This course meets the First Eight Weeks only
This section meets at 513 N. Park

Y773 is co-taught by  Elinor Ostrom, Catherine Tucker, and Amy Poteete.

Both popular and scientific concern over deforestation is at a historically
high level. Yet standard macro level explanations for deforestation such as
the population, income level, conversion of forest to agriculture, and the
penetration of global markets do not account for much of the variation found
in forest condition and forest use at the micro (or local) level.  The
International Forestry Resources and Institutions Research Program (IFRI) is
an interdisciplinary, cross-national effort to explore the factors affecting
forest conditions at the local level, especially those that influence a
community's relationship to their forest. The methods used are drawn from
the social, natural, and physical sciences in order to achieve a
comprehensive understanding of local-level processes. Colleagues are
currently using the IFRI approach in dozens of forests and communities in
more than twelve countries.
This course is designed for graduate students who seek to learn the methods
and approaches of an active, ongoing research program that explores the
human dimensions of environmental change. The training program provides an
introduction to the theoretical concerns that motivate IFRI, IFRI data
collection protocols, and IFRI data collection methods. The methods include
participatory techniques, individual and group interviews, and forest
mensuration.  Participants get practical experience with IFRI methods by
conducting field research in a forest community in Southern Indiana. The
case study conducted by the class will become part of the IFRI database.
Students should be aware that Y773 is an intensive course scheduled for the
first eight weeks of the semester. It requires several evenings and weekends
of fieldwork during the first half of the course. Grades are based in part
upon completion of a case study report, which is likely to require
additional time beyond the course's eight weeks.