Undergraduate Course: Advocacy, Lobbying and the Politics of Planetary Health (SCPL10047)
Course Outline
| School | School of Social and Political Science |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | Planetary health - the idea that the health of people and natural systems are inextricably linked - is in crisis, as climate and ecological change threaten existing political-economic systems. This course explores the social forces that are shaping global climate, environmental and health politics. Focusing on the role of NGOs and corporations, this course introduces you to advocacy, lobbying and other forms of political activity that influence the policies, instruments and governance of planetary health. |
| Course description |
The course begins by introducing the concept of planetary health, and the escalating environmental and social costs of production and consumption in a global economy. Frameworks to understand advocacy and lobbying strategies are introduced, alongside theories of governance, paradigms and policy instruments. The second part of the course covers several case studies to help understand the political dynamics of planetary health. This includes food systems transformation [obesity and industrial agri-food]; the global plastics crisis; climate governance; and what we can learn from the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.
The course critically examines how advocacy, lobbying and related forms of political action have shaped efforts to achieve planetary health equity, introducing you to literature on social movements, climate activism, corporate political strategies, [multistakeholder] governance, paradigms and policy instruments. In doing so, we will explore a range of issues, including the global plastics crisis, circular economy approaches, food systems transformation[s], non-communicable diseases, and what we can learn from regulating 'Big Tobacco' .
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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
|
| Academic year 2024/25, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 10,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 10,
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) |
Advocacy campaign / Lobbying pitch - 30% - max 1000 words
Policy report - 70% - max 3000 words |
| Feedback |
Feedback on all assessed work shall normally be returned within three weeks of submission. Where this is not possible, students shall be given clear expectations regarding the timing and methods of feedback. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate knowledge of key concepts, theories and principles relating to planetary health and its surrounding politics.
- Engage critically with perspectives on the role of non-state actors in global environmental and health governance.
- Assess advocacy and lobbying practices and their impacts on policy making.
- Apply knowledge and critical understanding to real world issues affecting planetary health.
- Develop an ability to present - in written, visual and verbal form - coherent arguments and analysis around advocacy and lobbying.
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Reading List
Dauvergne, P., and Clapp, J. (2023) "Biojustice environmentalism from below: hope for ending the earth system emergency?" Global Environmental Politics. 23(3)
Sell, S., and Williams, O.D. (2020) 'Health under Capitalism: A Global Political Economy of Structural Pathogenesis'. Review of International Political Economy. 27(1)
Colli, F., and Adriaensen, J. (2020) 'Lobbying the State or the Market? A Framework to Study Civil Society Organizations' Strategic Behavior'. Regulation & Governance. 14(3)
Dauvergne, P. (2018) Will Big Business Destroy Our Planet? Polity.
Mah, A. (2022) Plastic Unlimited: How Corporations Are Fuelling the Ecological Crisis and What We Can Do About It. Polity. |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
-Identify and analyse the strengths and challenges of different social and political systems, and develop processes for promoting social progress
-Exercise creativity in the formulation of important and constructive questions about social science and social policy
-Advising students about the range of academic sources available to learn about particular topics and encouraging them to consider a range of competing sources in their work
-Make effective use of oral, written and visual means to critique, negotiate, create and communicate understanding
-Undertake investigations of social questions |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Mr Rob Ralston
Tel:
Email: Rob.Ralston@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | |
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