M2 - Water and Society (ES)

The aim will be to examine the role of local governments in environmental matters and the actions taken by state agencies. To this end, the authority of local governments in water management will be considered, as well as the role of intermunicipal cooperation structures in water management and resource protection.

Students must have knowledge of the French judicial system, the hierarchy of norms, and legal balances. An introduction to legal mechanisms (the concept of a contract, the basics of corporate law, etc.) will therefore be helpful. The use of contracts as a means of managing resources (public service delegations and public procurement) will be examined. To ensure a comprehensive understanding of the subject matter in our region, it is essential to address the treatment of coastal waters.

An examination of the exercise of administrative police powers in the area of water management will be necessary to understand the legal framework governing ICPEs and IOTAs and to address environmental land-use planning and water resource management (SDAGE, SAGE, and other plans).

The law governing waterways in France and the study of the small and large water cycles will provide insight into how risk planning and the implementation of what is known as the GEMAPI jurisdiction have evolved in recent years.

Finally, with a lawyer who specializes in environmental law and has extensive experience in water resource litigation, students will have the opportunity to explore conflict resolution mechanisms.

This will make it possible to examine the extent of public participation in water management, as well as the recognition and assertion of the right to water and the right to sanitation.

A brief overview of EU water law and European environmental law will round out the training.

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All future Master’s graduates—whether in the “Professional” or “Research” track—must master the tools and conventions of effective scientific writing. Improving one’s scientific writing skills is essential for showcasing one’s work and communicating it to peers, colleagues, clients, and others…

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Governance is a polysemic term used in contrast to “government” to refer to a less centralized form of power. The term’s success likely stems from its ambiguity. Indeed, it is a concept sometimes used to challenge central executive power (monarchy, corporate leadership, etc.) in a context where it is perceived as hegemonic, and sometimes used to call for more government in a market-driven context perceived as chaotic, but in which the dominant ideology opposes centralized intervention. It is therefore a concept used to call for both more and less government.

This course unit examines governance from a critical and reflective perspective, with a historical depth that incorporates the evolving trajectories of public action—ranging from globalization and Europeanization on the one hand to decentralization and territorialization on the other—against a backdrop of growing uncertainty, global changes, and transitions. In particular, it explores the following issues in depth:

• Governance? A dominant concept, a critical approach, the institutional and sociopolitical context, its emergence, and its evolution amid global changes?
• Water Policy Development and Governance; The Role of Concepts and Discourses; How Can Governance Models Be Shaped or Changed? How Can Collective Values Promoted by IWRM Be Better Incorporated? The Importance of the Long Term, Historical Depth, and Foresight?
• What scope for action do stakeholders have at the local, national, and international levels? What strategies exist for managing a water basin? An illustration of the diversity of governance models
• Water Governance: Between Integration and Fragmentation?
• Water as an “interconnecting fluid” between stakeholders and ecosystems: How should these interactions and their social implications be governed?

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The three major global irrigation models—large-scale hydraulic systems, community irrigation, and private irrigation—are presented in their historical context, based on an in-depth literature review and examples of specific cases, with a focus on the Mediterranean region.

These three different irrigation models are presented (ideology, construction, water management, agricultural development, stakeholders, etc.) using a theoretical framework based on oxymorons. These models are then illustrated through various real-world examples, presented in PowerPoint presentations, videos, and articles.

The various key references for each type of irrigation system will be presented and discussed. Each irrigation model is discussed with the students, who present their analyses through a guided exercise. Once the three irrigation models are understood, the course focuses on the analysis of rural development models related to irrigation. The analysis is based on a critical examination of the dualist theory of development as applied to irrigation systems.

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The course is structured around case studies focused on the Gironde and Nouvelle-Aquitaine regions. It explores, in turn, the role of water in land-use planning—including drinking water, sanitation, flooding, and aquatic environments, such as wetlands. It also explores the roles of various stakeholders in the water and urban planning sectors, while introducing students to careers related to these two fields. The course features extensive discussion and interaction between the instructor and students, with the aim of fostering their critical thinking skills through practical, real-world professional case studies.

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As part of this course unit, students will apply project planning and estimating the time required for each task, the FFOM matrix and the “sabotage” exercise, risk management, organizing and facilitating meetings, and oral project presentations. Other aspects of project management may be addressed on a case-by-case basis, such as financial management, the role of the project manager, relationships with partners, and the use of tools such as to-do lists, Kanban, shared calendars, etc.

Building on the Project Management course from the first year of the master’s program, the Project Management course in the second year is designed to assess students’ mastery of the skills acquired the previous year and to take them further by focusing on a longer-term project (ranging from a few weeks to a few months), whether individual or group-based, and whether a course project or a personal project.

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The EU aims to provide materials to help establish a historical framework and analyze archives on water management.

It explores the history of water management models, the history of hydraulic engineers and hydraulics, and the social and political history of water management in a Latin American country, Ecuador.

It also introduces the departmental archives system.

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Water-related issues are often presented from a purely technical and/or functional perspective. From this viewpoint, the goal would be to “properly” manage the resource (in an equitable, efficient, and environmentally friendly manner, etc.) based on available scientific knowledge. This perspective, however, is unrealistic. Regardless of the geographical scale involved, water management is in fact largely shaped by political considerations.

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Through presentations by professionals, this course provides students with an overview of the various careers and key players in the water and aquatic environments sector in France.

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This is a cross-disciplinary course that draws on a variety of tools and knowledge:

• in the form of a workshop,
• over the long term during the M2: a single project organized in two complementary phases (Interdisciplinary Project 1 and Interdisciplinary Project 2) to achieve common educational and skill-building objectives.

It allows students to carry out an interdisciplinary project from start to finish, in the form of an interdisciplinary study addressing sociopolitical, economic, environmental, and health issues, as well as hydrological or hydraulic modeling, risk management, and more...  

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The goal of this interdisciplinary course is to give students from various academic tracks who are interested the opportunity to organize an event project on a current topic related to water, in line with their personal commitments, their career goals, societal challenges, and issues surrounding global transitions and changes….

The project is led by the students, from its initial planning through its implementation during the event, with occasional support from the faculty at key stages of the project.

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The objective of this course, offered jointly with AgroParisTech’s specialized post-master’s program in “Water Management,” is to provide students with a background in development with a framework for understanding the challenges and the organization of development projects related to water (drinking water, sanitation, and agricultural water).

This teaching unit alternates between testimonials and insights from experts and professionals in the development sector on water-related issues, and testimonials from learners (enrolled in the specialized Master’s program in Water Management) or students who already have international experience in the fields of water or agriculture.

This course unit is offered as an elective to students in the Master’s program in Water Sciences, subject to a cap on the number of students.

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Water resources and their management are often discussed in terms of knowledge and principles established in developed countries in temperate zones. However, countries in the Global South—starting with the Mediterranean and Africa—present us with an extreme diversity of social and environmental situations that compel us to significantly adjust our perspectives and question the validity of certain approaches that are too detached from the reality on the ground.

Researchers working primarily in the Global South draw on their practical experiences to examine the unique characteristics of hydrological and geochemical processes in very dry or very humid tropical regions, the consequences of human activity, and the challenges of managing water resources in a sustainable manner, where possible.

A significant amount of time is devoted to the critical analysis of scientific articles dealing with water resources and their management in the Global South.

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The objective of this learning unit is to present the current and future impacts on all sectors related to the field of water.

How are climate extremes—such as droughts and floods—changing, and which regions are affected by these extremes? How does this impact groundwater and surface water resources, as well as farmland and irrigation methods?

What are the trends regarding rising sea levels and coastal areas? How does this affect current and future population movements, and what solutions can be proposed for coastal management …?

Through a series of lectures delivered by experts in various fields—covering all tracks of the Master’s in Water program—this course unit will present the latest developments in this area.

Through tutorial and lab sessions, students will work in groups on a specific topic (using an example) that combines climate change with a water-related field, in order to provide a concise overview of the subject. This project will be presented in the form of a mini-seminar and will serve as the basis for the assessment of this course unit.

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