Academics / Courses / DescriptionsCIV_ENV 395-0-2: 395-0-2
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Description
JWSH_ST 390-0-1 / CIV_ENV 395-0-2 / ENVR_POL 390-0-28
Water in Arid Lands: Technology, Innovation and Transboundary Management in the Middle East
Instructor Bio:
Aaron Packman is a professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Director of the Northwestern Center for Water Research. Prof. Packman holds a joint appointment at Argonne National Laboratory as a Senior Fellow at the Northwestern-Argonne Institute of. Science and Engineering. His research focuses on water systems dynamics and the transmission of nutrients, contaminants, and waterborne diseases in natural and engineered water systems.
Elie Rekhess is the Crown Visiting Professor in Israel Studies and Director of the Israel Innovation Project (IIP) at Northwestern University. He is also the Israel Liaison in the Office of the Vice President for International Relations. IIP is a unit based in Weinberg College, with the aim of developing academic ties between Northwestern and Israeli universities, with a special emphasis on science, technology, engineering, and math.
Course Description:
This seminar will explore how the availability of water in the Middle East has shaped the development of civilizations, influenced political stability in the region, and driven innovation in water technologies. The course will investigate the historical dimensions of water in the Middle East, focusing on ancient civilizations and the water infrastructures that are essential tools in aiding the development of water-poor societies. We will use this historical context as a stepping-stone to transition into a more recent history of the Middle East, including the technological challenges that Israel faced after 1948, due to water scarcity. We will then examine efforts to develop the necessary water resources needed to support the burgeoning population as well as the irrigation projects designed to convert barren desert land into cultivated agriculture. This more recent history will help to set the stage for discussions regarding geopolitical conflicts over land and water that continue to this day. We will evaluate regional climate and water in the context of current and future geopolitical conflicts, reviewing recent advances in water technologies spurred by these limitations as well as the potential development of combined social and technological solutions for long-term water sustainability in Israel and the Middle East. We will also examine transboundary water conflicts in the region and their impact on the enhancement of water technologies. We will end the course with discussions regarding opportunities for the global translation of innovative water technologies and water-management solutions developed in Israel to other water-poor regions. In addition, the course will host a symposium featuring international experts. It will explore recent developments in water technologies and innovations, as well as water transboundary issues in the Middle East. We will begin each class with a survey of news items published recently in world and Middle East media, which discuss water-related topics.
Learning Objectives:
Students will be expected to use their recently acquired knowledge from class discussions and lectures to write a final seminar paper exploring a major course theme within each student’s primary interest. This will result in a fully researched and referenced 15-page paper that explores one of the course’s major themes.
Syllabus