| 1 | Water for life: Commons, commodity, nature/culture | |
| 2 | Water, history, and culture | |
| 3 | Water resources: The physical system, weather, and climate | Quiz 1 |
| Water law |
| 4 | Water power; Field trip 1: Lowell National Historical Park |
| Water management |
| 5 | China's Three Gorges Dam Controversy | |
| Dams, reservoirs, and hydropower |
| 6 | Water scarcity |
| Water pollution |
| Water and energy: Hydraulic fracturing |
| 7 | Field trip 2: Cambridge Water Treatment Plant | Quiz 2 |
| Water, sanitation, hygiene (WASH) |
| 8 | WASH; Pure Home Water (NGO in Ghana) |
| Water and climate change |
| 9 | Water conflict and cooperation | Term project due |
| Watersheds, landscape and urban design; Adaption through policy planning, management, and economic tools |
| 10 | Adaptive technologies | Quiz 3 |
| Adaption: Integrated water resources management |
| 11 | Ecological waterscapes | |
| 12 | Protecting water: Green roofs, rainwater harvesting, and waste stabilization ponds |
| Water footprint |
| 13 | Water, food security, and agriculture | Quiz 4 |
| Field trip 3: New Charles River Dam and Massachusetts Dams |
| 14 | Student presentations; Water visions: The next 50 years | Extra credit term project upgrade due |
