NRES/GEOG 400/600 International Issues for Water Development
Fall Semester 2015 (3 credits)
NRES 400; NRES 600; GEOG 400; GEOG 600
International Issues for Water Development
Course Meeting Time: Monday & Wednesday 1 to 2:15 p.m., MS 321
Student World Water Forum: November 19-20, 2015
Course Instructor:
Laurel Saito, FA 220A
Phone: 775 784 1921; e-mail: lsaito@cabnr.unr.edu
Office hours: M 8:30-9:30 am or by appointment
Catalog Description: Evaluates the integration of science, technology, culture, policy, and economics
in international issues of water use and development.
Pre-requisites:
Completion of CO 1-8; junior or senior standing.
Course Description: Every living thing on earth needs water to survive in one way or another. Thus,
it is a global resource. In this course, you will gain an appreciation of how local
water issues are pertinent in a global sense, and how social/cultural, economic,
political, environmental, and technological circumstances affect the
implementation of water projects both domestically and abroad.
In this course you will evaluate the integration of science, technology, culture,
policy, ecology, and economics in international water issues for large- and smallscale project implementation. You will study how water use and management
has been influenced by cultural dynamics, economic systems, political
organization, technological change, and scientific understanding. You will be
critically analyzing water project development and grappling with differences in
water planning, policy, and project development in a variety of social and
technological environments. You are expected to come to each class period
prepared by reading the assigned materials. All students will prepare a 10 to 15
page conference paper. In addition students will either make a 10-minute paper
presentation or present a poster at the Student World Water Forum (SWWF).
The SWWF will simulate a professional international conference. In addition to
writing the conference paper, you will be responsible for completing an
assignment and writing two essays (4 to 6 pages) based upon the readings, class
lectures, and discussions.
Course Objectives:
This course is designed to meet Core Objective 11 (CO11) Global Contexts.
Students will apply and evaluate modes of academic inquiry, creative expression,
or results of research to problems in historical and contemporary global contexts.
Students will articulate connections among local, national, and international
contexts and evaluate ways that historical and contemporary global influences
affect their current situations. This course also meets Core Objective 13 (CO13)
Integration & Synthesis. Students will be able to integrate and synthesize Core
knowledge, enabling them to analyze open-ended problems or complex issues.
In addition, this course develops Core Objectives 1 (Effective Composition and
Communications), and 3 (Critical Analysis and Use of Information).
More specifically, students in this course will:
1. Learn why local water issues are pertinent in a global sense.
2. Learn about the synthesis of social/cultural, economic, political,
environmental, and technological circumstances that affect water use,
management, and governance both domestically and abroad.
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NRES/GEOG 400/600 International Issues for Water Development
3. Learn about international water project development by grappling with
differences in water planning, policy, and project development in a variety of
social and technological environments.
4. Practice and refine skills in critical reading, writing, and discussion in relation
to issues about water and society.
5. Graduate students will organize a simulated international conference as part
of a conference organizing committee
Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs): As a result of participating in this course, successful students
will be able to:
1. Use (in writing) the appropriate metrics and language to evaluate the
context of several different water-related situations common throughout the
world. (CO1, CO 3, CO13)
2. Synthesize materials and argue persuasively (in writing and in an oral
conference-style presentation) about a contemporary water issue of
international significance. (CO1, CO11, CO13)
3. Explain (in writing and through discussion), the history, parties,
uncertainties, strategies, mechanisms, and future prospects for a current
international water treaty. (CO1, CO11, CO13)
4. Synthesize information (in writing) about how social equity, cultural norms,
security considerations, and/or the time scale of problem evolution influence
decision-making about water in various parts of the world. (CO1, CO3, CO11,
CO13)
Exams and Grading: Undergraduates
Attendance & Participation
Assignment and Essays
Pop Quizzes
Research paper
Presentation of research paper
TOTAL POSSIBLE
200 points
300
100
250
150
1000 points
Graduate students
Attendance & Participation
Assignment and Essays
Pop Quizzes
Research paper
Presentation of research paper
Organization of SWWF
TOTAL POSSIBLE
200 points
300
100
250
150
300
1300 points
Note: All assignments are due at the beginning of class. They will be assessed a
10% late penalty if not turned in during class, and an additional 10% for each
day beyond. We use a +/- grading scale as follows:
A
92.6-100%
C
72.6-77.4%
A90.0-92.5%
C70.0-72.5%
B+
87.5-89.9%
D+
67.5-69.9%
B
82.6-87.4%
D
62.6-67.4%
B80.0-82.5%
D60.0-62.5%
C+
77.5-79.9%
F
<60%
Attendance:
As a capstone and graduate-level course that focuses on the synthesis of
complex water issues in regards to policy, culture, technology, and
interdisciplinary aspects, attendance is a key element to your success in this
class. There are no exams associated with this class; rather, the class will involve
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NRES/GEOG 400/600 International Issues for Water Development
discussions and synthesis of readings, audio-visual materials, and group
exercises in class. Thus, it is essential that students attend class to participate in
these syntheses. You are expected to be in the classroom each day for the entire
class period. Absence, late attendance and leaving the classroom during the class
period will be noted accordingly.
Participation:
The reading assignments are critical to learning in this class and provide
background material for productive discussions. Discussion and debate of the
complex issues we cover in this class enhances your learning as well as that of
your classmates. Participation includes providing comments on the issues in class
based on the readings and discussion; contributing actively to group exercises in
class; and the quality of questions posed about the assigned readings.
Assignment and Essays: One assignment will be distributed early in the semester to ensure that key
points made in early lectures and readings are understood. Essays will be takehome and will involve your analysis and synthesis of class readings and material.
Detailed instructions will be provided.
Pop Quizzes:
Pop quizzes will be given periodically throughout the semester and will focus on
assigned course readings to promote richer discussion of these readings. These
quizzes will be at the beginning of the class period so be sure to get to class on
time. Missed pop quizzes cannot be made up.
Research paper:
A major portion of the course grade consists of the preparation of a 10 to 15
page research paper on an international water-related topic, which will also be
the topic for your presentation (see below). Detailed instructions will be provided
later in the course.
Presentation of research paper: You will prepare a presentation on the research topic selected for
your research paper, and give that presentation at the Student World Water
Forum (SWWF) on November 19 or 20. Detailed instructions will be provided.
Graduate students only: Graduate students will organize the SWWF as a conference organizing
committee. Graduate students are also required to examine available literature,
and relate the literature to the final essay and the research paper.
Required Textbooks: See attached reading list. A good resource for water-related terms can be found
in the US Geological Survey’s online water science glossary of terms. This can be
accessed at: http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/dictionary.html or through the course
web page.
Web page:
wcl.unr.edu and http://www.cabnr.unr.edu/saito/classes/nres400/nres400.htm
If you have a disability and will be requiring assistance, please contact one of us and the Disability
Resource Center (Thompson Building Suite 100) as soon as possible to arrange for appropriate
accommodations.
In consideration of your fellow students and the instructors, you must turn off cell phones, IPODs and
laptop computers during class time, unless you have prior permission from the instructors.
Statement on Audio and Video Recording: Surreptitious or covert video-taping of class or
unauthorized audio recording of class is prohibited by law and by Board of Regents policy. This class
may be videotaped or audio recorded only with the written permission of the instructor. In order to
accommodate students with disabilities, some students may have been given permission to record class
lectures and discussions. Therefore, students should understand that their comments during class may
be recorded.
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NRES/GEOG 400/600 International Issues for Water Development
Academic Success Services:
Your student fees cover usage of the Tutoring Center (784-6801 or www.unr.edu/tutoring/ ), and
University Writing Center (784-6030 or www.unr.edu/writing_center). These centers can support your
classroom learning.
A Note on Plagiarism:
Plagiarism (copying all or part of someone else’s work and passing it off as your own) is a serious form of
academic misconduct and will not be tolerated in this class. The following definitions and possible courses
of action are taken from the Academic Standards section of the university catalog:
Academic dishonesty is defined as: cheating, plagiarism or otherwise obtaining grades
under false pretenses. Plagiarism is defined as submitting the language, ideas, thoughts or work
of another as one’s own; or assisting in the act of plagiarism by allowing one’s work to be used in
this fashion….
Disciplinary procedures for incidents of academic dishonesty may involve both academic
action and administrative action for behavior against the campus regulations of student
conduct….Academic action may include: (1) canceling the student’s enrollment in the class
without a grade; (2) filing a final grade of “F”; (3) awarding a failing mark on the test or paper in
question; (4) requiring the student to retake the test or resubmit the paper.
“The work of another” does not just mean whole papers or articles copied from another source. It
includes any information, ideas, sentences, or phrases that came from somewhere other than your own
head (i.e. books, articles, internet sites, videos, documents, lecture notes or handouts from other
courses, and any other sources used in your paper). These must be properly acknowledged by providing
references either in the text or in a footnote, along with a bibliography giving the complete publication
information for all sources used in your paper. Even if you paraphrase someone else’s ideas and do not
quote them directly, you still must acknowledge your source. Citations should also be given for littleknown facts and statistics. Ignorance is not an excuse for plagiarism. If you are not sure whether you
need to provide a source for a piece of information or how to cite a source, ask the instructors.
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NRES/GEOG 400/600 International Issues for Water Development
Fall Semester 2015 Course Schedule
Note: see Dr. Saito or Dr. Berry for login and password to retrieve linked documents
Date
Topics
WK 1, M
WK 1, W
WK 2, M
WK 2, W
WK 3, M
Introduction
International water issues in context
Labor Day Holiday – no class
Hydrology review
Water infrastructure
WK 3, W
Desalination & fog water capture
WK 4, M
WK 4, W
Irrigated agriculture
Water energy food nexus
WK 5, M
WK 5, W
WK 6, M
WK 6, W
Creeping environmental problems
Water for wetlands & riparian areas
Floods & floodplain mgt
Drought
WK 7, M
WK 7, W
Urban water supplies
Health & water
WK 8, M
WK 8, W
Water rights
Equity & water law
WK 9, M
Culture and water
Readings
WK 9, W Gender and water
WK 10, M Transboundary waters
WK 10, W Cooperation & conflict & water
----Klaver (2012)
Distribute paper/presentation guidelines
Manning (1997), Ch. 1
Cech (2003), Chs. 1 and 6
Vaidyanathan (2011)
Bagla (2014)
Mandell (2012)
Vince (2010)
Chobin-Kuper et al. (2006)
Bazilian et al. (2011)
Department of Energy (2014)
Glantz (1998)
Lawler (2005)
Ward (2002), Ch. 6
Wilhite & Glantz (1985)
Redmond (2002)
McDonald et al. (2011)
Riley et al. (1998)
IAWR (2013)
Crase and Dollery (2006)
Funke et al. (2007)
Tewari (2006)
Strang (2009)
Distribute Assignment 1
Hawkins & Seager (2010)
Allouche (2007)
Etienne & Nembrini (1995)
Mehta et al. (2012)
Drieschova & Fischhendler (2011)
WK 11, M International water treaties
5
Notes
Assignment #1 due
Research paper topics due
Draft abstract due
Final abstract due
Paper outline due
Research paper due
Distribute Assignment 2
NRES/GEOG 400/600 International Issues for Water Development
WK 11, W Water privatization
Rothfeder (2003)
Valdovinos (2012)
Bauer (2010)
Maxwell (2012)
Hering & Ingold (2012)
Pahl-Woestl (2007)
WK 12, M Pricing water
WK 12, W IWRM and adaptive management
WK 13, M No class
WK 13, M No class
WK 13, R-F Student World Water Forum [Thursday in JCSU Great Room; Friday in JCSU rm 324]
Keynote speaker (4 pm; Redfield Auditorium in DMS)
WK 14, M Defining water security
Cook and Bakker (2013)
ICA (2012)
WK 14, W Water security web
Farnum (2014)
Zeitoun (2013)
WK 15, M Water footprints & virtual water
Hoekstra & Mekonnen (2012)
Wichelns (2010)
WK 15, W Visioning water
Cosgrove & Rijsberman (2000), Ch. 4
Grayman et al. (2012), Ch. 2
WK 16, M Water matters and perspective
----WK 17, M Final period (10:15-12:15pm)
6
Assignment 2 due
Distribute final essay
Final essay due
NRES/GEOG 400/600 International Issues for Water Development
Readings:
Allouche J. 2007. The governance of Central Asian waters: national interests versus regional cooperation.
Disarmament Forum 4:45-55. (allouche07.pdf)
Bauer C. 2010. Market approaches to water allocation: lessons from Latin America. Jrnl of Contemp.
Water Res & Ed 144: 44-49. (bauer10.pdf)
Bazilian M, Rogner H, Howells M, Hermann S, Arent D, Gielen D, Steduto P, Mueller A, Komor P, Tol RSJ,
Yumkella KK. 2011. Considering the energy, water and food nexus: Towards an integrated modeling
approach. Energy Policy 39:7896-7906. (bazilian11.pdf)
Cech T. 2003. Principles of water resources: History, development, management, and policy . Pp. 1-12,
149-155. New York: John Wiley & Sons. (cech03.pdf)
Chobin-Kuper A, Ducrot R, Tonneau JP, Rocha Barros E. 2006. Role-playing game development in
irrigation management: A social learning approach. Pp. 259-274 in Perret S, Farolfi S, Hassan R, editors.
Water governance for sustainable development: Approaches and lessons from developing and transitional
countries. London: Earthscan. (chobin06.pdf)
Cook, C, Bakker, K. 2013. Debating the Concept of Water Security. Pp. 49-63 in Lankford, B, Bakker, K,
Zeitoun M, Conway, D, editors. Water security: Principles, perspectives, and practices. New York:
Routledge. (cook13.pdf)
Cosgrove WJ, Rijsberman FR. 2000. Chapter 4: Our vision of water and life in 2025. Pp. 48-57 in World
Water Vision: Making Water Everybody’s Business. London (UK): Earthscan. (see
http://www.worldwatercouncil.org/fileadmin/wwc/Library/WWVision/Chapter4.pdf)
Crase L, Dollery B. 2006. Water rights: A comparison of the impacts of urban and irrigation reforms in
Australia. Australian Journal of Agricultural & Resource Economics 50: 451-462. (crase06.pdf)
Dept of Energy. 2014. The water-energy nexus: Challenges and opportunities: Overview and summary.
Pp. 12. Washington DC: US Department of Energy. (doe14.pdf)
Drieschova A, Fischhendler I. 2011. A toolkit of mechanisms to reduce uncertainty in international water
treaties. Jerusalem: Hebrew University & CLICO. (drieschova11.pdf)
Etienne Y, Nembrini PG. 1995. Establishing water and sanitation programmes in conflict situations: the
case of Iraq during the Gulf War. Soz Präventivmed 40:18-26. (etienne.pdf)
Farnum RL. 2014. Water for food: feeding what? A comparative analysis of Egyptian and Israeli national
water policies toward water in agricultural production. Future of Food: Journal on Food, Agriculture and
Society 2(1): 140-145. (farnum14.pdf)
Funke N, Nortje K, Findlater K, Burns M, Turton A, Weaver A, Hattingh H. 2007. Redressing inequality:
South Africa’s new water policy. Environment 49(3):11-23. (funke07.pdf)
Glantz MH. 1998. Chapter 4: Creeping environmental problems in the Aral Sea basin. Pp. 25-52 in
Kobori I, Glantz MH, editors. Central Eurasian Water Crisis: Caspian, Aral, and Dead Seas. Tokyo: United
Nations University Press. (glantz.pdf)
Grayman W, Loucks DP, Saito L. 2012. Chapter 2: Looking into the next 40 years – 40 years ago. Pp. 1221 in Toward a sustainable water future: visions for 2050. Reston: American Society of Civil Engineers.
(grayman12.pdf)
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NRES/GEOG 400/600 International Issues for Water Development
Hawkins R, Seager J. 2010. Gender and water in Mongolia. The Professional Geographer 62:16-31.
(hawkins10.pdf)
Hering, JG, Ingold KM. 2012. Water resource management: What should be integrated? Science
336:1234-1235. (hering12.pdf)
Hoekstra AY, Mekonnen MM. 2012. The water footprint of humanity. PNAS:1-6. (hoekstra12.pdf)
[ICA] Intelligence Community Assessment. 2012. Global water security. (ICA12.pdf)
[IAWR] Internationale Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Wasserwerke im Rheineinzugsgebiet. 2013. Memorandum
regarding the protection of European rivers and watercourses in order to protect the provision of drinking
water. Dusseldorf: IAWR. (http://www.iawr.org/docs/publikation_sonstige/efg-memorandum_2013.pdf)
Klaver IJ. 2012. Placing water and culture. Pp. 9-29, in Hiwasaki L, Klaver IJ, Ramos Castillo A, Strang V,
editors. Water, cultural diversity and global environmental change: Emerging trends, sustainable futures?
Dordrecht: Springer. (klaver12.pdf)
Lawler A. 2005. Revising Iraq’s wetlands. Science 307:1186-1189. (lawler05.pdf)
Mandell M. 2012. Water From The Sea: The Risks And Rewards Of Israel's Huge Bet On Desalination.
International Business Times July 14, 2012. (mandell12.pdf)
Manning J. 1997. Applied Principles of Hydrology. 3rd Edition. Pp. 1-6. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice
Hall. (manning97.pdf)
Maxwell S. 2012. Water is still cheap: demonstrating the true value of water. Journal of the American
Water Works Association 104(5): 31-37.
McDonald RI, Douglas I, Revenga C, Hale R, Grimm N, Gronwall J, Fekete B. 2011. Global urban growth
and the geography of water availability, quality, and delivery. Ambio 40(5):437-446. (mcdonald11.pdf)
Mehta L, Veldwisch, GJ, Franco J. 2012. Introduction to the Special Issue: Water grabbing? Focus on the
(re)appropriation of finite water resources. Water Alternatives 5(2): 193-207. (mehta12.pdf)
Pahl-Wostl C. 2007. Transitions towards adaptive management of water facing climate and global
change. Water Resources Management 21:49-62. (pahl07.pdf)
Redmond, KT. 2002. The depiction of drought: A commentary. Bulletin of the American Meteorological
Society 1143-1147. (redmond02.pdf)
Riley MB, Murphy AD, Rosado MAM. 1998. Chapter 12: A reversal of tides: drinking water quality in
Oaxaca de Juárez, Mexico. Pp. 237-261 in Donahue JM, Johnston BR, editors. Water, Culture, and
Power: Local Struggles in a Global Context. Washington (DC): Island Press. (riley.pdf)
Rothfeder J. 2003. Water rights, conflict, and culture. Water Resources Impact 5(2): 19-21.
(rothfeder.pdf)
Strang, V. 2009. Chapter 3: Indigenous fluidscapes. Pp. 85-118. In Gardening the world: Agency,
identity and the ownership of water. New York; Berghahn. (strang09.pdf)
Tewari DD. 2006. An evolutionary history of water rights in South Africa. Pp. 155-182 in Tvedt T,
Oestigaard T, editors. A History of Water: The World of Water. London: IB Tauris. (tewari06.pdf)
Vaidayanathan G. 2011. Remaking the Mekong. Nature 478:305-307. (vaidyanathan11.pdf)
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NRES/GEOG 400/600 International Issues for Water Development
Valdovinos J. 2012. The remunicipalization of Parisian water services: New challenges for local authorities
and policy implications. Water International 37(2):107-120. (valdovinos12.pdf)
Vince G. 2010. Out of the mist. Science 330:750-751. (vince10.pdf)
Ward DR. 2002. Chapter 6: Raging rivers: living in floodplains. Pp. 153-172 in Water Wars: Drought,
Flood, Folly and the Politics of Thirst. New York: Putnam. (ward02_ch6.pdf)
Wichelns D. 2010. Virtual water: A helpful perspective but not a sufficient policy criterion. Water
Resources Management 24:2203-2219. (wichelns10.pdf)
Wilhite DA, Glantz MH. 1985. Understanding the drought phenomenon: The role of definitions. Water
International 10(3)111-120. (wilhite85.pdf)
Zeitoun, M. 2013. The Web of Sustainable Water Security. Pp. 11-25 in Lankford, B, Bakker, K, Zeitoun
M, Conway, D, editors. Water security: Principles, perspectives, and practices. New York: Routledge.
(zeitoun13.pdf)
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