Undergraduate study

Overview

The School of Politics, International Relations and Philosophy (SPIRE) will be offering an exciting NEW interdisciplinary undergraduate dual honours degree in Environmental Studies.

SPIRE has an international reputation for its research and teaching on environmental issues at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. You will be taught by one of the largest groups of active environmental researchers in any British university. Our Environmental Studies course will enable you to develop systematic, social scientific understanding of the complex nature of environmental problems and the various solutions embraced by governments, businesses, civil society organisations and citizens. You will be introduced to a range of theoretical perspectives and practical techniques for environmental analysis, in addition to learning how these have informed different types of environmental interventions at the global, international, national and local levels.

The course offers

• The opportunity to study Environmental Studies with a complementary subject and a wide range of options in the second and third year
• Special strengths in green political theory and environmental ethics, environmental movements and environmental policy-making at local, national, EU and UN levels
• A vibrant and innovative community of learning with a lively and friendly staff within the multidisciplinary School of Politics, International Relations and Philosophy
• A learning experience underpinned by the latest academic thinking and research led by distinguished scholars
• One-to-one supervision of independent research towards a final year dissertation
• The opportunity to study abroad in the second year to benefit from another culture and a different educational experience
• An exciting range of co-curricula pursuits including Think:Green and the Keele Model United Nations Society

This course is intended for students who have an interest in debates about the environment and a desire to learn about how to solve some of the most urgent problems facing humanity today (such as climate change, energy security, population growth, loss of biodiversity), but who do not want to specialise in the Environmental Science disciplines. It offers the opportunity to develop a critical understanding of ‘the environment’ as a contested and socially-constructed concept about which there is and always has beenpolitically-charged debate, within the social as well as the natural sciences.

The course will prepare you for postgraduate study in the environment-related fields as well as for further study towards careers in such fields as environmental policy and management, education, journalism, law, diplomacy, and NGO/development work. Key employability skills include critical thinking and interpretation, interdisciplinary environmental research, comparative analysis, policy analysis, team work, report writing, and effective use of ICT.

Course Content

The course is designed to build and develop knowledge of the links between social, political and environmental issues progressively. The first year provides you with a foundation for more flexible choices in the second year and considerable specialisation in the third year. One of the benefits of being in SPIRE is the range of modules from Politics, International Relations and Philosophy also available to Dual Honours Environmental Studies students.

Year 1

Most students have not studied environmental issues from a social science perspective before, and even those who have will not have covered it with the same breadth. In the first year of the course you are introduced to the basic concepts through two core modules:

The politics of sustainability
Environmental ethics

Elective modules:
You have the choice of a wide range of elective modules offered in SPIRE and other Schools, including:

Why politics matters
Justice, authority and power
Introduction to global political economy
Modern local history from 1750 (School of Humanities)
Greening business (School of Physical and Geographical Sciences)
Global warming or a new ice age? (School of Physical and Geographical Sciences)

Year 2

The objective is to build on first year work by deepening your knowledge about particular
aspects of Environmental Politics and Policy in two core modules:

Environmental politics and policy
International relations of the environment

Again, you can choose from a number of elective modules, including:

Work experience in SPIRE
Nature, society and the past:  an environmental history of the western world 1800-2000 (School of Humanities)
Cultures of consumption (School of Sociology and Criminology)
Creating awareness campaigns (School of Humanities)
Corporate Social Responsibility (School of Management)

Year 3

Special subjects are taught exclusively through seminars and, because they relate to their tutors’ research interests, they provide a chance to engage with the cutting-edge of social and political research. You will take at least two approved electives in Environmental Studies. The range of special subjects available varies from year to year, but the following is an indicative list:

Citizenship and the environment
Sustainability and social justice
Environmental politics in the USA
Protest and social movements
The northern dimension: resources, environment and security in the Arctic
Environment and sustainability case study
The global south
Urban politics
Ecopsychology (School of Psychology)
Gender and consumption (School of Sociology and Criminology)
Consumer culture from cradle to grave (School of Sociology and Criminology)
The two cultures of the Arts and the Sciences (School of Humanities)

Codes and Combinations

Students are candidates for the degree of Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) (BA Hons) if their two Principal courses are in humanities and/or social science subjects.

All students who study a science subject are candidates for the degree of Bachelor of Science (with Honours) (BSc Hons).

Dual Honours course can be combined with:

Foundation Year course available:

Teaching and Assessment

Most modules are taught through a combination of lectures and seminars. Lectures are designed to move beyond the basic texts and to encourage critical assessment of conflicting views and theories. In seminars, small groups of students take part in discussions and debates facilitated by a tutor. The School guarantees all first year students an hour per week of small-group core modules. Our teaching focuses on developing students’ potential for independent thought and intellectual creativity. The use of a range of information and communication technologies is integrated into the programme, as is the development of written and oral communication skills.

Some modules are assessed through a combination of coursework and examination, some are assessed only on written coursework, while in other modules oral presentations and other types of seminar contributions are formally assessed. Our staff members have wide-ranging and cutting-edge research interests, which means academic research
informs and ignites our teaching. You will be encouraged to play an active role in the learning process, developing your own interests and ideas and acquiring skills that are transferable to a wide range of professions.

Programme specifications (new window)

Skills and Careers

In the wake of growing awareness of environmental problems like climate change, the need to develop environmentally sustainable alternatives to our current way of life is being recognised in both private and public sectors. Many agree that in order to develop alternatives and policies that will work, there is a need for greater understanding of the political and social dimensions of the environmental crisis.

The central purpose of the rapidly growing field of Environmental Studies is to critically evaluate the underlying causes of environmental problems and the consequences of environmental policies for society, the economy and the natural environment. This new Dual Honours programme is one of the few in the UK that offers a social science-based education in
environmental issues specialising in their political and policy dimensions. 

Visit our Careers pages (new window)

The School is committed to building a diverse and dynamic community to ensure that students explore their interests, learn from each others’ experiences, and discover new academic and co-curricula activities. We pride ourselves on our friendly and informal approach. Students are represented on all the major SPIRE academic committees. Staff members take pride in being responsive to student feedback through our Staff-Student Liaison Committee and the annual student evaluation of all modules.

There are also many curricula activities at Keele that offer opportunities for students to participate in environmental action and debate, such as Think:Green; Keele Politics Society, Keele Philosophy Society, and the Keele Model United Nations Society. Keele has a thriving community of scholars working on sustainability issues with a dedicated home in the Keele University Hub for Sustainability.

Environmental Studies is part of SPIRE, which is the largest and most unique disciplinary school of its kind in the UK.