JAN 322 - Creating Paradise? Seeking Sustainability in Bali and Beyond

Instructor(s): Worthy, Kenneth
Email: kaw9@stmarys-ca.edu
Fee: $30

Course Description:  This course asks the question, How might sustainability be achieved at global and local scales? We will consider cases of environmental problems and proposed or imagined solutions, along with visions for more environmentally friendly societies, in Bali, Indonesia, which has been ravaged by rapid development, primarily for tourism; other islands around the world that are notable tourist destinations; the United States; and elsewhere to learn about (1) the extent, types, and severity of global and local environmental problems, (2) responses to these problems that could increase sustainability, and (3) the links among environmental issues across the global, regional, and local scales. We will first gain an overview of the scope and severity of the global environmental crises afflicting the planet today. We will then survey the range of environmental problems currently afflicting Bali. We will study the special role of the tourist industry in Bali’s significant environmental problems and compare that with tourist development done elsewhere, particularly on island locations such as Corfu, Greece and Hawaii, and the environmental justice implications of such developments. And we will draw causal linkages and comparisons between Bali’s environmental problems and those in the U.S. and globally. Finally, we will consider how environmental approaches and solutions used in Bali might be used in other locations, and how ideas and practices from elsewhere might help restore ecological health in Bali. 

Prerequisites & Notes
None

Credits: 3