Environmental Governance, 7.5 Credits

Contents

Environmental problems and global environmental change are complex, transboundary, multi-level and multi-sector issues, that need to be dealt with at all administrative levels and with an integrated approach across policy areas. By applying theories of governance, we will discuss what this may imply in practice for the policy-making and implementation of environmental politics at different levels. The course introduces key theoretical concepts useful for the understanding of global environmental change as a policy problem, and employs different ideological perspectives for further understanding and analysise of the mechanisms that drives global environmental change and environmental politics. Cases of environmental governance on various levels will be contrasted and compared, together with overlaps between environmental issues and other domains like trade and security. The course will give opportunity to reflect on these cases in relation to central political scientific concepts like democracy, justice, legitimacy and effectiveness.

Expected learning outcomes

Students who successfully complete the course are expected to be able to:

• Describe and understand the complexity of environmental problems, and drivers of and societal solutions to global environmental change.
• Describe and understand concepts and theories that are central to the study of environmental governance, including sustainable development, multi-level governance, and the importance of institutions.
• Employ and argue for different ideological perspectives to explain and propose solutions to global environmental change.
• Discuss design and implementation of environmental governance on different political levels.
• Critically discuss issues of power and inequality in relation to environmental governance, with a particular focus on indigenous peoples and gender equality.

Required Knowledge

Univ: 30 ECTS-credits in Political Science or equivalent.

Form of instruction

The course consists of lectures, seminars, and individual literature studies. The aim of the lectures is to support students' learning as a complement to individual studies of the required readings. The seminars include oral presentations and written assignments. They offer the opportunity to further discuss issues and concepts introduced throughout the course. Participation in the seminars is mandatory.

Examination modes

• Seminars, including oral presentations, active participation in discussions and written assignments. Grades: Fail (U) or Pass (G).
• Take-home exam (individual). Grades: Fail (U), Pass (G) or Pass with distinction (VG).

General rules regarding examination
A student who does not meet the requirements to pass an examination can, if decided by the course instructor, be given a complementary assignment to reach the requirements to pass the examination. The complementary assignment can be individually modified to the specific requirements that the student has failed to reach, but the assignment must be of corresponding proportion to the original examination.
 
Ordinarily, the complementary assignment is given at the end of the course or when the grades at the original examination is announced. When the student has been given the complementary assignment, he/she should finish the assignment within ten days (not including weekends and holidays). If the student fail to finish the assignment within the required time, a new complementary assignment can only be given the next time the course is arranged, or during the two weeks of re-take exams the Department arranges every year during week 34 and 35.
 
If it is not possible to do complementary assignments (if so, it is stated next to each individual examination above), the student is required to do a re-take exam. The first re-take exam should be given two months after the original examination, at the latest, but no sooner than ten days after the grade on the original examination has been given (not including weekends and holidays). If the examination is given during May or June, the first re-take exam should be given no later than three months after the original examination. Two weeks of re-take exams are also arranged every year, which means complementary assignments are treated during this time independently of when the course was given. These weeks are arranged during week 34 and 35.
 
Students who fail an examination may retake that examination. A student has the right to request a new examiner if he/she fails two sub-course examinations (i.e. an examination and a re-take). In such cases students should contact the Director of Undergraduate Studies (Studierektor). Examination in accordance with the same syllabus as during the original examination can be guaranteed for up to two years after the student's first registration.

The appointed examiner may decide to use other forms of examination if required by particular circumstances.

Transfer of Credits
Students who wish to transfer credits from other Departments or universities (Swedish or foreign) should do so in accordance to the Principal's decision "Tillgodoräknandeordning vid Umeå universitet (Dnr. 545-3317-02)".

The application must be submitted in written form. The request should specify which module or course the request applies to. An official transcript should also be submitted. The transcript must include the following information: where and when the course was given, the discipline and level of the course, total course credits and grade received. A syllabus describing the course and a list of required readings should be submitted with the request. Where applicable, written research papers should also be submitted.
 
Upon completion of this course, the credits can be transferred to a selective course. However it is always the responsible Department or program that determines the possibility for credit transfers and the extent of the credit transfer. The student should therefore always contact the responsible Department or program before submitting an application for credit transfers.

Other regulations

A written and anonymous course evaluation is given at the end of the course. During the course an oral evaluation is also arranged, and the student can also anonymously submit thoughts and opinions in digital form.