ClassInfo

Agricultural lands, water resources, and energy production and transport are interconnected systems with implications for policy and management at local to global scales. This course will explore contemporary issues at the nexus of food, energy, and water with a focus on Midwestern landscapes. Specific topics include farm policy, permitting of pipelines and energy production, mitigation of air and water pollution, and strategies to incentivize the conservation and restoration of landscapes. Students will develop professional skills in systems thinking, scenario analysis, science communication, facilitation, and collective leadership.

• Develop skills in systems thinking and science communication that allow students to understand, diagnose, and effectively communicate environmental challenges.

• Cultivate an awareness of the diverse viewpoints and perspectives of key stakeholders and how different audiences perceive food-water-energy issues.

• Identify social, ecological, and technological dimensions of environmental systems and how they are interlinked over time and space.

• Analyze policy and governance aspects of food, energy, and water challenges, including the roles and capabilities of the market, the state, and civil society in solving these challenges.