Why do some people have access to as much safe, clean water as they need, while others do not? You will explore answers to this question by learning about, discussing and debating urban water conflicts including the Flint water crisis, the drought in South Africa, intermittent water supply in Mumbai, and arsenic contamination in Bangladesh. In this course, you will explore the technical, economic, institutional, social, policy, and legal aspects of urban water using these and more water conflicts as case studies. You will attend lectures, and participate in discussions, laboratory modules, and field work. In lectures, you will learn about the link between water and human and ecosystem health, drinking water and wastewater treatment methods, as well as policies and guidelines (local, national, and global from the World Health Organization) on water and wastewater, and the role of various stakeholders including institutions and the public, in the outcome of water conflicts. You will dive into details of conflicts over water through case studies using discussion and debate. You will have the opportunity to measure water contaminants in a laboratory module. You will sample a local stream and measure concentrations of Escherichia coli and enterococci bacteria in the water. By the end of this course, you will have a greater appreciation of the importance of institutions, stakeholders and human behavior in the outcome of water conflicts, and the complexity of the coupled human-ecosystem-urban water system.
3 units · Letter or Credit/No Credit · GER: WAY-AQR, WAY-SI
Why do some people have access to as much safe, clean water as they need, while others do not? You will explore answers to this question by learning about, discussing and debating urban water conflicts including the Flint water crisis, the drought in South Africa, intermittent water supply in Mumbai, and arsenic contamination in Bangladesh. In this course, you will explore the technical, economic, institutional, social, policy, and legal aspects of urban water using these and more water conflicts as case studies. You will attend lectures, and participate in discussions, laboratory modules, and field work. In lectures, you will learn about the link between water and human and ecosystem health, drinking water and wastewater treatment methods, as well as policies and guidelines (local, national, and global from the World Health Organization) on water and wastewater, and the role of various stakeholders including institutions and the public, in the outcome of water conflicts. You will dive into details of conflicts over water through case studies using discussion and debate. You will have the opportunity to measure water contaminants in a laboratory module. You will sample a local stream and measure concentrations of Escherichia coli and enterococci bacteria in the water. By the end of this course, you will have a greater appreciation of the importance of institutions, stakeholders and human behavior in the outcome of water conflicts, and the complexity of the coupled human-ecosystem-urban water system.
Offered in Winter 2026 at Stanford University.