Postgraduate Course: Global Environmental Politics (PGSP11299)
Course Outline
| School | School of Social and Political Science |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | The earth system crisis is one of the primary existential threats facing the human species. But how we understand the roots of this crisis, its current and future impacts on world politics, and its possible solutions, is inherently contested terrain. This course will investigate the global politics of ecological crises, starting with the climate crisis and then exploring the interlinked problems of energy, food systems, biodiversity, and global security. The course will give a big picture survey of these problems in a way that highlights the key debates, engages with multiple perspectives on how we should understand and respond to them, and encourages students to think through the implications of the ecological crisis for their own lives and futures. |
| Course description |
The course will begin with a general overview of different theoretical and conceptual approaches for understanding global environmental politics. For the next several weeks we will explore the issue areas of climate, energy, food, biodiversity, and global security. For the last three weeks we will conclude the course with discussions of possible global futures, environmental emotions, and environmental activism.
Week 1
Introduction: Theories and Discourses in GEP
Week 2
The Global Governance of the Climate Crisis
Week 3
The Political Economy of Climate Change: Green Capitalism and its Critics
Week 4
The Global Politics of the Energy Transition
Week 5
The Global Politics of Food Systems
Week 6
The Global Politics of Biodiversity and Conservation
Week 7
Ecology, Militarism, and Global Security Politics
Week 8
Global Socio-Ecological Futures in an Age of Crisis
Week 9
Environmental Emotions: Anxiety, Grief, Anger
Week 10
Environmental Activism: What is to be done?
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2024/25, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 35 |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 20,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
176 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
1. Final essay 3000 - 3500 words (75%)
Students will choose a research question to explore for their final essay. Rather than simply providing a summary or description of an issue, the essay should engage with a specific problem or question with multiple possible responses, and students will be expected to critically evaluate different perspectives and develop their own argument on how we should best approach or respond to the question.
2. Seminar performance (25%)
Seminar performance will comprise: seminar attendance, participation, and weekly reading summaries, These will be explained fully to the students in week 1 and monitored by the convenor throughout.
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| Feedback |
Not entered |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Develop a critical understanding of the main areas of study, including key concepts, actors and dynamics characterizing global environmental politics
- Engage critically with the work of major environmental politics and international relations scholars, and evaluate their arguments in the light of the practical dilemmas posed by global environmental challenges;
- Assess competing claims and make informed judgments about current complex issues in global environmental politics;
- Develop their ability to present - in written and verbal form -- coherent, balanced arguments surrounding contemporary global environmental issues, actors and dynamics;
- Use a range of research skills to plan and execute a significant project of research on a major global environmental issue.
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Reading List
Adger, N and Jordan, A (eds) (2009) Governing Sustainability (Cambridge)
Axelrod, R. Downie, D and Vig, N. (eds.) (2005) The Global Environment. (CQ Press)
Carter, N. (2007) Politics of the Environment (Cambridge)
Held, D et al (ed.) (2011) The Governance of Climate Change (Polity) |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Special Arrangements |
Resource Implications :
Only limited new library resources would be required. But administrative support and flexibility would be needed, especially as the course involves students from multiple programmes.
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| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Michael Albert
Tel:
Email: Michael.Albert@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mrs Casey Behringer
Tel: (0131 6)50 2456
Email: Casey.behringer@ed.ac.uk |
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