Unit information: Climate Emergency in 2020/21

Unit name	Climate Emergency
Unit code	SPOL30074
Credit points	20
Level of study	H/6
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12)
Unit director	Dr. Oscar Berglund
Open unit status	Not open
Pre-requisites	None
Co-requisites	None
School/department	School for Policy Studies
Faculty	Faculty of Social Sciences and Law

Description including Unit Aims

Addressing the Climate Emergency will get students to grapple with the greatest challenge of our time. After setting out the basic science and the scale of the climate emergency, the unit will proceed to address the political economy of climate change. It will then discuss climate justice as a concept and practice. This will be followed by studying the International Public Policy of climate change and some the actors involved, such as the IPCC. Lastly, the unit will look at how the climate emergency is being contested by social movements and the strategies adopted by these movements.

Aims:

• To understand the scale of the climate emergency and climate justice
• To explore the political economic context of climate change and the obstacles to action
• To understand how climate change is being addressed, both through political institutions and through protest

Ultimately the unit aims to let students explore how they can contribute to addressing the climate emergency.

Intended Learning Outcomes

By the end of the unit students will be able to:

1. Describe and analyse climate change denialism.
2. Critically assess how different people, groups, institutions and countries contribute to and are affected by the climate emergency.
3. Critically evaluate the systemic obstacles to action on climate change
4. Identify actors seeking to address climate change and evaluate their contribution to addressing the climate emergency.

Teaching Information

This unit will draw on a blended learning approach. Students will engage with asynchronous taught content (including, for example, narrated slides and other teaching and research materials) and will be tasked to complete activities in preparation for synchronous sessions to present and discuss ideas and clarify learning.

Assessment Information

Part 1: Leaflet (600-1,000 words) 25% - Assesses ILOs 1-2

Part 2: Essay (2,000 words) 75% - Assesses ILOs 3-4

Reading and References

Dietzel, A. (2019) Global Justice and Climate Governance, Edinburgh: Edinburg University Press.

Harris, P. G. (2019) A Research Agenda for Climate Justice, Cheltenham: Edward Elgar

Berglund, O. & Schmidt, D. (2020) Extinction Rebellion: Breaking the Law to Change the World, London:

Palgrave

Gaarsmand Jacobsen, S. (2018) Climate Justice and the Economy: Social Mobilization, Knowledge and the

Political

Fitzroy, F. R. & Payrakis, E. (2016) An Introduction to Climate Change Economics & Policy, London:

Routledge