International development

Environmental Perspectives on Development

Module code: L2103
Level 5
15 credits in spring semester
Teaching method: Lecture, Seminar
Assessment modes: Essay

The module explores development with an explicit focus on environmental issues. You will look at the relationships between development and the environment: the consequences of development on the environment, environmental constraints to development, and problems of development in marginal environments. You will examine how the environment and issues around sustainability have been considered (or ignored) in relation to development and how this has changed over time. The module includes historical perspectives on environment and development, illustrating continuities and changes in policies related to environment and development. It also explores core issues around environmental management and development in relation to key resources, such as wildlife, forests and water.

Module learning outcomes

• Knowledge of the relationships between environment and development.
• Awareness and understanding of key concepts and core debates in the study of environment and development.
• Knowledge of the core reading, with some appreciation of the subtlety of debates about environment and development, and of the underlying logic of different theoretical perspectives.