Overview

This module will explore the relationship between climate change and society to offer a timely analysis of the climate crisis we are currently facing. This interdisciplinary module will engage students with various theoretical and multidisciplinary approaches (sociology, social policy, criminology, geography, environmental sciences, politics, economics and history) to develop students’ ability to contextualize and analyse societies relationship with the natural world from an historical-contemporary perspective. This module will develop students’ critical analysis skills to gain a deeper understanding of the causes of the climate crisis and its link to our global economic, cultural and political structures and what this relationship means in terms of principles of justice and democracy. Students’ abilities to construct cohesive and constructive arguments in response to contemporary socio-environmental issues, crimes, policies and debates will be developed. This module demonstrates the important role sociology has in resolving the current climate and extinction / biodiversity crisis, by developing students' abilities to critique and evaluate possible solutions for developing a more sustainable social, cultural, economic and environmental global future.

The module will cover a range of topics such as: • Introduction to Environmental Sociology; • History of Environmental Sociology; • Capitalism and environmental exploitation; • Knowledge and power; • The economies of globalization; • Climate crimes and climate justice; • Citizenship, civic local and global empowerment; • Identity and democracy; • The rise of environmental politics and movements; • Protests, Law and Justice; • Global governance and the environment; • Migration and climate crisis; • The legacy of mass extinction; • The environment and mental and physical well-being; • The Green New Deal; • Towards a sustainable future.

Assessment Strategy

-threshold -Threshold = D- - D+ - The student must demonstrate some ability to critically evaluate academic text; demonstrate some historical understanding; show the ability to engage with the topic in a factual, evidence-based way; presenting their work logically and clearly.Students in the higher band of C- to C+ must demonstrate some ability to critically evaluate academic text; demonstrate some historical understanding; show the ability to engage with the topic in a factual, evidence-based way; presenting their work logically and clearly.

-good -Good = B- - B+ - The students must demonstrate the ability to examine and evaluate a range of academic texts; demonstrate a sociological understanding of climate change and from an historical to contemporary context; to demonstrate the ability to summarise some of the main theoretical perspectives; to present their work in a logical, evidenced-based and clear manner and demonstrate analytical skills.

-excellent -Excellent = A- - A* - The students must demonstrate the ability to examine and critically evaluate a wide range of academic texts; demonstrate a sophisticated sociological understanding of climate change from an historical to contemporary contextual; show a clear understanding of key theoretical perspectives; present their arguments in a logical, evidence-based and well communicated manner and demonstrate good analytical skills.

Learning Outcomes

• Demonstrate a clear and articulate understanding of the key sociological theories of climate change.

• Demonstrate a mature contextual understanding of events and attitudes in terms of an historical context.

• Demonstrate an analytical critical understanding of environmental sociology and the sociology of climate change.

• Demonstrate the ability to identify a range of key sociological, environmental, political, economic, criminological and policy literature.

• Display the ability to critical analyse and critique texts and the ability to construct coherent evidenced-based arguments.