Search result: Catalogue data in Autumn Semester 2017

Number	Title	Type	ECTS	Hours	Lecturers
Agroecosystem Sciences Master
Master Studies (Programme Regulations 2011)
Majors
Major in Food and Resource Use Economics
Disciplinary Competences
Environmental and Resource Use Economics
701-1651-00L	Environmental Governance Number of participants limited to 30.	W+	3 credits	2G	E. Lieberherr, G. de Buren, R. Schweizer
Abstract	The course addresses environmental policies, focusing on new steering approaches, which are generally summarized as environmental governance. The course also provides students with tools to analyze environmental policy processes and assesses the key features of environmental governance by examining various practical environmental policy examples.
Learning objective	To understand how an environmental problem may (not) become a policy and explain political processes, using basic concepts and techniques from political science. To analyze the evolution as well as the key elements of environmental governance. To be able to identify the main challenges and opportunities for environmental governance and to critically discuss them with reference to various practical policy examples.
Content	Improvements in environmental quality and sustainable management of natural resources cannot be achieved through technical solutions alone. The quality of the environment and the achievement of sustainable development strongly depend on human behavior and specifically the human uses of nature. To influence human behavior, we rely on public policies and other societal rules, which aim to steer the way humans use natural resources and their effects on the environment. Such steering can take place through government intervention alone. However, this often also involves governance, which includes the interplay between governmental and non-governmental actors, the use of diverse tools such as emission standards or financial incentives to steer actors' behavior and can occur at the local, regional, national or international level. In this course, we will address both the practical aspects of as well as the scientific debate on environmental governance. The course gives future environmental experts a strong basis to position themselves in the governance debate, which does not preclude government but rather involves a spectrum from government to governance. Key questions that this course seeks to answer: What are the core characteristics of environmental challenges from a policy perspective? What are key elements of 'environmental governance' and how legitimate and effective are these approaches in addressing persistent environmental challenges?
Lecture notes	Lecture slides and additional course material will be provided on Moodle.
Literature	We will mostly work with readings from the following books: - Carter, N. (2007). The politics of the environment: Ideas, activism, policy (2nd ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. - Hogl, K., Kvarda, E., Nordbeck, R., Pregernig, M. (Eds) (2012): Environmental Governance: The Challenge of Legitimacy and Effectiveness. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing Limited.
Prerequisites / Notice	A detailed course schedule will be made available at the beginning of the semester. During the lecture we will work with Moodle. We ask that all students register themselves on this platform before the lecture and to bring a laptop, tablet or smartphone to class, so that you can complete exercises using Moodle. We recommend that students have (a) three-years BSc education of a (technical) university; (b) successfully completed Bachelor introductory course to environmental policy (Entwicklungen nationaler Umweltpolitik (or equivalent)) and (c) familiarity with key issues in environmental policy and some fundamental knowledge of one social science or humanities discipline (political science, economics, sociology, history, psychology, philosophy)
751-2103-00L	Socioeconomics of Agriculture	W+	2 credits	2V	S. Mann
Abstract	The main part of this lecture will examine constellations where hierarchies, markets or cooperation have been observed and described in the agricultural sector. On a more aggregated level, different agricultural systems will be evaluated in terms of main socioeconomic parameters like social capital or perceptions.
Learning objective	Students should be able to describe the dynamics of hierarchies, markets and cooperation in an agricultural context.
Content	Introduction to Sociology Introduction to Socioeconomics Agricultural Administration: Path dependencies and efficiency issues Power in the Chain The farming family Occupational Choices Consumption Choices Locational Choices Common Resource Management in Alpine Farming Agricultural Cooperatives Societal perceptions of agriculture Perceptions of farming from within Varieties of agricultural systems and policies
Lecture notes	Link
Literature	see script
Prerequisites / Notice	Basic economic knowledge is expected.
860-0023-00L	International Environmental Politics Particularly suitable for students of D-ITET, D-USYS	W	3 credits	2V	T. Bernauer
Abstract	This course focuses on the conditions under which cooperation in international environmental politics emerges and the conditions under which such cooperation and the respective public policies are effective and/or efficient.
Learning objective	The objectives of this course are to (1) gain an overview of relevant questions in the area of international environmental politics from a social sciences viewpoint; (2) learn how to identify interesting/innovative questions concerning this policy area and how to answer them in a methodologically sophisticated way; (3) gain an overview of important global and regional environmental problems.
Content	This course deals with how and why international cooperation in environmental politics emerges, and under what circumstances such cooperation is effective and efficient. Based on theories of international political economy and theories of government regulation various examples of international environmental politics are discussed: the management of international water resources, the problem of unsafe nuclear power plants in eastern Europe, political responses to global warming, the protection of the stratospheric ozone layer, the reduction of long-range transboundary air pollution in Europe, the prevention of pollution of the oceans, etc. The course is open to all ETH students. Participation does not require previous coursework in the social sciences. After passing an end-of-semester test (requirement: grade 4.0 or higher) students will receive 3 ECTS credit points. The workload is around 90 hours (meetings, reading assignments, preparation of test). Visiting students (e.g., from the University of Zurich) are subject to the same conditions. Registration of visiting students in the web-based system of ETH is compulsory.
Lecture notes	Assigned reading materials and slides will be available at http://www.ib.ethz.ch/teaching.html (select link 'Registered students, please click here for course materials' at top of that page). Log in with your nethz name and password. Questions concerning access to course materials can be addressed to Dennis Atzenhofer at dennis.atzenhofer@ir.gess.ethz.ch). All assigned papers must be read ahead of the respective meeting. Following the course on the basis of on-line slides and papers alone is not sufficient. Physical presence in the classroom is essential. Many books and journals covering international environmental policy issues can be found at the D-GESS library at the IFW building, Haldeneggsteig 4, B-floor, or in the library of D-USYS.
Literature	Assigned reading materials and slides will be available at http://www.ib.ethz.ch/teaching.html (select link -Registered students, please click here for course materials- at top of that page). Log in with your nethz name and password. Questions concerning access to course materials can be addressed to dennis.atzenhofer@ir.gess.ethz.ch).
Prerequisites / Notice	None

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