Human Ecology: Political Ecology, Crisis and Identity

The course offers an advanced exploration of ecological crises at the intersection of political ecology, political economy, culture, and identity. You are presented with different theoretical perspectives and empirical cases from around the world.

You work with key topics such as denial, authoritarianism, climate justice, greenwashing and relations between nature and society, using them to analyse how crises emerge, are felt, reproduced, and intensified.

The course places significant emphasis on the psychological and affective dimensions of ecological crises, particularly the climate crisis. It combines feminist, anti-racist and psychoanalytical perspectives on ecology and climate with radical political economy and critical theory. You will examine how the denial of the climate crisis is produced and organised at various social and political scales.

You learn to read literary texts with ecocritical methods and analyse various moments of the ecological crisis with instruments from disciplines such as environmental philosophy and environmental sociology. Another central theme is how the climate crisis is addressed through the deployment of various technologies, notably carbon dioxide removal and solar geoengineering. 

 course is included in the Master of Science Programme in Human Ecology – Culture, Power and Sustainability, and is also offered as a freestanding course. 

Course syllabus

The syllabus contains the formal and legal details of the entire course. It’s a legal document outlining the course structure and requirements, intended mainly for administrative use.

Course literature

The course literature listed may be updated up to eight weeks before the course begins.

This is an intensely interactive course. Alongside lectures, seminar activities are the central teaching components. You engage with the course literature in weekly seminars and conduct research exercises in groups. The course ends with a three-day excursion.

Throughout the course, you complete written and oral assignments that develop your ability to formulate arguments, connect theory to empirical material, and reflect critically on your own position and assumptions.

All teaching is conducted in English and takes place at the Department of Human Geography in the historic city of Lund, offering a diverse and international learning environment.

You will be able to analyse ecological crises and critically assess how power, culture, and identity shape environmental problems and responses. You strengthen skills in analytical thinking, academic writing, and oral presentation at an advanced level.

The course is particularly relevant for continued studies and research in human ecology, sustainability studies, environmental humanities, geography, and related fields. It also provides a solid foundation for professional roles involving environmental analysis, policy work, advocacy, education, and positions within NGOs and public institutions.

You leave the course with a deeper understanding of how ecological crises are socially produced and culturally interpreted, and how this knowledge can support reflective and responsible action in times of environmental change.

You will study at the Department of Human Geography at Geocentrum I in central Lund – a place that brings together lecturers, researchers and students from all over the world in a stimulating and international study environment.

Entry requirements

To be admitted to the course, students must have Bachelor's degree including three terms (1-90 credits) of studies in Human Ecology or another subject of relevance to the programme, e.g. anthropology, sociology, geography, environmental studies, or the equivalent. Passed second-cycle courses amounting to 22,5 credits. Students from within the programme must have taken all of the 22,5 credits within the Master of Science (120 credits) in Human Ecology - Culture, Power, and Sustainability. English corresponding to English 6 from Swedish upper secondary school.

Selection criteria

Seats are allocated according to: ECTS (HPAV): 100 %.

Tuition fees for non-EU/EEA citizens

Citizens of countries outside:

• The European Union (EU)
• The European Economic Area (EEA) and
• Switzerland

are required to pay tuition fees. You pay an instalment of the tuition fee in advance of each
semester.

Tuition fees, payments and exemptions

Full programme/course tuition fee: SEK 33,750
First payment: SEK 33,750

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Note that you may also need to pay an application fee, or provide proof of exemption.

Application fee

No tuition fees for citizens of the EU, EEA and Switzerland

There are no tuition fees for citizens of the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland.