Module POC2114 for 2021/2
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
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.
| 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 |
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 green political thought
The social construction of environmental issues
The science-policy nexus
The challenges of managing the commons
Sustainable development
The policy tool-box
Environmental policy-making in Britain
Environmental policy-making in the EU
UN environmental conferences / country positions
UN environment conference simulation
Environmental movements
Green Parties
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 25 | 125 |
...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 | 22 | 11 x 2 hour Seminars |
| Scheduled learning and teaching | 3 | Simulation 1 x 3 hours |
| Guided independent study | 45 | Reading to prepare for seminars |
| Guided independent study | 30 | Preparation and writing of essay |
| Guided independent study | 25 | Preparation of country position for simulation negotiation |
| Guided independent study | 25 | Writing reflective report on the simulation process and outcomes |
Online Resources
This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).
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 |
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.
Basic reading:
N. Carter (2007) The Politics of the Environment: Ideas, Activism, Policy, Cambridge University Press (2nd edition).
A. Dobson (2007) Green Political Thought, Routledge (4th edition).
A. Jordan (2002) The Europeanization of British Environmental Policy, Palgrave.
A. Jordan and A. Lenschow (eds) (2008) Innovation in Environmental Policy: Integrating the Environment for Sustainability, Edward Elgar.
C. Knill and D. Liefferink (2007) Environmental Politics in the European Union: Policy-making, Implementation and Patterns of Multi-level Governance, ManchesterUniversity Press.
J. Connelly, G. Smith, D. Benson and C. Saunders (2012) Politics and the Environment, Routledge.
