Environments in Public
| Module title | Environments in Public |
|---|---|
| Module code | SOC2052 |
| Academic year | 2023/4 |
| Credits | 15 |
| Module staff | Dr Angela Cassidy (Convenor) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 11 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 40 |
|---|
Module description
Environmental issues are a key – and fiercely contested – area of social and political debate in contemporary society, as concerns widen over the severity and speed of environmental change due to human activities. In this module, we will learn about the complex social processes involved in public debates about our changing environment since the invention of the ‘the environment’ during the 1960s; and over what individuals, institutions, and society can - and should - do about it.
We will explore this theme through a series of key concepts including environmental communication, mass media and the wider public sphere; environmental publics and governance; environmental pasts and futures; environmental philosophies; environmental social and political movements; and scale, expertise and experience. You will investigate how environmental issues are brought to light, contested and decided about in today’s fast moving mass media and wider public sphere. In so doing, you will learn how to critically interrogate claims and counter claims about environmental change and governance made in media coverage; and to communicate clearly about these debates using multiple media formats.
There are no formal pre-requisites for the course.
Module aims - intentions of the module
This module aims to introduce environmentalism and sustainability as developing processes of public communication, campaigning and social change since the mid-20th C. In so doing, it aims to introduce key scientific, philosophical and theoretical debates on the environment, alongside real-world developments in environmental governance. It will equip students with the key skills to help critically evaluate scientific and political claims about environmental issues made in mass media coverage and the wider contemporary public sphere. The primary context will be the UK and the European Union.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Demonstrate familiarity with the origins and development of contemporary environmentalism.
- 2. Discuss how environmental issues have been framed in public and policy arenas
- 3. Analyse the roles and perspectives of multiple actors and positions in environmental controversies.
- 4. Display knowledge of the complexities of environmental governance across multiple sectors and scales.
- 5. Evaluate critically public initiatives to tackle environmental problems
- 6. Recognise the difficulties of achieving meaningful environmental debates and collective decisions about action.
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 7. Analyse debates and present arguments about socio-environmental issues
- 8. Evaluate the effectiveness of and barriers to environmental action.
- 9. Understand processes of contestation in the modern public sphere via lobbying, mass media, public engagement and policy formation.
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 10. Evaluate ideas and contemporary public debates.
- 11. Demonstrate media literacy skills search for and evaluate mass media content
- 12. Present written material in a clear, coherent and accessible manner
- 13. Learn how to work effectively in a group to produce a short film or podcast and evaluate others performance.
- 14. Contribute productively and co-operatively to group discussions
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:
- Contemporary histories of environmentalism and green philosophies.
- Environmental imaginaries: pasts and futures.
- Roles of the public sphere, mass media and environmental communication
- Campaigning: environmental social movements and NGOs
- Environmental publics, citizenship and participation.
- Science-policy interfaces: the role of knowledge
- Environmental governance: conceptual frameworks and instruments
- Global environmental issues: scale, expertise and experience.
These conceptual lenses will be used to help students investigate and understand substantive topics in environmentalism such as air pollution, water, waste, land management; biodiversity, energy and climate change.
In addition, a dedicated ELE site will provide students with links to key texts and lecture materials.
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | 128 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activity | 22 | 11 x 2 hour lecture/seminar sessions (or 1 hour lecture + 1 hour seminar) |
| Guided independent study | 60 | Reading |
| Guided independent study | 38 | Assignment preparation: conducting research, critical analysis of literature & media content, and writing the case study |
| Guided Independent Study | 30 | Groupwork; preparation of video and writeup |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Group project | 5 minutes each | Oral/written; plus in-class peer feedback. | |
| Environmental news scrapbook & class discussion | Throughout course assessed via oral contribution Students will be asked to voluntarily submit their scrapbooks as an appendix to summative assessments. | 1-11; 14 | Oral/written |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Briefing note | 40 | 1,000 words | 1-12 | Written & oral |
| Case study report | 60 | 2,000 words | 1-12 | Written & oral |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Briefing note | Briefing note (1,000 words) | 1-12 | August/September re-assessment period |
| Case study report | Case study report (2,000 words) | 1-12 | August/September re-assessment period |
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Carter, N. (2018). The Politics of the Environment: Ideas, Activism, Policy (3rd ed.). Cambridge University Press.
Eden, S. (2016). Environmental Publics. Routledge.
Evans, J. (2012). Environmental governance. Routledge.
Hansen, A. (2018). Environment, Media and Communication (2nd edition). Routledge.
Hilton, M., McKay, J., Crowson, N., &; Mouhot, J. (2013). The Politics of Expertise: How NGOs Shaped Modern Britain. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
All are available from the library
Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources
For mass media sources, check the Library resources at http://libguides.exeter.ac.uk/az.php?t=24641
Box of Broadcasts, Gale News Vault and Nexis are particularly useful databases that can help you get past online paywalls!
Web of Science enables you to search for content in the major academic journals. You can find further information at: http://www.library.ex.ac.uk/guides/essentials/wos.pdf
Google scholar is also useful, particularly for finding open access copies of material not available through the library: http://scholar.google.co.uk
If you have any further questions please consult the Library staff.
| Credit value | 15 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 7.5 |
| Module pre-requisites | none |
| Module co-requisites | none |
| NQF level (module) | 5 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Last revision date | 27/01/2022 |
