30 credits from completed courses and English 6

The course is not part of a main field.

Module 1 (15 credits): Climate Governance: Decision-Making, Diplomacy and Institutions

The first module covers the history and development of climate politics in the global arena. We discuss and analyse the central actors and institutions in the global climate regime, e.g., the UN or the EU, as well as exploring crucial political agreements and difficulties with the help of theoretical literature. These are contextualised by the fundamental questions of who decides, who is affected, and where historical responsibility lies - why we are in the situation we are in. We also consider the challenges and processes of climate governance as a core element of contemporary foreign policy and diplomatic negotiations.

Module 2 (15 credits): Climate Security and Local Experiences

The module will focus on the uneven effects of climate change on people’s livelihoods from a global perspective. Attention will be paid to issues of migration and mobility, conflict and urbanization. With the help of theoretical and conceptual tools the students will develop an understanding of climate justice and the intersectional nature of climate change, e.g., the unequal effects on different regions and different groups in society. The module’s explicit focus is on the empirical dimension of the effects of climate change on the local level. Selected different cases illustrating the uneven effects of climate changes will be explored as well as local responses to it.

After completing module 1 the student shall be able to:

(ILO 1) Review and problematize the history and development of climate change politics in the global arena,

(ILO 2) Critically discuss and analyse central international problems and themes in the issue area of the climate change governance with the help of relevant theories,

(ILO 3) Identify, describe and analyse a key problem, area or process in the foreign policy and diplomacy of climate change politics,

(ILO 4) Critically evaluate different theories of climate change governance.

After completing module 2 the student shall be able to:

(ILO 5) Review and explain the uneven effects of climate change on people’s livelihoods, and their interrelationship with migration and mobility, conflict and urbanization,

(ILO 6) Critically discuss and operationalize theories of climate security and climate justice, for the interpretation of regional and local experiences of climate change,

(ILO 7) Analyse and discuss empirical cases pertaining to the uneven effects of climate change, using theories of climate security and climate justice,

(ILO 8) Critically evaluate different approaches of how to interpret the regional and local experiences of climate change.

Teaching takes place in lectures and seminars. In addition to their attendance students are also expected to spend substantial time studying the course literature and in preparation of work for assessment.

The student’s performance in module 1 (Climate change: diplomacy and politics) is assessed as follows:
ILO 1-4 are assessed through oral and written assignments.

The student’s performance in module 2 (Climate Security and local experiences) is assessed as follows:

ILO 5-8 are assessed through group work and an individual written assignment.

Module 1
Coen, David; Kreienkamp, Julia and Pegram, Tom (2020), Global Climate Governance. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 108 pages.
Online access: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108973250

Harris, Paul G. (2021), Pathologies of Climate Governance
International Relations, National Politics and Human Nature. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 278 pages.
Online access:
https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108526029

Magnusdottir, Gunnhildur and Kronsell, Annika: Gender, Intersectionality and Climate Institutions in Industrialised States. London: Routledge. 278 pages
Routledge Open access online: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003052821

Additional scholarly articles will also be used.

Module 2
Sillitoe, Paul (2021) The Anthropocene of Weather and Climate. Ethnographic Contributions to the Climate Change Debate. London: Berghahn Books, 354 pages. Open access: https://doi.org/10.3167/9781800732315

Hoffman, Susanna, Eriksen, Thomas Hylland and Mendes Paulo (2022) Cooling Down. Local Responses to Global Climate Change. London: Berghahn Books, 402 pages. Open access: https://doi.org/10.3167/9781800731899

Additional scholarly articles will also be used.

Malmö University provides students who participate in, or who have completed a course, with the opportunity to express their opinions and describe their experiences of the course by completing a course evaluation administered by the University. The University will compile and summarise the results of course evaluations. The University will also inform participants of the results and any decisions relating to measures taken in response to the course evaluations. The results will be made available to the students (HF 1:14).

If a course is no longer offered, or has undergone significant changes, the students must be offered two opportunities for re-examination based on the syllabus that applied at the time of registration, for a period of one year after the changes have been implemented.

If a student has a Learning support decision, the examiner has the right to provide the student with an adapted test, or to allow the student to take the exam in a different format.

The syllabus is a translation of a Swedish source text.