2492.15 - Science, Economics and Politics of Sustainability, Climate, and Environment.

2492.15

Science, Economics and Politics of Sustainability, Climate, and Environment.

10

Bachelor degree or equivalent with adequate component of social science, environmental or climate science.

This course will offer students a thorough understanding of the scientific mechanisms and drivers behind climate change, and will offer students a thorough understanding of different theories of economics and politics in relation to sustainability, climate, and environment. The foundational knowledge of climate science will be incorporated in policy and economic analyses and discussions of national, regional, and global cases of how Science, Economics and Politics unfold in relation to questions of sustainability, environment, and climate change mitigation and adaptation.

The course consists of three research-based parts; climate change science, economics, and political science. The parts will be taught both independently and will be integrated together through the use of empirical cases. The political economy approaches to be discussed include neo-classical economics, green growth economics, environmental economics, ecological modernisation, sustainable development, ecological economics, and deep ecology. Students will work with cases like the UN climate negotiations and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports, West Nordic Green Growth approaches, and the Faroe Islands’ fishery governance.

The course is based on 40 hours of teaching in a combination of three types of approaches: 1) Classroom teaching (20 hours) will introduce different topics, and will be used to reflect upon and discuss the other activities such as guest lectures and field visits. 2) Practical learning (10 hours) with the specific topics through dissemination of new knowledge gained through e.g. own interviews and observations. E.g. through writing a blog, making videos, posters, public speaking, or a radio programme. The lecturer functions as supervisor. 3) Dialogue sessions (10 hours) where teachers and students engage in dialogue with society, e.g. political, business, and civil society actors. Students will help prepare the dialogue.

At the end of the course the students will be able to: • Describe and analyse various scientific mechanisms and drivers behind climate change. • Present a basic understanding of sustainability, climate, and environment and especially how the Human-Nature relationship works. • Describe, analyse and discuss climate and sustainability cases at national, regional, and global scale, and differentiate between different varieties of political economic approaches to sustainability and economic growth. • Critically answer and discuss questions about how climate change science, economics and politics relate to each other in practice. • Demonstrate skills in communication of new knowledge based on own material to a non-academic audience. Present academic reflections about own dialogue with society on a given topic.

• Following the case studies, students will produce a written, audio, or visual presentation of one case targeted a non-academic audience. • Based on the communication product, students must write a synopsis paper that explains the communication product in relation to a chosen problem and the course literature. It must also reflect upon the presentation and reception of the product. The written paper must be maximum 1.500 words. • The overall course will be assessed through an oral exam using the synopsis paper and case presentation: External examiners (with teacher).

External

7-

1.000 pages research literature in English.

Lau Øfjord Blaxekjær