PLAN 620 | PLAN 641 | PLAN 689 | LDEV 671-MARS689

PLAN 620: Dispute Resolution and Participation in Planning
A graduate-level course for students interested in building skills in negotiation and bargaining for the resolution of environmental and development disputes. The course will cover the principles of conflict management, negotiation, and collaboration, and then apply these principles to actual disputes. Students will develop their skills through participation in several dispute resolution exercises.

Course Objectives
• To understand the principles and practices of dispute resolution and conflict management applied to environmental and land use planning;
• To be able to identify, analyze, and resolve disputes stemming from development and environmental activities;
• To gain experience in resolving disputes and managing conflicts through in-class simulations.

• Syllabus [word doc]

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PLAN 641: Environmental Planning
A graduate-level course that covers a broad range of topics associated with environmental planning primarily from a social science perspective. The course will focus not on single media (e.g. air, water, waste) or species approaches, but on planning for entire natural systems as an emerging focus for environmental policy in the United States. It is intended for graduate students with an interest in solving the practical problems associated with planning for ecological systems and is open to students in all departments, including Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning, Wildlife and Fisheries, Public Policy, Renewable Resources, Land Development, and Rangeland Ecology. The course will be problem-based, where students will have the opportunity to apply the principles of environmental planning to realistic problems and settings. The content will prepare students for the interdisciplinary, complex, and conflict-driven problems they will have to address when working in the environmental arena.

After an overview of the principles of ecosystem approaches to management, students will examine both the natural science and policy aspects of ecosystem planning. The majority of the course will focus on planning problems practitioners may face and the specific strategies available to solve these problems. Students will be exposed to the process of developing and evaluating plans that seek to manage ecological systems and promote ecologically sustainable approaches to development. Specific topics will include: ecosystem science and landscape ecology; multi-party collaboration; plan quality and analysis, GIS and computer modeling, and land use planning tools and policies.
• Syllabus
Course Readings
Course Presentations

Course Objectives
• To understand the principles and practices of ecosystem management and planning;
• To understand ecosystem function, integrity, and structure;
• To identify the major human, institutional, and process-based issues in managing ecosystems;
• To identify planning tools and techniques for implementing the principles of ecosystem management;
• To be able to analyze the effectiveness of an ecosystem-based plan;
• To be able to draft an effective environmental management plan.

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PLAN 689: Coastal and Marine Protected Areas
Coastal and marine protected areas are receiving increasing amounts of attention as essential planning tools for managing and protecting the coastal margin. This graduate-level course focuses on the science, policy, and politics of establishing coastal and marine protected areas (CMPAs). As an interdisciplinary, graduate-level seminar, this course will investigate the theory and practice of using protected areas to manage complex problems related to the coastal and marine environment. Specific topics will include: Ocean and coastal dynamics; biodiversity conservation; sustainable fisheries management; marine zoning and regulation; site location criteria and assessment; protected areas network analysis; stakeholder conflicts and community involvement; legal framework; and education and research.

Course Objectives
• To understand the costs and benefits of establishing CMPAs in the U.S. and around the world;
• To understand natural science and public policy behind establishing coastal and marine protected areas;
• To learn about existing CMPAs programs/initiatives around the world;
• To be able to identify and analyze areas for establishing CMPAs;
• To understand the principles underlying an effective management plan to establish CMPAs.

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LDEV 671-MARS689: Sustainable Planning and Developement
This course will cover a broad range of topics related to resiliency and sustainability in coastal areas. Readings and classroom discussions will examine a range of issues associated with understanding resiliency/sustainability from ecological, social, economic, organizational, planning, and built-environment perspectives.  Specific topics will include: ecological disturbance, adaptive learning, sustainable enterprise, social vulnerability, natural hazards, climate change, development management, and ecological footprint analysis.  The approach of the course will be problem-based, where students will have the opportunity to apply the principles of sustainability and resiliency to realistic problems, settings, and solutions.  The content of the course will prepare students to address the interdisciplinary, complex problems associated with coastal sustainability and resiliency in their work and everyday lives.

Course Objectives


• Syllabus [word doc]

Course Readings




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