Bren School Masters Course
TITLE: An introduction to the study of management and conservation of coastal
social-ecological systems
Prof. Stefan Gelcich
P. UNIVERSIDAD CATOLICA DE CHILE
DEPARTAMENTO DE ECOLOGIA
ALAMEDA 340, SANTIAGO, CHILE
sgelcich@hbio.puc.cl
ABSTRACT:
This course will look into management and conservation of coastal resources
through an integrated social-ecological system perspective. This perspective sees
people as part of and not apart from ecosystems. In the current era of humandominated ecosystems and a biosphere shaped by human actions from local to
global scales, such a perspective is rapidly gaining ground worldwide in science, is
also given a strong priority among funding organizations, and is in demand in the
science-policy-practice interface. This interdisciplinary course will not be
constrained by a certain paradigm, but open-minded, aimed at identifying critical
frontiers for improved management of coastal social-ecological systems. The course
will be based on taught lectures, in which the professor will draw from his own
interdisciplinary experience with coastal social-ecological systems. Students will
have assignments aimed at developing basic knowledge of the human dimensions of
linked social-ecological coastal systems. Assignments should introduce students to
interdisciplinary analysis and synthesis which could eventually be useful to be
applied in the “real world” through collaborative processes.
The Course has the following components:
1. Lectures by Stefan Gelcich. Lectures will be based on 8 main themes related to
human dimensions of coastal social-ecological systems.
2. Students bibliographic Review of a human dimensions aspect of management
and conservation: In groups of 4, students will be allocated a theme, selected in
advance. The theme will be informed to students with at least two weeks in
advance from the due date. The teacher will select 8 themes portraying ways that
human dimensions research on coastal social-ecological systems can be
operationalized. No switches of themes or students will be allowed. The groups
will receive ca. 4 pdf references on the theme. These references will be
considered as a starting point from which students must develop their assignment.
With the information (as a group/team) students are required to write an essay in
which they state ways in which human dimensions research can be
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operationalized in the context of marine management or conservation. Essay
must have a maximum of 10 pages (including figures, graphs, tables, etc). The
Essay must be submitted electronically (WORD format) to the teacher on
Saturday 28th April.
3. On Friday 20th : each group/team will have 15 minutes to present the main ideas
of their essay, in front of the course for feedback. It will be followed by 5 minutes
of questions from rest of students or teacher. It is STRONGLY recommended that
the power point should not contain more than 12 slides. Oral presentations (as in
a meeting or congress) will be stopped at 15 minutes.The order of the
presentations will be random.
4. The final evaluation of each student will be based on the oral presentation
and the essay.
5. I have attached an excel worksheet with the groups and topics.
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