Assigned readings and media should be completed by the end of the week in which they appear in the schedule below.
| Schedule | Activity | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week | Date | Topic | Reading | Media | Exercise | Discussion |
| 1 | Jan 16 |
Introduction to Course
Climate Change |
Emanuel Chapters 1-8 (65p) | Complex Systems: Difficulty of Prediction |
Introduction to Stella
Stella Example: Water into tub |
Discussion Questions for Week 1 |
| 2 | Jan 23 |
Framework for societal collapse
Intro to modeling |
F(1) 14p
Diamond (Prologue) (25p) |
Inconvenient Truth (97 mins) |
Stella Exercise: Population Growth
Solution |
Discussion Questions for Week 2 |
| 3 | Jan 30 |
Case study: Easter Island
Intro to System Dynamics modeling
|
Diamond Chapter 2 (Easter Island) (42p)
F(2, 3) 14p, 8p |
Podcast: Putting people into climate models: A new frontier (41 mins) |
Stella Exercise: Logistic Growth
Solution: Q1 Solution: Q2 |
Discussion Questions for Week 3 |
| 4 | Feb 6 |
Case study: The Anasazi
SD Basics |
Diamond Chapter 4 (Anasazi) (21p)
F(4,6) 8p,12p |
A Crude Awakening: The Oil Crash (83 mins) | Discussion Questions for Week 4 | |
| 5 | Feb 13 |
Case study: Maya
SD Basics |
Diamond Chapter 5 (Maya) (25p)
F(7, 9) 10p,18p |
Stella Exercise: Predator Prey model
Solution: Predator Prey |
Discussion Questions for Week 5 | |
| 6 | Feb 20 |
Case study: Vikings part 1
SD Intermediate modeling |
Diamond Chapter 6 (Viking Prelude) (33p)
F(20,21) 7p, 12p, 22p |
Seaspiriacy (89 mins) | Discussion Questions for Week 6 | |
| 7 | Feb 27 |
Case study: Vikings part 2
Homeostasis |
Diamond Chapter 7 (Greenland's Flowering) (37p)
F(10,11,23) |
Reading: Limits to growth |
Stella Exercise: Simple Collapse Model
Solution: Simple Collapse Model |
Discussion Questions for Week 7 |
| 8 | Mar 5 | Case study: Vikings part 3
Introduction to Systems Thinking |
Diamond Chapter 8 (Greenland's End) (29p)
Meadows Introduction (10p), Chapter 1 (24p) |
TOWN MEETING DAY: NO ONLINE MEETING THIS WEEK |
Stella Exercise: Modifying the collapse model
Solution: Modified Collapse Model |
Discussion Questions for Week 8 |
| Mar 12 | Spring Break | |||||
| 9 | Mar 19 |
Governance
Systems examples |
Diamond Chapter 9 (Opposite Paths) (32p)
Meadows Chapter 2 (40p) |
Alt explanation: Smithsonian
Alt explanation: Science |
Discussion Questions for Week 9 | |
| 10 | Mar 26 |
Case study: Rwanda
Why systems work |
Diamond Chapter 10 (Rwanda) (18p)
Meadows Chapter 3 (12p) |
Optional: Documentary on Rwandan genocide (Warning: disturbing) |
Stella Exercise: Climate Model
Data file for model Solution: Climate Model |
Discussion Questions for Week 10 |
| 11 | Apr 2 | Case study: Hispanola
Systems and surprises |
Diamond Chapter 11 (One Island, Two Peoples) (29p)
Meadows Chapter 4 (24p) |
Discussion Questions for Week 11 | ||
| 12 | Apr 9 | Human behavior
System traps |
Diamond Chapter 14 (Decisions) (22p)
Meadows Chapter 5 (33p) ) |
Don't look up (138 mins) |
Final Project: Easter Island model
Reading: Easter Island: Bologna & Flores Reading: Easter Island: Brander & Taylor |
Discussion Questions for Week 12 |
| 13 | Apr 16 | Environmental challenges
Leverage Points |
Diamond Chapter 16 (The World) (40p)
Meadows Chapter 6 (21p) |
Stella project time | Discussion Questions for Week 13 | |
| 14 | Apr 23 | A World of Systems | Meadows Chapter 7 (21p) | Planet of the Humans (100 mins) | Stella project time | Discussion Questions for Week 14 |
| 15 | Apr 30 |
Outlook
Models of collapse |
Reading: What drives societal collapse?
Reading: Archaeology of Overshoot and Collapse |
Stella project time | Discussion Questions for Week 15 | |
Final exam (online) will be held on 9 May 2024 from 1030 to 1315. Final project video presentations will be due by end of day on 9 May 2024.