Environmental politics in theory and practice
Summary
The course is suitable for anyone who wants to get a basic orientation in the research area of environmental policy, with a focus on sustainable development.
About
Understanding how we handle some of
today's toughest environmental political challenges like climate change,
reduced biodiversity, and increased pollutants in our oceans and natural
habitats is an important component of sustainable development and fostering
both human and ecological well-being. With various political science approaches
as its foundation, the course Environmental Policy in Theory and Practice aims
to highlight how we can analyze and hopefully better understand the potential
opportunities and challenges that we face when it comes to reducing and
limiting our current environmental problems.
The course focuses on four thematic
areas related to environmental policy challenges:
- collective action and political
institutions - global policies and the
international system - political theory and environmental
behavior - public opinion and political
organization.
Each theme includes an introductory
lecture, independent study, and analysis/reflection in the form of discussions
during a seminar. You will also have a written assignment which will then be
presented and discussed during one of the four seminars. Finally, you will have
the chance to demonstrate your knowledge in the field of environmental policy
in the form of a take-home exam.
The focus of this course is to gain
a broad understanding of the major theoretical approaches from political
science that are relevant to the aforementioned thematic areas, as well as to
introduce empirical results from established research in these areas. You will
be expected to continuously utilize applied analysis, as well as independent
problem solving. The course may be beneficial to students who plan to conduct
future thesis work in the field of environmental politics, but it is also aimed
at those who want to gain a more general understanding of the field of
environmental politics.
Teaching
The teaching in this course
consists of lectures, seminars, group work, and practical exercises. The
teaching in this course is rooted in current research from political science
and the teachers are experts in their fields.
Prerequisites and selection
Requirements
General entrance requirements
Selection
Selection is based upon average grade from upper secondary school (34 %), the number of credits from previous university studies, maximum 165 credits (33 %) and Högskoleprovet - Swedish Scholastic Aptitude Test (33 %).
After graduation
Upon completion of this course, you
should be able to utilize various theoretical approaches from political science
to critique challenges relevant to environmental policy and analyze these
challenges from the perspective of political science.
