The Role of Social Sciences in Nitrogen Research

The nitrogen challenge is one of the biggest environmental problems of the 21st century. With a growing world population that is also increasingly affluent, we have to produce enough food without excessive use of fertilizers. In addition, we must also pay attention to fossil fuel combustion. All these activities lead to nitrogen pollution which threatens water, air, and soil quality, and through these, also risks human health and biodiversity.

Humans play a key role in sustainable nitrogen management: how we contribute to nitrogen pollution, how we perceive it, and how we act on it. In this course, we present examples of interdisciplinary research and the exciting ways that the social sciences can be used in the field of nitrogen research – a field that has so far been dominated by natural sciences!

Each course module includes a variety of instructors from the UK and South Asia research institutes, who have a range of expertise and roles within the SANH project.

In this course, you’ll learn about:

• The importance of the social sciences in nitrogen research, and environmental research more broadly
• Myths held about the social sciences
• Social science methods that can be applied in nitrogen research
• The pros and cons of using different social science method approaches
• The impact of social science research for policy and beyond 

This course is a great choice for anyone with an interest in the applications of the social sciences for sustainability, or for those interested in sustainable nitrogen management. 

Introductory: No previous knowledge required