The new course schedule for 2021-2022 for our two Coastal Studies masters programs is now available! The new schedule features some exciting novelties that will both benefit full time students and short-term students such as exchange and visiting students. It also features three new courses, and one course – Conflict Resolution – will have its comeback this year.

What we are probably most excited about are new theme based “study blocks”. Our programs in Coastal Communities and Regional Development (CRD) and Coastal and Marine Management (CMM) are unique in structure as all courses are taught in 2-3 weeklong modules. This means that students focus on one course at a time before moving to the next one. Our program directors Dr. Matthias Kokorsch (CRD) and Dr. Verónica Méndez Aragón (CMM) have been working on the new course schedule for the past few weeks taking full advantage of this uniqueness. This work has been done in close cooperation with current as well as former students and teachers. The thematic blocks are compiled of elective courses that take place in the spring and summer term of 2022, following the autumn term which mostly has core courses.

The blocks give our full-time students the opportunity to better structure the elective courses they can choose from in the spring and summer terms. This can be especially valuable when it comes to preparing for the thesis work ahead and aligning the course work with the thesis. Almost all the courses in the blocks are elective course so students can still pick and choose anything from the courses on offer regardless of the blocks. As all our courses are open to external participants from universities (exchange students and visiting students) as well as the world of work, the thematic blocks are just perfect to concentrate on a specific topic during a few weeks. For more information about the application process for visiting students please visit our Open Courses page.

Below you will find descriptions of each thematic block with dates. You can also access an PDF overview file of the semesters and timing of the blocks displayd in this photo:

BLUE (CMM24 + CMM21 or CRD23) – Methods, Tools and Communication

This thematic block includes 3 weeks of quantitative and qualitative research methods combined with either cartography and applied mapping, or science communication.

YELLOW: All about communities (CRD07 + CRD04 + CRD06 + CRD12 + CRD17)

In this block we will dive into details of regional and community development – the core courses from the autumn semester will be enriched with important themes: why do people migrate and how can we estimate population development, which indicators are used for measuring quality of life, which role does education play and which work-force will we need in the future, which role does architecture play for communities and how about aspects of equality, diversity and justice?

GREEN: Management and Planning (CMM22 + CMM53 + CMM41)

For 12 weeks, we will address the challenges and future opportunities related to the management of coastal and marine resources, focusing on topics related to the management of marine protected areas and fisheries and the process of making decisions about how to use marine resources sustainably.

BLACK: Aquaculture, Renewable Energy and Adaptation Planning (CMM12 + CMM36 + CMM16)

The interplay between aquaculture and the environment, the increasing demand of marine environment for their renewable energy potential, and the challenges that coastal communities face in light of current environmental changes are the main topics of this block.

RED: Community Development and Conflict Resolution (CRD24 + CMM09)

Before our students finish their course work and step into the phases of research, we will equip them with another toolbox for field work in coastal communities. This includes an in-depth course on conflict resolution.

GREY: Innovation and Business (CRD09 + CRD21)

Innovation and Entrepreneurship are important aspects of community development – couple this course with the Business Incubator and develop your own business idea and set up a business plan. Some of our students turned their ideas into their master theses and might go straight into business once they graduated.

PURPLE: Food and Tourism (CRD08 + CRD16)

Food and tourism are important aspects in coastal areas. Both can be vital for community development but are also conflict laden issues. Food sovereignty, the right to resources, food-innovation in remote setting and the increase in cruise ships are topic covered in this block.

BLUE CIRCLE: Hands-on Workshops (CRD14 + CRD19 + CRD21)

These three courses are not part of any block, but they are the three hands-on workshops we offer during the spring semester. Students learn about the scenario method, which is frequently used in development and planning. Our teacher will take the students on a two week journey to the future Arctic. In the second course, students will have a cross-disciplinary approach to coping with disasters. Different perspectives will be presented in this interactive and integrative workshop. Course three will bring the innovative capacity of our students to the surface: they develop their own business idea with the assistance of our teacher, who comes straight from the field and has decades of experience.