Undergraduate Module Descriptor

ANT3097: Environment and Society

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

Module Aims

This module explores how science, technology and society interact to determine what counts as an environmental problem. The aim of the module is to familiarize you with a wide range of environmental problems and methodologies to analyse them. An important focus will be the role of science and divergent understandings of nature in the analysis of environmental issues. You will learn how interdisciplinary approaches to controversies over environmental problems may complicate the debates and read popular media reports of environmental issues more critically. We will discuss the meanings, political uses, and abuses of uncertainties in science, the affirmations of risks and the relationships between environmental and social justice.

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 clear understanding of different approaches to environmental problem and different roles of science. 2. Critically asses conflicting meanings of scientific evidence, social responsibility, uncertainty in science and politics, and critically assess the depiction of environmental problems in popular media and the relationship between social and environmental justice
Discipline-Specific Skills	3. demonstrate critical awareness and understanding of a range of social scientific, historical, and philosophical perspectives; 4. identify the core theoretical assumptions 5. apply a range of theoretical and interpretive perspectives to the task of sociological and anthropological analysis; 6. demonstrate appreciation of the strengths, weaknesses and limitations of different and competing social scientific, historical, and philosophical perspectives.
Personal and Key Skills	7. reflect on, and examine critically, taken-for-granted social, cultural and ethical assumptions, beliefs and values; 8. analyse, evaluate, and communicate, clearly and directly, a wide range of explanatory and interpretive theoretical perspectives; assess evidence, marshal facts and construct arguments

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:

Introduction: Nature and the Environment in Science and Technology Studies
GM Foods
Climate Controversies and Consensus
Un/natural disaster
Scientific Uncertainties and Environmental Health
Wilderness Discourses and Social Natures
Environment and Social Justice
Making Species: Natives, Aliens and Endangered
Biodiversity: Concepts, Discourses and Practices
Experts, Laypeople and Other Animals
BSE Crisis – a British Example of “Risk Society”

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	The module will be taught a combination of lectures and seminar based discussions, meeting for two hours each week. It is essential that students complete all assigned readings before class and be prepared to discuss them in class.
Guided Independent study	66	Readings for seminars
Guided Independent study	62	Researching and writing the essay

Online Resources

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