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This module looks at current debates over the unruly environment and asks how we got here. The image of ‘the Anthropocene’ – a seemingly new epoch of human dominance over nature – vividly conjures up today’s environmental crises at global and local levels. From drought and wildfires to food shortages, rising seas and mass extinctions, the scale of the current crisis seems to call for new solutions, even rebellions. But many of the policy struggles round these issues have long histories, which shed important light on current debates. How have people and states created and reacted to environmental problems in the past? Who has had the power to make or change policies, and why? The module introduces students to a range of key environmental policy debates and helps them to develop a historical and conceptual understanding of their evolution. It is suitable for students interested in the history, sociology or politics of the environment.

On successful completion of this module a student will be able to:
1. Demonstrate detailed knowledge of well-established theories and concepts in relation to a range of environmental issues and geographical settings.
2. Demonstrate an awareness of the historical development of different ideas, contexts and frameworks over time, and an ability to assess their knowledge base.
3. Use appropriate theoretical and historical models to judge the significance of different interpretative approaches to environmental governance and their connection to wider debates in history, politics and international relations.
4. Undertake research to provide new information and explore existing data to identify patterns and relationships, presenting the results with clarity of expression, orally in class and in written assessments.

The module is organised around key themes in environmental politics, past and present, including the following:
1. Introduction and Debates on Key Terms (e.g. Environment, Sustainability, Scarcity, Anthropocene).
2. Politics and Nature.
3. Climate Change and Knowledge.
4. Energy and the Modern World.
5. Food Systems and Environmental Justice.
6. Water, Hydro-Politics and History.
7. Governing the Seas.
8. Pollution in Space and Time.
9. Biodiversity and Politics.
10. Disease, Discourse and the Environment.

Seminar:
The sessions will be structured as a lecture and two-hour long workshops.
The workshops will be organised around activities to help students get the most from the weekly readings and other primary and secondary sources. They are designed to help students assess the value of different sources in relation to environmental concerns, past and current; to pursue their own independent learning (including through ‘enquiry-based learning’); and to understand how to link historical issues to current issues.

Lecture:
The one-hour lecture each week provides an overview of the topic, Introduction to key concepts, and basis for the workshop discussion and students' further independent study.

Group Study:
Workshops are based around group study.

Self-directed learning:
Students will undertake reading and other preparatory activities before class. They will be asked to work individually and in groups during the workshops (including through ‘enquiry-based learning’) and they will undertake independent research in preparation for the module coursework (essay).

Essay: 100% weighting, 40% pass mark.
Learning Outcomes: 1 - 4.
Word Length: 3000 words.
Outline Details: Research-based essay relating to one of the core themes of the module, connecting historical and political debates.

Formative Assessment: A workshop will be devoted to a formative activity in which students will first be asked to analyse and contextualise a policy-related text. Second, they will explore how this analysis can be incorporated into a longer discussion (focused on one of the essay titles provided for the summative assessment). This will be supported by peer to peer and tutor feedback.