Undergraduate Module Descriptor

ANT3041: Environments in Public

This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 academic year.

Module Aims

This module aims to introduce environmentalism and sustainability as developing processes of public communication, campaigning and social change since the mid-20^th C. In so doing, it aims to introduce key scientific, philosophical and theoretical debates on the environment, alongside real-world developments in environmental governance. It will equip students with the key skills to help them critically evaluate scientific and political claims about environmental issues made in mass media coverage and the wider contemporary public sphere. The primary context will be the UK and the European Union, but with perspective mindful of global environmental debates.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
This module's assessment will evaluate your achievement of the ILOs listed here – you will see reference to these ILO numbers in the details of the assessment for this module.
On successfully completing the programme you will be able to:
Module-Specific Skills	1. demonstrate a critical understanding of the origins and development of contemporary environmentalism. 2. critique and evaluate how environmental issues have been framed in public and policy arenas 3. critically analyse the roles and perspectives of multiple actors and positions in environmental controversies. 4. display knowledge of the complexities of environmental governance across multiple sectors and scales. 5. evaluate critically public initiatives to tackle environmental problems 6. recognise the difficulties of achieving meaningful environmental debates and collective decisions about action.
Discipline-Specific Skills	7. think critically, analyse debates and present coherent arguments about socio-environmental issues 8. critically evaluate the effectiveness of and barriers to environmental action. 9. investigate, analyse and understand processes of contestation in the modern public sphere via lobbying, mass media, public engagement and policy formation.
Personal and Key Skills	10. evaluate ideas and contemporary public debates. 11. demonstrate critical media literacy skills search for, contextualize and evaluate mass media content 12. present written material in a clear, coherent and accessible manner 13. learn how to work effectively in a group to produce a short film or podcast and evaluate others performance. 14. contribute productively and co-operatively to group discussions

Module Content

Syllabus Plan

Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following:

- Contemporary histories of environmentalism and green philosophies.

- Environmental imaginaries: pasts and futures.

- Roles of the public sphere, mass media and environmental communication

- Campaigning: environmental social movements and NGOs

- Environmental publics, citizenship and participation.

- Science-policy interfaces: the role of knowledge

- Environmental governance: conceptual frameworks and instruments

- Global environmental issues: scale, expertise and experience.

These conceptual lenses will be used to help students investigate and understand substantive topics in environmentalism such as air pollution, water, waste, land management; biodiversity, energy and climate change.

In addition, a dedicated ELE site will provide students with links to key texts and lecture materials.

Learning and Teaching

This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:

Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	Guided independent study	Placement / study abroad
22	128	0

...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:

Category	Hours of study time	Description
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activity	22	11 x 2 hour lecture+seminar sessions
Guided independent study	60	Reading
Guided independent study	38	Assignment preparation: conducting research, critical analysis of literature & media content, and writing the case study
Guided Independent Study	30	Groupwork; preparation of video and writeup

Online Resources

This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).

For mass media sources, check the Library resources at http://libguides.exeter.ac.uk/az.php?t=24641

Box of Broadcasts, Gale News Vault and Nexis are particularly useful databases that can help you get past online paywalls!

Web of Science enables you to search for content in the major academic journals. You can find further information at: http://www.library.ex.ac.uk/guides/essentials/wos.pdf

Google scholar is also useful, particularly for finding open access copies of material not available through the library: http://scholar.google.co.uk

If you have any further questions please consult the Library staff.