Managing the Climate Emergency
| Module title | Managing the Climate Emergency |
|---|---|
| Module code | GEOM187 |
| Academic year | 2023/4 |
| Credits | 15 |
| Module staff | Dr Ewan Woodley (Lecturer) Professor Stewart Barr (Lecturer) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 11 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 40 |
|---|
Module description
The declaration of a climate emergency by national and local governments, organisations and institutions highlights the need to effectively manage the transition towards a low-carbon future. Yet the approach that is frequently adopted by a range of state and non-state actors is to rely on paternalist and hierarchical interventions that continue to work within a framework of directing passive publics to adopt prescribed forms of (limited) behavioural changes. In this module we challenge this approach by demonstrating the complex and contested nature of managing the climate emergency. In so doing, we use both different scales of analysis and a range of case studies to highlight the limitations of paternalistic and techo-centric thinking on climate change management. Using an engaged approach through collaborating with regional environmental practitioners, we demonstrate alternative approaches for deeper forms of engagement with the climate emergency, highlighting the importance of the self, community and nature. In partnership with practitioners, we explore ways of understanding and managing the climate emergency through, amongst others, analyses of social practices, nature connectedness, knowledge co-production, landscape adaptation and organisational change. We end the module by enabling students to reflect on their personal agency.
Module aims - intentions of the module
Managing the Climate Emergency aims to develop students’ self-awareness and academic rigour in understanding and evaluating the approaches of individuals, communities, organisations and institutions towards responding to the climate emergency. In so doing, the module aims to introduce students to a range of epistemological perspectives for managing climate change and its impacts, which are then explored and exemplified at different scales. The module will equip students with a practical understanding of the challenges and opportunities of developing policies for managing climate change, and will engage with regional practitioners using a range of case studies drawn from the convenors’ research. The module encourages students to reflect on their own agency and the ways they can be effective in curating positive change at different scales of influence.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Articulate in writing different epistemological approaches towards managing climate change
- 2. Express verbally and in writing reflections on personal agency for managing climate change in different settings
- 3. Express verbally and in writing the challenges and opportunities of different approaches for managing climate change at different scales
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 4. Articulate in writing the role of epistemology in understanding environmental change in an inter-disciplinary context
- 5. Convey in writing the contingent and contested nature of environmental knowledges
- 6. Explain and discuss verbally and in writing the application of academic knowledge in practical contexts
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 7. Evidence verbally and in writing the ability to critically evaluate evidence and situate this within a place-based context
- 8. Evidence in writing the ability to undertake self-directed study and research
- 9. Demonstrate verbally and in writing the ability to be a reflective learner
Syllabus plan
- Module introduction: epistemological overview
- Education at a Time of Emergency
- Promoting sustainable practices
- Collaborative learning for climate adaptation
- Creative practices and climate engagement
- Organisational change: developing ethics of practice
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 36 | 114 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | 24 | Lectures and workshops |
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | 8 | Field course |
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | 4 | Field course |
| Guided Independent Study | 114 | Reading and preparation for assessment |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Group-based reflection at On The Hill field experience | 30 minutes | 2-3, 6-7, 9 | Verbal |
| Group-based reflection at Lower Otter field experience | 30 minutes | 2-3, 6-7, 9 | Verbal |
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 | 100 | 3,000 words | 1-9 | Written |
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 |
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) | 1-9 | August/September reassessment period |
Re-assessment notes
Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.
Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 50%) you will be required to redo the relevant assessment. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 50%.
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Barr SW (2015). Beyond behaviour change: social practice theory and the search for sustainable mobility. In Kennedy E, Cohen M, Krogman N (Eds.) Putting Sustainability into Practice: applications and advances in research on sustainable consumption, Cheltenham: Edward Elgar, 91-108.
Barr SW, Woodley E (2019). Enabling Communities for a changing climate: re-configuring spaces of hazard governance. Geoforum, 100, 116-127.
Devine-Wright P, Whitmarsh L, Gatersleben B, O’Neill S, Hartley S, Burningham K, Sovacool B, Barr S, Anable J (2022). Placing people at the heart of climate action. PLOS Climate, 1(5).
Leichenko R, & O'Brien K (2019). Climate and society: Transforming the future. John Wiley & Sons.
Monroe M C, Plate R R, Oxarart A, Bowers A & Chaves W A (2019). Identifying effective climate change education strategies: A systematic review of the research. Environmental Education Research, 25(6), 791-812.
Shove E (2014). Putting practice into policy: reconfiguring questions of consumption and climate change. Contemporary Social Science, 9(4), 415-429.
Woodley E, Barr S, Stott P, Thomet P, Flint S, Lovell F, O'Malley E, Plews D, Rapley C, Robbins C, et al (2022). Climate Stories: enabling and sustaining arts interventions in climate science communication. Geoscience Communication, 5(4), 339-354.
| Credit value | 15 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 7.5 |
| Module pre-requisites | none |
| Module co-requisites | none |
| NQF level (module) | 7 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 01/02/2023 |
