LNAK10072U Global Environmental Governance

Volume 2014/2015
Education
MSc Programme in Nature Management (Landscape, Biodiversity and Planning)
MSc Programme in Forest Ecosystems, Nature and Society SUFONAMA
MSc Programme in Agriculture
MSc Programme in Climate Change
Content

GEG is an interdisciplinary project oriented course organised around environmental themes, which may change from year to year. The course concludes with an oral examination.

The course consists of three main components: (1) An introduction to the general field of “global environmental governance” (2) Examination of a global environmental themes (3) A project assignment.

Re 1. General introduction
The course will introduce key concepts and issues of relevance for global environmental governance as seen from various professional perspectives (political science, geography, law and life science). Moreover, the course will introduce the most important of those governmental and non-governmental international institutions that regulate the interaction between society and environment. The students will obtain a basic understanding of how these international institutions interact with institutions at regional and national levels. It is intended to provide insights in the global and international character of environmental problems, and in those mechanisms of governance and regulation that have special significance for the solution of environmental problems.

The aim of the introduction is to create a common conceptual framework for the subsequent work.

Re. 2. Examination of global environmental themes
The second component is an examination of global environmental themes in the light of global environmental governance, again drawing on the various professional approaches, research traditions, analytical frameworks, etc.

Examples of possible environmental themes are: biodiversity, water, forest, climate change.

Focus is on the global and international levels of governance, but also with a view to how these levels interact with the regional and local levels.

Re 3. Project reports
The students will work in teams in preparing a written assignment.

Learning Outcome

Background:
The course is part of the cross-faculty Global Environmental Governance education programme, described at www.geg.ku.dk. Three departments are involved in the course and programme including Faculty of Science (IFRO and IGN); Faculty of Law, and Faculty of Social Science (Department of Political Science).

Objective:
The objective of the course is to equip the students with interdisciplinary skills, which will assist them in dealing with global environmental governance in an international and/or national context. They will be enabled, moreover, to obtain knowledge about scientific issues of relevance to global environmental problems, and gain understanding of some of the international processes, which bring this knowledge into play

Knowledge
-Has knowledge about relevant international organisations, how they work, and how they interact in relation to the task of governing the society-nature relationship.
-Has understanding of political and institutional issues in the relationship between global, national and local levels of environmental governance
-Has understanding of natural science aspects of the global environmental problems and their eventual solutions, main focus is on the green environment.

Skills
-Understand and link knowledge and insights from own professional background with corresponding knowledge and insights from other professions including political science, law, life science, and natural sciences
-Is able to critically evaluate information related to social and physical aspects of global environmental problems and their eventual solutions.
-Is able to work in multidisciplinary manner teams when addressing global environmental problems

Competences
-Can take technical, natural science and social science aspects into consideration when working with global environmental issues and problems, consequences and solutions.
-Can bring natural science based knowledge about environmental problems into play in an international political, legal and administrative context.

The course book is: O’Neil, Kate (2009): The Environment and International Relations, Cambridge University Press.

Another good introduction, also part of the course reading, is provided by: Najam, Adil; M. Papa, N. Taiyab (2006): Global Environmental governance, a reform agenda. IISD. Chapter 1. A primer on the GEG Reform Debate. http:/​/​www.iisd.org/​pdf/​2006/​geg.pdf

As a rule, the lectures will be based on dialogue between teachers and students. The course includes theoretical exercises and guidance for writing the project assignments.
  • Category
  • Hours
  • Exam
  • 2
  • Guidance
  • 2
  • Lectures
  • 48
  • Preparation
  • 55
  • Project work
  • 87
  • Theory exercises
  • 12
  • Total
  • 206
Credit
7,5 ECTS
Type of assessment
Oral examination, 30 minutes under invigilation
30 minutes oral examination including assessment. The exams take out in a brief presentation by the individual student of the obligatory written assignment, and relate to the curriculum.
Aid
All aids allowed
Marking scale
7-point grading scale
Censorship form
No external censorship
Several internal examiners
Criteria for exam assesment

See Learning Outcomes