Green Politics in Theory and Practice
| Module title | Green Politics in Theory and Practice |
|---|---|
| Module code | POC2114 |
| Academic year | 2023/4 |
| Credits | 15 |
| Module staff | Professor Clare Saunders (Convenor) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 11 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 25 |
|---|
Module description
This module will provide you with the theoretical and practical knowledge to understand politics of the environment. The module will familiarize you with the following aspects of green politics: green political thought, major environmental discourses, policy tools, country positions and key actors. A simulation exercise will encourage you to learn about the complexity of global environmental policy-making. Overall, the module enables you to reflect creatively and critically on the barriers and opportunities for developing pro-environmental policies on a sustained basis. Through its mixture of seminars, workshops and simulation activities, the module also allows you to develop your verbal and written work and analytical skills.
Module aims - intentions of the module
Environmental issues have become a major concern in both developed and developing countries. Environmental problems are closely related to and interact with developments at the national and global level. In this module, you will examine the history, ideals, goals, organisation, and key actors of environmental policy making in Britain and beyond. You will be familiarised with various competing national regulatory philosophies and look into political, economic and civil-societal approaches towards environmental regulation and protection. The implicit comparative perspective taken in this module will sensitise you to the challenges of generating effective international environmental policies. This will be further illuminated through a UN environmental conference simulation, which, in addition to helping you understand the opportunities and constraints for effective worldwide environmental policy, will enhance your skills in negotiating – a key employability skill. The module will combine theoretical approaches with case studies of major episodes and controversies in policy areas such as badger culling, pesticide use and climate change.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Demonstrate good knowledge of environmental politics and engagement with major theoretical debates through discussions in seminars, written work and a simulation.
- 2. Apply your knowledge of a country case by negotiating a countrys environmental position in a simulation and writing reflectively about it afterwards.
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 3. Assimilate taught materials and utilize them effectively to analyse environmental politics using key theoretical arguments.
- 4. Collect secondary material and use it to understand a particular case study.
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 5. Research and write a critical essay.
- 6. Communicate complex arguments and negotiate.
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:
An introduction to green political thought
The social construction of the environmental and climate emergency
The science-policy nexus
Environmental racism
Sustainable development
The policy tool-box
Environmental policy-making in Britain
Environmental policy-making in the EU
UN environmental conferences / country positions
UN environment conference simulation
Environmental movements
Green Parties
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 25 | 125 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled learning and teaching | 22 | 11 x 2 hour Seminars |
| Scheduled learning and teaching | 3 | Simulation 1 x 3 hours |
| Guided independent study | 45 | Reading to prepare for seminars |
| Guided independent study | 25 | Preparation of country position for simulation negotiation |
| Guided independent study | 55 | Writing reflective report on the simulation process and outcomes |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Individual presentation on an assigned reading | 15 minutes | 1,3,6 | Written (in seminar slides) |
| Draft position statement for negotiations | 500 words | 2,4,5 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reflective write-up of simulation | 100 | 3,000 words (includes a revised version of the 500-words draft position statement) | 1-6 | Written (individual) and verbal (generic) |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reflective write-up of simulation (UN environmental policy-making discussion paper) | Report based on secondary sources, 3,000-words | 1-6 | Summer reassessment period |
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Basic reading:
N. Carter (2007) The Politics of the Environment: Ideas, Activism, Policy, Cambridge University Press (2nd edition).
A. Dobson (2007) Green Political Thought, Routledge (4th edition).
A. Jordan (2002) The Europeanization of British Environmental Policy, Palgrave.
A. Jordan and A. Lenschow (eds) (2008) Innovation in Environmental Policy: Integrating the Environment for Sustainability, Edward Elgar.
C. Knill and D. Liefferink (2007) Environmental Politics in the European Union: Policy-making, Implementation and Patterns of Multi-level Governance, ManchesterUniversity Press.
J. Connelly, G. Smith, D. Benson and C. Saunders (2012) Politics and the Environment, Routledge.
| Credit value | 15 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 7.5 |
| Module pre-requisites | None |
| Module co-requisites | None |
| NQF level (module) | 5 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 31/01/18 |
| Last revision date | 05/01/2022 |
