Human Environment Interactions

Course manual 2025/2026

Course content

Addressing some of todayʼs most pressing societal challenges, including climate change and land degradation, socio- economic inequality and energy security, are addressed through policies and technological interventions, designed by societal institutions. Thus, addressing these physical and social challenges requires interdisciplinary training and skills.

In this course we focus on the complex human-environment interactions that lead to social-ecological development in space and over time. It will include an analysis of the historical evolution of key life support systems. This year we will focus on the Amsterdam food system as a case study and how it is connected to specific contexts, places and processes. Students will work on this case study and elicit the social, ecological and technological dimensions of the evolution of this system.

Building on the science skills acquired in previous courses (e.g., numerical modeling and GIS of Earth systems), students will investigate how environmental assessment methods and policy institutions shape the way that complex Earth systems are managed. Theoretical knowledge will be combined with fieldwork to investigate questions that decision-makers are typically confronted with, and that have high stakes in the current societal debate – such as the energy transition, sustainable food systems, or dealing with sea level rise: What are the impacts of Earth system management decisions on local communities? What are realistic strategies to implement management decisions in specific contexts that will significantly change the landscape?

Study materials

Literature

• Scientific articles and reports are provided on Canvas.

Practical training material

• Provided during class.

Software

• GIS, Vensim and other software that students choose to use.

Objectives

• Integrating disciplinary knowledge to understand space, place and process across spatial and temporal scales.
• Analyzing the role of humans in physical and cognitive landscapes.
• Analyzing conflicting land uses and the role of institutions and organizations in generating or resolving conflicts.
• Evaluating trade-offs in the use of space and resources.
• Conveying the complexities of the case study to academic and non-academic audiences.
• Develop recommendations for concrete interventions or policy adaptations to address conflicts in human-environment relationships.
• Ability to value different perspectives of stakeholders involved in and affected by complex challenges.

Teaching methods

• Lecture
• Fieldwork/excursion
• Presentation/symposium
• Self-study
• Working independently on e.g. a project or thesis
• Supervision/feedback meeting

Lecture: We will provide lectures as input in the beginning of each week. This sets the stage  and provides a framing for the week's tasks.

Self-study: We provide literature and other course materials for the students to study as a start for addressing the tasks provided each week. This broad set of literature encourages students to divide tasks and seek specific information within the provided literature. Students are encouraged to seek additional information, literature and datasets to address the questions posed during the input sessions.

Working independently: Students work in groups and on their own to investigate the case study. This is meant to stimulate discovery and synthesising information provided during the lectures, through the reading materials and data, as well as the excursion.

Excursion: Make theory and applications taught during the course tangible (connect to space and place).

Supervision/feedback: Students prepare weekly presentations of their research findings. We provide feedback during these sessions to help students reflect on what they learned and how to improve/proceed. Students also provide feedback to each other to practice giving critical feedback. The teachers are present during the self-study sessions to respond to students' questions.

Learning activities

Attendance

Additional requirements for this course:

Absence needs to be communicated with the course coordinator prior to the absence.

Assessment

Inspection of assessed work

Students will receive their graded final report containing feedback/justification of the grade.

Assignments

Weekly assignments posted on Canvas. Students work in groups of 2-5 to answer tasks. Presentations in groups (every student takes an active speaker role in the presentation). Students receive immediate feedback. Reports are individual and receive a final grade with feedback/justification.

Fraud and plagiarism

The 'Regulations governing fraud and plagiarism for UvA students' applies to this course. This will be monitored carefully. Upon suspicion of fraud or plagiarism the Examinations Board of the programme will be informed. For the 'Regulations governing fraud and plagiarism for UvA students' see: www.student.uva.nl

Course structure

Contact information

Coordinator

• dr. Lies Jacobs PhD

Staff

• S.R. Gadge
• dr. Lies Jacobs PhD