3.0

credits

Average Course Rating

This course introduces community development concepts via discussion of the environmental-social-economic nexus in developing countries. Students will seek answers to key questions such as: (a) How rural communities in developing countries interact with their natural environment (b) What are the drivers, tradeoffs, and feedback loops of such interactions and what lessons can be drawn to seek common ground for sustainability (c) how do interaction between social, environmental, and economic dimensions shape communities to adapt to changes in these dimensions (d) what are some of the successful models of sustainable community development and environmental management (e) what is the fundamental concept of sustainability and factors that influence sustainability and its pathways (f) what are some of the efforts in place through government, nonprofits, and the private sector to assist developing countries in attaining sustainability. Students will discuss topics ranging from energy saving stoves in the Himalayas; to indigenous practices in Africa for mitigating human-wildlife conflict within buffer zones; to community-driven approaches for water management and agriculture; to community forestry and leasehold forestry models. In addition to key problems and challenges, students will be introduced to important tools used to translate ideas into sustainable action, such as project logical frameworks. By the end of the course, students interested in international, community, and sustainable development would be able to engage in related debates and be familiar with approaches and techniques for designing sustainability solutions.