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DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2013/2014 -
- ARCHIVE as at 1 September 2013 for reference only
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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of Geosciences : Postgraduate Courses (School of GeoSciences)

Postgraduate Course: Values and the Environment (P) (PGGE11114)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of Geosciences CollegeCollege of Science and Engineering
Course typeStandard AvailabilityNot available to visiting students
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) Credits20
Home subject areaPostgraduate Courses (School of GeoSciences) Other subject areaNone
Course website None Taught in Gaelic?No
Course descriptionThis course examines issues related to two important modes of human valuing of nature, the ethical and the aesthetic. The course first covers key concepts and theories in environmental ethics including (normally): anthropocentrism and nonanthropocentrism; animal ethics; Leopold¿s land ethic; environmental pragmatism; urban environmental ethics; and climate ethics. We then examine aesthetic value in our engagement with wild nature, rural environments and other cultural landscapes. The course also considers conflicts between aesthetic, ethical and other values as they arise in various environmental issues, such as ecological restoration and climate change.
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Additional Costs None
Course Delivery Information
Delivery period: 2013/14 Semester 1, Available to all students (SV1) Learn enabled:  Yes Quota:  19
Web Timetable Web Timetable
Course Start Date 16/09/2013
Breakdown of Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 200 ( Lecture Hours 22, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4, Placement Study Abroad Hours 11, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 163 )
Additional Notes
Breakdown of Assessment Methods (Further Info) Written Exam 0 %, Coursework 100 %, Practical Exam 0 %
No Exam Information
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
- To provide a critical understanding of key concepts and theories in environmental ethics;
- To explore how aesthetic value relates to a range of environments, from the wild to the built;
- To gain an understanding of the role of values in engagement with a range of environments and the conflicts that arise between values in practice;
- To develop critical thinking on environmental values in discussion and in writing.
Assessment Information
3000 word essay/project
Special Arrangements
Unavailable to non-MSc Environment, Culture and Society students in 2010/11.
Additional Information
Academic description Not entered
Syllabus Topics normally covered in this course include:
- Extending ethical theories beyond humans: animals
- Holistic environmental ethics: Leopold¿s Land Ethic
- Environmental Pragmatism
- Urban environmental ethics
- Environment, nature and art
- Contemporary philosophical debates on aesthetic value and the environment
- Aesthetic value and scientific knowledge
- Ecological restoration and environmental values
- Ethics and climate change
Transferable skills Not entered
Reading list Key references:

Armstrong SJ and Botzler R eds. (2004) Environmental Ethics: Divergence and Convergence. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Brady E (2003) Aesthetics of the Natural Environment. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.

DesJardins J (2000) Environmental Ethics. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Jamieson D (2003) A Companion to Environmental Philosophy. London: Blackwell.

Keller, D ed. (2010) Environmental Ethics: The Big Questions. Wiley.

Leopold A ([1949] 2000) 'The Land Ethic', Sand County Almanac. New York: Oxford University Press.

Light, A and Katz, E ed. (1996) Environmental Pragmatism. New York: Routledge.

O'Neill J, Light A and Holland A (2008) Environmental Values. London: Routledge.

Throop, W ed. (2000) Environmental Restoration: ethics, theory and practice. Humanity Books.

Useful journals: Environmental Ethics; Environmental Values; Ethics, Policy, and Environment; Ethics and Environment.
Study Abroad Not entered
Study Pattern Not entered
KeywordsPGGE1114, environmental ethics, environmental aesthetics, values, conservation, philosophy
Contacts
Course organiserDr Emily Brady
Tel: (0131 6)50 9137
Email: Emily.Brady@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMiss Lynne Mcgillivray
Tel: (0131 6)50 2543
Email: Lynne.McGillivray@ed.ac.uk
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