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Unit of study_

GOVT6135: Global Environmental Politics

This unit examines the environment as a political and policy issue. Although relatively recent, the environment has become a full-fledged public policy issue exerting influence in local, national and international arenas. The unit will first focus on the specific features of the policy that influences the capability of contemporary societies to enhance the management of environmental resources and of public goods in general. Second, it discusses the development of environmental policy in Western countries, with a particular emphasis on the European Union. Third, a grid for the analysis of environmental policy will be presented, with a discussion of the main actors (political, institutional and socio-economic) involved in it and of the factors (interests and ideas) influencing their positions. Fourth, the unit briefly discusses environmental conflicts and consensual approaches used for tackling them.

Code GOVT6135
Academic unit Government and International Relations
Credit points 6
Prerequisites:
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None
Corequisites:
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None
Prohibitions:
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None

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. understand each school of thought covered over the term
  • LO2. understand how these discourses engage each other in the context of contemporary environmental issues
  • LO3. use each discourse to frame an issue at hand, and both critique that framework and defend it against criticisms from other discourses
  • LO4. conduct further research in various areas of the relationship between human political systems, environmental conditions, and the natural world.

Unit outlines

Unit outlines will be available 2 weeks before the first day of teaching for the relevant session.