This unique course focuses on teaching students about the principles of causal inference and applying them to the politics of the environment. Specifically, this students will learn how to conduct research and evaluate theory related to the political implications of climate change, the governance of the commons and competition over natural resources. Students will receive training in how to design research and collect and manage data. They will then have the opportunity to experience field research first-hand by spending a week at the University of California's Natural Reserve at Sedgwick located in the Santa Barbara mountains. Sedgwick is a 6,000-acre preserve that is dedicated to environmental education and research. The reserve is equipped with a state of the art classroom where lectures, discussion and training sessions will be conducted during the mornings. During afternoon sessions, students will learn by doing, working in supervised teams where they will gain experience collecting and managing data. There will also be field lectures in which students will have the opportunity to learn about the environmental research projects at the reserve. Problems associated with climate change and the management of natural resources represent inherently interdisciplinary challenges. For this reason, they are best approached from an interdisciplinary perspective. Sedgwick offers students the opportunity to interact with environmental scientists and researchers across a number of disciplines who work on environmental research projects at the reserve. For this reason, it is the ideal location to offer an intensive Maymester course on conducting research about politics of the environment and the management of natural resources.

Approved