Undergraduate Module Descriptor

POL3251: Climate Justice

This module descriptor refers to the 2019/0 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:

  • an introduction to the science and politics of climate change
  • a theoretical analysis of the problem of climate change
  • consideration of the bases of climate responsibility
  • assessment of individuals and groups as bearers of climate duties
  • exploration of the demands of intergenerational justice in the face of climate change
  • climate displacement and resettlement
  • geoengineering proposals
  • climate denial, hope and despair

Learning and Teaching

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

Scheduled Learning and Teaching ActivitiesGuided independent studyPlacement / study abroad
221280

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

CategoryHours of study timeDescription
Scheduled Learning & Teaching Activity2211 x 2-hour seminars
Guided independent study 50Private study – reading and preparing for seminars
Guided independent study 78Preparation for essay and pre-seen exam – including researching and collating relevant sources; planning the structure and argument; writing up the essay

Online Resources

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

Carbon Brief: www.carbonbrief.org

World Resources Institute: https://www.wri.org/

IPCC: https://www.ipcc.ch/

Desmogblog: https://www.desmogblog.com/

Climate Equity Reference Project: https://climateequityreference.org/

Project Drawdown: https://www.drawdown.org/

Climate Action Tracker: https://climateactiontracker.org/

Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change: http://wires.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WiresJournal/wisId-WCC.html

The Guardian, Climate Change: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-change

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 assessmentSize of the assessment (eg length / duration)ILOs assessedFeedback method
Essay outline500 words1-11Peer-assessed

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.

CourseworkWritten examsPractical exams
50500

...and this table provides further details on the summative assessments for this module.

Form of assessment% of creditSize of the assessment (eg length / duration)ILOs assessedFeedback method
Essay502,000 words1-11Written
Pre-seen exam501.5 hours1-11Written

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 assessmentForm of re-assessmentILOs re-assessedTimescale for re-assessment
EssayEssay (2000 words) (50%)1-11August/September reassessment period
Pre-seen examPre-seen exam (1.5 hours ) (50%)1-11August/September reassessment period