| Unit name | Environmental policy and social justice |
|---|---|
| Unit code | SPOLM0041 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Professor. Okereke |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one | |
| School/department | School for Policy Studies |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
This unit examines the intersection of environmental issues, social justice, and public policy. As evidence mounts that the climate crisis has been caused by humans, there has been a gradual but growing acceptance among national governments, supra-national organisations, and the general public of the need for more environmentally harmonious societies. At the same time, traditional development paths have come under question in the context of the continuing failure to meet a number of basic human needs. Additionally, many of the challenges posed by environmental risks relate to inequalities within societies between rich and poor, and also between societies between the global North and South.
This unit will help students to integrate thinking about social and environmental issues by exploring foundational concepts, values and perspectives as well as implications for policy. It explores topics such as the particular characteristics of environmental issues that face policy-makers in making environmental policy, and the nature of environmental goods that impact on behaviour relating to them. It will also make use of increased awareness of ethical issues relating to environmental sustainability and social well-being from a global perspective, exploring matters of social and environmental injustice and issues such as citizenship and human need. It therefore combines both ‘social policy’ and ‘public policy’ approaches to the environment.
The unit aims are:
By the end of the unit, students will be able to:
Interactive lectures, group discussions and exercises.
4,000 word written assignment which tests the learning outcomes of the unit.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. SPOLM0041).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
