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 Skills	1. 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 Skills	3. 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 Skills	5. 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

Module Content

Syllabus Plan

Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover at least 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 Activities	Guided independent study	Placement / study abroad
44	256

...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 Activities	44	22 x 2-hour seminars
Guided independent study	100	Private study reading and preparing for seminars
Guided independent study	156	Preparation for essay and pre-seen exam including researching and collating relevant sources; planning the structure and argument; writing up the essay