Climate Change and Violent Conflict
Week-by-Week Planning

Class Dates and Focus Assigned/
Due
Class Learning Topics Readings, Viewings, and Listening’s
Week 1, xx
1a.  Introduction
Introductions, Syllabus and Weekly Planner Posted Syllabus and Weekly Planner on course BB site under “Course Information”.
1b. Class Products and Tools
(Lab Session)
Assigned #0>>
Discuss Case Study Topic
Introduction to Cases and Software Read>>ICE Web Site: http://www1.american.edu/ted/ICE/iceall.html
Week 2, xx

2a. Climate and conflict Views

Due #0> > Case Study Topic Compare/Contrast:
Lee, Saleyhan, Gleditsch
Read>> Lee, Chapter 1, “Climate Change War”, (pp. 1-23)
Read>> Saleyhan, “No Consensus Yet” (Class BB Site>Articles #1)
Read>> Gleditsch, Climate and Conflict” (Class BB Site>Articles #2)
2b.  Setting your case

(Lab Session)

Assigned #1>>
Case Study Topic
The Case Study and the Template Read>> ICE Template: http://www1.american.edu/ted/ice/tempice.htm
Read>> About Case Studies: http://www1.american.edu/ted/class/cstudy.htm
Read>> Coding ICE Cases, Categories:
http://www1.american.edu/ted/class/codingice.html
Week 3, xx

3a.  When Nature was in Control

Due Assign #1> Case Study Proposal Compare/Contrast:

Lee, Ruddiman

Read>> Lee, Chapter 2, “History: The Holocene” (pp. 24-3)
Read>> Ruddiman, Chapters 1-2, pp 1-64, Nature in Control
3b.  How to Create Causal Loops Concepts of Causal Loops in class View>> From BB Course site, “Causal Diagrams”, PowerPoint, Causal Loops Tab, Item #1
Read>> Systems http://thesystemsthinker.com/tstgdlines.html
(see the other tabs under this site as well such as guidelines or creating diagrams)
Week 4, xx

4a.  The Medieval Climate Optimum

Assigned #2>>
Causal Loops
Compare/Contrast:
Lee, Ruddiman, and Fagan
Read>> Lee, Chapter 2, “History: Medieval Optimum” (pp. 34-42)
Read>> Fagan, Chap. 1, “A Time of Warming”, pp. 1-21
Read>> Ruddiman, Chaps 2-4 (pp. 65-150), Humans begin Control
4b.  Building Causal Loop Diagrams

(Lab Session)

Dia Diagrams and Picassa Graphic Editing View>> Livia on Dia http://vimeo.com/23593821
View>> Dia Tutorial  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVsvsrzxmnI
Download>> Picasa: http://picasa.google.com/
Dia: http://dia-installer.de/See BB course folder “Causal Loops”
Week 5, xx

 

5a.  Comparing Historic Cases (1)

Assigned>>
History (Assignment #3)
Compare/Contrast:
Fagan, Matching Cases in Old World
Read>> Fagan (pp. 22-119)
5b.  Creating Effective Figures and Maps Picture Worth a Thousand Words Powerpoint View>> (Class BB Site>Data Visualization folder>How Much is Picture Worth? (Powerpoint)
Week 6, xx

6a. Google Earth Training (Lab Session)

Due>>
Causal Loops (Assign #2)
Go to Lab

Google Earth Training

View>> BB folder: Data Visualization, Google Earth Training videos
Google Earth: http://earth.google.com/
World Mapper:  http://www.worldmapper.org/
Gapminder:  http://www.gapminder.org/world/
6b.  Comparing Historic Cases (2) Assigned>>
Maps (Assign #4)
Google Earth Work Project Time and Exercises
Week 7, xx

7a.  WordPress Basics

(Lab Session)

Due>>
History (Assign #3)
Dweaver  #1 Basics
Properties
Links
Graphics
View>> Using Lynda.com, See Modules Document (BB-W)
See>> HTML: http://www.htmlcodetutorial.com/quicklist.html
See>> http:// www.htmlcodetutorial.com/quicklist.html
7b.  Transition Climate Period Compare/Contrast:
Fagan, Matching Cases in New World
Read>> Fagan (pp. 120-end)
Group comparisons
Week 8, xx

8a.  Modern Cases

Due>> Maps (Assignment #4) Modern Cases of Climate Change and Conflict Read>> Lee, Chapter 2, Little Ice Age pp. 43-50
Read>> Ruddiman, Chapters 3 and 4, pp. 65-150
Read>> Lee, Chapter 2, Anthropocene Cases (pp. 51-65)
Read>> Ruddiman, Chapters 4-end (pp. 151-end)
8b.  Modern cases Limits to the Role of Climate Change Web Page Working Session
Week 9, xx

9a.  Forecasts of Climate Change and Conflict

Due>> Region Forecast (Assign #7) Humans and Human Security

Guest Speaker, Marcus King, GW

Read>> (Class BB Site>Articles #4)
CNA, National Security and the Threat of Climate Changehttp://www.cna.org/nationalsecurity/climate/
9b. Climate Forecasts Forecasts Read>> Lee, Chapter 3, Forecasts (pp. 66-116)
Week 10, xx

10a. Population Forecasts

Future Jeopardy (BYO Jeopardy) A Contest of Prognostication
10b. Dreamweaver self-quiz Due>>
D-weaver Self-test (Assign #5)
Dweaver:
Embedding Videos,
Hot Spots
Self-test Quiz found in BB Assignment Manager, Answers in DW folder.  Submit your final score.
Week 11, xx

11a.  Scenarios of Climate Change

Six Key Hot Spots Read>> Lee, Chapter 4, Scenarios (pp. 117-147)
11b. Three Views on Climate and Security Read>> (Class BB Site>Articles #9)
Geoff Dabelko ,“Avoid Hyperbole”, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
http://www.thebulletin.org/web-edition/op-eds/avoid-hyperbole-oversimplification-when-climate-and-security-meet
Read>> (Class BB Site>Articles #5)
Barnett and Adger, “Climate change, security and conflict”
Read>> (Class BB Site>Articles #6)
“Warming increases the risk of civil war in Africa”, Marshall B. Burkea, Edward Miguel, Shanker Satyanathd, John A. Dykemae, and David B. Lobellb
Week 12, xx

12a.  Cold War Push

Northern Push Factors Read>>Laurence C. Smith, The World in 2050, New York: Plume, 2011. Part I, the Push, pp. 1-122
12b. Assessing Scenarios Qualitative Expert Exercise Delphi Rounds of Scoring Read>> (Class BB Site>Articles #7)
Delphi Technique
Week 13, xx

13a.  Policy Implications

What are practical policies? Read>> Lee, Chapter 5, Policy Implications (pp. 148-170)
Read>> (Class BB Site>Articles #3)
“Implications of Climate Change for Armed Conflict”,Halvard Buhaug, Nils Petter Gleditsch & Ole Magnus Theisen
13b. New Research Angles Northern Pull Factors Read>>Laurence C. Smith, The World in 2050, New York: Plume, 2011. Part II and III, the Pull and Alternate Endings”, pp.123-261.
Moving Borders
Thanksgiving
November
No Class
Week 14, xx

a.  Review

New Research Areas

Moving Borders and Cloud Seeding

Cloud Seeding
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200910/cmselect/cmsctech/memo/geoengineer/ucm0102.htmMoving Borders
Virtual Conference
14b. Assessing the Cases
(Lab Session)
Work on Cases and Forecast Project Lab is scheduled for those who want to come in
Final, xx Due>> ICE Case Study (Assign #6) Final Meeting
Presentations on Cases and Forecasts