• Globalisation and the Environment
  • Living with Global Change

EGS4034F GLOBALISATION AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Convener: Professor M Meadows (HESQF level 8, 30 NQF credits)
Course entry requirements: Acceptance for Honours or Master’s specialising in EGS.
Course outline: Globalization is a complex of processes influencing the interplay between environment and development. These processes manifest themselves in diverse ways, but southern Africa, with its diversity of natural environment settings and range of human development characteristics, represents an ideal laboratory in which to study this interplay. The course is founded on an understanding of relevant theory and its application to a number of case studies including, inter alia, the political, economic, social, cultural and biophysical background to globalization in the region, conservation and its impacts on local communities; environmental degradation; agriculture and globalization; urban development and nature conservation. These case studies are illustrated in relation to both the relevant literature and to direct experience through fieldwork.

EGS4043S LIVING WITH GLOBAL CHANGE (Not offered in 2016)

Convener: Dr G Ziervogel (HEQSF level 8, 30 NQF credits)
Course entry requirements: Acceptance for Honours or Master’s specialising in EGS.
Course outline: This course aims to ground students in the core theoretical, policy and practice debates on global environmental change. Climate change adaptation will be explored as a means for responding to environmental change, at the local, national and international scale and from the perspective of individuals, organisations and government. Adaptation will be contextualised within the international climate policy arena and greenhouse gas mitigation responses. The communication of climate science and the frameworks for integrating this information into risk management will be another central theme. Throughout the course there will be a focus on how science links to development and policy, demonstrated through case study examples, at the same time as placing global environmental change in its wider current, social/political/economic context. Students will gain experience in difference methods for assessing vulnerability and social impacts and developing risk communication and adaptation strategies.