The emerging field of socio-hydrology broadly deals with the fact that human activities and the water cycle constantly interact, at an increasingly global scale. The interdisciplinary Study Project (SPJ) aims to clarify and discuss some relevant aspects of this human–water relationship by a set of individual projects/analyses. The SPJ combines short lectures, group discussions (plenary and break-out rooms), practical exercises (ideally data analyses) and several short presentations and reports by students.
In the lecture parts, participants get an introduction into the overall topic of socio-hydrology and specific fields relevant for the study projects to be conducted. Thereby they are guided on how to develop an own research idea and project to be conducted throughout the semester.
In the exercise/work parts, students co-design (mentored by the lecturers) their own focus study, discuss their plans in the plenary, perform the required data analysis and/or literature review (supervised by the instructors), and finally present the main results. Topics and analysis tools for individual projects will be identified during the course depending on the students’ individual backgrounds and skills. A tentative overall topic is the portrayal and analysis of historic water use and water management systems in different parts of the world in view of their larger societal implications. |
