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Unit outline_

GOVT3995: Politics and Environment: Current Issues

Semester 2, 2021 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

The focus of environmental politics often shifts, and this unit will examine key contemporary issues in the field - from the more longstanding to emergent issues just gaining political urgency. The unit will focus on key issues in depth; this may include climate change, environmental justice, food politics, sustainable cities, and/or other timely issues in the Australian or global context. Students will be required to do intensive research in a relevant and salient area of interest in environmental politics and policy.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit Government and International Relations
Credit points 6
Prerequisites
? 
12 credit points at 2000 level in Politics or 12 credit points at 2000 level in International Relations or 12 senior credit points from Government and International Relations
Corequisites
? 
None
Prohibitions
? 
GOVT2615
Assumed knowledge
? 

None

Available to study abroad and exchange students

Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator Christine Winter, c.winter@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s) Christine Winter, c.winter@sydney.edu.au
Type Description Weight Due Length
Assignment Ministerial Briefing Paper
Prepare a briefing paper for the Minister for the Environment.
25% Week 06
Due date: 17 Sep 2020 at 23:00

Closing date: 11 Oct 2020
1000 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO5 LO4 LO3 LO2
Assignment Research paper
Research essay.
50% Week 13
Due date: 12 Nov 2020 at 23:00

Closing date: 11 Dec 2020
2500 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO5 LO4 LO3 LO2
Assignment Weekly Reflections
Activities will be assigned each week.
25% Weekly 1000 words (approximately 100 per week)
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5

Assessment summary

 1       Weekly | Weekly Reflections | 25%

            Due: 10am each Friday from Week 1

            Words: 1000

            Submission: Canvas

Purpose:

1.     to demonstrate your understanding of the weekly readings;

2.     to develop your critical thinking skills;

3.     to demonstrate your ability to apply theoretical approaches to EJ to current environmental issues;

4.     to ensure you are prepared for the lectures

5.     to trigger questions for the Drop-in Sessions

You are expected to have read the week’s articles before you attend the lecture - you will get much more from the lecture if you have.

In place of weekly tutorials you will be required to deliver reflections that integrate your understanding of the weekly academic readings with additional material on a current environmental issue or issues. The additional materials will be uploaded to Canvas each Monday morning along with the reflection guidelines for that week.

Each week you are expected to submit a reflection of no more than 100 words on the week’s readings and the issue/s identified in Canvas.

You must demonstrate your engagement with the key claims of each academic reading and consider how they are reflected in the ‘issue/s’ material.

Detailed instructions for each week’s task will be posted to Canvas.

You are expected to come to lectures with reactions to, and questions about the academic readings.

 

2    Mid-Semester | Ministerial Briefing Paper | 25%

Due:                11 pm Friday 17 September

Words:           1000

Submission:  Canvas

Purpose:        To demonstrate your: 

1.     detailed understanding of two theories of justice;

2.     ability to apply that knowledge to a current issue in environmental politics;

3.     ability to think critically;

4.     ability to develop a logical argument; and

5.     ability to write clearly, concisely and persuasively

Taking two of the approaches to justice we have looked at, create briefing paper for the Minister for the Environment that examines how and why a current issue in Australian environmental politics is a matter of justice. You will need to demonstrate how framing the issue as a matter of justice can assist the Minister and policy makers  to decide how to manage the particular environmental issue you are discussing. You must support the material with references - provide a separate document with your bibliography (the bibliography is not included in the word count).

See the Assessment Rubric in Canvas for specific marking criteria.

Your Briefing paper must have a title that clearly identifies the environmental issue/environmental movement and the justice frameworks you are using.

Your task is to explain to/persuade the Minister that justice is an appropriate framework for successfully addressing your chosen environmental issue/environmental movement.

You must choose two justice frameworks from the four we have examined (Rawlsian, Libertarian/Nozickian, Recognition, and a Capabilities approach) and provide a comparative examination of how the two approaches could assist the Minister deal with your chosen issue.

Your Briefing Paper is designed for the Minister and it must demonstrate you have engaged in a critical examination of the literature - that is it must detail both the usefulness and the flaws of the theories within your chosen context - while making the case that the issue is a matter of justice. That is, you will be examining the ways that justice frames can contribute to assisting the Minister and policy makers address your chosen environmental problem/issue/movement.

You are expected to draw the justice framework materials from the class literature and source and conduct your own research on the environmental issue/environmental movement - this does not have to be from scholarly sources: it is more likely to come from newspapers, TV, Podcasts, videos, websites, blog posts, etc.

3    Research Essay | 50%

            Due:                Outline | 11 pm  Friday 15 October

Completed Essay | 11 pm Friday 12 November

Words:           2500

Submission:  Canvas

Purpose:        To demonstrate your: 

1.     understanding of a current issue of environmental politics as a matter of justice;

2.     understanding of justice as an organising framework;

3.     understanding of critical/decolonial theory;

4.     ability to engage in critical thinking;

5.     ability to apply critical/decolonial theories of justice to a case study;

6.     critical thinking skills;

7.     ability to mount a logical academic argument;

8.     essay writing skills including appropriate structure, accurate spelling and grammatical structure, appropriate and consistent referencing

Choose a current environmental/ecological/intergenerational/climate change issue/campaign/movement/organisation - one that has made headlines in 2020-21 such as the summer bushfires,  the drought, flood/flooding events, the Juukan cave explosion, COVID 19, the 2020 review of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC), Australia’s BLM movement, mid-central coast erosion, a nuclear waste dump for Australia, new coal or gas mining licences, the status of the Great Barrier Reef, deep-sea mineral exploration, asteriod mining or something else (and it must be an issue that has been ‘live’ in 2021).

Using a critical/decolonial approach, analyse the conceptions of justice demonstrated/articulated by that case. You must draw on the course readings in this analysis.

You will draw into conversation, critical/decolonial theory and the concepts of justice we examined in class and relate them to your chosen issue/campaign/movement/organisation. To do this think about:

●      Which notions of justice are articulated or represented - either explicitly or implicitly?

●      How are those notions of justice operationalised by the campaign or group? Or

●      How could they be operationalised if you are focussing on an issue?

●      How do the campaign or group’s literature, organising tactics, or activities reflect the definitions of justice we have studied?

●      In what ways does the issue/campaign/group the call for decolonisation - either directly or in your opinion. In other words, if the issue/campaign/group is not directly invoking a call to decolonise, how might taking a decolonial approach lead to just outcomes?

You will need to do significant reading outside of the course materials for this essay - so choose an issue that really interests you. You are expected to use literature from environmental organisations, social media posts, newspapers and other media sources that relate to and are generated by your issue/campaign/group.

Referencing and footnotes

Complete referencing and footnotes, including a correctly formatted bibliography  are a basic requirement of this essay.

You may choose your own style of referencing and you must use it consistently throughout the essay.

●      Basic referencing requirements apply to all your sources - academic and other sources. See https://apastyle.apa.org/blog

●      Direct quotes should be clearly marked and referenced

●      Paraphrased arguments should be referenced

●      Remember to reference your web-based research

NB: repurposing material from previous assignments of your own is regarded as plagiarism.

 

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a High distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a Distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name

Mark range

Description

High distinction

85 - 100

 

Distinction

75 - 84

 

Credit

65 - 74

 

Pass

50 - 64

 

Fail

0 - 49

When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

  • Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
  • After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

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Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

WK Topic Learning activity Learning outcomes
Week 01 Introduction and background to environmental justice Lecture (2 hr) LO3 LO4
Week 02 Theories of justice: distributions Lecture and tutorial (3 hr) LO1 LO2
Week 03 Theories of justice: recognition and participation Lecture and tutorial (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3
Week 04 Theories of justice: capabilities and functioning Lecture and tutorial (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3
Week 05 Critical and decolonising approaches to EJ Lecture and tutorial (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Week 06 Environmental and climate impacts of settler colonialism: distribution and recognition Lecture and tutorial (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Week 07 Theories of climate justice Lecture and tutorial (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Week 08 EJ, capabilities, and community functioning Lecture and tutorial (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Week 09 Extractivism, EJ and intergenerational justice Lecture and tutorial (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Week 10 EJ and BLM Lecture and tutorial (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Week 11 EJ and COVID-19 Lecture and tutorial (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Week 12 Ways forward: rights of nature, personhood, and multispecies justice Lecture and tutorial (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Week 13 Ways forward: how do we relate to the nonhuman realm? Lecture and tutorial (3 hr) LO2 LO3 LO4

Attendance and class requirements

  • Attendance: according to Faculty Board Resolutions, students in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences are expected to attend 90% of their classes. If you attend less than 50% of classes, regardless of the reasons, you may be referred to the Examiner’s Board. The Examiner’s Board will decide whether you should pass or fail the unit of study if your attendance falls below this threshold.
  • Lecture recording: most lectures (in recording-equipped venues) will be recorded and may be made available to students on the LMS. However, you should not rely on lecture recording to substitute your classroom learning experience.
  • Preparation: students should commit to spend approximately three hours’ preparation time (reading, studying, homework, essays, etc.) for every hour of scheduled instruction.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

All readings for this unit can be accessed through the Library eReserve, available on Canvas.

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. describe a number of different theoretical concepts of justice
  • LO2. apply those conceptions of justice to environmental conditions
  • LO3. understand that the same material conditions on the ground can be experienced and described using different frames of justice
  • LO4. understand how different understandings of justice and vulnerability can lead to different environmental and climate policy suggestions
  • LO5. convey these understandings in coherent, logical, and well-structured academic essays, complete with references and supporting materials.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1 Depth of disciplinary expertise

Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.

GQ2 Critical thinking and problem solving

Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.

GQ3 Oral and written communication

Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.

GQ4 Information and digital literacy

Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.

GQ5 Inventiveness

Generating novel ideas and solutions.

GQ6 Cultural competence

Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.

GQ7 Interdisciplinary effectiveness

Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.

GQ8 Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity

An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.

GQ9 Influence

Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes Graduate qualities
GQ1 GQ2 GQ3 GQ4 GQ5 GQ6 GQ7 GQ8 GQ9

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

Continuous improvement through student feedback is an integral element of this course's design. It assists in the design of lectures and in determining the content, relevance and assessment tasks.

GOVT3995 is entirely online this semester.

In the place of tutorials, a Link Pack will be posted to Canvas each Monday morning. It will contain supplementary materials – news articles, videos, blog posts, podcasts, etc. – and directions for your Weekly Reflection task.

There are two 45-minute Drop-In sessions – 3 pm or 4 pm Wednesdays. They are an opportunity for you to ask questions, explore the week’s topic, lecture, readings, reflections, or your assignments in greater depth, and to ask questions.

These are voluntary sessions.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.