ID234

Description

This course addresses current or timely topics, that are in a pilot phase or that are known to be one time offerings. Special Topics are unique for each instructor and vary from semester to semester. May be repeatable for credit. SPRING 2026 Sec 01 Socio-Technical Transitions for Sustainability This course introduces upper-level undergraduates and graduate students to the theory and practice of sustainable transitions, with a focus on socio-technical transition frameworks. Students will explore how social, technological, political, and cultural systems co-evolve, and how intentional interventions can accelerate transformations toward sustainability. The course integrates conceptual foundations such as the Multi-Level Perspective (MLP), Strategic Niche Management (SNM), and Transition Management (TM), with applied case studies in energy, mobility, water, and food systems. SPRING 2026 Sec 02 Exploring the Micropolitics of Environmental Governance of a Biosphere Reserve The Oxapampa Ash ninka Yanesha Biosphere Reserve in Oxapampa (Peru) was recognized in June 2010 by UNESCO. It provides us with a case in which existing institutional arrangements reflect the support of a wide range of actors despite their apparently distinct interests. The province of Oxapampa, is home to long-settled Ash ninka and Y nesha indigenous groups, to European colonists who arrived in the 19th and early 20th centuries, and to coastal and highland migrants who were attracted to the province by a flourishing economy based on timber extraction, coffee production and by government incentives to colonize the region. Interactions among these groups have been characterized by conflict, largely over territorial rights and access to natural resources. These conflicts have also influenced the negotiation of institutional arrangements and the ways in which conservation and development is thought about and pursued. In this special topics course, students will develop their theoretical, analytical and professional skills by: 1) exploring theoretical frameworks and historical background to understand the micropolitics of natural resource governance, institution building and collaboration in Peru and Latin America; 2) visiting the Oxapampa Ash ninka Yanesha Biospere Reserve to learn about its governance structure through engagement with a broad range of local actors and initiatives; and 3) working individually or in teams to carry out joint research on a specific theme at this biosphere reserve.