Modules

1. Development and Urbanisation Processes
2. Principles and Practices of Environmental Governance
3. Environmental Policy and Climate Change‡
4. Environment and Development
5. Research Methods
6. Sustainable Food Systems‡
7. Dissertation

Environment and Development (MSc)

1. Development and Urbanisation Processes

The module focuses on development and urbanisation. It pays particular attention to development problems faced by developing countries as well as to urbanisation processes. We focus on both problems and potential policies that have either been tested or could be tested. We cover a number of topics, such as for example, gender equality, female neglect, health and education, or the problems of the mega-cities and urban sprawl.

On completion of the module a student should be able to critically discuss:

1. Basic concepts in development economics, such as economic growth, human development and the measures and indicators that have been proposed
2. The challenges of education, health and gender inequality in developing countries
3. The obstacles poor groups in developing countries face in order to access credit and insurance and the solutions that have been proposed
4. The relationship between urbanisation and economic growth
5. The challenges caused by the rapid expansion of urban areas in developing countries, with rural-urban migration as a principal cause.

2. Principles and Practices of Environmental Governance

This module will provide students with in-depth knowledge of the diverse forms of, and rationales for, modern environmental governance. It will draw on conceptual and empirical material from a wide range of case studies, to help students understand the contemporary management of the environment, broadly defined.

The module’s main components include an exploration of the rise of environmental governance, examining why and in what ways ‘the environment’ has become an important sphere of policy and practice intervention around the world, including some of the different conceptual lenses through which it can be examined.

A further component explores the differing scales of environmental governance, covering international and transnational processes and institutions, as well as the part that we all as individuals now play in acting on and for the environment. The main topic, cover in a series of lectures and seminars, is anthropogenic climate change and the evolution of climate change governance.

Finally, the module examines various tools of governance, providing detailed insight into the ways that particular mechanisms of and for environmental governance are put into practice and experienced ‘on the ground’, drawing on international case studies.

On completion of the module a student should be able to:

1. Describe and understand the origins and drivers of key environmental problems, intersectoral disputes and uneven responsibilities across governments, social groups and generations;
2. Recognise and critically analyse key theories and ‘schools’ of environmental governance theory and practice;
3. Understand and evaluate key approaches to environmental governance, including international conventions (as the 1992 UN Framework Convention on Climate Change), national policies, private sector responses and personal behaviour change;
4. Understand the ways that scale and context impact on how environmental governance is understood and enacted; and
5. Critically discuss and evaluate key tools and mechanisms of environmental governance, drawing on empirical case studies and, in particular, human-induced climatic changes.

3. Environmental Policy and Climate Change

‡ This module explores debates on global environmental problems, with a particular view to anthropogenic climate change, and how various dimensions of policy are theorised, designed and implemented with a view to address these problems. This is a module that explores environmental politics rather than environmental science.

During the module, we explore the relationship between environmental problems (including climate change) and their policy formulation and solutions through the analysis of critical environmental questions and the role of politics and power in shaping such solutions; we examine the tensions between citizen science and participatory and expert driven modes of environmental policy; we examine political and policy constraints and opportunities for sustainable development and climate change; we consider the implications of climate change in different countries; and we also explore the relationship between local and global issues in the context of environment, climate change and development.  

Contemporary environmental problems are used to illustrate global environmental policy dilemmas. The module addresses key environmental policy debates at a variety of spatial scales and critically analyses the role of different institutions and actors in addressing environmental issues and climate change, thinking about why some approaches are more successful than others.

On completion of the module a student should be able to

1. Describe contemporary environmental problems and explain their drivers.
2. Understand the complexities of politics and policymaking in relation to environmental and climate issues.
3. Recognise key issues and relationships between key actors in environmental and climate policy.
4. Critically analyse environmental policy processes at global, international and national levels.
5. Explain the causes and forecasted consequences/impacts of anthropogenic climate change.
6. Critically assess the links between environmental and climate policy and development and between local and global issues;
7. Critically assess key climate change and environmental policy debates.
8. Explain the theoretical underpinnings of, and drivers behind, environmental and climate policy, and the inter-relationship between human activities, the natural environment and climate change (in the Global North and Global South).
9. Distinguish between different approaches to environmental policy and climate change and evaluate their implications, likely consequences and underlying assumptions.
10. Develop and present coherent solutions to environmental and climate change issues.

4. Environment and Development

International development is inherently carried out in environmental contexts, but relationships between environment and development are rarely addressed, which often dooms major development projects. This module examines the relationship between human development and environmental controversies through its unique focus on:

1. Environment and development issues, which are framed within the context of international development, poverty alleviation and global inequalities.
2. Issues of access, justice, participation, politics, capitalism and consumerism.
3. The role of different actors (state, civil society, social movements) and the importance of scale and global interconnectedness, particularly when assessing the costs and benefits of approaches to sustainable development. The context of water is a focal area for this module.

Through the module you will consider the politicised basis of ecology and the ecological basis of politics and the economy. The sessions are organised under a number of cross-cutting themes, including guiding principles, the role of the state, environments and resources, adaptation and knowledge. Within these themes you will explore issues such as environmental justice, biodiversity conservation, community participation, ecosystem services, urban environments, agri-food production and distribution, water politics, climate change, and environmental knowledge.

On completion of the module a student should be able to:

1. Understand the interdependencies and politicised connections between society and the rest of socionature.
2. Expand knowledge of current theoretical debates on environment and development issues under the influence of global capitalism.
3. Develop advanced abilities to think critically and evaluate different approaches to global development and environment management.
4. Assess the importance of theory in shaping environment and development, and of the ways in which this theory can be applied in practice and policy.
5. Create sophisticated arguments, verbally and in written form, on the pressures, demands and political disputes around development and environmental conservation/management via a case study related to development in a different country.

5. Research Methods

The module is organised in two parts.  Part A provides an introduction and an overview of social science research methods and how research is framed, with an emphasis on planning, geography and urban studies. All students will attend the same lectures, seminars and workshops.

Part B provides a specialised examination of different social science research methods and analytical approaches. Students will critically understand how these methods and research ethics are applied and reflect on ways that these could be implemented in their own postgraduate dissertation.

Together, Parts A and B of the module give students a robust post-graduate-level understanding of the tasks involved in undertaking research in planning, geography and urban studies. The module is specifically designed to assist students in designing an effective postgraduate level dissertation.

On completion of the module a student should be able to:

Part A – in respect to research in general:

1. Critically assess alternative approaches to social research and to recognise their strengths and weaknesses.
2. Examine the empirical content and relations of ideas introduced in other modules.
3. Identify suitable methodological approaches for a given research question.
4. Understand the epistemological principles (theories of knowledge) that govern the activities of social research.
5. Gain practical guidance on how to plan, research and write a dissertation.
6. Develop a dissertation project and conceptualise and plan the research process and its component steps.

Part B – in relation to specific social science research methods and analytical approaches:

1. Critically understand how the methods taught can be used in their postgraduate dissertation.
2. Critically understand the application and challenges of different modes of data collection for research in their postgraduate dissertation.
3. Critically understand the application of different analytical techniques for research in their postgraduate dissertation.
4. Critically understand research ethics in the context of researching topics in their postgraduate dissertation.
5. Critically apply skills in selected methods relevant to a postgraduate dissertation.

6. Sustainable Food Systems

‡This module explores the opportunities and challenges for environmental justice and sustainability through critically examining the constitutive relationships, practices, politics and ideals of global food systems. Food offers a shared and critical lens through which to analyse key questions on resilience, resource distribution and availability, environmental pressures and development.

Drawing on the perspectives of diverse actors throughout food systems from producers to distributors, retailers, consumers, regulators and campaigners, the module explores the scope for, and limits to, developing and maintaining sustainable and just food systems in a context of multiple connected socio-ecological crises. In addition to understanding the complexities of food systems, these offer insights to more general challenges in seeking to shape sustainable futures.

The module draws on perspectives from academia and practice, including empirical examples of action seeking to transform food systems, investigating both conceptual and practical limitations.

On completion of the module a student should be able to:

1. Demonstrate in-depth knowledge of how and why complex socio-ecological systems are relevant in food production, consumption and waste.
2. Demonstrate a critical understanding of why food origins, production methods and consumption patterns are at the forefront of debates on sustainable development and climate emergency.
3. Appreciate the role of different actors in transforming food systems, and critically consider the impact of varied pathways and actions working towards food sustainability.
4. Evaluate the potential impact of changes in contemporary food systems on academic debate and assess the prospects of sustainable food systems in practice.

7. Dissertation

The dissertation provides a student with the opportunity to independently pursue in greater depth a chosen subject or topic in the field. It provides the means for developing and expressing students’ research and analytical abilities. The dissertation follows many of the rules of an essay (for example, presenting a coherent argument that is supported by evidence and referencing the material that is used) but it is a much-extended piece of work in which the arguments and evidence will be presented in a more sophisticated manner. In a dissertation there will be a clear account and justification for the methodology that has been used to collect and analyse data and the methodology will link to a rigorous conceptual framework that shows an awareness of current theoretical debates.

The assessment of the module takes the form of one written submission. As ethical and safe research conduct is a foundational element of any research project, the university requires that all students submit and receive approval of both an ethics protocol and risk assessment, for which pro-formas will be provided. Although both submissions do not count towards the final module mark, they must be submitted and approved before undertaking any primary fieldwork, as any data collected without these approvals cannot be used in the dissertation.

In preparation for the start of this module, a series of workshops focused on the dissertation process will be offered to students during the taught academic year.

On completion of the module a student should be able to:

1. Apply complex knowledge and skills acquired throughout the programme.
2. Independently critically evaluate current scholarship and policy debates.
3. Evaluate and critique methodologies and justify an appropriate research design.
4. Evaluate and understand the ethics of the research and obtain the appropriate ethical approval to undertake the research.
5. Demonstrate originality in the collection and analysis of data and its interpretation.
6. Develop coherent, sustained and critically informed arguments leading to logical conclusions and appropriate recommendations.
7. Reach accepted standards of written and illustrative presentation.

In date order. ‡ optional modules.