Module POL2101 for 2018/9
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
POL2101: Public Environmental Politics
This module descriptor refers to the 2018/9 academic year.
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 topics:
- Histories of environmental politics and green political thought.
- Roles of the public sphere, mass media and environmental communication
- Campaigning: environmental social movements and NGOs
- Environmental publics, participatory governance and science-policy interfaces
- Policy frameworks: sustainable development?
- Policy instruments: regulation, markets & values
- Environmental governance in the UK and EU
- Global environmental politics
Throughout the course, these conceptual lenses will be used to help students investigate and understand topical issues in environmental politics such as air pollution, water, waste, land management; biodiversity, energy and climate change.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 21 | 129 | 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 Activities | 11 | 11 x 1 hour lectures |
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | 10 | 10 x 1 hour seminars |
| Guided Independent Study | 60 | Reading |
| Guided independent study | 39 | 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).
House of Commons EAC: http://www.parliament.uk/eacom
United Nations Environment Programme: http://www.unep.org/
European Union: http://europa.eu/index_en.htm
For 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.
Web of Science allows you to conduct searches of all the major academic journals. You can find details of the Web of Science at: http://www.library.ex.ac.uk/guides/essentials/wos.pdf
Also google scholar is useful, particularly for finding OA copies of material not available through the library: http://scholar.google.co.uk
If you have any further questions please consult the Library staff.
How this Module is Assessed
In the tables below, you will see reference to 'ILO's. An ILO is an Intended Learning Outcome - see Aims and Learning Outcomes for details of the ILOs for this module.
Formative Assessment
A formative assessment is designed to give you feedback on your understanding of the module content but it will not count towards your mark for the module.
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Group project producing an environmental briefing film, to be presented towards the end of the course. | 10 minutes each | 1-11; 13 | Oral |
| Contributions to class discussion | Throughout course | 1-11; 14 | Oral |
| Environmental politics news scrapbook & class discussion | Throughout course assessed via oral contribution Students will be asked to voluntarily submit their scrapbooks as an appendix to summative assessments. | 1-11; 14 | Oral/written |
Summative Assessment
A summative assessment counts towards your mark for the module. The table below tells you what percentage of your mark will come from which type of assessment.
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0 | 0 |
...and this table provides further details on the summative assessments for this module.
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Case study investigation report | 60 | 2,500 words | 1-12 | Written & oral with returned essay |
| Briefing notes to accompany video + reflective diary of groupwork | 40 | 1000 words (briefing notes) 1000 words (reflective diary) | 1-12 | Written & oral with returned essay |
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 |
Re-assessment
Re-assessment takes place when the summative assessment has not been completed by the original deadline, and the student has been allowed to refer or defer it to a later date (this only happens following certain criteria and is always subject to exam board approval). For obvious reasons, re-assessments cannot be the same as the original assessment and so these alternatives are set. In cases where the form of assessment is the same, the content will nevertheless be different.
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case study investigation report | Case Study (2,500 words) | 1-12 | August/September reassessment period |
| Briefing notes to accompany video + reflective diary of groupwork | Briefing notes + diary (1000+1000 words) | 1-12 | August/September reassessment period |
Indicative Reading List
This reading list is indicative - i.e. it provides an idea of texts that may be useful to you on this module, but it is not considered to be a confirmed or compulsory reading list for this module.
Core Texts:
Anderson, A (2016) Media, environment and the network society. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan
Connelly, J., Smith, G., Benson, D. & Saunders, C. (2012) Politics and the Environment. Routledge, Oxford.
Hansen, A. (2010). Environment, media and communication. Routledge.
Hilton, M., McKay, J., Crowson, N., &; Mouhot, J.(2013). The Politics of Expertise: How NGOs Shaped Modern Britain. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Roberts, J. (2010). Environmental Policy. Routledge.
All are available as ebook editions from the library
Suggested readings will be listed for each seminar topic. Ideally, you should be aiming to read at least three items for each seminar (including the main reading). For your essays, you should be consulting a minimum of eight pieces.
Please keep in mind that module reading lists are only indicators of some relevant reading materials and you should browse the library shelves to find alternative sources that may give you a different perspective.
Much of the material we cover in this module can be accessed through journals. Journals can be accessed and read online at: http://lib.ex.ac.uk
Some of the main journals relevant to this module are: Global Environmental Change, Environmental Politics, Environment and Planning A/C, , Climate Policy; Environmental Communication; Public Understanding of Science
ELE – College to provide hyperlink to appropriate pages
