Pre-requisites Completed 120 credits at Level 4 and 120 credits at L5

1. DEFINE AND DEMONSTRATE AN ADVANCED AND CRITICAL UNDERSTANDING OF KEY CONCEPTS AND PRINCIPLES UNDERPINNING THE SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION PERSPECTIVE OF THE MODULE
Knowledge & Understanding;
Enquiry

2. UNDERSTAND THE “WICKED NATURE” OF MANY CONTEMPORARY ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES AND THE ROLE THAT THE MEDIA PLAY IN PRESENTING THESE TOPICS TO THE PUBLIC.
Knowledge & Understanding;
Enquiry

3. APPRECIATE HOW THE MODERN MEDIA BOTH SHAPES UNDERSTANDING AND CONTRIBUTES TO THE CONTESTED NATURE OF CONTEMPORARY ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES.
Application

4. ANALYSE AND CRITICALLY EVALUATE THE ARRAY OF FACTORS WHICH INTERACT TO CREATE AND FRAME THE UNDERSTANDING AND ANALYSIS OF ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES.
Analysis, Enquiry

5. EXPRESS AND COMMUNICATE ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES CLEARLY, FOR A RANGE OF PUBLIC AUDIENCES.
Communication, Reflection

1 x written environmental issues report exploring an environmental issue of concern: its characteristics, impact and mitigation. The report will be written in the style of a POSTNOTE (Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology Briefing note for MPs). Students will choose a topic from a given list of current topics.

20% of the marks will be derived from a 10-minute oral presentation of the key issues described in the POSTNOTE, 80% from the written content.

100% 2000 words

The module is interdisciplinary in nature, drawing on ecological and social perspectives to explore a wide field of ideas (e.g. environmental science, political ecology, environmental sociology, environmental philosophies and ecological economics and the study of hazards and risks). Environmental issues represent challenge across spatial and temporal scales, from the individual and their 'lifeworld' to the global commons. They are 'cultural constructs', the product of complex interactions between earth ecosystems and the political, social and economic characteristics of human communities, embedded and dependent upon within these ecosystems. Attention is thus paid to changing attitudes to the environment, and the underlying philosophies that these characterise. The contemporary role of the media and public communication in shaping and framing what is an environmental issue is also considered. Issues covered may include food and energy security, biodiversity and water stress, global warming and climatic transformation. There are challenges and opportunities presented by the emergence of new forms of communication and generational shifts in news consumption. It is important that these are understood by those seeking to influence environmental behaviour.

The module will be delivered through a combination of:

(a) Classes that will combine, on a flexible basis, lectures with workshop exercises and be used to introduce theoretical concepts and to explore case studies.

(b) independent learning through guided reading from core texts and the use of web-based materials to develop a detailed knowledge of selected at UK, European and global scales.

(c) Assessment Preparation for planning, researching and writing

Brown, Lester, R. (2015) The Great Transition: Shifting from Fossil Fuels to Solar and Wind Energy. W.W Norton: London.
Brown, Lester (2011) World on the Edge. London, Earthscan.
Buckingham, Susan and Turner Mike (2008) Understanding Environmental Issues. London, Sage.
Leonard, A. (2010) The Story of Stuff. London; Constable.
Hansen, A. (2018) Environment, Media and Communication (2nd edition). London: Routledge
IEMA (2011) Environmental Management in Organizations (2nd edition). London, Earthscan
PLUS – up to date journal papers set as reading each week.

High quality teaching space with usual audio-visual facilities.
Library resources both physical and online.