|
|
This module provides an introduction to politics that strips it back to its essentials. We examine the core debates in the subject and show why argument and disagreement are perennial features of modern politics but also why politics is an integral feature of modern societies.
Core questions in the first part of the course include - where does politics happen? Is it only about government, or can it also include politics in our daily lives, such as who looks after the children? Are we under the thumb of a ruling elite or does democracy mean that power is diffused widely in society? If democracy was the greatest political achievement of the twentieth century, is it now in trouble? Are people now more disenchanted with politics and are politicians less honest and more corrupt than they used to be? Has the state interfered too much in our lives or should government being doing more? What makes a good citizen and does being a good citizen include saying no to governments on occasion? There are no easy or universally-agreed answers to these questions, but trying to answer them will help you understand the forces that shape the world you live in, the choices that you have about how to live your life, and you will also learn how mere opinions do not make good political arguments.
In the second part of the course you will deepen your understanding of the role of conflicting values in politics by working in a small group to understand how a contemporary political issue can be seen differently by different ideologies such as liberalism, conservatism and socialism. Even if you don't think of yourself as political, you will learn how you take political decisions and express political views every day. This module will allow you to understand why politics and your role in it matters.
The course structure is based on whole group lectures and weekly seminars. You will study a workbook of readings and complete a range of tasks that will help you prepare for the seminars, write your essay and prepare for a small group presentation to the rest of your seminar group. You will receive guidance on how to build up a portfolio of research notes from lectures and reading and you will receive feedback on three pieces of assessed work: a book review done as a short class test (25%); a group presentation (25%) and a 1,500 word essay (50%).
|
|
|
This module is designed to provide a clear introduction to the academic study of International Relations and is useful to both beginning International Relations students and to students who would like to simply to find out what the subject is about and explore a few topics or issues in the module that particularly interest them. The module shows how the modern "society of states" came about and was affected by various factors such as nationalism and other ideologies, technology and a globalizing capitalist economy. It also gives students a basic understanding of the "traditional" perspectives in the academic discipline of International Relations and helps them to distinguish between these schools of thought.
The ten topic-based lectures are accompanied by eight weekly meetings of each small seminar group. The seminar meetings fall into two kinds. In roughly half the seminars, students learn how to perform effectively in core aspects of University-level study such as: researching, planning and writing an essay; and examination preparation and technique. The other half of the tutorial meetings are devoted to discussion of the topics covered by the module, including: the evolution of the modern states system; Realist and "Idealist" perspectives on IR, violence and war; order, justice and fairness in international society; sovereignty and humanitarian intervention; and the transition from international to global society. Half way through the module, students receive a one-to-one personal meeting with their Module Tutor (lasting approximately ten minutes) in which they receive feedback on their essay plans and can discuss their progress in the module in general. Assessment format: 3-400 word essay plan (0% of the module mark, but non-submission of the essay plan will automatically trigger failure of the module); 1,000-word essay (50% of the module mark); two-hour unseen exam (50% of the module mark).
|
|
|
This module is designed to provide a clear and inspiring introduction to social scientific perspectives on environmental problems and the concept of sustainability. It is useful to students specialising in an environmental course (i.e., Environmental Studies and Environment and Sustainabilty) who require a solid grounding in environmental social sciences as well as to students with a general interest in this timely global issue.
The module looks at the emergence of the 'environment' as an object of study, the historical processes leading to the contemporary discussion of 'sustainability' (and 'unsustainability') and the various ways in which political and social theorists, scientists, artists, fiction writers, and activists have interpreted a range of environmental problems and solutions in different contexts. Students will learn to recognise the political aspects of the environmental crisis and to understand how and why both 'environment' and 'sustainability' are essentially contested concepts.
The ten topic-based lectures are complemented by ten weekly meetings of small tutorial groups. The tutorial sessions enable students to discuss and debate the academic content, as well as to practise core skills that will be required for successful University-level study -- such as paraphrasing an author's argument, using the Harvard system of referencing, attributing a concept to a specific school of thought, and constructing an effective argument. Tutorial group sessions enable students to develop the important verbal communication skills of effective question-posing and active listening. In addition to taking an unseen exam on the module content, students are required to read and write a critical review of a novel and to produce an annotated time-line of key periods, events, people and texts which are relevant to the history of sustainability.
Assessment format: 25% book review, 35% time-line project, 40% unseen exam. |
| Semester 2 |
C/O |
TYP |
ECTS | CATS |
|
|
PIR-10045 |
Justice, Authority and Power |
EP |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This module introduces students to the central debates in the history of Western political thought concerning justice and related concepts of political authority, power, liberty and the social contract. By posing critical questions concerning the nature and limits of state power, it provides a stimulating and enlightening opportunity for students in a wide range of disciplines, whether or not taking a principal degree in Politics, Philosophy and International Relations, to become familiar with the origin and development of the most influential ideas that have shaped modern states and societies.
The module firstly examines core issues in classical political thought through a study of Plato and Aristotle. Their writings present controversial but significant arguments for the universality of justice, the common good and the justification of elite power. The second part focuses on modern approaches to justice that focus principally on individual liberty, the social contract and the difference between wielding power and possessing legitimate authority to rule. The theories of Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau contrast with those of the classical world, and are generally considered to have inaugurated the widespread defence of representative government and democracy around the world today.
Ten lectures introduce the main concepts and thinkers covered in the module, and are accompanied by a corresponding number of weekly meetings of small one-hour tutorial groups. In these tutorials, students have the opportunity to debate specific themes and questions. Students are also asked to undertake self-assessed, summative multiple choice tests during the course of the module, and are encouraged to seek their tutors' advice with respect to any gaps in their knowledge that emerge as a result of these examinations. Students also receive prompt formative feedback on an essay-plan, which they are then asked to develop into a polished piece of written work, which is summatively assessed. |
|
|
PIR-10058 |
Introduction to Global Political Economy (GPE) |
EP |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
Introduction to Global Political Economy
This course will provide you with an introduction to the key issues, history, and perspectives in the field of Global Political Economy [GPE]. This module is about the structure, it is a “big picture” module that serves as an introduction to the study of GPE.
GPE is a relatively new area of inquiry for analysing International Relations in combination with Political Economy. GPE goes beyond the study of the major global financial and economic actors such as the G-20, IMF and the World Bank to look also at transnational processes such as drug trafficking, illegal arms trade, smuggling goods and people, and laundering the money made from them, their financial products, which are estimated to amount to a trillion dollars annually. It is hard to imagine a world without GPE because the mutual interaction of International Politics and the global economy is today widely appreciated and the subject of much academic research and applied policy analysis. This module includes both mainstream and radical approaches to analysing the global political economy. It is organized in several key parts corresponding to the different kinds of languages/ discourses with which you need to become familiar. In the first part, the module introduces some historical background on the development and elements in the global economy and the perspectives used to makes sense of things. It looks at the world system as a whole, examining the assumptions of different perspectives on political economy. In the second part, we will examine key perspectives and related concepts, models, and empirical evidence. Here we will explain terms such as the balance of payments and comparative advantage and study the discourse of mainstream political economy. The third part of the module builds on the first two as we turn to a critical assessment of the spread of global political economy relationships as experienced in key issue areas. In other words, the module will move from more abstract and broad themes to specific issues.
As this module is designed as an introduction to studying the global political economy, we assume that students do not already have any background in political economy. The module aims to demonstrate how an understanding of GPE can help students to make sense of the current global financial crisis, global news, business investments, and government policies –by presenting the theories, institutions, and relationships found in GPE in simple ways that still capture the complexity of the global issues and intellectual problems addressed. |
|
|
PIR-10059 |
Environmental Ethics |
C |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
The way in which we regard our environment affects the way in which we regard ourselves. Are we part of our environment and under its influence or are we able to step back, control it and perhaps also protect it? Depending on the aswer to these very fundamental questions, we will have different views of what should be done in some very concrete and ethically controversial issues, such as animal rights, climate change and the use of new technologies.
This module offers an introduction to ethics and its application to environmental issues. It begins with an examination of the nature of ethics, its applicability to environmental issues and some of its main orientations. It examines then some fundamental questions concerning the nature of value, the way in which we value something, the relation between human beings and the environment. Finally, it applies these debates and conceptual framework to some concrete issues.
The module consists of 10 1-hour lectures and 8 1-hour seminars, during which students will prepare a comparative review, a short essay and a group presentation. |
| Semester 1 |
C/O |
TYP |
ECTS | CATS |
|
|
PIR-10038 |
Why Politics Matters |
EP |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This module provides an introduction to politics that strips it back to its essentials. We examine the core debates in the subject and show why argument and disagreement are perennial features of modern politics but also why politics is an integral feature of modern societies.
Core questions in the first part of the course include - where does politics happen? Is it only about government, or can it also include politics in our daily lives, such as who looks after the children? Are we under the thumb of a ruling elite or does democracy mean that power is diffused widely in society? If democracy was the greatest political achievement of the twentieth century, is it now in trouble? Are people now more disenchanted with politics and are politicians less honest and more corrupt than they used to be? Has the state interfered too much in our lives or should government being doing more? What makes a good citizen and does being a good citizen include saying no to governments on occasion? There are no easy or universally-agreed answers to these questions, but trying to answer them will help you understand the forces that shape the world you live in, the choices that you have about how to live your life, and you will also learn how mere opinions do not make good political arguments.
In the second part of the course you will deepen your understanding of the role of conflicting values in politics by working in a small group to understand how a contemporary political issue can be seen differently by different ideologies such as liberalism, conservatism and socialism. Even if you don't think of yourself as political, you will learn how you take political decisions and express political views every day. This module will allow you to understand why politics and your role in it matters.
The course structure is based on whole group lectures and weekly seminars. You will study a workbook of readings and complete a range of tasks that will help you prepare for the seminars, write your essay and prepare for a small group presentation to the rest of your seminar group. You will receive guidance on how to build up a portfolio of research notes from lectures and reading and you will receive feedback on three pieces of assessed work: a book review done as a short class test (25%); a group presentation (25%) and a 1,500 word essay (50%).
|
|
|
PIR-10041 |
Introduction to International Relations |
EP |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This module is designed to provide a clear introduction to the academic study of International Relations and is useful to both beginning International Relations students and to students who would like to simply to find out what the subject is about and explore a few topics or issues in the module that particularly interest them. The module shows how the modern "society of states" came about and was affected by various factors such as nationalism and other ideologies, technology and a globalizing capitalist economy. It also gives students a basic understanding of the "traditional" perspectives in the academic discipline of International Relations and helps them to distinguish between these schools of thought.
The ten topic-based lectures are accompanied by eight weekly meetings of each small seminar group. The seminar meetings fall into two kinds. In roughly half the seminars, students learn how to perform effectively in core aspects of University-level study such as: researching, planning and writing an essay; and examination preparation and technique. The other half of the tutorial meetings are devoted to discussion of the topics covered by the module, including: the evolution of the modern states system; Realist and "Idealist" perspectives on IR, violence and war; order, justice and fairness in international society; sovereignty and humanitarian intervention; and the transition from international to global society. Half way through the module, students receive a one-to-one personal meeting with their Module Tutor (lasting approximately ten minutes) in which they receive feedback on their essay plans and can discuss their progress in the module in general. Assessment format: 3-400 word essay plan (0% of the module mark, but non-submission of the essay plan will automatically trigger failure of the module); 1,000-word essay (50% of the module mark); two-hour unseen exam (50% of the module mark).
|
|
|
PIR-10047 |
The politics of sustainability |
C |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This module is designed to provide a clear and inspiring introduction to social scientific perspectives on environmental problems and the concept of sustainability. It is useful to students specialising in an environmental course (i.e., Environmental Studies and Environment and Sustainabilty) who require a solid grounding in environmental social sciences as well as to students with a general interest in this timely global issue.
The module looks at the emergence of the 'environment' as an object of study, the historical processes leading to the contemporary discussion of 'sustainability' (and 'unsustainability') and the various ways in which political and social theorists, scientists, artists, fiction writers, and activists have interpreted a range of environmental problems and solutions in different contexts. Students will learn to recognise the political aspects of the environmental crisis and to understand how and why both 'environment' and 'sustainability' are essentially contested concepts.
The ten topic-based lectures are complemented by ten weekly meetings of small tutorial groups. The tutorial sessions enable students to discuss and debate the academic content, as well as to practise core skills that will be required for successful University-level study -- such as paraphrasing an author's argument, using the Harvard system of referencing, attributing a concept to a specific school of thought, and constructing an effective argument. Tutorial group sessions enable students to develop the important verbal communication skills of effective question-posing and active listening. In addition to taking an unseen exam on the module content, students are required to read and write a critical review of a novel and to produce an annotated time-line of key periods, events, people and texts which are relevant to the history of sustainability.
Assessment format: 25% book review, 35% time-line project, 40% unseen exam. |
| Semester 2 |
C/O |
TYP |
ECTS | CATS |
|
|
PIR-10045 |
Justice, Authority and Power |
EP |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This module introduces students to the central debates in the history of Western political thought concerning justice and related concepts of political authority, power, liberty and the social contract. By posing critical questions concerning the nature and limits of state power, it provides a stimulating and enlightening opportunity for students in a wide range of disciplines, whether or not taking a principal degree in Politics, Philosophy and International Relations, to become familiar with the origin and development of the most influential ideas that have shaped modern states and societies.
The module firstly examines core issues in classical political thought through a study of Plato and Aristotle. Their writings present controversial but significant arguments for the universality of justice, the common good and the justification of elite power. The second part focuses on modern approaches to justice that focus principally on individual liberty, the social contract and the difference between wielding power and possessing legitimate authority to rule. The theories of Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau contrast with those of the classical world, and are generally considered to have inaugurated the widespread defence of representative government and democracy around the world today.
Ten lectures introduce the main concepts and thinkers covered in the module, and are accompanied by a corresponding number of weekly meetings of small one-hour tutorial groups. In these tutorials, students have the opportunity to debate specific themes and questions. Students are also asked to undertake self-assessed, summative multiple choice tests during the course of the module, and are encouraged to seek their tutors' advice with respect to any gaps in their knowledge that emerge as a result of these examinations. Students also receive prompt formative feedback on an essay-plan, which they are then asked to develop into a polished piece of written work, which is summatively assessed. |
|
|
PIR-10058 |
Introduction to Global Political Economy (GPE) |
EP |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
Introduction to Global Political Economy
This course will provide you with an introduction to the key issues, history, and perspectives in the field of Global Political Economy [GPE]. This module is about the structure, it is a “big picture” module that serves as an introduction to the study of GPE.
GPE is a relatively new area of inquiry for analysing International Relations in combination with Political Economy. GPE goes beyond the study of the major global financial and economic actors such as the G-20, IMF and the World Bank to look also at transnational processes such as drug trafficking, illegal arms trade, smuggling goods and people, and laundering the money made from them, their financial products, which are estimated to amount to a trillion dollars annually. It is hard to imagine a world without GPE because the mutual interaction of International Politics and the global economy is today widely appreciated and the subject of much academic research and applied policy analysis. This module includes both mainstream and radical approaches to analysing the global political economy. It is organized in several key parts corresponding to the different kinds of languages/ discourses with which you need to become familiar. In the first part, the module introduces some historical background on the development and elements in the global economy and the perspectives used to makes sense of things. It looks at the world system as a whole, examining the assumptions of different perspectives on political economy. In the second part, we will examine key perspectives and related concepts, models, and empirical evidence. Here we will explain terms such as the balance of payments and comparative advantage and study the discourse of mainstream political economy. The third part of the module builds on the first two as we turn to a critical assessment of the spread of global political economy relationships as experienced in key issue areas. In other words, the module will move from more abstract and broad themes to specific issues.
As this module is designed as an introduction to studying the global political economy, we assume that students do not already have any background in political economy. The module aims to demonstrate how an understanding of GPE can help students to make sense of the current global financial crisis, global news, business investments, and government policies –by presenting the theories, institutions, and relationships found in GPE in simple ways that still capture the complexity of the global issues and intellectual problems addressed. |
|
|
PIR-10059 |
Environmental Ethics |
C |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
The way in which we regard our environment affects the way in which we regard ourselves. Are we part of our environment and under its influence or are we able to step back, control it and perhaps also protect it? Depending on the aswer to these very fundamental questions, we will have different views of what should be done in some very concrete and ethically controversial issues, such as animal rights, climate change and the use of new technologies.
This module offers an introduction to ethics and its application to environmental issues. It begins with an examination of the nature of ethics, its applicability to environmental issues and some of its main orientations. It examines then some fundamental questions concerning the nature of value, the way in which we value something, the relation between human beings and the environment. Finally, it applies these debates and conceptual framework to some concrete issues.
The module consists of 10 1-hour lectures and 8 1-hour seminars, during which students will prepare a comparative review, a short essay and a group presentation. |
Environmental Studies Minor - Level 1 Modules
| Semester 1 |
C/O |
TYP |
ECTS | CATS |
|
|
PIR-10038 |
Why Politics Matters |
EP |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This module provides an introduction to politics that strips it back to its essentials. We examine the core debates in the subject and show why argument and disagreement are perennial features of modern politics but also why politics is an integral feature of modern societies.
Core questions in the first part of the course include - where does politics happen? Is it only about government, or can it also include politics in our daily lives, such as who looks after the children? Are we under the thumb of a ruling elite or does democracy mean that power is diffused widely in society? If democracy was the greatest political achievement of the twentieth century, is it now in trouble? Are people now more disenchanted with politics and are politicians less honest and more corrupt than they used to be? Has the state interfered too much in our lives or should government being doing more? What makes a good citizen and does being a good citizen include saying no to governments on occasion? There are no easy or universally-agreed answers to these questions, but trying to answer them will help you understand the forces that shape the world you live in, the choices that you have about how to live your life, and you will also learn how mere opinions do not make good political arguments.
In the second part of the course you will deepen your understanding of the role of conflicting values in politics by working in a small group to understand how a contemporary political issue can be seen differently by different ideologies such as liberalism, conservatism and socialism. Even if you don't think of yourself as political, you will learn how you take political decisions and express political views every day. This module will allow you to understand why politics and your role in it matters.
The course structure is based on whole group lectures and weekly seminars. You will study a workbook of readings and complete a range of tasks that will help you prepare for the seminars, write your essay and prepare for a small group presentation to the rest of your seminar group. You will receive guidance on how to build up a portfolio of research notes from lectures and reading and you will receive feedback on three pieces of assessed work: a book review done as a short class test (25%); a group presentation (25%) and a 1,500 word essay (50%).
|
|
|
PIR-10041 |
Introduction to International Relations |
EP |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This module is designed to provide a clear introduction to the academic study of International Relations and is useful to both beginning International Relations students and to students who would like to simply to find out what the subject is about and explore a few topics or issues in the module that particularly interest them. The module shows how the modern "society of states" came about and was affected by various factors such as nationalism and other ideologies, technology and a globalizing capitalist economy. It also gives students a basic understanding of the "traditional" perspectives in the academic discipline of International Relations and helps them to distinguish between these schools of thought.
The ten topic-based lectures are accompanied by eight weekly meetings of each small seminar group. The seminar meetings fall into two kinds. In roughly half the seminars, students learn how to perform effectively in core aspects of University-level study such as: researching, planning and writing an essay; and examination preparation and technique. The other half of the tutorial meetings are devoted to discussion of the topics covered by the module, including: the evolution of the modern states system; Realist and "Idealist" perspectives on IR, violence and war; order, justice and fairness in international society; sovereignty and humanitarian intervention; and the transition from international to global society. Half way through the module, students receive a one-to-one personal meeting with their Module Tutor (lasting approximately ten minutes) in which they receive feedback on their essay plans and can discuss their progress in the module in general. Assessment format: 3-400 word essay plan (0% of the module mark, but non-submission of the essay plan will automatically trigger failure of the module); 1,000-word essay (50% of the module mark); two-hour unseen exam (50% of the module mark).
|
|
|
PIR-10047 |
The politics of sustainability |
C |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This module is designed to provide a clear and inspiring introduction to social scientific perspectives on environmental problems and the concept of sustainability. It is useful to students specialising in an environmental course (i.e., Environmental Studies and Environment and Sustainabilty) who require a solid grounding in environmental social sciences as well as to students with a general interest in this timely global issue.
The module looks at the emergence of the 'environment' as an object of study, the historical processes leading to the contemporary discussion of 'sustainability' (and 'unsustainability') and the various ways in which political and social theorists, scientists, artists, fiction writers, and activists have interpreted a range of environmental problems and solutions in different contexts. Students will learn to recognise the political aspects of the environmental crisis and to understand how and why both 'environment' and 'sustainability' are essentially contested concepts.
The ten topic-based lectures are complemented by ten weekly meetings of small tutorial groups. The tutorial sessions enable students to discuss and debate the academic content, as well as to practise core skills that will be required for successful University-level study -- such as paraphrasing an author's argument, using the Harvard system of referencing, attributing a concept to a specific school of thought, and constructing an effective argument. Tutorial group sessions enable students to develop the important verbal communication skills of effective question-posing and active listening. In addition to taking an unseen exam on the module content, students are required to read and write a critical review of a novel and to produce an annotated time-line of key periods, events, people and texts which are relevant to the history of sustainability.
Assessment format: 25% book review, 35% time-line project, 40% unseen exam. |
| Semester 2 |
C/O |
TYP |
ECTS | CATS |
|
|
PIR-10045 |
Justice, Authority and Power |
EP |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This module introduces students to the central debates in the history of Western political thought concerning justice and related concepts of political authority, power, liberty and the social contract. By posing critical questions concerning the nature and limits of state power, it provides a stimulating and enlightening opportunity for students in a wide range of disciplines, whether or not taking a principal degree in Politics, Philosophy and International Relations, to become familiar with the origin and development of the most influential ideas that have shaped modern states and societies.
The module firstly examines core issues in classical political thought through a study of Plato and Aristotle. Their writings present controversial but significant arguments for the universality of justice, the common good and the justification of elite power. The second part focuses on modern approaches to justice that focus principally on individual liberty, the social contract and the difference between wielding power and possessing legitimate authority to rule. The theories of Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau contrast with those of the classical world, and are generally considered to have inaugurated the widespread defence of representative government and democracy around the world today.
Ten lectures introduce the main concepts and thinkers covered in the module, and are accompanied by a corresponding number of weekly meetings of small one-hour tutorial groups. In these tutorials, students have the opportunity to debate specific themes and questions. Students are also asked to undertake self-assessed, summative multiple choice tests during the course of the module, and are encouraged to seek their tutors' advice with respect to any gaps in their knowledge that emerge as a result of these examinations. Students also receive prompt formative feedback on an essay-plan, which they are then asked to develop into a polished piece of written work, which is summatively assessed. |
|
|
PIR-10058 |
Introduction to Global Political Economy (GPE) |
EP |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
Introduction to Global Political Economy
This course will provide you with an introduction to the key issues, history, and perspectives in the field of Global Political Economy [GPE]. This module is about the structure, it is a “big picture” module that serves as an introduction to the study of GPE.
GPE is a relatively new area of inquiry for analysing International Relations in combination with Political Economy. GPE goes beyond the study of the major global financial and economic actors such as the G-20, IMF and the World Bank to look also at transnational processes such as drug trafficking, illegal arms trade, smuggling goods and people, and laundering the money made from them, their financial products, which are estimated to amount to a trillion dollars annually. It is hard to imagine a world without GPE because the mutual interaction of International Politics and the global economy is today widely appreciated and the subject of much academic research and applied policy analysis. This module includes both mainstream and radical approaches to analysing the global political economy. It is organized in several key parts corresponding to the different kinds of languages/ discourses with which you need to become familiar. In the first part, the module introduces some historical background on the development and elements in the global economy and the perspectives used to makes sense of things. It looks at the world system as a whole, examining the assumptions of different perspectives on political economy. In the second part, we will examine key perspectives and related concepts, models, and empirical evidence. Here we will explain terms such as the balance of payments and comparative advantage and study the discourse of mainstream political economy. The third part of the module builds on the first two as we turn to a critical assessment of the spread of global political economy relationships as experienced in key issue areas. In other words, the module will move from more abstract and broad themes to specific issues.
As this module is designed as an introduction to studying the global political economy, we assume that students do not already have any background in political economy. The module aims to demonstrate how an understanding of GPE can help students to make sense of the current global financial crisis, global news, business investments, and government policies –by presenting the theories, institutions, and relationships found in GPE in simple ways that still capture the complexity of the global issues and intellectual problems addressed. |
|
|
PIR-10059 |
Environmental Ethics |
C |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
The way in which we regard our environment affects the way in which we regard ourselves. Are we part of our environment and under its influence or are we able to step back, control it and perhaps also protect it? Depending on the aswer to these very fundamental questions, we will have different views of what should be done in some very concrete and ethically controversial issues, such as animal rights, climate change and the use of new technologies.
This module offers an introduction to ethics and its application to environmental issues. It begins with an examination of the nature of ethics, its applicability to environmental issues and some of its main orientations. It examines then some fundamental questions concerning the nature of value, the way in which we value something, the relation between human beings and the environment. Finally, it applies these debates and conceptual framework to some concrete issues.
The module consists of 10 1-hour lectures and 8 1-hour seminars, during which students will prepare a comparative review, a short essay and a group presentation. |
