751-2107-00L Agrarian and Environmental Values: Tensions, Synergies, Practices and Policies
| Semester | Autumn Semester 2024 |
| Lecturers | M. Chapman, J. Jacobi |
| Periodicity | yearly recurring course |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Comment | Limited to 20 students. |
Courses
| Number | Title | Hours | Lecturers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 751-2107-00 G | Agrarian and Environmental Values: Tensions, Synergies, Practices and Policies
 The course takes place Mondays 9.00-12.00 in CHN K77 during the autumn semester. In addition a compulsory excursion (3 days) will take place on 12-14 October. | 3 hrs | M. Chapman, J. Jacobi |
Catalogue data
| Abstract | In politics, society, and science, it can seem that the values and practices of agricultural production and environmental protection are in conflict. This tension is often described as “protection versus use” of natural resources. We will explore ways to move beyond the apparent conflict. We will apply this learning to field trips and transdisciplinary projects. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Learning objective | Students are able to: - Define different kinds and categories of values. - Relate value concepts to their own studies, life, and experiences through reflective journaling. - Infer the underlying values in a text or policy about agri-environmental topics. - Collaboratively develop a transdisciplinary project for an agri-environmental case study from the field trips. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Content | The course consists of interactive seminars alongside fieldtrips to farms that have found innovative solutions to balancing protection and production. Seminars will cover topics such as the relationship between values and behavior and how people perceive value trade-offs. We will also discuss environmental ethics, environmental valuation and its critiques, the interplay of facts and values in agri-environmental decision-making, cultural ecosystem services, and relational values. This class requires active participation. Learning is based on in-class activities, group work and fieldtrips. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Literature | Literature will draw from political ecology, value theory and environmental values, as well as case studies and primary texts, such as the following (not all will be required reading; we will read 1 or 2 papers or book chapters each week). Stern, Paul C. "New Environmental Theories: Toward a Coherent Theory of Environmentally Significant Behavior." Journal of Social Issues 56, no. 3 (January 2000): 407–24. https://doi.org/10.1111/0022-4537.00175. Klöckner, Christian A. "A Comprehensive Model of the Psychology of Environmental Behaviour—A Meta-Analysis." Global Environmental Change 23, no. 5 (October 1, 2013): 1028–38. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2013.05.014. Martinez-Alier, Joan. "Languages of Valuation." Economic and Political Weekly 43 (November 29, 2008): 28–32. Trainor, Sarah Fleisher. "Realms of Value: Conflicting Natural Resource Values and Incommensurability." Environmental Values 15, no. 1 (2006): 3–29. https://doi.org/10.3197/096327106776678951. Environmental Values, by O’Neill, Holland and Light, 2008 IPBES Values Assessment 2023 Smith, Kimberly. "Black Agrarianism and the Foundations of Black Environmental Thought." Edited by Eugene C. Hargrove. Environmental ethics 26, no. 3 (2004): 267–86. https://doi.org/10.5840/enviroethics200426316. Carlisle, Liz. "Critical Agrarianism." Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems 29, no. 02 (January 11, 2013): 135–45. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1742170512000427. Nesbitt, J. Todd, and Daniel Weiner. "Conflicting Environmental Imaginaries and the Politics of Nature in Central Appalachia." Geoforum 32, no. 3 (August 2001): 333–49. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0016-7185(00)00047-6. Horcea-Milcu, Andra-Ioana, David J. Abson, Cristina I. Apetrei, Ioana Alexandra Duse, Rebecca Freeth, Maraja Riechers, David P. M. Lam, Christian Dorninger, and Daniel J. Lang. "Values in Transformational Sustainability Science: Four Perspectives for Change." Sustainability Science 14, no. 5 (September 2019): 1425–37. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-019-00656-1. Berghöfer, Uta, Julian Rode, Kurt Jax, Johannes Förster, Augustin Berghöfer, and Heidi Wittmer. "‘Societal Relationships with Nature’: A Framework for Understanding Nature‐related Conflicts and Multiple Values." People and Nature 4, no. 2 (April 2022): 534–48. https://doi.org/10.1002/pan3.10305. Chan, Kai M. A., Patricia Balvanera, Karina Benessaiah, Mollie Chapman, Sandra Díaz, Erik Gómez-Baggethun, Rachelle K. Gould, et al. "Opinion: Why Protect Nature? Rethinking Values and the Environment." Proc Natl Acad Sci 113, no. 6 (February 9, 2016): 1462–65. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1525002113. Moroder, Alma Maria, and Maria Lee Kernecker. "Grassland Farmers’ Relationship with Biodiversity: A Case Study from the Northern Italian Alps." Ecosystems and People 18, no. 1 (December 31, 2022): 484–97. https://doi.org/10.1080/26395916.2022.2107080. Arias-Arévalo, Paola, Elena Lazos-Chavero, Ana S Monroy-Sais, Sara H Nelson, Agnieszka Pawlowska-Mainville, Arild Vatn, Mariana Cantú-Fernández, Ranjini Murali, Barbara Muraca, and Unai Pascual. "The Role of Power in Leveraging the Diverse Values of Nature for Transformative Change." Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability 64 (October 2023): 101352. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cosust.2023.101352. Burton, Rob J. F., and Upananda Herath Paragahawewa. "Creating Culturally Sustainable Agri-Environmental Schemes." Journal of Rural Studies 27, no. 1 (2011): 95–104. Nassauer, Joan Iverson. "Messy Ecosystems, Orderly Frames." Landscape Journal 14, no. 2 (1995): 161–70. https://doi.org/10.3368/lj.14.2.161. Schneider, Flurina, Thomas Ledermann, Patricia Fry, and Stephan Rist. "Soil Conservation in Swiss Agriculture—Approaching Abstract and Symbolic Meanings in Farmers’ Life-Worlds." Land Use Policy 27, no. 2 (2010): 332–39. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2009.04.007. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Competencies |
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Performance assessment
| Performance assessment information (valid until the course unit is held again) | |
Performance assessment as a semester course | |
| ECTS credits | 5 credits |
| Examiners | M. Chapman, J. Jacobi |
| Type | ungraded semester performance |
| Language of examination | English |
| Repetition | Repetition only possible after re-enrolling for the course unit. |
| Additional information on mode of examination | The grade will be composed of following parts: - class journal (10%); - active participation in class activities+excursion (30%); - final project in groups (60%) |
Learning materials
| No public learning materials available. | |
| Only public learning materials are listed. |
Groups
| No information on groups available. |
Restrictions
| General |  : Special students and auditors need a special permission from the lecturers |
| Places | 20 at the most |
| Priority | Registration for the course unit is until 01.09.2024 only possible for the primary target group |
| Primary target group | Environmental Sciences MSc (736000)
Agricultural Sciences MSc (762000) |
| Waiting list | until 29.09.2024 |