9/5/23, 7:53 PM Course Outline - Environment and Development in a Global Perspective

ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT IN A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE FALL 2023

GEOG 203
Published Sep 05, 2023

CLASS SCHEDULE

Section Location Time Instructor(s)

Helena Shilomboleni
Fridays
GEOG 203 001 [LEC] HH 1101 hshilomboleni@uwaterloo.ca
2:30 p.m. - 5:20 p.m.

This table is generated automatically

INSTRUCTOR / TA INFORMATION

Professor: Dr. Helena Shilomboleni (hshilomb@uwaterloo.ca)

Office hours: Wednesday 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM, EV2 2028, or by appointment.

Teaching Assistants: Celina Mohni (cmmohni@uwaterloo.ca); Kaitlyn Manninger (kmmannin@uwaterloo.ca)

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Calendar Description for GEOG 203

Examines the interface between human development and the environment in a global context. Various perspectives
are explored to link environmental issues to wealth, poverty, consumption, population, and economic globalization.
Case studies, with an emphasis on developing countries, are used to illustrate linkages.

Prereq: ENVS 195, ENVS 205, or GEOG 101

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of this course students should be able to:

Explain how global economic development interacts with environmental conditions.

Trace the biophysical and socio-economic causes and their interactions of contemporary environmental problems.

Understand the ways in which the current situation and our approach to solving problems has evolved over the
last60 years.

Critically examine technology as a double-edged sword that contributes to both causes and solutions
ofenvironmental problems.

https://outline.uwaterloo.ca/view/n99u68 1/5
9/5/23, 7:53 PM Course Outline - Environment and Development in a Global Perspective

Evaluate how issues of race and justice interact with the way we treat environmental problems.

TENTATIVE COURSE SCHEDULE

Week Topic Required Readings, Videos or Podcasts

1 (Sept. Course introduction Hardin, 1968

8)

2 (Sept. The environmental movement

15)

3 (Sept Environment and technology Alexander and Rutherford 2019

22)

4 (Sept Agriculture and food security I: rise of an Clapp 2016

29) industrial food system

5 (Oct. Agriuculture and food security II: Lipper and Zilberman 2017
6) Climate smart agriculture & alternatives

6 (Oct. Reading week

13)

7 (Oct. Midterm
20)

8 (Oct.
27) Water I: Groundwater in India Van Meter et al. 2014

This week includes key content for Part 2 of the Assignment

9 (Nov. Water II: Rivers

3) Guest Lecturer Dr. Dustin Garrick

News: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-50328647

10 (Nov. Environmental Racism Watch:

10) https://www.kanopy.com/en/uwaterloo/watch/video/131934
2 (require authentication with your UW id)

11 (Nov. Conservation, protected areas Listen: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nature-is-

17) healing/id1437189814?i=1000489203559

12 (Nov. Mining Sosa and Keenan 2001

24)

13 (Dec. Waste and Waste Management Listen: https://www.npr.org/transcripts/757539617

1)

https://outline.uwaterloo.ca/view/n99u68 2/5
9/5/23, 7:53 PM Course Outline - Environment and Development in a Global Perspective

TEXTS / MATERIALS

Title / Name Notes / Comments Required

See instructions below Yes

There is no textbook, but there are required "readings" - these are a mix of traditional readings, podcasts, and video
documentaries. All materials will be linked via Learn and will not incur additional costs; however, some services
require authentication (your UW id).

STUDENT ASSESSMENT

Component Value

Term Paper Part 1: the Setup (due Oct. 9) 10%

Term Paper Part 2: the Analysis (due Nov. 6) 10%

Term Paper Final: Setup, Analysis and 25 %

Recommendations (due Dec. 4)

Midterm (Oct. 20.) 20%

Final exam (date TBD during exam period) 35 %

All assignment submissions are electronic, via the relevant dropbox on Learn.

Assignment submissions are accepted until 11:59 p.m. Late penalties are assessed at 3 % on a rolling 24 hour clock.

This course includes a test bank, with potential midterm/assignment questions released along with new content
throughout the term. The midterm and final questions will be drawn from this test bank. The final is cumulative, i.e. it
will cover the whole term.

ASSIGNMENT SCREENING
Text matching software (Turnitin) will be used to screen assignments and test answers in this course. This is being
done to verify that use of all material and sources in assignments is documented.

ADMINISTRATIVE POLICY

Declaring Absences: Regardless of the process used to declare an absence, instructors maintain agency over
decisions regarding course component accommodations.

Self-declared absences (for COVID-19 and short-term absences up to 2 days) must be submitted through Quest.

Absences requiring documentation (e.g. Verification of Illness Form, bereavement, etc.) are to be uploaded by
completing the form on the VIF System (https://vif.uwaterloo.ca). Do not send documentation to your advisor,

https://outline.uwaterloo.ca/view/n99u68 3/5
9/5/23, 7:53 PM Course Outline - Environment and Development in a Global Perspective

course instructor, teaching assistant, or lab coordinator. Submission through the VIF System will notify your
instructors of your absence.

Mental Health: The University of Waterloo, the Faculty of Environment and our Departments/Schools consider
students' well-being to be extremely important. We recognize that throughout the term students may face health
challenges - physical and / or emotional. Please note that help is available. Mental health is a serious issue for
everyone and can affect your ability to do your best work. Counselling Services https://uwaterloo.ca/campus-wellness/
(https://uwaterloo.ca/campus-wellness/) is an inclusive, non-judgmental, and confidential space for anyone to seek
support. They offer confidential counselling for a variety of areas including anxiety, stress management, depression,
grief, substance use, sexuality, relationship issues, and much more.

All students are encouraged to download the WatSAFE app which is available free through the google and iOS app
stores. The WatSAFE app provides on- and off-campus contacts for students in distress, including international
students, and other information related to campus safety and security.

Religious Observances: Students need to inform the instructor at the beginning of term if special accommodation
needs to be made for religious observances that are not otherwise accounted for in the scheduling of classes and
assignments.

Communications with Instructor and Teaching Assistants: All communication with students must be through
either the student’s University of Waterloo email account or via LEARN. If a student emails the instructor or TA from a
personal account they will be requested to resend the email using their personal University of Waterloo email account.

Recording lecture: Use of recording devices during lectures is only allowed with explicit permission of the instructor
of the course. If allowed, video recordings may only include images of the instructor and not fellow classmates. Posting
of videos or links to the video to any website, including but not limited to social media sites such as: facebook, twitter,
etc., is strictly prohibited.

COVID-19 Contingency: Students who must miss class due to Covid-19 or other illness must enter absences into the
system. Students can self-declare one Covid absence of up to 10 days and one absence for any reason for up to 2 days
per term via Quest (https://uwaterloo.ca/quest/help/students/how-do-i/self-declare-absence-undergraduate-
students) . Further absences require documentation, which students enter via vif.uwaterloo.ca
(https://vif.uwaterloo.ca/) . Absences will be accommodated according to the academic regulations section of the
undergraduate calendar (https://ugradcalendar.uwaterloo.ca/page/Acad-Regs-Accommodations) .

In the event of instructor illness, classes will be temporarily suspended and in-person classes may be temporarily
moved online, depending on the severity of instructor illness and self-isolation requirements. Should the University of
Waterloo require the suspension of in-person instructional activity, all classes, tests and exams will be conducted
online.

UNIVERSITY POLICY
Academic integrity: In order to maintain a culture of academic integrity, members of the University of Waterloo
community are expected to promote honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility. [Check the Office of Academic
Integrity (https://uwaterloo.ca/academic-integrity/) for more information.]

Grievance: A student who believes that a decision affecting some aspect of their university life has been unfair or
unreasonable may have grounds for initiating a grievance. Read Policy 70, Student Petitions and Grievances, Section 4
(https://uwaterloo.ca/secretariat/policies-procedures-guidelines/policy-70) . When in doubt, please be certain to
contact the department’s administrative assistant who will provide further assistance.

https://outline.uwaterloo.ca/view/n99u68 4/5
9/5/23, 7:53 PM Course Outline - Environment and Development in a Global Perspective

Discipline: A student is expected to know what constitutes academic integrity to avoid committing an academic
offence, and to take responsibility for their actions. [Check the Office of Academic Integrity
(https://uwaterloo.ca/academic-integrity/) for more information.] A student who is unsure whether an action
constitutes an offence, or who needs help in learning how to avoid offences (e.g., plagiarism, cheating) or about “rules”
for group work/collaboration should seek guidance from the course instructor, academic advisor, or the undergraduate
associate dean. For information on categories of offences and types of penalties, students should refer to Policy 71,
Student Discipline (https://uwaterloo.ca/secretariat/policies-procedures-guidelines/policy-71) . For typical penalties,
check Guidelines for the Assessment of Penalties (https://uwaterloo.ca/secretariat/guidelines/guidelines-assessment-
penalties) .

Appeals: A decision made or penalty imposed under Policy 70, Student Petitions and Grievances
(https://uwaterloo.ca/secretariat/policies-procedures-guidelines/policy-70) (other than a petition) or Policy 71,
Student Discipline (https://uwaterloo.ca/secretariat/policies-procedures-guidelines/policy-71) may be appealed if
there is a ground. A student who believes they have a ground for an appeal should refer to Policy 72, Student Appeals
(https://uwaterloo.ca/secretariat/policies-procedures-guidelines/policy-72) .

Note for students with disabilities: AccessAbility Services (https://uwaterloo.ca/accessability-services/) , located

in Needles Hall, Room 1401, collaborates with all academic departments to arrange appropriate accommodations for
students with disabilities without compromising the academic integrity of the curriculum. If you require academic
accommodations to lessen the impact of your disability, please register with AccessAbility Services at the beginning of
each academic term.

Turnitin.com: Text matching software (Turnitin®) may be used to screen assignments in this course. Turnitin® is
used to verify that all materials and sources in assignments are documented. Students' submissions are stored on a
U.S. server, therefore students must be given an alternative (e.g., scaffolded assignment or annotated bibliography), if
they are concerned about their privacy and/or security. Students will be given due notice, in the first week of the term
and/or at the time assignment details are provided, about arrangements and alternatives for the use of Turnitin in this
course.

It is the responsibility of the student to notify the instructor if they, in the first week of term or at the time assignment
details are provided, wish to submit alternate assignment.

https://outline.uwaterloo.ca/view/n99u68 5/5