PROBLEMS WITHOUT PASSPORTSSteven L. Lamy, Vice Dean for Academic Programs

USC Dornsife CollegeProfessor of International Relations

Why “Problems without Passports”?

Most, if not all, of the societal problems or challenges we face are global in

nature: climate change, pandemics, violence and genocide, development and

proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Challenges that do not

belong to any one country.

Problems without Passports courses focus on problem-based research in the field.

IR 422: Ecological Security and Global Politics

• Explores the complex issues surrounding climate change and its impact on the Arctic region through one week of class study and three weeks of field work in• Iceland (Reykjavik and

Akureyri)• Norway (Oslo and Tromsø)• Finland (Inari, Rovaniemi,

and Helsinki)

Policy questions addressed by students:• How can conflicting national interests

regarding the Arctic region be reconciled?

• Are current treaties sufficient to protect the fragile Arctic ecosystem from the degradation of petroleum prospecting and commercial shipping?

• How will the infrastructure to deal with oil spills or maritime incidents be built?

• Who will defend the interests of the traditional peoples of the Arctic regions?

• Is the Arctic Council framework working?

• Will the Arctic Council member states’ positions on territorial, economic and environmental issues harden into confrontation, or can the Arctic become the locus of a successful new regime of “global governance”?

ENST 480: Integrated Ecosystem Management in Micronesia

• Introduces students to laboratory and field skills and ecosystem management tools used to investigate complex environmental problems in Micronesia• Students spend 4 weeks in Guam

and Palau addressing a suite of historical, cultural, and scientific topics, all the while performing direct observations of biological, physical, and chemical conditions on land as well as in the water.

• Ecologically sustainable development

• Fisheries management

• Protected-area planning and assessment

• Human health issues

• Environmental effects of warfare

Research topics addressed by students:

All topics are reviewed and discussed both in terms of their application to local issues within the Los Angeles region and to island ecosystems like the ones they visit.

ITAL 499: Italian Youth: The Lost Generation?

• Engages students in the problem of Italy's “lost generation”: the young people hit hardest by unemployment, exclusion from societal institutions, and lack of welfare protection in recent years.

Students will:• Hypothesize solutions for the

gerontocracy that dominates Italian politics

• Strategize alternatives to the precarious futures of young Italians in call centers and other employment with short-term contracts

• Take on the role that the media has played in exacerbating this problem by portraying young people as superficial or projecting a continued sense of hopelessness

• Attempt to solve the problem of the last decade of zero productivity growth in Italy, which has many social costs

• Map out how Italy can utilize its strengths and resources as one of the most vibrant, socially multi-cultural nations in the world where youth are beginning to find alternative ways to express themselves politically and socially