Environmental Studies

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale program. The course is intended for advanced level students only. Enrollment is by consent of the instructor. The course provides an understanding of key issues involved in environmental politics, from both a theoretical and practical perspective. Environmental issues are critically discussed, with particular reference to the role and responsibilities of great powers in the international politics of climate change, power inequality, and the global ecological crisis. Students acquire and learn: 1) the essential conceptual, theoretical, and methodological tools necessary to tackle and understand environmental issues; 2) knowledge regarding the major interpretations of environmental security; 3) basic knowledge about major environmental powers (United States, China, European Union, India, Brazil, Russia) and international institutions and issue areas (UN Security Council, multilateral environmental agreements, international climate leadership, coal politics); and 4) how to apply the acquired tools to the analysis of concrete cases.

The course focuses on Japan`s Environment and Energy Policies, especially its policies toward renewable energy. From a comparative perspective alongside other East Asian nations and Northern Europe (Norden), it analyzes Japan's role in global climate negotiations and its policies toward renewable energy in the context of its traditional reliance on fossil fuels and nuclear power.

By the end of the course, students should be well-versed in global environmental issues as well as Japan's policies for combating climate change and promoting a shift toward renewable energy. An understanding of the current state of Japan's transition toward using renewable energy for energy generation; the further electrification of transportation, and the shift toward a hydrogen economy, is also an expected outcome.

This course emphasizes hands-on laboratory experience and teaches students research background, relevant theories, and basic laboratory techniques relevant to their field of study. Students formulate a research plan, implement it by conducting experiment-based research, and convey the results in scholarly presentations. Students submit a written research report at the end of the course.

In this course students acquire a broad knowledge base and develop analytical and critical thinking skills. Students actively participate in seminars, read assigned texts and research papers, and analyze research data. Students also discuss results obtained in their own experiments with peers and senior laboratory members.

This course provides students with an introduction into European environmental and climate politics and policy. Theories on European integration are discussed and students consider their explanatory value in understanding the emergence of environmental and climate policy. Special attention is paid to the European Union's institutional set-up and the actor constellations involved in policy-making processes. The course then reviews the policy cycle and explores the influence of different actor groups on the initiation, agenda setting, decision-making and implementation of European environmental policy. The focus is on regulatory areas related to the environment, climate change, and energy policy. Students consider the problems, debates, and decisions, and compare political expectations and results.

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is the process of identifying, predicting, evaluating and mitigating the biophysical, social, and other relevant effects of development proposals prior to major decisions being taken and commitments made. The objective of EIA is to ensure that decision-makers consider environmental impacts before deciding whether to proceed with new projects. This course introduces the concept of EIA, its historical evolution, and the terminologies that are used worldwide. Topics include the organizational aspects of EIA, the EIA framework and the procedural methods to conduct an EIA, with special emphasis on water and water related issues. 

This course provides a study of basic soil mechanics and investigates geotechnical engineering principles. It examines how to make simplifications to complex soil conditions, how to establish strength/deformation characteristics of the soil, and how to apply fundamental geo-mechanics knowledge to solve problems involving the stability of an earth mass.

This course explores the relationship between the natural world and United States culture, considering specifically the visual expression of that relationship: How have Americans imagined “nature” and represented it? How have concepts of land and landscape shaped perceptions about social order, identity, and sustainability? The course provides both a historical framework for thinking about these questions as well as a contemporary perspective, particularly in the context of a potential new era known as the “Anthropocene.” 

This course explores the scientific basis for understanding energy management, both at global and local scales. It discusses the energy resources available worldwide, how we consume energy today, and the pros, cons, and limitations of each form of energy production. This course examines the criteria that should drive energy management and energy transition at a global scale, as well as the current geopolitical and economic scenarios that impact this process.

With a growing number of unsustainable environmental, economic, and social trends, how can different actors work for sustainable alternatives? How can we develop capacities, strategies and tactics that achieve lasting and real changes in the local and global world? To achieve a more vibrant and participatory sustainable development there is a need for great changes, both on the systemic and individual level. These changes can take the form of fast-moving revolutions, but can also be more reformist initiatives as social entrepreneurship in businesses or taking part in local politics. In the course different actors and their strategies for change, globally and locally, are critiqued and analyzed through discussions with guest lecturers and in workshops with fellow students. In the last part of the course students work on a concrete change project, which builds on the discussions and insights gained during the first part of the course.