Environmental Politics

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Level: 
Master's
CEU credits: 
3
ECTS credits: 
3
Academic year: 
2009/2010
Semester: 
Winter
Co-hosting Unit(s) [if applicable]: 
Department of Environmental Sciences and Policy
Academic Program: 
Master of Science in Environmental Sciences and Policy
Master of Science in Environmental Sciences, Policy and Management (MESPOM), Erasmus Mundus
CEU Instructor(s): 
Tamara Steger
Teaching assistants, administrators, etc: 
Koen Vanhoutte
Learning Outcomes: 
Through this course, the following learning outcomes are anticipated: Knowledge and Understanding: --Establish a knowledge base sufficient to identify and "negotiate discourses." --Present a coherent argument, grounded in theory and case-evidence, about global political and economic forces and their relationship to environmental problems and problemsolving. --Formulate an informed opinion about the impact of the neoliberal project on contemporary environmental issues and institutions. Intellectual Skills --Articulate complex ideas and their practical implications. --Formulate a theory by way of deduction from theoretical texts and discussions. --Induce appropriate theoretical statements from examples and case-studies Practical and Transferable Skills --Synthesize discussion points and various academic and popular texts and video in light of a particular framework. --Develop concise, coherent, and substantiated arguments. --Reflect on the unquestioned beliefs underlying positions and interests (someone else’s and your own).
Assessment : 
The course will engage: 1) multiple learning forums including lectures, seminar discussions, workshop and roundtable interactions, and a field trip; and 2) varied materials including readings from books, journals, and internet sites, as well as newspaper articles and videos. Course Requirements, Grading Scheme, and Estimated Workload: Educational Activity; Description of Activity; Basis of Evaluation; and percentage of Grade BLOG (20%) Blog minimum 5 minutes after each class. --Minimum 12 blog entries; --Quality of contribution to critical insights and discussions --Ability to engage others’ blog points and raise the discussion to higher levels ROUNDTABLES (30%) Roundtables on “Neoliberalism and the Environment”. In class, we will discuss in more detail the format and groundrules. --Organization and strategy --Use of evidence --Delivery, and --Refutation OP-ED/LETTER TO THE EDITOR (30%) Draft an opinion piece or letter to the editor (approximately 800 words or two pages). You must apply a neo-liberalist framework, or engage a particular part of the neo-liberalist agenda. The piece may reflect what you learned during the roundtable discussions. --Problem statement --Presentation of particular view/your position --Supporting evidence for that view. 30 % IN-CLASS CONTRIBUTION/FIELD TRIP ATTENDANCE (20%) You must attend and participate in all classes and the field trip. -- Class and field trip attendance --Participation in class seminar discussions and lectures including raising questions and making comments -- Engaging and applying class readings or raising questions about them. Estimated Workload: Total in-class and field trip: 20 h Total out-of-class: readings, assignments (e.g., blog, roundtable preparation, etc.) 55 – 65 h Total for the unit: 75 – 85 h Class attendance is mandatory. Late assignments will be considered according to the rules and guidelines in the MESPOM handbook.
Full description: 

Environmental professionals are faced with serious and complex problems that may not only involve basic questions of subsistence and survival, but more broadly speaking engage the social, political and economic realms that constitute our lives together. This is especially evidenced by the political nature of many environmental initiatives, entities, circumstances, and projects. But, what makes environmental work political? And, what can be done about it? 

At the heart of the politicization of environmental issues and efforts are ideas about the role of government(s) and governance structures, what is just and fair, and how we should organize ourselves to meet our needs and wants.  Ultimately, the ideas that we hold about these very fundamental political and economic questions determine to a large degree how we define, think about, and approach environmental problems and solutions.  

This course is designed to help environmental professionals understand environmental problems and their solutions by exploring the implications of globalization (as neo-liberalist discourse) for the environment.  We will, therefore, consider the environment in light of the neoliberalist agenda of rolling back the state, deregulation, privatization, and “free-market justice.”  Those who can critically reflect upon this powerful paradigm and its relationship to the environment shall gain a global perspective on significant forces organizing and impacting work to address climate change, promote biodiversity, decrease pollution or its impacts, improve water management, etc.