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Global Environmental Politics (POLS30022)

Undergraduate level 3Points: 12.5Dual-Delivery (Parkville)

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Overview

Availability
Semester 2 - Dual-Delivery
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This subject provides a comprehensive and critical introduction to global environmental politics. It introduces the ethical, political and institutional challenges raised by the global environmental crisis and the key political, policy and institutional responses. The subject critically explores different environmental worldviews and discourses, the environmental treaty system, the complex relationship between global environmental and economic governance and new forms of private and civil environmental regulation. The role of key non-state actors will also be examined, including the diversity of environmental movements and their critics and the changing practices of corporations. Key global debates about sustainable development, green growth, environmental justice and ecological security will be explored along with a range of topics and case studies, including the global politics of climate change and biodiversity protection, the relationship between trade and environment, the precautionary principle, the relationship between scientific expertise and environmental policy and the politics of risk. Questions of gender and ethnicity are explicitly addressed in the syllabus.



Intended learning outcomes

On completion of this subject students should:

  • Understand and critically compare the competing frameworks for understanding global environmental politics within mainstream international relations theory and the more critical field of global political ecology;
  • demonstrate a broad understanding of the diverse ideological character and claims of the modern environment movement and the major lines of political contestation in the broader global environmental debate;
  • recognise the major environment and development tensions and debates within the national, international and global communities, particularly the sustainable development debate and the tensions between environmental and economic global governance;
  • be able to identify the different ways in which new environmental issues, actors, interests and agendas have challenged the basic norms and institutions of global governance, particularly the system of sovereign states, environmental multilateralism, and the norms and institutions of global economic governance;
  • be able to evaluate critically the different global institutional responses to global ecological problems;
  • Communicate effectively in oral and written formats.

Last updated: 14 March 2025

Eligibility and requirements

Prerequisites

None

Corequisites

None

Non-allowed subjects

None

Recommended background knowledge

Politics and International Studies at Levels 1 & 2

Inherent requirements (core participation requirements)

The University of Melbourne is committed to providing students with reasonable adjustments to assessment and participation under the Disability Standards for Education (2005), and the Assessment and Results Policy (MPF1326). Students are expected to meet the core participation requirements for their course. These can be viewed under Entry and Participation Requirements for the course outlines in the Handbook.

Further details on how to seek academic adjustments can be found on the Student Equity and Disability Support website: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/student-equity/home

Last updated: 14 March 2025

Assessment

DescriptionTimingPercentage

An essay, due in the week prior to the non-teaching break

  • 3000 words
Week prior to non-teaching break75%

A take-home exam

  • 1 hours
During the examination period25%
Hurdle requirement: Students must attend a minimum of 75% of tutorials in order to pass this subject. All pieces of written work must be submitted to pass this subject. Regular participation in tutorials is required.Throughout the teaching periodN/A

Additional details

Note: Assessment submitted late without an approved extension will be penalised at 10 marks per working day. In-class tasks missed without approval will not be marked.

Last updated: 14 March 2025

Dates & times

  • Semester 2
    Principal coordinatorRobyn Eckersley
    Mode of deliveryDual-Delivery (Parkville)
    Contact hours30 contact hours per semester. 1 x two hour seminar and 1 x one hour tutorial per week for 10 weeks. The seminar and tutorial programs are staggered and cover the 12 weeks of semester.
    Total time commitment170 hours
    Teaching period26 July 2021 to 24 October 2021
    Last self-enrol date 6 August 2021
    Census date31 August 2021
    Last date to withdraw without fail24 September 2021
    Assessment period ends19 November 2021

    Semester 2 contact information

    r.eckersley@unimelb.edu.au

     

Time commitment details

Total of 170 hours

Last updated: 14 March 2025

Further information

Last updated: 14 March 2025