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Undergraduate and Graduate Programs 2023-2024


IR 4120 Globalization, Development and the Environment in World Politics

Hurricanes in the Americas, droughts in Africa, excessive pollution in China and other weather extremes and environmental challenges undermine our current forms of social, economic and political organisation in the international system and their capacity to maintain nature as a basis for human life on this planet in the future. Continuing processes such as global warming, looming water scarcities and resource conflicts beg questions about the relationship between world politics and nature in general. Can development be redefined in more sustainable ways or do we need to rethink our notions of growth and progress more fundamentally? This course investigates these questions by looking at the actors and issues implicated in the relationship between globalisation and environmental change in world politics. It engages with competing theoretical perspectives about the drivers of environmental change and its relationship to International Relations, Security and the Global Political Economy. The course begins with an overview over the debates about the relationship between nature, society and world politics before looking at key actors and more specialized debates. The course will proceed by contextualizing these general debates within a variety of specific case studies from around the world and discuss the potential for more sustainable forms of international development. Credit units: 3 ECTS Credit units: 5.

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