Undergraduate Module Descriptor

POL3259: Climate Justice

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

Module Aims

The module will enable students to explore debates about the demands of climate justice and how climate policymaking reflects (or fails to reflect) these demands. It will encourage students to use the tools of political theory to explore the theoretical roots of climate justice, the responsibilities of individuals and groups, the demands of mitigation and adaptation, what we owe to future people, geoengineering proposals, climate denial, damage to human rights, ethics for climate catastrophes, and more.

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 Skills1. Understand in depth the justice challenges created by climate change and critically evaluate proposals in the literature for meeting these challenges.
2. Recognise the salience of these challenges and proposals for real-world climate policy
Discipline-Specific Skills3. Assess normative arguments for their validity and soundness and begin to construct such arguments of your own.
4. Trace the evolution of abstract theoretical concepts into practical climate politics.
Personal and Key Skills5. Engage in respectful conversation with others on contested political questions;
6. Study independently and manage time and assessment deadlines effectively
7. Communicate effectively in speech and writing.
8. Present your own views on a topic with support from arguments and evidence;
9. Demonstrate critical and analytical skills through tutorial discussions and module assessments
10. Demonstrate proficiency in the use of the internet, online journal databases and other IT resources for the purposes of tutorial and assessment preparation.
11. Demonstrate effective applied writing

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
Case study1000 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
Essay252000 words1-11Written
Essay252000 words1-11Written
Open book exam5024 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) 25%1-11August/September reassessment period
EssayEssay (2000 words) 25%1-11August/September reassessment period
Open book exam 24 hoursOpen book exam (24 hours)1-11August/September reassessment period