Postgraduate Course: Values and the Environment (P) (PGGE11114)
Course Outline
| School | School of Geosciences |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
| Course type | Standard |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Credits | 20 |
| Home subject area | Postgraduate Courses (School of GeoSciences) |
Other subject area | None |
| Course website |
None |
Taught in Gaelic? | No |
| Course description | This course examines issues related to two important modes of human valuing of nature, the ethical and the aesthetic. The course covers key concepts and theories in environmental ethics including (normally): anthropocentrism and nonanthropocentrism; animal ethics; Leopold's land ethic; deep ecology; urban environmental ethics; and climate ethics. Aesthetic engagement with wild nature and cultural landscapes is explored, especially in relation to the role played by scientific knowledge in valuing environments. Students will also consider conflicts between aesthetic, ethical and other values as they arise in various environmental issues, such as ecological restoration, climate change, and geoengineering. |
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
| Additional Costs | None |
Course Delivery Information
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| Delivery period: 2014/15 Semester 1, Available to all students (SV1)
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Learn enabled: Yes |
Quota: 19 |
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Web Timetable |
Web Timetable |
| Course Start Date |
15/09/2014 |
| 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 )
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| Additional Notes |
|
| Breakdown of Assessment Methods (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
1. Students will gain a critical understanding of key concepts and theories in environmental ethics
2. Students will learn how aesthetic value relates to a range of environments, from the wild to the built
3. Students will gain an understanding of the role of values in engagement with a range of environments and the conflicts that arise between values in practice
4. Students will develop critical thinking on environmental values and current environmental issues 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
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| 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.
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| Study Abroad |
Not entered |
| Study Pattern |
Not entered |
| Keywords | PGGE1114, environmental ethics, environmental aesthetics, values, conservation, philosophy |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Prof Emily Brady
Tel: (0131 6)50 9137
Email: Emily.Brady@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Lynne Mcgillivray
Tel: (0131 6)50 2543
Email: Lynne.McGillivray@ed.ac.uk |
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