MAF 100, Human Use and Management

Required for : BA, BS

Gen Eds : A2, C1

Typical Semester : Fall & Spring

Typically Taught By : Whit Saumweber / Beth Mendenhall

 An introduction to major human uses of marine and coastal environments and the institutions that govern and manage those uses, with an emphasis on sustainability and policy tradeoffs.

 Everyone has a relationship to the world’s ocean. What different kinds of relationships do people have with the ocean, and how does the way the ocean is understood and used reflect those relationships? How have these relationships changed over time? What are the impacts of particular ocean uses on other people and on the rest of the living world? How can we influence the use, management, and imagination of the ocean to reduce or eliminate harmful relationships and enhance and encourage beneficial relationships?  This course addresses these questions by exploring historical, legal, economic, cultural, social, and political relationships to coastal and marine systems, with an emphasis on the United States. Throughout the semester, you will become familiar with some of the different ideas, policies, and practices that have been developed to manage ocean relationships, and you will develop your own capacity to think critically about different approaches to ocean governance.