Undergraduate Module Descriptor

POC2114: Green Politics in Theory and Practice

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

Please note that this module is only delivered on the Penryn Campus.

Module Aims

Environmental issues have become a major concern in both developed and developing countries. Environmental problems are closely related to and interact with developments at the national and global level. In this module, you will examine the history, ideals, goals, organisation, and key actors of environmental policy making in Britain and beyond. You will be familiarised with various competing national regulatory philosophies and look into political, economic and civil-societal approaches towards environmental regulation and protection. The implicit comparative perspective taken in this module will sensitise you to the challenges of generating effective international environmental policies. This will be further illuminated through a UN environmental conference simulation, which, in addition to helping you understand the opportunities and constraints for effective worldwide environmental policy, will enhance your skills in negotiating – a key employability skill. On this course, you will also analyse the changing role of green parties, grassroots organisations, academic experts and regulatory agencies in environmental policy-making. The module will combine theoretical approaches with case studies of major episodes and controversies in policy areas such as badger culling, pesticide use and climate change.

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 good knowledge of environmental politics and engagement with major theoretical debates through discussions in seminars, written work and a simulation. 2. Apply your knowledge of a country case by negotiating a countrys environmental position in a simulation and writing reflectively about it afterwards.
Discipline-Specific Skills	3. Assimilate taught materials and utilize them effectively to analyse environmental politics using key theoretical arguments 4. Collect secondary material and use it to understand a particular case study
Personal and Key Skills	5. Research and write a critical essay 6. Communicate complex arguments and negotiate

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 presentation on an assigned reading	15 minutes	1,3,6	Verbal
Draft position statement for negotiations	1 page of bullet-pointed comments	2,4,5	Verbal

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
Written essay	50	2,000 words	1,3,5	Written (individual) and verbal (generic)
Reflective write-up of simulation	50	3,000 words	2,4,6	Written (individual) and verbal (generic)
	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
Written essay	Essay, 2,000-words	1,3,5	Summer reassessment period
Reflective write-up of simulation (UN environmental policy-making discussion paper)	Report based on secondary sources,3,000-words	2,4,6	Summer reassessment period