ISLAND AND REEF ECOSYSTEMS

Population growth, increasing tourist influx and associated development put huge pressure on island ecosystems. Taught in the Andaman Islands and Phuket, Thailand, this course provides an understanding of the ecology, anthropology and ethnography of these islands. Students gather and interpret data on reefs and rocky intertidal zones across a gradient of anthropogenic pressure, studying the positive and negative impacts driven by tourism and challenges of conservation in this scenario.

UPLANDS AND ESTUARIES

This course introduces the connectivity between coastal ecosystems and the continental land mass, emphasising the significant role these ecosystems play in maintaining and influencing the overall health of the marine environment. Students study about sand dunes, coastal forests, mangroves, estuaries along with watershed and wetland processes.

COASTAL MANAGEMENT

This course explores the legal, institutional, and economic factors affecting coastal zone and fisheries management in India. It covers state and central government regulations along with international treaties while discussing historical and current conflicts related to resource utilisation. It specifically analyses the challenges for fisheries management in terms of social dynamics within fisher communities, legal frameworks to promote sustainable harvests and scientific evidence for policy recommendations.

INTRODUCTION TO MARINE GIS

Spatial information is essential for managing any environment or resource and that includes the marine realm. Due to the visible lack of physical barriers in open water, spatial data is often the only way to identify a particular zone and is therefore the foundation for any type of marine management. This course takes students through field and lab based exercises, giving them the opportunity to work with a variety of methods and tools which allows them to assess multiple approaches and their applications across different fields. The marine focus makes it a good introductory course for students with no GIS experience. Advanced topics are taught to students with greater experience.

FIELD METHODS IN MARINE SCIENCE

This course is primarily concerned with scientific methods of data collection and analysis across a variety of biomes including terrestrial, near shore, coastal seas and deep ocean. Students participate in reef, beach, estuary, and ocean monitoring, collecting data on biological, chemical and geologic features of those environs, alongside working with remote sensing data and existing datasets.

SUSTAINABLE RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Issues of sustainability have never been more in the limelight than currently with the focus on climate change, future of the environment and impacts on human population. A major focus of this course will be on sustainable agriculture and fisheries, and ecological restoration efforts combined with a range of eco living models. Students are encouraged to critically examine these varied systems and their viability as possible solutions to problems of resource management and conservation.

CULTURE, CLASS AND GENDER

This course explores the role and contribution of women within the development sector from a historical and contemporary point of view. Students explore social and cultural issues in resource management and development, particularly the culturally distinct roles for women in harvesting, production, and processing of natural resources. Students also discuss issues related to gender equality and status of vulnerable groups on field visits to various villages in south India.

HEART OF INDIA

This course provides students historical and cultural perspectives of the many conflicts and dilemmas currently faced by Indian society. Philosophers and social activists through the ages have attempted to deal with these issues that are deeply rooted in social and religious constructs, with the hope of a more equitable and just society. Students will also examine various current social movements to understand the interface of social order and resource access/use and the need for a social justice perspective.

ART AS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Auroville in Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry has village incomes that are 3-4 times higher than surrounding areas. A large part of these incomes has been generated by small artisanal workshops in pottery, ceramics, ironwork, leather, incense, and clothing which are owned and operated by practising artists. Students visit a variety of these workshops to get a feel for the types of productions and working conditions, discussing their contribution to local livelihoods and the status of women. Students also study various art forms including commercial ceramics and pottery.

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