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Environmental Politics and Policy (ENST90005)

Graduate courseworkPoints: 12.5On Campus (Parkville)

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Overview

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Semester 2
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This subject engages with critical concepts and issues related to environmental politics and policy. Special attention is paid to the political dimensions of policy development and implementation, with reference to national and international domains. Students will be introduced to relevant theories, cases, and tools for policy makers and environmental activists. Students will consider a variety of case studies including climate change, ozone depletion, water management, land conflict, forest preservation, waste and 'sustainability planning'. Case studies will be drawn from Australia, Southeast Asia, and other global contexts. The subject is taught through a combination of lectures and seminars. Students will gain a practical understanding of issues confronting policymakers and other political actors in relation to a range of environment problems and solutions.

Intended learning outcomes

On completion of this subject, students should be able to: 

  • understand the political forces that shape environmental policy-making
  • analyse and evaluate the effectiveness of a range of environmental policies
  • apply key ideas to an analysis of a contemporary environmental policy and its associated politics
  • generate ideas for political and policy approaches toward addressing environmental problems.

Generic skills

On completion of this subject, students should be able to: 

  • demonstrate competence in critical, creative and theoretical thinking through essay writing, seminar discussion and presentations, conceptualising theoretical problems, forming judgments and arguments from conflicting evidence, and by critical analysis;
  • demonstrate proficiency in the application of political and policy analysis skills to empirical problems;
  • be able to demonstrate an understanding of the academic protocols of research and presentation.

Last updated: 8 November 2024