. Particular emphasis will be placed on the relation between changes of the environment and migration.

The aim of the course is to present contemporary relationships between the natural environment and population migrations. Students learn how in various geographical areas, depending on the conditions of the natural environment, the economic and political situation of the country and cultural conditions, the migration behavior of the population is shaped differently in the face of such phenomena as: natural hazards, construction of large infrastructure investments, climate changes (including climate variability), degradation of the natural environment and the limitations of human activity. All this will be used to better understand the complexity of processes that shape modern population movements, including the so-called migration crisis. Moreover, students will learn how, adaptive and mitigating behaviors of people affected by environmental changes are shaped under different social, economic, demographic and political factors. Further, circumstance of conflicts triggered by environmental change or limited access to resources will be studied. Finally, issues related to legal challenges regarding joint responsibility for the effects of environmental changes will also be discussed.

The course will take both lecture and seminar character: the basic knowledge on environmental changes, their roots and related risks will be presented during lectures. Understanding of complexity of relations with other political, economic, demographic and social factors will be analyzed through discussions and close engagement with readings and other sources. It will carry an interdisciplinary character and encompass social anthropology, geography, political sciences, and sociology. It is designed for students interesting in developing a critical understanding of the reality we live in and willing to know whether there are any alternatives to it.

Dun O., Gemenne, F. 2008. Defining ‘environmental migration'. [in:] Forced Migration review, Climate change and displacement, eds. M. Couldrey and M. Herson, Oxford: Refugee Studies Centre, University of Oxford: 10

Gemenne, F. 2012. Environmental migration. [in:] M. Martiniello, J. Rath Eds. An Introduction to International Migration Studies European Perspectives. 237-258.

Ionesco D., Mokhnacheva D., Gemenne F. 2017. The Atlas of Environmental migration, London: Routledge.

Renaud, F.G., Dun, O., Warner, K., Bogardi, J., 2011. A Decision Framework for Environmentally Induced Migration. International Migration 49, e5–e29. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2435.2010.00678.x

Sayektiningsih, T., Hayati, N., 2021. Potential impacts of dam construction on environment, society and economy based on community perceptions. IOP Conf. Ser.: Earth Environ. Sci. 874, 012013. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/874/1/012013

Schulz, C., Skinner, J., 2022. Hydropower benefit-sharing and resettlement: A conceptual review. Energy Research & Social Science 83, 102342. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2021.102342

Selby, J., Dahi, O.S., Fröhlich, C., Hulme, M., 2017. Climate change and the Syrian civil war revisited. Political Geography 60, 232–244. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polgeo.2017.05.007

Stoler, J., Brewis, A., Kangmennang, J., Keough, S.B., Pearson, A.L., Rosinger, A.Y., Stauber, C., Stevenson, E.G., 2021. Connecting the dots between climate change, household water insecurity, and migration. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability 51, 36–41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cosust.2021.02.008

Wiegel, H., Boas, I., Warner, J., 2019. A mobilities perspective on migration in the context of environmental change. WIREs Climate Change 10, e610. https://doi.org/10.1002/wcc.610

a. Knowledge:

An alumni:

- Understands the relationships between the various dimensions of social change (especially with regard to various aspects of mobility and "crises") and knows the approaches to this process related to many scientific fields and disciplines. (K_W02)

- Understands the interdependencies between different social disciplines, as well as their relationship with cultural research.

- knows how to use methods of analysis and interpretation of scholarly texts (K_W04)

- Understands the value of an interdisciplinary approach to the analysis and interpretation of environmental and social changes in the modern world K_W06

- Knows the most important methods of interdisciplinary research. K_W09

- understands the dynamic relation between cultural processes and social transformations (K_W10) .

b. Skills:

An alumni:

- Is able to select and make a critical assessment of information coming from various scientific, popular science, journalistic and other sources. K_U01

-Is able to prepare an oral or written presentation taking into account the needs of recipients, in particular with the use of a range of digital tools; can present arguments to support her/his beliefs and knowledge in a logical and convincing manner. K_U05 and K_U06

- Is able to plan and organize group work (defining goals, stages, roles, selection of methods). Is able to take part in teamwork in various roles. K_U11

c. Social competences:

An alumni:

- is willing to further develop their academic skills in humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences and is up to date with the latest research methods and paradigms (K_K02)

- is empathetic and respects the cultural diversity of a community (K_K05)

- respects the cultural and natural heritage of a community (K_K06).

- respects the cultural and natural diversity of a community (K_K07).

- presentation of chosen topic – work in groups (40%)

- “Change game” – essay on lessons learned from game - work in groups (40%)

- Class participation (20%)

- Number of possible absences – 2