Deliberating the Environmental Emergency: The Citizens' Assembly
| Module title | Deliberating the Environmental Emergency: The Citizens' Assembly |
|---|---|
| Module code | POL3255 |
| Academic year | 2020/1 |
| Credits | 30 |
| Module staff | Dr Lise Herman (Convenor) Dr Alice Moseley (Convenor) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 11 | 11 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 50 |
|---|
Module description
Over the past few years, the environmental emergency has become a central concern for youth strikers, activists and the general public, concern which in turn has captured media attention and sparked political responses. New forms of democratic engagement are emerging, such as the citizens’ assembly – a ‘mini public’ - whereby lay citizens are invited to formulate policy recommendations to governments on issues of public controversy. These have been in existence for around 15 years and more recently been advocated by Extinction Rebellion in connection with the climate emergency. This module takes an experiential learning approach, in which you acquire skills and knowledge about deliberative public engagement – a form of participatory democracy – by taking part in a student-based citizens’ assembly and engaging in critical reflection of the process. Depending on COVID restrictions, we envision all or part of the module to take place online, including the Citizen Assembly. We will follow best practice established through other Citizen Assemblies currently taking place during the COVID pandemic. This unique experiential and transdisciplinary module will offer you tools to understand the scientific and political ramifications of this ongoing crisis. The module does not require any prior subject specific knowledge.
Module aims - intentions of the module
This module will equip you with the latest scientific knowledge on the major causes and consequences of climate change and biodiversity loss. You will learn about policy solutions to these problems, on the key sectors contributing to them, such as energy, transport, infrastructure, food and consumption. Understanding and awareness of these issues is critical for the next generation of politics graduates who will be challenged to find solutions to these issues in a range of employment, community and policy contexts.
The environmental crisis is a cross-cutting issue that requires knowledge and input from more than one sector and discipline. The course will thus be enriched with a series of guest speakers, including academics providing expertise based on their own and others’ research, and stakeholders and practitioners sharing their experience.
You will learn about the role of deliberative public engagement in the policy process through first-hand experience of engaging in a Citizens’ Assembly run as a key component of the module. You will also acquire key transferable skills through the moderation of, and participation in, group deliberations. With its applied focus, the module will also provide you with an opportunity to get involved in devising policy solutions to achieve sustainability in the national context.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Demonstrate in-depth knowledge about the design and conduct of Citizens Assemblies
- 2. Understanding the environmental emergency from a trans-disciplinary perspective
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 3. Demonstrate detailed and comprehensive knowledge of environmental policies related to climate change and the protection of biodiversity, as well as the challenges associated to implementing these policies
- 4. Understand the role, potential and limitations of citizen deliberation in developing policy recommendations
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 5. Moderate and facilitate group deliberations
- 6. Use lessons from research to inform policy development
Syllabus plan
Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics.
In Term 1 students will be provided with the necessary background to participate in the Citizens’ Assembly, which will be run in Term 2.
Term 1
Lectures in Term 1 will be delivered in part by the module convenors and in part by other academics as well as policy practitioners and/ or stakeholders across a range of different disciplines and sectors (e.g. responsible investing organisations, agricultural policy experts, farmers, activists). Topics covered will include:
Part 1 (weeks 1-6): Framing the environmental crisis:
- The science of climate change: mechanisms, causes & consequences
- Biodiversity loss: mechanisms, causes & consequences
- Unpacking systemic causes: The economic foundations of the environmental crisis
- Levels of action and obstacles to change: A framework of analysis
- The environmental policy process/ policy instruments for addressing the environmental crisis
Part 2 (weeks 7-11): Sector specific issues – 1 hour guest lectures followed by seminar style discussion
- Energy and its uses
- Transport
- Food
- Infrastructure and building
- Consumption and production
Term 2
In Term 2, the first few sessions will explore the contribution that Democratic Innovations and Citizen Assemblies especially can make to the environmental emergency debate. Students will participate in such an Assembly over five weeks of class in the second half of term and make policy recommendations to handle the environmental emergency in specific sectors building on the knowledge acquired in Term 1. Sessions will include:
Part 3 (weeks 1-4): The politics of the environmental emergency
- Building political momentum: The emergence of a climate agenda
- The theory and practice of deliberation: Contribution and limits
- Democratic innovations in practice: The role of citizen assemblies in the climate emergency
Part 4 (weeks 5-11): Running the Citizens Assembly
- Recap and weekly deliberation on each of the sector specific topics introduced in term 1
- Synthesis and recommendations, voting for policy options
- Evaluation and reflection on the process
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 44 | 256 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | 44 | 22 x 2 hours per week, which includes lectures, seminars and Citizens Assembly participation |
| Guided independent study | 136 | Reading |
| Guided independent study | 50 | Writing the essay outline and essay |
| Guided independent study | 20 | Reflective Log writing |
| Guided independent study | 50 | Citizens Assembly Analytical Report |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Participation in group work during citizens assembly, term 2 | 45 min group deliberation (observation lasting 10 mins per group) | 2-3 | Written observation from tutors after 1st group deliberation session |
| 5 x Reflective Logs (about the thematic group deliberations, forming a source of primary evidence to be used in the Summative Analytical Report), term 2 | 350 words each (total 1,750 words) | 1; 4; 5-6 | Individual written feedback for log 1; Class feedback for logs 2-5 |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essay (term 1) | 50 | 3,000 words | 2-3 | Written feedback |
| Citizens Assembly Analytical Report (term 2) | 50 | 3,000 words | 1; 4; 5-6 | Written feedback |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | Essay (3,000 words) | 2-3 | August/September reassessment period |
| Citizens Assembly Analytical Report | Citizen Assembly Analytical Report (3,000 words) | 1; 4; 5-6 | August/September reassessment period |
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
- Bathiany, S., Dakos, V., Scheffer, M. & Lenton, T. (2018) ‘Climate models predict increasing temperature variability in poor countries’. Science Advances. May 2018.
- Bellard, C., Bertelsmeier, C., Leadley, P., Thuiller, W., Courchamp. (2012). ‘Impacts of climate change on the future of biodiversity’. Ecology Letters, 15(4): 365-377.
- Bulkeley, H. & Newell, P. (2015) Governing Climate Change (Global Institutions). 2nd Edition. London: Routledge.
- Devaney, L. Torney, D., Brereton, P and Coleman, M. (2019). Deepening public engagement on Climate Change: Lessons from the Citizens’ Assembly. EPA Research Report, Dublin City University.
- Devine-Wright, P. and Cotton, M. (2017) ‘Experiencing citizen deliberation over energy infrastructure siting: a mixed method evaluative study’. In S. Bouzarovski, M.J. Pasqualetti, V. Castán Broto (Eds.) The Routledge Research Companion to Energy Geographies. Oxford: Routledge, pp. 165-177.
- Dryzek, J.S. et al. (2019). ‘The crisis of democracy and the science of deliberation’, Science, 363 (6432): 1144-1146.
- Evans, J.P. (2011) Environmental Governance (Routledge Introductions to Environment: Environment & Society Texts). London: Routledge.
- Falkner, R. (Ed). (2013). The Handbook of Global Climate and Environment Policy. John Wiley & Sons.
- Farrell, D.M., Suiter, J. & Harris, C. (2019). ‘Systematizing’ constitutional deliberation: the 2016-18 citizens’ assembly in Ireland’. Irish Political Studies, 34(1): 113-123.
- Fishkin, James S. (2009). When the People Speak: Deliberative Democracy and Public Consultation. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- Geissel, B. & Newton, K. (Eds). (2012). Evaluating Democratic Innovations: Curing the Democratic Malaise? London & New York: Routledge.
- Niemeyer, S. (2013). Democracy and Climate Change: What Can Deliberative Democracy Contribute? Australian Journal of Politics and History, 59(3), 430-449.
- Sanderson H, Hildén M, Russel DJ, Penha-Lopes G, Capriolo A (Eds.) (2018). Adapting to Climate Change in Europe: Exploring Sustainable Pathways - From Local Measures to Wider Policies. 1st Edition. Elsevier
- Smith, G. 2009. Democratic Innovations: Designing Institutions for Citizen Participation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
| Credit value | 30 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 15 |
| Module pre-requisites | none |
| Module co-requisites | none |
| NQF level (module) | 6 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 19/02/2020 |
| Last revision date | 26/08/20 |
