Aims

- A description of the environment's main problems linked to socio-economic and demographic change (e.g. erosion, pollution, desertification, deforestation and environmental degradation).
- The consequences of the deteriorating environment on the living conditions of peoples, and the dimensions of enduring, sustainable and equitable development.
- Application of the principles of sustainable development to an integrated conception of development projects.
- The dimensions of the integrated approach, and an understanding of ecological contexts, identification, planning, monitoring, evaluation, and tools and methods of analysis.
- Case studies and applications.

Main themes

- To introduce the general issue of interactions between natural systems and social systems in "co-evolution".
- To put the interactions between development, the environment, and the social dynamics of projects (or, more frequently, of local actions) in development into perspective.
- To apply the general issue to an analysis of the effects of development actions on the natural environment.

Content and teaching methods

The course will focus on countries of the south, and on questions of rural development. As far as rural development is concerned, the environment is seen as the home environment, the basis of people's subsistence, a corpus of productive natural resources, and an issue of social relations.
Particular attention will be drawn to the question of appropriate natural resources (land systems), and to the conditions of collective action in the management of natural resources.
The course will consist of lectures, related reading in respect of the first part, case studies, and group discussions.
Methodology
The course will alternate between the presentation of issues, the discussion of texts (to be read before the course starts), and case studies.

Other information (prerequisite, evaluation (assessment methods), course materials recommended readings, ...)

Assessment: This will consist of a written examination on the course, or written work.
Support: A syllabus (a collection of reading).

Programmes in which this activity is taught

Other credits in programs