Autumn Semester 2026

https://vorlesungsverzeichnis.unibas.ch/de/vorlesungsverzeichnis?id=295616

Ce cours apportera les outils nécessaires pour développer un projet autour de la durabilité. Divisé en 14 séances articulées autour du « cycle du projet », le cours se focalisera sur les thèmes suivants : les politiques des projets, les besoins des acteurs, les demandes des bailleurs, la conception d’une idée de projet avec les acteurs concernés, la théorie du changement, le cadre logique, la mise en œuvre, l’évaluation des risques d’un projet, le suivi-évaluation et la communication. Les étudiant.e.s développeront un projet utilisant le canevas d’un bailleur, en répondant à un appel à projets ou en développant un projet en lien avec le cours de « Projet tutoré » (étudiant.e.s en Master de tourisme, ou Master de géographie, spécialisation Gestion durable des régions de montagne).

This course examines violent conflict as a complex system of interconnected actors, where outcomes emerge from patterns of relationships rather than isolated decisions. Building on network theory and research on transnational conflict linkages, it analyzes how ties among rebel groups, states, and external actors shape conflict dynamics. The course integrates insights on rebel fragmentation and alliance formation with recent network perspectives on conflict internationalization. Students will explore how network structures influence diffusion, cooperation, and escalation across borders. Overall, the course provides analytical tools to understand conflict as an evolving, multi-level network embedded in global political systems.

Learning outcomes: 1. Analyze violent conflict as a complex system by examining how networks of state and non-state actors shape conflict dynamics across local, regional, and international levels.
2. Apply concepts and methods from network theory to understand patterns of cooperation, fragmentation, diffusion, and escalation in civil and internationalized conflicts.
3. Evaluate how relationships among rebel groups, governments, and external actors influence alliance formation, intervention strategies, and the evolution of conflict systems.
4. Critically assess contemporary research on transnational conflict linkages and conflict internationalization, using network-based perspectives to interpret empirical cases and theoretical debates.

Environmental effects on the risk of infectious diseases are not new. Micro- and macro parasites share many fundamental properties with humans and animals. Hence, an ecological perspective is appropriate for understanding and controlling infectious diseases. Ecological thinking recognises the importance of fundamental physical, chemical and biological processes that affect the survival and reproduction of all living organisms. These include evolutionary, social, economic and political processes. Theoretical concepts move from “One Health”, which emphasises close cooperation of human and animal health interventions, to broader considerations of health in social-ecological systems.
Theoretical lectures and group work are combined with presentations from ongoing research projects on avian influenza, rabies, bovine tuberculosis, brucellosis and anthrax of the human and animal health research group at Swiss TPH. In this year, individual students are invited to contribute to a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on One Health.

Learning Ouctomes: To provide insight into the ecology of infectious diseases in Africa to students of African Studies; to provide insight into the impact of disease on sustainable development to students of Sustainable Development; to provide background on environmental determinants of disease to students in Epidemiology.

Ce cours vise à donner aux étudiant.es un aperçu du dynamisme, de la variété et des débats au sein de la recherche contemporaine en géographie et environnement. L’objectif est de montrer quels peuvent être l’apport et la spécificité de la pensée géographique en relation avec l’environnement en mettant l’accent sur les enjeux épistémiques de cette relation par des illustrations très concrètes (ex : le cimetière, la rivière ou la forêt) et des exemples incarnés par des parcours de chercheur.es (interviews réalisées par les étudiant.es).

L’objectif de ce cours est d’apporter des éléments de réflexion et d’analyse aux étudiant·e·s concernant les débats contemporains autour de la conservation et de la protection de la nature. Ce cours revient sur les définitions ainsi que sur les aspects historiques et culturels de la conservation de la nature et de la mise en œuvre de différents espaces protégés dans le monde. Il aborde également à travers différents exemples et études de cas les enjeux de gestion actuels en matière de protection de la nature. Ce cours-séminaire comporte deux sorties de terrain avec des rencontres de professionnels de l’IUCN et de Lavaux Patrimoine mondial.

Your research is important and you’re hoping to make an impact on the world. But explaining it to people outside of your “research bubble” is a struggle. Everything moves at such a fast pace these days, and there’s so much information competing for people’s attention. If only you could capture their interest – and hold it! The key is to tell a good story. This hands-on course introduces you to the core principles of narrative, taking you a step further by empowering you to create visual stories with your phone.

Learning objectives:
Overall objective: You can create a simple but engaging visual story about an aspect of your research using basic narrative structure
Individual objectives:
– You learn to apply the core principles of narrative
– You can generate a story idea based on your research
– You can develop an engaging story arc
– You can identify your target audience and tailor your story accordingly. Who are you telling the story to?
– You can create a simple storyboard or shot list
– You can film a basic video about your research with your phone camera and perform simple edits using an editing tool of your choice (e.g. Edits)
– You can create a photo essay and visual narrative (telling a story with a series of still images)
– You are aware of issues that must be considered before posting on social media (e.g. ethical and copyright issues)
– By the end of the course, you have created your own video story and/or photo essay using your smartphone

Every session consists of a student s report on a selected topic, preferably supported by a power-point presentation, followed by a detailed discussion. The report must be briefly summarized and distributed as a handout. The seminar is designed for arts and science students at MSc level.

Schedule
1) Introduction, outline the framework for the course, and nomination of speakers and their topics

2) Selection of topics covered (will be discussed in the first meeting):
Dams, irrigation and schistosomiasis; Climate change and vector-borne diseases; Contamination of human breast milk with pesticides; sources and mitigation measures; Integration of neglected tropical disease control programmes; Malaria and malaria control; Urban health; The Okavango insecticide spraying campaign; nothing learnt from former lessons?; Pesticide use in developing countries; environmental and human health risks; Does the improvement of cattle health cause the disruption of key ecological processes?
Economic crisis, food crises and health
Genetically-modified crops — to do or not to do

Learning outcomes: Human health is often cross-linked with environmental and social factors. Examples include – Land use practices that influence Malaria transmission rates, the contamination of human breast milk by pesticide residues from disease-vector control or plant protection measures, and hygiene-related problems in urban agriculture. The aim of the seminar is the acquisition of in-depth knowledge on primarly Africa-related specific topics in epidemiology and environmental sciences.

Qualitative and mixed methods are making important contributions to public health research, and are increasingly used by researchers without training in social sciences. This course offers an introduction to the basic principles of qualitative research. Different methods will be discussed, and students will learn how to plan, conduct and analyze a qualitative interview.

Content:
Introduction to the principles of qualitative and mixed methods
Overview of common qualitative research methods and study designs
Conducting an interview from planning to analysis
Introduction to mixed methods

More than half of the world’s population lives in cities. Urbanization and life in the city present multiple social, political, economic and environmental challenges, which are exacerbated in cities of the ‘global south’ experiencing rapid urban growth and expansion. This course examines socio-spatial inequalities in cities, as well as their (re)production through political-economic processes and actors, and urban infrastructure and services. Taking inspiration from the field of critical urban studies, the first part of the course discusses socio- economic inequalities manifested in urban poverty, displacement, informalization, violence and (digital) exclusion. The second part of the course uses the approach of Urban Political Ecology o examine the production of socio-ecological inequalities and the use of urban infrastructure and services as an instrument of power in the fields of water, sanitation, waste and air pollution. While the course examines cities across the world, special emphasis is put on cities of the ‘global south’ and the analysis of other cities through a ‘southern perspective’, thus taking an  pistemological posture of comparative urbanism.

https://vorlesungsverzeichnis.unibas.ch/de/vorlesungsverzeichnis?id=302873

This annual two day interactive seminar seeks to build on the knowledge of both participants and facilitators to identify the value of Political Ecology approach, to survey recent developments, and to apply the approach to a concrete case or subfield in order to contribute to its evolution. In the 2026 edition of this block course, we will explore questions related to the commons. Many countries have diverse common property institutions, often with large associated territories. Worldwide, they are estimated to cover one-fifth of the land surface. In Switzerland they comprise more than one third of forests and almost half of all Alpine pastures. Rights holders of these commons are strongly attached to their lands and can be seen as custodians of their territories, with ancestral governance, cultural practices, and intergenerational transfer of knowledge and rights. However, these common properties, or “commons”, in Switzerland and in most European countries remain poorly recognised in policy; in many cases, their existence is threatened. There are diverse national initiatives in Europe (e.g. France’s VALCOM research coalition, Spain’s and Switzerland’s national organisations, Italy’s pro-commons laws) which focus on the defense and recognition of these territories, using a variety of methods from community-based restoration, to political engagement and legal change, to allying with international networks and translating the values of ancestral commons into policy-language to demonstrate their relevance to today’s issues. On other continents, strong networks of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities gain increasing international recognition of their territories such as through the ICCA Consortium. This two-day Political Ecology Doctoral Seminar will bring together researchers, right-holders and students working on these issues to understand current challenges and emerging research questions in Europe and the Global South.
Day 1: The morning comprises a series of talks by recognized experts in the topic in Europe and globally. The afternoon is a doctoral seminar where students will present and receive feedback on their research approach, methods, and potential impact of their work.
Day 2 will focus on a visit to a nearby common in the Valais, Switzerland