RDS-10306 Introduction to the Use and Management of Natural Resources

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Studiepunten 6.00

Language of instruction:

Dutch

Continuation courses:

This course is the first of six courses that together make up the multi-disciplinary curriculum on "Technology and Development". Other courses are ESW-11304, LAW-21804, DEC-21304, CIS-21304, YES-30304 and IWE-32304. In addition, the course lays the foundations for further education on the use and management of natural resources in the BIN, BBN and BIL curricula.

Contents:

The object of BBN, BIL and BIN is closely related to the interaction between people and their natural resources. This relationship involves technical, biophysical, natural and socio-economic aspects and cannot be studied from the perspective of one discipline alone. In this course therefore attention is given to the complexity of the interaction between people and resources through a multidisciplinary perspective. This problem oriented course does so through a focus on four thematic points of entry:
- the livelihood strategies of rural inhabitants;
- the technical, social, legal, and economic regulation of natural resource use by the state;
- the (construction of) technologies intended to use and manage natural resources;
- the differences between different, disciplinary approaches to the use and management of natural resources.

Aims:

The course aims to:
a) show the link between rural development and the use and management of natural resources as well as the general and theoretical approaches on the character of this link;
b) offer students clear frames of reference through carefully chosen case studies. These case studies are approached from social , biophysical, natural science and technical points of view. Through this method, disciplinary similarities and differences are made explicit and students are motivated to lay links between different scientific domains (e.g. through a better understanding of a specific, disciplinary object of study and the conceptual vocabulary that goes along with it);
c) increase students' analytical and problem-solving skills in relation to the use and management of natural resources through a socio-technical approach to complex socio-technical problems.

Activities:

Plenary lectures, literature retrieval and reading through so-called "problem-driven education" (groups of 5-6 students). In addition , a small part of the course is devoted to the enhancement of students 'competence' curriculum (writing skills).

Examination:

Written examination (30% of mark), individual essay (40% of mark) and group participation (30% of mark).

Literature:

Start-up literature is available on Quickplace; otherwise (and depending on the group's weekly aims) literature has to be found using electronic databases, webpages and libraries.