Module overview
The climate crisis is one of the most urgent issues facing humanity. Climate change is having an increasing impact on individual lives, and on social and political relations and institutions. This module examines the moral and political philosophical issues raised by climate change. It considers, amongst other questions, what obligations individual citizens have to address the climate crisis; what present generations owe to future generations; and what a just distribution of the costs of tackling the climate crisis might look like.
Aims and Objectives
Learning Outcomes
Knowledge and Understanding
Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:
- Ethical questions raised by climate change.
- The arguments for and against different answers to those questions.
- Questions in political philosophy raised by climate change.
Transferable and Generic Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- Express views clearly and concisely.
- Contribute to discussion in a critical but dispassionate way.
- Take notes from talks and written materials.
- Work effectively to deadlines.
- Undertake independent work, including identifying and using appropriate resources.
Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- Recognise connections between moral philosophical questions regarding climate change and other areas of study such as climate science, economics and politics
- Articulate and defend your own views about climate justice and the obligations of individuals to address the climate crisis
- Critically evaluate influential moral and political claims about how the climate crisis should be addressed by both individuals and institutions.
Syllabus
The syllabus may vary from year to year. Topics may include:
- What moral obligations citizens have to address the climate crisis
- How the costs of addressing the climate crisis should be distributed
- Climate change and inter-generational justice
- Climate change and collective obligations
- Moral theories and the ethics of climate change
- Decision-making under uncertainty
- The importance of the climate crisis relative to other moral and political issues
Learning and Teaching
Teaching and learning methods
Teaching methods include:
- Lectures
- In-class discussion
- One-on-one consultation with module co-ordinator
Learning activities include:
- Attending classes
- Contribution to class discussion
- Doing independent research for and writing assessed work
Type | Hours |
---|---|
Teaching | 33 |
Independent Study | 117 |
Total study time | 150 |
Resources & Reading list
Internet Resources
Assessment
Formative
This is how we’ll give you feedback as you are learning. It is not a formal test or exam.
Essay proposal
- Assessment Type: Formative
- Feedback:
- Final Assessment: No
- Group Work: No
- Percentage contribution: 100%
Summative
This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.
Method | Percentage contribution |
---|---|
Discussion board activity | 33% |
Essay | 67% |
Referral
This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.
Method | Percentage contribution |
---|---|
Timed Assignment | 100% |
Repeat
An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.
Method | Percentage contribution |
---|---|
Discussion board activity | 33% |
Essay | 67% |
Repeat Information
Repeat type: Internal & External