LNAK10087U Global Environmental Governance (extended version)

Volume 2013/2014
Content
GEG is an interdisciplinary, project oriented course organised around an environmental theme, which may change from year to year. The course concludes with an oral examination.

This course consists of four main components: (1) An introduction to the general field of “global environmental governance” (2) Examination of a common environmental theme (3) A project assignment (4) Self-studies

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 a common environmental theme The second component is an examination of a common environmental theme 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.

Re 4. Self-study In total, the curriculum will add up to approximately 1200 pages. The individual students will have to compose part of their own curriculum (approximately 600 pages). They must submit their proposed curriculum to the course coordinator for approval no later than three weeks before oral exams, and familiarise themselves with this part of the literature by self-study.
Learning Outcome

Background:
The proposed course is part of the cross-faculty Global Environmental Governance education programme, described at www.geg.life.ku.dk. Four departments have been involved in developing the course and programme including: Forest & Landscape Denmark (LIFE), Department of Political Science (Faculty of Social Science), Faculty of Law, Department of Geography and Geology (Faculty of 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 extensive knowledge about relevant international organisations, how they work, and how they interact in relation to the task of governing the society-nature relationship.
- Has extensive understanding of political and institutional issues in the relationship between global, national and local levels of environmental governance
- Has extensive 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 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, which is also part of the course readings, is: 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
Combined lectures, theoretical exercises, project work, supervision. self-studies
  • Category
  • Hours
  • Exam
  • 2
  • Guidance
  • 2
  • Lectures
  • 48
  • Preparation
  • 125
  • Project work
  • 85
  • Theory exercises
  • 12
  • Total
  • 274
Credit
10 ECTS
Type of assessment
Oral examination, 30 minutes under invigilation
Description of Examination: 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
Re-exam
If 10 or fewer register for the reexamination the examination form will be oral.
Criteria for exam assesment
See Learning Outcomes