Course syllabus Environment, Risk and Security: Life in the Anthropocene
Swedish name: Miljö, risk och säkerhet: att leva i antropocen
Course code:
2SS078
Valid from semester:
Spring Term 2022
Education cycle:
Second cycle
Scope:
7.5 credits
Progression:
A1N
Grading scale:
Three-grade scale
Main field of study:
Political Science with a focus on Crisis Management and International Co-operation
Department:
Department of Political Science and Law
Subject:
Political Science
Language of instruction:
The teaching is conducted in English.
Decided by:
Forsknings- och utbildningsnämndens kursplaneutskott (KUS)
Decision date:
2022-01-01
Entry requirements
Bachelor\`s degree worth 180 credits, of wich 90 credits are in Political Science or another related, relevant subject.
English proficiency equivalent to English B or English 6 is also required.
English proficiency equivalent to English B or English 6 is also required.
Course content and structure
The Anthropocene is a new geological epoch defined by the transformative power of humans on the plant. Unmonitored carbon emissions, non-sustainable business practices and a host of other human activities are contributing to permanent changes to the earth’s surface, biodiversity, climate and ecosystems. These and other changes to the planet has formed profound environmental risks including sea level rises, coastal erosion, severe weather systems and the extinction of species.
Crucially, the Anthropocene signifies a distinct and irreversible rupture to the earth system. The profundity of this scientific fact has far-reaching consequences for social theorising and challenges deep-seated assumptions about our world and our place within it. If the physical reality that we occupy has radically altered, then we must also re-consider how we ought to live in the Anthropocene. This course examines some emerging debates emitting out of critical reflections on the Anthropocene with a specific focus on security in an increasingly complex world of risk. How does our understanding of security and risk change when faced with the possibility of human extinction and what ethical guidelines can we adhere to or reject? What might a post-human analysis of security and risk in the Anthropocene look like? How can the practice, politics and ethics of the Anthropocene incorporate non-human and nature perspectives?
These and related questions are examined throughout the course through interactive seminars and lectures. These learning tools aim to develop the students ability to analyse and understand political, practical and ethical questions related to the environment, risk and security.
Type of Instruction
The course consists of lectures and seminars. The seminars provides students with the possibility to develop their analytical capacity both verbally and in written form. The course concludes with a written examination where the student has the opportunity to fulfil the learning objectives of the course.
Crucially, the Anthropocene signifies a distinct and irreversible rupture to the earth system. The profundity of this scientific fact has far-reaching consequences for social theorising and challenges deep-seated assumptions about our world and our place within it. If the physical reality that we occupy has radically altered, then we must also re-consider how we ought to live in the Anthropocene. This course examines some emerging debates emitting out of critical reflections on the Anthropocene with a specific focus on security in an increasingly complex world of risk. How does our understanding of security and risk change when faced with the possibility of human extinction and what ethical guidelines can we adhere to or reject? What might a post-human analysis of security and risk in the Anthropocene look like? How can the practice, politics and ethics of the Anthropocene incorporate non-human and nature perspectives?
These and related questions are examined throughout the course through interactive seminars and lectures. These learning tools aim to develop the students ability to analyse and understand political, practical and ethical questions related to the environment, risk and security.
Type of Instruction
The course consists of lectures and seminars. The seminars provides students with the possibility to develop their analytical capacity both verbally and in written form. The course concludes with a written examination where the student has the opportunity to fulfil the learning objectives of the course.
Objectives
After completing the course the student should be able to:
Knowledge and understanding
Competence and skills
Judgement and approach
Knowledge and understanding
- Demonstrate a critical knowledge of the main concepts of environmental risk and security particularly in its connection to the Anthropocene.
Competence and skills
- Recognize and understand the multifaceted connections between sustainability, politics, security, and risk.
Judgement and approach
- Recognize and demonstrate an ability to critically assess methodological implications and ethical issues related to research within the conext of the Anthropocene.
Examination formats
Assessment takes place through individual written seminar assignments and a final course paper on a given subject.
Active participation in seminars are mandatory. A student who fails to attend more than one mandatory component cannot pass the module and must instead participate the next time the course is offered. One
(1) occasion of absence shall be made up by a (written or oral) assignment.
Examination papers submitted after the deadline will not be graded unless special circumstances exist that are acceptable to the examiner.
The examiner may decide to allow supplementation of the examination assignment in order to achieve a passing grade. Supplementation must be submitted no later than three working days after notification of the examination results and announcement of the supplementation task, unless special circumstances exist that are acceptable to the examiner.
Grading
Grades are set according to a three-grade scale: Pass with Distinction (VG), Pass (G) and Fail (U). Grading criteria are specified by no later than the start of the course.
To earn a grade of Pass (G) for the course, the student must earn a grade of Pass (G) for the individual written seminar assigments and Pass (G) for the final course paper.
To earn a grade of Pass with Distinction (VG) for the course, the student must fulfil the requirements for earning Pass (G) plus earn a grade of Pass with Distinction (VG) for the final course paper.
The number of examinations is not limited.
Active participation in seminars are mandatory. A student who fails to attend more than one mandatory component cannot pass the module and must instead participate the next time the course is offered. One
(1) occasion of absence shall be made up by a (written or oral) assignment.
Examination papers submitted after the deadline will not be graded unless special circumstances exist that are acceptable to the examiner.
The examiner may decide to allow supplementation of the examination assignment in order to achieve a passing grade. Supplementation must be submitted no later than three working days after notification of the examination results and announcement of the supplementation task, unless special circumstances exist that are acceptable to the examiner.
Grading
Grades are set according to a three-grade scale: Pass with Distinction (VG), Pass (G) and Fail (U). Grading criteria are specified by no later than the start of the course.
To earn a grade of Pass (G) for the course, the student must earn a grade of Pass (G) for the individual written seminar assigments and Pass (G) for the final course paper.
To earn a grade of Pass with Distinction (VG) for the course, the student must fulfil the requirements for earning Pass (G) plus earn a grade of Pass with Distinction (VG) for the final course paper.
The number of examinations is not limited.
Transitional provisions
When the course is no longer given or when the course content has changed substantially, the student has the right to be examined once per semester during a three-term period in accordance with this syllabus.
Other regulations
The course cannot be included in a degree with another course whose content fully or partially corresponds to the content of this course.
The course is given as an elective course within the Master's Programme in Politics and War. It can also be given as a freestanding course.
From the autumn semester 2021, the course is included as an elective course within the master's program Politics, Security and War.
This is an edited version of the syllabus, created to transfer the original to the education database Ladok education planning. For originals, refer to the archive.
The course is given as an elective course within the Master's Programme in Politics and War. It can also be given as a freestanding course.
From the autumn semester 2021, the course is included as an elective course within the master's program Politics, Security and War.
- If a student has a decision from the Swedish Defense University on special educational support due to a disability, the examiner may decide on alternative forms of examination for the student.
- On completion of the course, an evaluation will be conducted under the auspices of the course director and will serve as the basis for any changes to the course.
This is an edited version of the syllabus, created to transfer the original to the education database Ladok education planning. For originals, refer to the archive.