CE385G

Transboundary Waters

Availability of an adequate supply of water of acceptable quality is one of the pressing problems facing many countries.  Water sources in many parts of the world are shared among several nations, that is, they are transboundary waters.  Many of the solutions to the world's pressing water resources problems are, and will continue to be, developed by water resources engineers and planners.  In order to find sustainable solutions to problems among nations which share transboundary water resources, engineers and planners need to understand this complex, multidisciplinary, and multidimensional subject.  This course will provide the student an introduction to the planning, policy, and development of water resources in the international setting, with particular emphasis on transboundary situations.  The student will learn basic concepts of water rights and international law pertaining to transboundary water use and protection, economic and game theoretic analysis and how these concepts apply to various transboundary water resources problems, international development goals and how these relate to water supply and use. The course will focus on countries with developed, transitional, and developing economies using extensive case studies materials for several basins.  The course will be taught in a participatory, seminar style format with students taking a very active role.

Specific Course Objectives :

  • Be able to understand the context of international and transboundary water resources issues and their relation to engineering planning and design as well as economic development and regional security.
  • Understand the advantages and limitations of various types of international water conventions, treaties, and agreements and how they affect water resources development, especially in transboundary situations.
  • Understand and appreciate how planning and management decision-making processes have been undertaken in selected basins of the world.
  • Understand and critically evaluate literature in international water resources planning and development


For more information, contact me at: daene@aol.com


Syllabus

Course Objectives & Learning Goals

Availability of an adequate supply of water of acceptable quality has been identified as one of the pressing problems facing many countries in the next decades.  Further, most water sources in many parts of the world are shared among several nations, that is, they are transboundary waters.  Many of the solutions to the world's pressing water resources problems are, and will continue to be, developed by environmental engineers.  In order to find sustainable solutions to problems among nations which share transboundary water resources, engineers need to understand this complex, multidisciplinary, and multidimensional subject.  This course will provide the student an introduction to the planning, policy, and development of water resources in the international setting, with particular emphasis on transboundary situations.  The student will learn basic concepts of water rights and international law pertaining to transboundary water use and protection, economic analysis and how these concepts apply to various transboundary water resources problems, international development goals and how these relate to water supply and use. The course will focus on countries with developed, transitional, and developing economies using extensive case studies materials for several basins.  The course will be taught in a participatory, seminar style format with students taking a very active role.

Specific Course Objectives :

  • Be able to understand the context of international and transboundary water resources issues and their relation to engineering planning and design as well as economic development and regional security.
  • Understand the advantages and limitations of various types of international water conventions, treaties, and agreements and how they affect water resources development, especially in transboundary situations.
  • Understand and appreciate how planning and management decision-making processes have been undertaken in selected basins of the world.
  • Understand and critically evaluate literature in international water resources planning and development


Prerequisites

Graduate standing or permission of the instructor.


 Required Text

Bridges over Water: Understanding Transboundary Water Conflict, Negotiation And Cooperation, Dinar, A., S. Dinar, S. McCaffrey, D. McKinney, World Scientific Publishing Company, second edition, 2013 (ISBN 978-981-4436-65-6)

Other materials available online from instructor as needed.


Homework Policy

Homework will consist of reading assignments and periodic writing assignments.  All  assignments will be posted on the course website and may be modified from time to time by the instructor. 

Reading Assignments: Readings for a given topic are listed on the course website  ssignment” page and must be read and digested before the seminar meets. Generally, these readings are listed in an order reflecting the logical development of the topic and can most profitably be read in that order.

Writing Assignments: During the course you will be asked to prepare short essays that you will use for leading discussions on the assigned topic.  These short essays will generally be less than 2000 words and be prepared by a team working together.  You will be asked to prepare a PowerPoint presentation to facilitate the discussions. In addition, you will prepare a short (no more than 5 pages) issue paper on a particular topic of your choice.  This paper will be turned on the last class day of the semester.

CAEE Department policy:  Graded materials must not be returned to a student in any manner that would allow others to see the student’s grade on the assignment.  Graded materials may not be passed around the classroom or left outside an office.  Graded assignments will be available for students to pick up from Ms. Carol Perales or Ms. Shamma Haque (ECJ 4.200). 


Attendance

Since this course depends on active student participation, attendance is mandatory and represents a reasonable portion of the student's grade.


Office Hours

By appointment.  Please feel free to call me at (471-5644), or send me an e-mail at daene@aol.com


Exam Policy

There are no exams for this course.


Grading

Grading basis - The basis of grading for this course will consist of the following components with the indicated weights:

Participation:              20% 

Students are expected to participate actively in the classroom discussions as well as to prepare and present materials to the class on a regular basis.

Writing Assignments:  80% 

          Problems from the Book - 5 assignments - 4% each

          Game theory problems - 3 assignments - 10% each

          Student presentations in class - 20%

          Final Paper  - 10%

Grade Ranges - Letter grades will be assigned as follows:

  • A       grade >94%
  • A-     90 ≤ grade < 94%
  • B+    87 ≤ grade < 90%
  • B      84 ≤ grade < 87%
  • B-     80 ≤ grade < 84%
  • C+    77 ≤ grade < 80%
  • C      74 ≤ grade < 77% 
  • C-     70 ≤ grade < 74%
  • D+    67 ≤ grade < 70%
  • D      64 ≤ grade < 67%
  • D-     60 ≤ grade < 64%
  • F       grade < 60%


Drop Policy

The standard drop policy is in force.

Course Evaluation

Standard approved Course Instructor web-based form will be used.

Students with Disabilities

The University of Texas at Austin provides upon request appropriate academic accommodations for qualified students with disabilities.   For more information, contact the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement, Services for Students with Disabilities, 471-6259 (voice) or 232-2937 (video phone) orhttp://www.utexas.edu/diversity/ddce/ssd.

Topical Outline

See Assignments Page