Integrated Water Resource Management

Contents

During the programme students develop IWRM knowledge and skills through concepts, case studies, methods and thesis work. The programme combines action learning principles to allow leaners to combine awareness, understanding and constructive action competence vis â vis critical issues of water resources in complex and uncertain situations. An understanding will be gained of the role of knowledge and facilitation in managing multi-stakeholder processes. The environment enabling IWRM will be explored by learning about the role of institutions, platforms, markets and policies.

The programme welcomes recent graduates as well as experienced professionals. This includes students with a background in either social sciences or natural sciences who are interested in a career in water management, and professionals with experience in the water sector wishing to acquire heightened knowledge and further develop their skills in this field. Entry requirements are a BSc-level qualification in either natural or social sciences, for example political scienc, biology, environmental science or hydrology, and a high level of skill in written and spoken English.

Course schedule

Year 1

• Introduction to Master studies (5 credits)

Introduction to study at an advanced level, and to give an overview of the content and structure of the Master´s programmes. The course also gives an introduction to generic competences which will be of benefit during the course and later in professional life.

• Water Resource Dilemmas, Uncertainty and Complexity: The Biophysical Basis (10 credits)

Objectives: To draw on real case material to understand the nature of the context in which water resource dilemmas, uncertainty and complexity occur and to critically reflect on these cases by developing concepts and using theory.

• Systems thinking and social learning in natural resource management (15 credits)

Objectives: The course aims at providing a theoretical and practical understanding in systems thinking and social learning and the application of this theory in natural resource management situations. In the course an understanding is developed for how scientific and local knowledge can be deployed in concert with carefully facilitated process design that enable actors to develop a platform where dialogue and co-learning is possible while being grounded in practice or action, and also where different interests, perspectives and values can contest, deconstruct, and reconstruct new common visions and plans for changing the situation.

• Facilitation in project and conflict management (15 credits)

Objectives: The course aims at developping understanding of and skills in facilitating constructive group process and dialogue in situations of conflict and tensions within and between working groups and organizations. The course will prepare students: To be a member or leader of a working group responsible for carrying out a natural resource management or development project which will affect local actors and to be responsible for the mediation between actors, organizations and interests when there are conflicts of interest, perspectives and values and/or there have been a history of distinctive action between the actors. The goal is that students should be able to analyze the social process of an unknown coordination situation and based in this analysis design and apply a relevant intervention in order to create and maintain an effective, democratic and constructive working procedure.

• Integrated Water Resource Governance (15 credits) Or: One-year Master Thesis (15 credits)

Objectives: The course aims to explore the role of institutions and policies in the governance of water resources at various scales from watershed to basin level. Use the experience of others, as presented in earlier part of the IWRM course, to understand crucial elements in institutional design that will foster IWRM to critically reflect upon the appropriate mix of coercive and non-coercive policy instruments for fostering of IWRM in different contexts.

Year 2

• Research methods (15 credits)

Objectives: The course aims to provide Master’s students skills and understanding necessary for conducting, writing, presenting and defending methodologically sophisticated inter-disciplinary research. This course will offer an overview of the fundamentals of research methods applicable to the inter-disciplinary research on water and environmental issues. Training within the course includes research design, quantitative and qualitative forms of analysis, ethical issues in research, and appropriate skills to interpret and analyze primary and secondary research materials. The students will develop their thesis proposal in this course.

• Tools for analysis and management of water quality and quantity (15 credits) (Or: Student choice: Courses in Sweden or other countries (15 credits))

Objectives: The course aims to draw on real case material to understand the nature of the context in which water resource management is limited by geographical and temporal variations regarding water quality and quantity. We will critically reflect on these cases by selecting the appropriate analysis, hydrological modelling approach for management with the aim of making semi-quantitative decisions. During this course the students will acquire basic knowledge of using geographical information systems (GIS) when analyzing spatial data of varying resolution. Finally the students´ attention is drawn to current or important past issues within IWRM framework. The students will learn to synthesize complex literature data and present that information in form of shorter seminars, posters and workshops. Through this course students get in contact with professionals that present their current work in the area of IWRM in form of seminars.

• Thesis work (30 credits)

Objectives: to develop skills in independently planning, realizing, and presenting a scientific study within chosen area. The student shall, within the project work, specialise his/her knowledge of the subject. With successful completion of this course, the student will, within chosen area, be able to:

• identify, delimit, and formulate scientific problems, based on earlier attained knowledge
• independently plan and realize a scientific study
• independently search for, evaluate, critically interpret and compile relevant information
• in writing present scientific results in English
• orally present and discuss results
• make a popular summary of a scientific study and
• critically and constructive evaluate other students scientific studies.