Environment, human security, and conflict (2020)

This course examines the linkages between environmental phenomena, human economic, political, and physical security, and violent political conflict. The prevalence of international and civil conflicts associated with control of (or access to) natural resources (e.g. water, food, energy resources), has exposed the tensions between traditional notions of security and human-centred security concerns. Students will conduct in-depth analyses of cases of environmental conflicts around the world in order to identify the key actors, their projected values and interests, as well as the implications of different alternatives. While the course highlights the politics behind conflicts, it includes contributions from other disciplines and fields. 

Section 1	Defining terms, actors, and interests
Week 1	Introduction, course overview, and conflict
Week 2	Economic development and economic stability
Week 3	Political institutions and instability
Week 4	Environmental change and scarcity
Section 2	Causes of conflict
Week 5	Population
Week 6	Migration
Week 7	Water
Week 8	Food
Week 9	Natural resources
Week 10	Natural disasters
Section 3	Policy responses
Week 11	Domestic responses
Week 12	International responses