Politics

Environmental politics in the Anthropocene

Module code: L2111
Level 6
30 credits in autumn semester
Teaching method: Seminar, Fieldwork
Assessment modes: Report, Essay

In the face of fast-paced environmental changes, climate scientists describe the present as a new earth age, the Anthropocene, where humanity is the most impactful geological force. The Anthropocene challenges fundamental assumptions about how politics works, what it can achieve, and how it can respond to global problems. Students will explore a range of perspectives on ecology and its governance from and beyond the Global North. By engaging with policymaking, activism and art, the module unpacks who or what is responsible for the burgeoning climate crisis, and where solutions might be found.

Module learning outcomes

• Show knowledge of different theoretical frameworks, ideas and concepts that can be used to analyse and design governance in the Anthropocene in their links and tensions.
• Locate and evaluate academic literature related to environmental politics in theory and practice.
• Identify the various groups engaged in environmental politics in the public, private and non-governmental spheres and critically evaluate their roles in environmental politics.
• Use a range of established techniques, including ethnography or participant observation, to initiate and undertake critical analysis of information, and to propose solutions to problems arising from that analysis.
• Identify the powers available to environmental policymakers and institutions and critically evaluate the effectiveness of these resources for solving environmental problems.
• Identify and research a key issue or question related to politics in the Anthropocene.