Course Syllabus
V550 (S516): Planning for Climate Change and
Resilient, Urban Communities
Instructors (Office hours by appointment)
Aaron Deslatte, Associate Professor, adeslatt@iu.edu
Scott Burgins, Clinical Assistant Professor, rburgins@iu.edu
Class Schedule
May 12-May 22 In-person: 9:30-11:30 a.m./ 1:00-3:00 p.m. Room PV A221
Course Description
This in-person course introduces the scientific basis, tools and processes for urban responses to climate change. It includes strategies and technological solutions for assessing greenhouse-gas emissions, social vulnerability and resilience needs at a community-scale, along with communication and engagement strategies or approaches for building support for climate goals. The two-week course will combine in-class sessions with faculty and guest speakers, along with group work. Students will be divided into teams and assigned to one metropolitan area engaged in local or regional climate action planning. The culminating group projects will be to produce an assessment of this planning process.
Learning Outcomes
- Understand the concepts of climate resilience and vulnerability, the planning cycle and strategies for urban/regional climate resilience.
- Recognize climate change impacts in low-income and disadvantaged communities and the linkages of climate change with development goals and resilience.
- Acquire skills to characterize the different ways cities are mitigating their exposure to climate change or adapting to its impacts.
- Practice the main components of planning for climate change through targeted exercises on their respective local contexts.
- Identify the vulnerable sectors in a given urban context; identify, evaluate and prioritize mitigation and adaptation actions within a local climate change action planning framework.
- Assess the potential for energy-efficiency and green infrastructure investments within communities, in accordance with the local climate planning framework.
- Gain insight into the roles and motivations for key stakeholders and techniques to communicate effectively in writing and in person with stakeholders.
Textbook
There is no textbook for this course; all assigned readings will be provided via Canvas.
Class Format
Morning Session (9:30 am-11:30 am): Dr. Deslatte introduces a planning topic including background, trends, available technologies, challenges and possible solutions through in-person lectures, with a portion of the morning session devoted to discussion and group break-out sessions on the plan evaluation product.
Afternoon Session (1 pm-3 pm): Instructor Burgins follows up on the daily topics with a focus on practice, capacity-building and barriers. On several days, guest speakers will be brought into synchronous sessions for Q&A with students.
Grade Breakdown
In-class Participation 10%
Discussion Forums 15%
Daily Check-ins 30%
Project Backgrounders (team) 30%
Team Presentation 15%
Participation: Just like it sounds. We are going to be in a small and fast-moving boat together, and everyone has to row. Taking part in the live discussions is important, and there will also be three discussion forums – these will be for posting observations and critiques of specific planning criteria you are identifying in the plan evaluation. Posts in these forums will be used to drive discussion in class, so this is not a ‘throw-away’ assignment.
Forums: Three online discussion forums will be required, corresponding roughly to the three sections or phases of the course.
Daily Check-ins: We’ll have reading assigned on most nights, and a very brief quiz each morning that covers those readings. These check-ins will alternate between morning and afternoon sessions, but the assignment will be made clear in the To-Do List for each day.
Backgrounders (Team): This is where you get to test your new skills and tools. Your group will be given a detailed scenario and then a problem to solve.
Presentation (Team): Your 10 minutes to shine during our last class together. The teams should spend those precious minutes explaining to rationale for their recommendations.
Academic Integrity
Course Materials
The faculty member teaching this course holds the exclusive right to distribute, modify, post, and reproduce course materials, including all written materials, study guides, lectures, assignments, exercises, and exams. While you are permitted to take notes on the online materials and lectures posted for this course for your personal use, you are not permitted to re-post in another forum, upload to AI, distribute, reproduce content from this course, or sell the instructor’s course materials (including notes and study guides) without the express written permission of the faculty member.
Violations of this policy will be reported to the Dean of Students as academic misconduct (violation of course rules). Sanctions for academic misconduct may include a failing grade on the assignment for which the notes/study guides are being sold, a reduction in your final course grade, or a failing grade in the course, among other possibilities. Additionally, you should know that selling a faculty member’s course using IU email, or via Canvas may also constitute a violation of IU information technology and IU intellectual property policies; additional consequences may result.
Plagiarism
This should be a no-brainer. No form of academic dishonesty will be tolerated. This course requires individual integrity and professionalism from all students. If academic dishonesty is proven, you will receive a grade of zero for the work; repeat offense is grounds for failure in the course. A website defining plagiarism, with examples of acceptable and unacceptable ways to give credit for the ideas and words of others, and a separate self-test is available online. You are responsible for understanding the concept of plagiarism and for avoiding it at all times.
Use of generative AI (such as ChatGPT) in this class. Using AI to assist in completing assignments will be allowed only in the following ways:
- ChatGPT may be used to find sources. Any use of AI to produce ideas or content used in written assignments must be disclosed and cited just as any other direct source, with content from the tool “in parentheses” as part of the assignment.
All other use of AI is prohibited. You are permitted to use the free version of Grammarly and Microsoft Word’s spelling and grammar tool.
If you use AI in an unauthorized manner, you will be committing plagiarism* and will be subject to penalties in this class and sanctions by Indiana University.
WARNING: Submitting any questions, assignments, notes, slides, or other instructor-produced course materials into Generative AI without permission is a violation of the faculty member’s exclusive rights and will be reported to the Dean of Students as academic misconduct.
*Plagiarism: Plagiarism is defined as presenting someone else’s work, including the work of other students, as one’s own. Any ideas or materials taken from another source for either written or oral use must be fully acknowledged, unless the information is common knowledge. https://studentcode.iu.edu/responsibilities/academic-misconduct.html. (emphasis added)
Course Grades
The syllabus lists the minimum number of points needed over the course of the semester to earn a specific letter grade. This minimum number of points is an absolute threshold: a student either crosses the threshold into the next highest grade or stays at the lower grade (regardless of how close he or she is to that next higher grade).
The instructors will respond with a courteous “no,” to any requests to move someone to a higher grade at the end of the semester because you are “really, really close” to that higher grade. Changes like these compromise the integrity of everyone’s grade, and force the instructor to draw inconsistent, unfair, and sometimes arbitrary lines about what is “good enough.”
Student Support
Whatever may have happened, please remember that the Health Services folks have people whose primary job is helping students survive such problems, and your professors are aware that these things can happen. We try to be flexible and helpful about disruptions, although we will want a justification (without personal details) for doing so. If the disruption continues for any substantial length of time, remember that the university allows us to grant incompletes so that students can complete work when their semesters are interrupted. But bear in mind that you must request an incomplete before your grades have gone over the edge, which means communicating with us in the midst of the chaos.
It’s easier to help if we know something is going on. Please try to be in touch as soon as you can - it makes it easier for all of us in the long run, even if it is difficult in the short run to bring yourself to talk about it. You don’t owe us the details – just a message that life has become difficult or complex and some idea of what kind of timeframe you think might be involved will help us to help you best.
Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS)
For information about services offered to students by the Counselor in Residence, visit the CAPS website.
Religious Observation
In accordance with the Office of the Dean of Faculties, any student who wishes to receive an excused absence from class must submit a request form available from the Dean of Faculties for each day to be absent. This form must be presented to the course instructor by the end of the second week of this semester. A separate form must be submitted for each day. The instructor will fill in the bottom section of the form and then return the original to the student. Information about the policy on religious observation can be found at the following website: http://vpfaa.indiana.edu/policies/bloomington/instructional-responsibilities/religious-observances.shtml.
Disability Services for Students
Securing accommodations for a student with disabilities is a responsibility shared by the student, the instructor and the DSS Office. For information about support services or accommodations available to students with disabilities, and for the procedures to be followed by students and instructors: Get Help: Student Support: Division of Student Affairs: Indiana University Bloomington.
Sexual Harassment
As your instructor, one of my responsibilities is to help create a safe learning environment on our campus. Title IX and our own Sexual Misconduct policy prohibit sexual misconduct. If you have experienced sexual misconduct, or know someone who has, the University can help.
If you are seeking help and would like to talk to someone confidentially, you can make an appointment with:
- The Sexual Assault Crisis Service (SACS) at 812-855-8900
- Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) at 812-855-5711
- Confidential Victim Advocates (CVA) at 812-856-2469
- IU Health Center at 812-855-4011
For more information about available resources: http://stopsexualviolence.iu.edu/help/index.html. It is also important to know that federal regulations and University policy require me to promptly convey any information about potential sexual misconduct known to me to our campus’ Deputy Title IX Coordinator or IU’s Title IX Coordinator. In that event, they will work with a small number of others on campus to ensure that appropriate measures are taken and resources are made available to the student who may have been harmed.
Protecting a student’s privacy is of utmost concern, and all involved will only share information with those that need to know to ensure the University can respond and assist. I encourage you to visit http://stopsexualviolence.iu.edu/help/index.html to learn more.
Commitment to Diversity: Find your home and community at IU
Asian Culture Center
Address: 807 East Tenth Street, Bloomington, IN 47408
Phone: 812-856-5361
Email: acc@indiana.edu
Website: https://asianresource.indiana.edu/index.html
First Nations Educational & Cultural Center
Address: 712 E 8th St., Bloomington, IN 47408
Phone: 812-855-4814
Email: fnecc@indiana.edu
Website: https://firstnations.indiana.edu/contact/index.html
LGBTQ+ Culture Center
Address: 705 E 7th St., Bloomington, Indiana 47408
Phone: 812-855-4252
Email: glbtserv@indiana.edu
Website: https://lgbtq.indiana.edu/contact/index.html
La Casa Latino Culture Center
Address: 715 E 7th St., Bloomington IN, 47408
Phone: 812-855-0174
Email: lacasa@indiana.edu
Website: https://lacasa.indiana.edu/
Neal Marshall Black Culture Center
Address: 275 N Jordan Ave Bloomington, Indiana 47405
Phone: 812-855-9271
Email: nmgrad@indiana.edu
Website: https://blackculture.indiana.edu/index.html
Fire and tornado procedures
In case of fire, unless otherwise directed, exit A221 towards 10th Street using the front entrance of the graduate wing. In case of tornado, the inside corridors on the second floor are safe places.