Elective (Optional) courses (Revised Curriculum 2014)
This page provides descriptions of the courses relating to the revised (2014) curriculum. Click here for information pertaining to the curriculum for the programme as it applies to the 2011 – 2013 intakes.
DPR605 Planning Urban and Rural Infrastructure (3 credits) | Syllabus
This course aims to describe the different types of urban and rural infrastructure and associated costs and benefits. At the end of the course students should be able to describe the different types of infrastructure and the services provided by each type; compare the options available for the delivery of services in urban and rural areas in terms of cost, benefits, social and environmental impact, sustainability etc.; use GIS to assess infrastructure options and service delivery; select suitable solutions for the delivery of services to a given situation.
DPR621 Sustainable Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (3 credits) | Syllabus
Terrestrial and aquatic (including marine and coastal) ecosystems are the major natural resources that sustain the economy of a country. The pressure on resource allocation to accommodate sustainable development needs is building up at an increasingly rate. However, changes in resource allocation and farming systems, including forestry, are influenced by national economic policies which have an impact on the sustainability of the sectors and national food security. This course aims to provide an overview of the key factors that influence the sustainable development of agriculture, forestry and fisheries. Course content includes : Impact of the sector on environmental degradation: Use of science and technology to improve production, productivity, reduce degradation and minimize waste: Physical, institutional and financial infrastructure to support sustainable development: Policy and regulatory frameworks: Implications of biotechnology and genetically modified crops and livestock.
DPR622 Disaster Management (3 credits) | Syllabus
The aim of this course is to provide training and strengthen capabilities in Disaster Risk Management with respect to disaster prevention and mitigation for hazards faced in Sri Lanka. Course content includes the following areas. Principles of Disaster Risk Management: Introduction to risk and disaster management, components of risk and its assessment, hazards, vulnerability and capacity; methods and tools for risk assessment and management; hazard and vulnerability mitigation, hazard resilient infrastructure; disaster preparedness, early warning, evacuation and community response; emergency planning and management; response and standard operations procedures. National Approach towards Disaster Management: Strategic initiatives on disaster management adopted by the government of Fri Lanka after the Indian ocean tsunami are presented in this section; disaster management act and the establishment of the disaster management centre; national initiatives on risk assessment and management, disaster management. Hazards and their impact: Causes, occurrence and potential impacts on humans, eco-systems and infrastructure, of a range of hazards relevant to Sri Lanka will be briefly discussed in order to appreciate the severity of impacts, preparedness, mitigation and disaster risk management; Meteorological hazards—Tropical Storms, Cyclones, Tornadoes, Drought, Lightning; Hydrological hazards—Floods; Geo and Seismic Hazards—Landslides, Earthquakes; Coastal hazards–Storm Surges, Coastal Erosion, Tsunamis, Sea Level Rise, Oil Spills; Industrial and fire hazards; Health hazards; Agriculture diseases and related hazards. Risk Management and Disaster Resilient Communities: Impact of hazards and disasters on society; social and cultural issues of risk and disaster management; awareness and education on risk management; forecasting, early warning, preparedness, response; mitigation; recovery and reconstruction; strategic planning of cities and infrastructure, use of hazard, vulnerability and risk maps/evacuation maps; community based disaster management, disaster resilient communities
DPR623 Environmental Economics (3 credits) | Syllabus
This course emphasizes the economics perspective of environmental problems and the relevant analytical tools for policy decision-making. Its ultimate goal is to identify, describe, and clarify economic concepts that are relevant to environment problems, apply these economic concepts to environmental problems and model solutions to help deliver sustainable development. This course emphasizes environmental issues of developing countries with special attention to South Asia. Review of basic economic theory : Scarcity, Introducing the market, Market demand, Market supply, Market process modeling, Market failures, The irregularities of public goods, The function of government; Introduction to environmental economics: Interaction between economics and the environment, Importance of environmental economics, Environmental problems as market failures, Definition and classification of Natural Resources-renewable and non-renewable resources, their associated economic and environmental impacts; The root of market failures and environmental problems: The absence of property rights, Environmental externalities; Environmental values and valuation: Introduction to environmental values, Categorization of values, Case study: the total economic value of a Sri Lankan / Asian resource, ecosystem services; Introduction to the different valuation techniques: Revealed Preference Techniques- Hedonic Pricing Method, Travel Cost Method, and Benefit-Transfer methods, Stated preferences Techniques- the Contingent Valuation Method, Choice Modeling, Case study: environmental valuation to estimate the cost of the possible degradation; Decision support tools: Introduction to different decision support tools, Cost- benefit analysis, Example of a cost-benefit analysis, Multi-criteria analysis, Example of a multi criteria analysis, Other tools; Economic instruments for sustainable development: Introduction to policy instruments: regulatory vs. economic instruments, Types of economic instrument, evaluating economic instruments; Global sustainable development: Environment and development, defining and measuring sustainable development, Global pollutants and international environmental agreements, stratospheric ozone depletion, global climate change.
DPR624 Climate Change in South Asia (3 credits) | Syllabus
The course aims to provide students with an understanding of (a) the earth’s climate system, (b) climate variability and change with a focus on South Asia, (c) the impact of climate change and variability on sectors such as water resources with reference to South Asia. Students will explore mitigation options for climate change in a regional context and adaptation options for Sri Lanka and Maldives. Students will also undertake case studies on issues of equity, ethics, and on the integration of climate concerns into development policy, planning and resource management. They will gain familiarity with the use of climate analysis software such as ClimLab – a “Climate Laboratory” Analysis Software from IRI, Earth Institute, Columbia. Course content includes the following areas. Introduction to Climate System; Climate Variability and Predictability; Climate Change and Projections; Climate Impacts : on Water Resources, Energy, Agriculture, Disaster Risk, Infectious Diseases, the Environment, Vulnerability and the Economy; Mitigation of Climate Change and Mitigation of Impacts of Climate; Vulnerability to Climate Extremes and Climate Change; Integrating Climate Concerns into National and Regional Resource Management and Policy Making.
DPR625 Integrated Coastal Zone Management and Marine Affairs (3 credits) | Syllabus
The course aims to describe the natural, economic and social diversity of the coastal zone of Sri Lanka, with a detailed focus on selected case study sites so that students will be able to identify the competing demands on and suggest sustainable and equitable allocation of coastal resources and space. At the end of the course students should be able to: describe the physical setting of the coastal zone of Sri Lanka in terms of coastal geo-morphology and hydrology; describe the principal coastal ecosystems and their relationships to coastal geo-morphology, hydrology and each other; describe the principle current and future economic activities in the coastal zone; describe patterns and trends in human settlement, demographics, livelihoods, poverty, etc. of the coastal zone; link the activities in the catchments to impacts in the coastal zone using the DPSIR conceptualization; describe the principle impacts of natural disasters and climate change on coastal zones; identify the conflicting demands on coastal space and resources made by natural and human systems; describe the institutional and governance framework for the coastal zone of Sri Lanka; apply the knowledge described above to assess and find solutions for coastal planning at selected case study sites. Description of the coastal zone of Sri Lanka: physical – coastal landforms, river flows, sediment transport, tidal flows, wave climate and longshore transport, water level variations; biological – ecosystems – mangroves, sea grass, marshes, coral reefs etc.; economic – fisheries, aquaculture, tourism, ports and harbours, industries, transportation, trends; social – population, livelihoods and poverty, ethnicity, caste and religion, education, health, trends; Impact of catchment development on the coastal zone : linking catchment activities to coastal impacts, DPSIR framework; Disasters and climate change impacts on the coastal zone: Resource use conflicts in the coastal zone and coastal ocean: Management of the coastal zone: basic principles of management, history of coastal zone management, coastal zone management plan, integrated river-basin and coastal zone management
Case studies : Hikkaduwa, Rekawa, Negombo Lagoon, Maha Oya and coast to the north, Tsunami impacts and response, Plans for Kalpitiya and Trincomalee.
DPR626 Environmental Impact Assessment (3 credits) | Syllabus
The objective of this course is to provide philosophical, conceptual, legal and technical basis for Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA); to develop skills needed to carry out EIA study; to familiarize with the EIA process in Sri Lanka and to critically examine the effectiveness of EIA in Sri Lanka. The topics covered are Sustainable Development and Introduction to Generic EIA; Generic EIA and key issues – Alternatives, Impact Area, Significant Impacts, Mitigation and Monitoring; EIA Process in Sri Lanka: Prescribed List, Procedure, and Administration; Methods of EIA; Identification and Assessment of Impacts on Physical Environment, biological environment and social environment; National Involuntary Resettlement Policy and EIA; EIA and Public Participation; Valuation of environmental impacts and Extended (environmental) benefit cost Analysis; Organization of a EIA study and EIAR; Analysis of EIARs.
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