NEW COURSES

We have integrated and expanded some of our courses with similar or overlapping themes to provide a comprehensive field and lab course. As before, these courses can be run independently or in combinations to yield a full semester program. Discover more about our new courses below and get in touch for more information.

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development signed by all member states of the UN, promises to end world poverty, fight inequality and tackle climate change by the year 2030. From 8 key Millenium Development Goals (MDG) in 2000 emerged 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), 11 of which are directly concerned with sustainability across major sectors that affect human health and well-being i.e., agriculture, resource consumption and management, energy, industry, urban planning, economic growth and social justice. This course will take students through concepts, challenges and approaches for sustainable development across sectors via a series of lectures, field visits and group discussions. Students will have the opportunity to examine a range of issues and discuss potential solutions while examining existing ones in terms of relevance, efficiency and replication.

TROPICAL COASTAL ECOSYSTEMS

The course will follow a series of lectures that discuss the ecology, threats, management and conservation of a number of coastal ecosystems and their role in the maintenance of the marine environment. Human dimensions in conservation and management will form a significant portion of this course and thus, students will have the opportunity to engage with organizations and individuals actively working on major challenges across a variety of ecosystems. Students will spend one week in Pondicherry and two weeks in the Andaman Islands learning about wetlands, sandy beaches, estuaries, tropical dry evergreen forests, tropical rain forests, coral reefs, rocky beaches and mangroves.

FIELD METHODS IN ECOLOGY, GIS AND DATA ANALYSIS

This course will prepare students for a career in research and is therefore primarily concerned with key steps in the research process. Students will be encouraged to think about their own specific research interests as they are introduced to study design, field data collection techniques and subsequent data analysis. Students will use variety of tools in field and lab based exercises to develop a GIS and analyze data spatially, and statistically within the R programming environment. Introductory level statistics will cover descriptive statistics, correlation and ANOVAS while the advanced statistics will include linear modelling and other regression techniques. Students will also be taught how to produce publication ready figures and maps and will be encouraged to explore other R packages in addition to those used for the course. The final portion of this course will focus on communication of research findings to a wider audience.

FISHERIES MANAGEMENT & ECOLOGY

This course with introduce students to the history of fisheries and it's global significance. Catch reconstructions of major fisheries resources clearly demonstrate declining stocks which has serious implications on ecosystems, livelihoods and food security. Throughout the course, students will be encouraged to draw parallels between industrial fisheries in the developed world and small scale fisheries in developing countries. Key topics will explore species based, niche and ecosystem based fisheries while discussing the importance, challenges and management of the same. Different management approaches will also be discussed in addition to the science of fisheries management i.e., identifying maximum sustainable yields versus unexploited quotas. A large portion of this course will explore the Indian situation in terms of legal, institutional, and socio-economic factors affecting coastal and fisheries management and sustainable livelihood approaches.

CULTURE, CLASS & GENDER

This course will examine Indian culture and history and their influence on prevailing belief systems in view of the many conflicts and dilemmas that face Indian society today. This course also addresses the role of gender, class and caste across various facets of society and industry, from a historical and contemporary lens. While a range of social, religious and gender constructs are the root causes for many of India’s past and ongoing problems, the teachings and interpretations of several philosophers and scholars will provide the background to a deeper analysis of the organization and functioning of Indian society, simultaneously discussing the relevance of these beliefs in a rapidly urbanizing India. Students are encouraged to draw parallels and highlight contrasts with Western society through lectures and field visits that examine the root of belief systems, current debates, progress and status.

SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICATIONS

Writing and communicating research findings form a significant part of any research or scientific career. The aim of this course is to demystify the writing process while addressing the different fora used to communicate science. While a large part of this course will focus on the development of a perfectly readable scientific manuscript, the course will also encourage students to go beyond peer reviewed scientific
papers and develop their skills in popular writing, blogs and public speaking. One session in this course will also cover grant writing which is a fundamental skill for a successful research career.

New Courses: Programs