701-1502-00L Transdisciplinary Case Study
| Semester | Spring Semester 2023 |
| Lecturers | M. Stauffacher, P. Krütli, E. Tilley, B. Vienni Baptista |
| Periodicity | yearly recurring course |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Comment | Number of participants limited to 25. Students will be informed by January 20th at the lastet if participation is possible. Students must apply for this course with a two-page motivation letter. The letter should address the following: Why are you interested? What do you want to learn? What can you contribute to? The letter can also include special skills that the case study could benefit from. Please send the letter by Mon, 2 January 2023 the latest to pius.kruetli@usys.ethz.ch and michael.stauffacher@usys.ethz.ch. Important: for students in Agricultural Sciences, the case study can replace the compulsory course 751-1000-00L Interdisciplinary Project Work! |
| Abstract | This course is a problem-oriented and research-based teaching activity that takes place in a real-world setting. Students work independently in groups, apply different methods of data collection and analysis, and engage intensively with stakeholders. In 2023, the case is Seychelles. The overarching theme is sustainable land use, examining tourism as a relevant land use-related industry. . | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Learning objective | Students learn how to plan and conduct research in a real-world context. This includes structuring ill-defined and wicked problems, developing research questions, designing research plans, writing research reports, applying qualitative and quantitative methods, working in interdisciplinary and inter-cultural teams, and organizing transdisciplinary cooperation between science and society. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Content | Seychelles is a Small Island Developing State (SIDS) in the Indian Ocean, consisting of about 115 islands spread over a sea area of 1.4 million km2. SIDS share some common characteristics. They are small in size and economy, remote and isolated from international markets, vulnerable to external disturbances and effects of climate change. Seychelles is highly dependent on an intact natural environment. Tourism and fishery are the main economic pillars. Seychelles has recently joined the category of high-income countries, but still has many characteristics of a developing country. With an area of 450 km2 used by almost 100,000 inhabitants and 300-400 thousand tourists per year, land is a scarce commodity in the Seychelles. Accordingly, the pressure on land use is high. Infrastructure, housing, industry, transport, recreation, agriculture, nature conservation and tourism compete for the scarce land. Tourism takes up a lot of land, especially along the coastal strip, generates traffic and waste, requires energy and other resources and is heavily dependent on imports. On the other hand, tourism creates jobs, income and tax substrate. The number of tourist arrivals has grown strongly at rates of 10 percent per year over the last 10 years. The tourism strategy envisages further growth. This should be in line with sustainability goals. Rethinking tourism in the Seychelles: Possible topics are e.g., synergies between agriculture and tourism; social impacts of tourism on local society; (environmental) impacts of tourism use including the development of mountain areas and offshore tourism facilities; the relationship between tourism and transport. The case study is prepared in close cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism (MoT), which is the main partner of the case study, to ensure that the research is relevant to the local context. A second key partner is the local University of Seychelles. It is again planned that a cohort of local students will participate, especially during the field phase. This is the fourth transdisciplinary case study organized in Seychelles. In 2016 and 2018 we looked at solid waste management. In 2021, the theme was Seychelles’ transport system. See: https://tdlab.usys.ethz.ch/teaching/tdcs/former/cs2016.html https://tdlab.usys.ethz.ch/teaching/tdcs/former/cs2018.html https://tdlab.usys.ethz.ch/teaching/tdcs/former/cs2021.html For further information about the case study 2023: https://tdlab.usys.ethz.ch/teaching/tdcs/current.html | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prerequisites / Notice | Information event on tdCS23: Monday, 5 December 2022 (17h15–18h00), CHN building, room G 42. Slides will be provided on request. Important dates: - Semester phase in Zurich, February-June 2023: every Wednesday, 08h15-09h00 (online) and afternoon 14h15-18h00 (classrom) - Validation workshop: Fri/Sat, 21/22 April 2023 - Three weeks field phase in Seychelles: Mon-Fri, 3-21 July 2023 (dates may slightly change) - Between end of Semester and start field work, some further work may be needed If you have questions, please send an Email to pius.kruetli@usys.ethz.ch. Students must apply for this course with a two-page motivation letter. The letter should address the following: Why are you interested? What do you want to learn? What can you contribute to? The latter can also include special skills that the case study could benefit from. Please send the letter by Mon, 2 January 2023 the latest to pius.kruetli@usys.ethz.ch and michael.stauffacher@usys.ethz.ch. Important: for students in Agricultural Sciences, the case study can replace the compulsory course 751-1000-00L Interdisciplinary Project Work. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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