Political Science: Environmental and Planetary Politics

In recent decades, it has become increasingly clear that human-driven overconsumption, pollution, biodiversity loss, and climate change endanger the habitability of the Earth. This course introduces how both environmental politics and planetary politics are needed to understand why appropriate political action to address overconsumption, pollution issues, biodiversity loss, and climate change have not been achieved and why such action currently remains more or less intangible.

The course is offered at the advanced level as an elective course in master’s programs or as a single subject course. It is based on active learning, a group-based pedagogy requiring active participation. Learning activities include lectures, case study work, group-based seminars, and coursework assessment. Participation in all elements is compulsory.

Eden and Campus Paradis: a central study environment in Lund

Campus Paradis is home to the social science programmes. The campus area is located in the centre of Lund, a stone's throw from the University Main Building and the cathedral, which makes it easy for those who commute.

The Department of Political Science is located in a building called Eden in the middle of the Paradis neighbourhood. Here you will find lecture halls and plenty of space to sit on your own and study on several floors.

In the leafy Campus Paradis you will find the Social Sciences Library (Sambib) and the University Library (UB), where you can borrow course literature and find a quiet place to study. On the campus, you will also find Samvetet, where the student union for social scientists is located.

The cultural-historical buildings in the area were formerly hospitals and have therefore been given names such as Gamla kirurgen (The Old Surgeon) and Gamla barnsjukhuset (The Old Children's Hospital). There are two cafés: Karnas Café at the School of Social Work and Café Eden.

Welcome to a classic campus area in a classic educational city!

Course literature

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

Environmental politics involves the study of green political theories, green movements and parties, international agreements, and environmental policies. Planetary politics is characterised by eco-centric planetary relations that can only be understood and addressed holistically.

Understanding and explaining crucial challenges within environmental and planetary politics requires theoretical and empirical knowledge of power asymmetries, diverging interests, and conflicting norms as obstacles to targeted political action.

At the same time, more critical approaches are needed to comprehend how the current political culture perpetuates rather than address environmental degradation. The course thus introduces the empirical evidence, theoretical understandings, and analytical tools needed to grasp environmental and planetary politics.

We explore this in four course parts:

1. Concepts and theories
2. Policy fields
3. Political levels
4. Green/sustainable futures

Prerequisites

For admission to the course, students are required to have passed 90 credits in political science or peace and conflict studies (or equivalent), including a bachelor thesis in one of these disciplines, and an additional 60 credits of completed courses.

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.