SEMESTER AT SEA COURSE SYLLABUS updated 7/16/2012

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1 SEMESTER AT SEA COURSE SYLLABUS updated 7/16/2012 Fall 2012 Discipline: Env Sci - Law & Policy SEMS : : Environmental Issues and Policies in the Ocean Division: Upper Faculty Name: Kay Slaughter Pre-requisites: Some previous course or experience with environmental issues planning, environmental sciences, geography, etc. would be helpful but not required. COURSE DESCRIPTION: The Atlantic Ocean, the setting for our voyage, is largely a world of the commons used by many coastal nations of North and South America, Europe and Africa. Yet the use and misuse of this commons affects human and biodiversity fisheries, birds and marine mammals. Overfishing the Atlantic leads to the decimation of a number of species, and vast plastic wastes are creating trash vortexes while the extraction of offshore oil and gas has other consequences to the Ocean s inhabitants and nearby communities. Students will identify and research issues such as over-use and pollution of the Ocean through ocean dumping, overfishing, offshore petroleum and gas extraction, alternative energy production, and transport of waste or other hazardous materials. Our study will begin with understanding the concept of the Commons, the Law of the Sea and other treaties and laws to address issues of sharing the ocean commons. COURSE OBJECTIVES: To understand the concept of the Commons on a global context To identify treaties and laws relevant to governance of the Atlantic and its resources To identify emerging issues of one nation that may affect the resources of other nations or the Atlantic Ocean. To gain a better understanding of US. Policy and differing viewpoints of other Atlantic nations. REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS AUTHOR: Susan J. Buck TITLE: The Global Commons: An Introduction PUBLISHER: Island Press ISBN #: DATE/EDITION: 1998 COST: $30 AUTHOR: Simon Winchester TITLE: Atlantic: Great Sea Battles, Heroic Discoveries, Titanic Storms and A vast Ocean of a Million Stories PUBLISHER: Harper Collins ISBN: (paperback) 1

2 DATE/EDITION: 2011 Also in Electronic Form COST: $15.99 TOPICAL OUTLINE OF COURSE Class will meet on A Days at 8-9: /25 Introductions, Discussion of Outline of course, assignments for semester. Introduction of journaling practice to be used in personal identification of issues and observations from class, field visits and Field Lab. What is the tragedy of the Commons and what are some of the solutions? a. The Tragedy of the Commons by Garrett Hardin (EF) b. Commons Game (IN CLASS) 2. 8/27 What do you really know about private property? How absolute is it? What conditions are attached to the use of property? a. The Global Commons, Susan Buck (hereafter Buck ) Chapter 1. Organizing the Commons: Definitions and Assumptions How should we apply concepts to the Atlantic and the three continents we re visiting? b. Buck, pp (Ozone story): How did commons work here? c. Preface and Prologue of Atlantic 3. 8/29 What is Buck s framework for studying the global commons? a. Buck Chapter 2 b. Interview with Elinor Ostrom (EF) c. Read Section 2 Fouling the Nest in Chapter 6, Change and Decay All Around the Sea, Atlantic, Simon Winchester. d. Moby Dick, The Film (1956) GALWAY, DUBLIN 4. 9/4 UNCLOS: the US Still Hasn t Signed -- Plus U.S. Laws on Ocean Resources a. The Law of the Sea Convention Read Buck pp b. Summary of US Laws: Marine Mammals Act, and Magnuson Stevens Fisheries Management Act in US Commn on Ocean Policy, Chapter 3 (EF) c. Chapter 1-3 Atlantic d. Questions and briefing before onshore trip SOUTHAMPTON, ANTWERP (Tentative optional field trip to EU, Brussels on Monday, October 10) 5. 9/16 How is the Atlantic Ocean important to the nations we just visited? How does work of the European Union relate to ocean issues? Share journal and any information gleaned from field excursions. a. Chapter 4-5, Atlantic 6. 9/18 Do Ostrom s ideas work on a national or regional scale? How might they be applied with North Atlantic Commons? a. Review OSPAR Report, North East Atlantic Environmental Strategy (EF) b. Test 1: Commons LISBON/CADIZ 2

3 7. 9/27 Putting these concepts to use on a global level: Property Rights paradigm, national sovereignty and the Common Heritage of Mankind. How do the readings help us to define the problems facing the governance of the Ocean commons? a. Buck, Chapter 4: The Oceans b. Birnie & Boyle, The Law of the Sea and Protection of Marine Environment (EF) c. World Bank Publication on Casablanca, Morocco and Climate Change (EF) d. Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) (EF) Preparing for visits What are the uses of ocean historically in these locations? Do Spain and Portugal differ from Northern Europe in use of Ocean? Casablanca? CASABLANCA 8. 10/3 Share observations from visits and journals. Continue Discussion of Buck, Chapter 4. Chapter 6, Atlantic: Change and Decay All Around 9. 10/6 Discussion of Ghana a. View You-Tube Video Pulitzer Center for Investigative Journalism b. Oil Ghana - Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting (EF) TEMA/ACCRA FIELD LAB ON THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11 IN ACCRA Field Lab to discuss ocean issues with Ghanaian officials, nongovernmental organization. STUDY DAY /13 What did we learn about Ghanaian uses of Ocean? /15 Test 2: Readings thus far a. Buck, Chapter 4, Antarctica b. Discussion of Fisheries Regime from observations /17 a. Four Fish Conclusion (EF) b. Buck, Chapter 7, Conclusion CAPETOWN /24 Share from Journals on return from onshore visit: Discuss visit to Cape Town /26 Compare with U.S. a. Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) (EF) b. ELI Clean Water Act (EF) /29 Student presentation: Fisheries /31 Axelrod et al 17.., The Global Environment, Chapter 12: The View from the South: Developing Countries in Global Environmental Politics BUENOS AIRES /9 How does atmospheric affect oceans? a. Buck Chapters 5 (Atmosphere) and Chapter 6 (Outer Space and Telecommunications) RIO DE JANEIRO /14 Share visits and journals and discuss Buck s chapters on Antarctica, Outer Space and Communications? How can these help guide our thinking about the Atlantic? Are there interconnections? 3

4 a. Review Buck Chapters 3 (Antarctica) and 4 (Oceans). On second reading, what more have we learned? /16 Student Presentation on Marine Mammals a. Prepare for visits to Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil. STUDY DAY /19 Test 3 on Law of Sea and Montreal Protocol and Preparation for visits /21 What were observable differences between Ocean uses in South America with Europe and Africa? What were differences between South American countries? a. Buck, Chapter 7 and Epilogue, Atlantic FILMS: FITZCARRALDO and BURDEN OF DREAMS (evenings) MANAUS 23. [EXIT AMAZON] 11/26 Discussion of Visits. Student Presentation on Oil and Gas Extraction /28 Summary and Review for Exam: EXAM ON 12/3 FIELD ASSIGNMENTS (At least 20 percent of the contact hours for each course.) Field Assignments: 1) A Field Lab will be held in Accra to focus on Ghana s issues relating to the sea, fishing resources and oil extraction. 2) The core of the student field assignments will be an ongoing class journal that integrates thoughts and observations on the class readings and discussions with observations at sea and on land visits to the cities on the three continents. Students will be reminded to note throughout our voyage observations of natural (fish and marine mammals, birds) and human uses of the sea and sea ports (e.g., shipping, commercial or sports fishing; large scale commercial fishing; offshore oil, gas, wind production, tourism beaches, coastal amenities, military uses -national, international naval vessels). Students will be expected to share portions of their journals in class. 3) The class will divide into three groups for presentations on several environmental issues: fisheries; marine mammals; and mining the ocean for oil, gas and deep sea minerals. METHODS OF EVALUATION Participation in class (attending, asking questions, participating in discussion, sharing journal entries) 20% Field Lab and Journal 20% Tests 20% Presentation 20% Exam 20% Grades will be assigned A; 80-89, B; 70-79, C; 60-69, D; below 60 F No Pluses or Minuses will be assigned. RESERVE LIBRARY LIST AUTHOR: Paul Greenberg 4

5 TITLE: Four Fish PUBLISHER: Penguin Press ISBN #: DATE/EDITION: 2010 COST: $ AUTHOR: Deborah Stone TITLE: Policy Paradox PUBLISHER WW Norton ISBN X (pbk) DATE/EDITION: 2011 COST: $41 hardback (ISBN ) AUTHOR: Elinor Ostrom TITLE: Governing the commons: the evolution of Institutions for Collective Actions PUBLISHER CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS ISBN DATE/EDITION: 1990 COST: Journey to Planet Earth: State of the Oceans Animals (PBS) (DVD) Journey to Planet Earth: State of the Planet s Oceans (PBS) (DVD) ELECTRONIC COURSE MATERIALS NEEDED Conclusion, Paul Greenberg, Four Fish, Penguin Press, ISBN , 2010, pp Chapter 12: The View from the South: Developing Countries in Global Environmental Politics Regina S. Axelrod, David Leonard Downie and Norman J. Vig, The Global Environment, CQ Press, ISBN X, 2005, pp Chapter 7, pp , The Law of the Sea and Protection of the Marine Environment, AUTHOR: Patricia Birnie and Alan Boyle TITLE: International Law and the Environment PUBLISHER: Oxford University Press ISBN #: DATE/EDITION: 2d ed ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: Access to these websites European Union website UNCLOS 5

6 OSPAR Commission on protecting North East Atlantic Large (at least 5 feet long) Wall-sized Laminated Map of the Atlantic Ocean with continents and islands identified so that map may be marked with grease pen. Grease pens 6