Suchergebnis: Katalogdaten im Frühjahrssemester 2018

Umweltnaturwissenschaften Master Information
Vertiefung in Umweltsysteme und Politikanalyse
Anwendungen
NummerTitelTypECTSUmfangDozierende
701-0016-00LPhilosophical Issues in Understanding Global Change Belegung eingeschränkt - Details anzeigen
Maximale Teilnehmerzahl: 9.
MSc Studierenden (Master in Atmosperic and Climate Science) und Doktoranden von D-ERDW und D-USYS haben Vorrang.
W2 KP1SC. J. Baumberger, R. Knutti
KurzbeschreibungThis course investigates the potentials and limitations of models and computer simulations that aim at understanding global change. We also discuss the limitations of observations and the role that results from models and computer simulations may take in decision making on policies for sustainable development.
LernzielStudents learn to reflect on concepts, methods, arguments and knowledge claims based upon computer simulations by critically analysing and assessing topical and recent research papers from philosophy and the sciences.
InhaltGlobal change is not just a major real-world problem, but also a challenge for the natural and social sciences. The challenge is due to the spatial and temporal scales considered, the diversity, complexity and variability of aspects involved, and, last but not least, the pragmatic and normative questions raised by global change. This course investigates the potentials and limits of research methods such as modelling for understanding global change with a focus on climate change. We also discuss the role of results from modelling and computer simulations in decision making on policies for sustainable development.

In the seminar, topics such as the following are discussed:
(1) What is a model? What are purposes and potential pitfalls of models? What are the basic steps of modelling?
(2) What are computer simulations and what is their relation to models? How do we learn about the real world by running computer simulations? How do computer simulations differ from classical experiments?
(3) What do data tell us about the problem we are investigating? What are the difficulties in assessing and interpreting data?
(4) What is the role of results from modelling and computer simulation in decision making on policies for sustainable development? What are the consequences of model uncertainties for policy making?
SkriptA set of papers from philosophy and from science to be discussed and a guide to analyzing texts are provided.
LiteraturThe papers to be discussed in the seminar sessions and guidelines about the analysis of texts are provided.
Voraussetzungen / BesonderesThis seminar is offered at the ETH and the University of Bern. There are four seminar sessions, each lasting 4 hours. The sessions take place from 13:45 to 17:15. The places alternate between Zurich and Berne in the following way
09.03. Berne, BHF Soz. Arbeit, Raum 310, Hallerstrasse 10
13.04. Zurich, CHN P12 Universitätstrasse 16
04.05. Berne, BHF Soz. Arbeit, Raum 310, Hallerstrasse 10
25.05. Zurich, CHN P12 Universitätstrasse 16

In the first meeting, participants are introduced to methods on how to read a philosophical paper. For each meeting, every participant answers a couple of questions about one of the papers scheduled for discussion. The preparation for each session will take about 5 hours. Answers have to be sent to the lecturers before the seminar takes place and provide a basis for the discussion. All students that have subscribed will get the questions and texts for the first meeting by email.
Seminar discussions are chaired jointly by lecturers from philosophy and from science. Interest in interdisciplinary reading and discussion is a prerequisite. The number of participants is limited to 18, viz. 9 from the University of Bern and 9 from ETH Zurich.

Requirements for 2 CP: (1) Answer the questions about one paper before the meetings and read another paper (4 times), (2) Write a short essay of about 2-3 pages about a topic discussed in our meetings. This essay should be delivered until 3 weeks after the end of the spring semester.
Master or PhD students of D-USYS or students of Atmosph. + Climate Science MSc have priority.
701-1350-00LCase Studies in Environment and HealthW4 KP2VK. McNeill, N. Borduas-Dedekind, T. Julian
KurzbeschreibungThis course will focus on a few individual chemicals and pathogens from different standpoints: their basic chemistry or biology, their environmental behavior, (eco)toxicology, and human health impacts. The course will draw out the common points in each chemical or pathogen's history.
LernzielThis course aims to illustrate how the individual properties of chemicals and pathogens along with societal pressures lead to environmental and human health crises. The ultimate goal of the course is to identify common aspects that will improve prediction of environmental crises before they occur. Students are expected to participate actively in the course, which includes the critical reading of the pertinent literature and class presentations.
InhaltEach semester will feature case studies of chemicals and pathogens that have had a profound effect on human health and the environment. The instructors will present eight of these and the students will present approx. six in groups of three or four. Students will be expected to contribute to the discussion and, on selected topics, to lead the discussion.
SkriptHandouts will be provided as needed.
LiteraturHandouts will be provided as needed.
701-1502-00LTransdisciplinary Case Study Information Belegung eingeschränkt - Details anzeigen
The number of participants is limited. Students have to apply for this course by sending a two-page motivation letter (why are you interested? what do you want to learn? what can you contribute?) to Link and Link (latest by 15 January 2018).

Additionally please enroll via mystudies. Please note that all students are put on the waiting list and that your current position on the waiting list is irrelevant, as places will be assigned on the basis of your motivation letter.

Important: for students in Agricultural Sciences, the case study can replace the compulsory course 751-1000-00L Interdisciplinary Project Work!
W7 KP15PM. Stauffacher, P. Krütli
KurzbeschreibungThis course is project-based and organized in a real-world context. Students deal with complex, societally relevant problems where environmental issues are key and that demand mutual learning among science and society.
LernzielStudents learn how to plan and organize their work in groups, how to structure complex problems, how to use empirical methods and how to organise transdisciplinary collaboration between research and people from outside academia.
Every second year the case study is organized in a small Island Developing States (SIDS), namely the Seychelles. In addition to the general teaching goals, here students are getting trained for research and/or practical work in the global South (Working in intercultural teams, adapting to foreign social, economic, cultural and political settings).
Voraussetzungen / BesonderesThe number of participants is limited. Students have to apply for this course by sending a two-page motivation letter (why are you interested? what do you want to learn? what can you contribute?) to Link and Link (latest by 15 January 2018).

Additionally please enroll via mystudies. Please note that all students are put on the waiting list and that your current position on the waiting list is irrelevant, as places will be assigned on the basis of your motivation letter.

Important: for students in Agricultural Sciences, the case study can replace the compulsory course 751-1000-00L Interdisciplinary Project Work!
701-1562-00LCases in Environmental Policy and Decision Making Belegung eingeschränkt - Details anzeigen
Maximale Teilnehmerzahl: 40

Eine Warteliste wird bis zum 23.02.2018 geführt.

Belegung ist möglich bis 02.03.2018.
O6 KP4PA. Patt, E. Lieberherr, F. Metz, M. Morosini
KurzbeschreibungThe course will proceed through a series of case studies, modeled after those often used in business and policy teaching curricula. Students will engage in individual and group work to practice the art of effective decision-making, recommending a course of action for the individual and organization that is the subject of each case, gaining valuable insights into environmental policy-making.
Lernziel- Identify the facts, assumptions, theories, and social constructions guiding the decisions of different stakeholders to a range of environmental and natural resource policy problems.
- Recognize key institutional and interpersonal challenges in decision-making situations.
- Design communication and decision-making processes that can work effectively in the context of stakeholder worldviews and perspectives.
- Conduct qualitative and quantitative analysis of value to decision-makers, and communicate that in a manner that is clear and effective.
- Consider broader policy issues applicable across the cases, such as the appropriate roles of public, non-profit, and private sector organizations, the decentralization of authority, and possible societal pathways towards sustainability.
InhaltThe course will cover a range of environmental problem areas, include land conversion, water quality, air quality, climate change, and energy. Across these issues, cases will force students to confront particular decisions needing to be made by individuals and organizations, primarily in the public and non-profit sectors, but also in provate sector firms.
Voraussetzungen / BesonderesIt would be desirable, but not essential, that students had already taken a course on policy analysis and modeling.
701-1653-00LPolicy and Economics of Ecosystem ServicesW3 KP2GA. Müller
KurzbeschreibungThe course introduces the concept of ecosystem services (ES), their value for society, the causes of their degradation and potential policies to reduce degradation, from an environmental economics perspective. The main focus is thus on policy options for addressing ecosystems' degradation. The strengths and weaknesses of alternative policies are analyzed and illustrated with examples.
LernzielThe objective is to draw on insights from environmental economics for explaining human-induced ecosystem change and for assessing the potential of policies and economic incentives as strategies to reduce ecosystem services degradation. Students understand the relevance of environmental economics in application to the sustainable provision of ecosystem services (ES). They can define different categories of ecosystem services and understand underlying sources of market failure that lead to suboptimal human decisions regarding ES provision. They understand the importance of policy choice and policy design. This incorporates both established and newer policy approaches that can be used to address market failure and move towards better outcomes from a societal point of view. They can assess strengths and weaknesses of alternative policy approaches and instruments and understand the basis for selecting among alternative instruments to address ecosystems' degradation. Students have an improved understanding of the political economy underlying the making of environmental policy. They know a variety of real-world applications of different policy approaches related to land use choices and ES in developing and developed countries. Finally, they understand approaches for assessing policy impacts.
InhaltThe Millennium Ecosystem Assessment found that 60% of the world's ecosystem services (ES) are being degraded or used unsustainably. The UN report on 'The Economics of Ecosystems Services and Biodiversity' highlighted the impacts on human well-being and the role of policy in addressing ecosystems' degradation. Evaluating changes in ES from a societal perspective first requires an assessment of the societal value of different ES and the tradeoffs between them. Second, we need to understand the drivers of human decision-making affecting ES. Examples will be provided on resource use choices in developed and developing countries. Third, an assessment of the causes of excessive ES degradation is needed. Potential causes include the presence of externalities, improperly designed property rights systems, divergence of private and social discount rates, and lack of information and knowledge. Understanding the causes helps to design policies for more sustainable outcomes. Policies include command-and-control, economic incentives (for example, eco-taxes, tradable permits, government payments for ecosystem services), and decentralized approaches (for example, voluntary agreements, eco-labeling, participatory management). Choosing an appropriate policy instrument (or a combination thereof) requires an understanding of the relative strengths and weaknesses of alternative instruments, their preconditions for success and the political economy of their implementation. Finally, assessing the actual impacts of policy once implemented requires a careful assessment of appropriate baselines.
SkriptLecture notes, homework exercises and readings for each class will be made available on OLAT.
LiteraturThere is no single textbook for this class. Instead, a number of articles and book chapters will be suggested for each of the topics addressed during the lecture.
Voraussetzungen / BesonderesThe course consists of a combination of lectures, homework assignments on real world case studies, a computer exercise, and an exam.
A prerequisite for this course is a bachelor-level course in Environmental Economics (e.g. 751-1551-00). In particular, students are expected to be familiar with basic environmental economics' concepts such as externality, public good, market failure, opportunity cost, social optimum and market equilibrium, among others. Students with no background in environmental economics can be provided with readings but will be expected to come up to the required standards on their own, prior to starting the class. Please contact Marie Ferré (Link) for these.
751-1652-00LFood Security - from the Global to the Local Dimension Belegung eingeschränkt - Details anzeigen
Maximale Teilnehmerzahl: 20

Nur für Agrarwissenschaft MSc und Umweltnaturwissenschaften MSc
W2 KP2GM. Sonnevelt, D. Barjolle
KurzbeschreibungBased on its nature comprising production, processing, trade and consumption and the interactions of various driving forces such as e.g. poverty, resource scarcity, globalization and climate change, global food systems are complex and food security depends on various, interlinked aspects.
LernzielTo study food security, one must analyze all four dimensions of it: availability, access, utilization and stability of the food system.
This year, the course focuses on sustainable agriculture and food security in an urbanized world.
The rapid growth of cities, especially in the developing world is placing enormous demands on urban food supply systems and influences the way we produce food for an increasing global population. Agriculture – including horticulture, livestock, fisheries, forestry, and fodder and milk production – is increasingly spreading to towns and cities. Urban agriculture provides fresh food, generates employment, recycles urban wastes, creates greenbelts, and strengthens cities’ resilience to climate change. 800 million people worldwide practice urban agriculture. It helps low-income urban residents to save money on food purchases. In many countries, urban agriculture is still informal and sometimes illegal. It’s not only food production in urban areas and cities that change and shape global food agenda. An important driver is how the urban and rural linkages are developing. 80% of rural population live close to cities with new economic and livelihood opportunities. Hungry and thirsty cities are putting increasing pressure on water and land resources. Resource competition and environmental degradation need to be addressed, while innovative ways turning challenges into business opportunities, for instance by closing water and nutrient loops need to be explored.
During the course, we will elaborate on the challenges and discuss promising concepts for more and more urbanized food systems.
More details on the content and the activities and expectations will be given on the first preparatory event on February 22nd 2018.
InhaltThe main block of the course is a three-days workshop/seminar at the FAO headquarter in Rome 04.04.-06.04.2018 (week after Easter).
On February 22nd, March 8th and 22nd 2018, three mandatory events (each starting at 17:00 and lasting +/- 1.5 hours) will be held at LFW C1, ETH Zurich.
SkriptBooks and Articles.
We will share literature and information and expect the students to activelly search for relevant information and share them with their colleagues.

We will share the presentations and other material available and compose a document of the material elaborated by the students during the workshop after the event.
Voraussetzungen / BesonderesThe Lecture is held in English and is limited to 20 MSc-students from agricultural and environmental sciences. Interested students are invited to apply for the course, they will be informed on the application procedure at the first introduction event on February 22nd 2018.
751-2700-00LBodenmarkt und BodenpolitikW2 KP2GG. M. Giuliani
KurzbeschreibungDie Studierenden eignen sich Kenntnisse der Besonderheiten von Bodenmärkten und der Wirkungsmechanismen bodenpolitischer Eingriffe wie Höchstpreise, Verkaufsrechte und Landumverteilungen an. Insbesondere werden Kenntnisse über Marktstrukturen und Marktformen auf Bodenmärkten vermittelt.
LernzielDie Studierenden eignen sich Kenntnisse der Besonderheiten von Bodenmärkten und der Wirkungsmechanismen bodenpolitischer Eingriffe wie Höchstpreise, Verkaufsrechte und Landumverteilungen an. Insbesondere werden Kenntnisse über Marktstrukturen und Marktformen auf Bodenmärkten vermittelt.
InhaltDer erste Teil der Vorlesung hat folgende Kapitel: Historischer Abriss der Bodennutzung; historische Modelle individueller und kollektiver Bodenordnungen; schweizerische landwirtschaftliche Bodenordnung und -politik; spezielle Theorieaspekte zum landwirtschaftlichen Bodenmarkt; empirische Untersuchungen zu Bodeneigentum und -märkten; Verbindungen zwischen Bodenpolitik und Agrar- bzw. Agrarumwelt-Politik. Der zweite Teil handelt von Bodenbesitzstrukturen in Entwicklungs- und Transformations-Ländern. Nach einer allgemeinen systematischen und theoretischen Einführung in die allgemeine Problematik von Bodenverteilungen werden Fallbeispiele und bodenpolitisch aktuelle Themen behandelt. Die Vorlesung vermittelt Grundlagen, welche zur Beurteilung der Nachhaltigkeit der Landnutzung beitragen und zur Etablierung nachhaltiger Landnutzunssysteme.
SkriptWird in der Vorlesung abgegeben.
LiteraturIst im Skript aufgeführt.
851-0735-11LEnvironmental Regulation: Law and Policy Belegung eingeschränkt - Details anzeigen
Number of participants limited to 15.

Particularly suitable for students of D-USYS
W3 KP1SJ. van Zeben
KurzbeschreibungThe aim of this course is to make students with a technical scientific background aware of the legal and political context of environmental policy in order to place technical solutions in their regulatory context.
LernzielThe aim of this course is to equip students with a legal and regulatory skill-set that allows them to translate their technical knowledge into a policy brief directed at legally trained regulators. More generally, it aims to inform students with a technical scientific background of the legal and political context of environmental policy. The focus of the course will be on international and European issues and regulatory frameworks - where relevant, the position of Switzerland within these international networks will also be discussed.
InhaltTopics covered in lectures:

(1) Environmental Regulation
a. Perspectives
b. Regulatory Challenges of Environment Problems
c. Regulatory Tools
(2) Law: International, European and national laws
a. International law
b. European law
c. National law
(3) Policy: Case studies

Assessment:
(i) Class participation (25%): Students will be expected to contribute to class discussions and prepare short memos on class readings.
(ii) Exam (75%) consisting of three parts:
a. Policy brief - a maximum of 2 pages (including graphs and tables);
b. Background document to the policy brief - this document sets out a more detailed and academic overview of the topic (maximum 8 pages including graphs and tables);
c. Presentation of the policy brief: presentations can use a maximum of 5 slides and can last 7 minutes.
SkriptThe course is taught as a small interactive seminar and significant participation is expected from the students. Participation will be capped at 15 in order to maintain the interactive nature of the classes. All classes, readings, and assignments, are in English.

Teaching will take place over two weeks in September and October. The exam date will be in December.

During the second week of the teaching period, students will have individual 30-minute meetings with the lecturer to discuss their project.
LiteraturAn electronic copy of relevant readings will be provided to the students at no cost before the start of the lectures.
Voraussetzungen / BesonderesNo specific pre-existing legal knowledge is required, however all students must have successfully completed Grundzüge des Rechts (851-0708-00 V) or an equivalent course.

The course is (inter)related to materials discussed in Politikwissenschaft: Grundlagen (851-0577-00 V), Ressourcen- und Umweltökonomie (751-1551-00 V), Umweltrecht: Konzepte und Rechtsgebiete (851-0705-01 V), Rechtlicher Umgang mit natürlichen Ressourcen (701-0743-01 V), Environmental Governance (701-1651-00 G), Policy and Economics of Ecosystem Services (701-1653-00 G), International Environmental Politics: Part I (851-0594-00 V).
860-0012-00LCooperation and Conflict Over International Water Resources Belegung eingeschränkt - Details anzeigen
Number of participants limited to 30.
STP students have priority.

This is a research seminar at the Master level. PhD students are also welcome.
W3 KP2S + 2AB. Wehrli, T. Bernauer, J. Mertens
KurzbeschreibungThis course focuses on the technical, economic, and political challenges of dealing with water allocation and pollution problems in large international river basins. It examines ways and means through which such challenges are addressed, and when and why international efforts in this respect succeed or fail.
LernzielThe students get an overview of (1) causes and consequences of water scarcity and water pollution problems in large international river basins; (2) they understand concepts and policies to assess and mitigate such water challenges, and (3) they analyze when and why international efforts in this respect succeed or fail.
InhaltBased on lectures and discussion of scientific papers students acquire basic knowledge on contentious issues in managing international water resources, on the determinants of cooperation and conflict over international water issues, and on ways and means of mitigating conflict and promoting cooperation. Students will then, in small teams coached by the instructors do research on a case of their choice (i.e. an international river basin where riparian countries are trying to find solutions to water allocation and/or water quality problems). They will write a brief paper and present their findings during a final meeting at the end of the semester.
The first 5 and the last 2 dates are reserved for lectures and seminars, during which presence of students is obligatory.
Skriptslides and papers will be distributed electronically.
LiteraturThe UN World Water Development Report 2015 provides a broad overview of the topic
Link
Voraussetzungen / BesonderesThe course is open to Master and PhD students from any area of ETH.

Replaces 701-0462-01L "The Science and Politics of International Water Management". Students who got credits for this course in the past, cannot register here.

ISTP students who take this course should also register for the course
860-0012-01L - Cooperation and conflict over international water resources; In-depth case study.
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