Department of
Political Science School of Social Sciences POLI 365: Environmental Politics,First Semester 2019/2020 Academic Year Legon and Accra City Campuses
3
Credits
Course
Syllabus
Lecture period/venue:
Legon Campus: Mondays-5:30-7:30pm/JQB09
Accra City Campus: Thursdays: 4:30-6:30 pm/First
Floor, Hall 1.
Name of instructor: Nene-Lomotey Kuditchar.
Office location: Office number 14. Department of
Political Science, Legon.
Office hours: Mondays 12noon-2 pm; and by appointment.
Graduate Course Assistant: Rachel Raphason.
Course
Overview
Humanity is currently faced with a challenge associated with the quest
for “development”: how to balance material progress with a sustainable
management of disruptive pressures on the environment resulting from economic
activities. The quest for ‘economic development’, especially after the industrial
revolution in the 18th and 19th
centuries, resulted in a permanent transformation of nature on a scale that has
brought certain species of flora and fauna to the point extinction. This has
also implied a degradation of the natural conditions supportive of human
existence. The unprecedented impact of humankind on the earth as a result of
the above has motivated scholars to designate the current epoch as the “Anthropocene”.
Since a major trait of this era is the global extinction scenario faced by
flora and fauna, there has been calls for/agitations and policy initiatives
aimed at radical changes in the principles governing the pursuit of economic
development. By
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and large,
governments and societies are under pressure to scale back the processes of
extraction from nature in pursuit of material progress. There is also intense
political mobilization by governments and non-governmental organizations to
force changes to restore a sustainable balance between human beings and nature.
The varied options associated with the search for ecological solutions
notwithstanding, any approach has to take into account political questions and
interests. This is important because political entities and actors as well as
their calculations can shape the outcomes/strategies meant to address
ecological challenges. In the end ‘politics’ will fix the extent to which the
any solution framework will be optimal. In the light of the forgoing, the set
objectives of this course are as stated below.
Course
objectives
·
To enumerate and examine the nature of the earth
system
·
To enumerate and examine the nature of the age of
the age of Anthropocene
·
To identify and explain political theories about
the interaction between human beings and the environment
·
To and explain domestic and international regimes
of environmental management
·
To identify and assess the activities and impact of
environmental activists/campaigns of environmental social movements
Course
Expectations:
Members who sign-up for the course are expected to actively invest to
make the program a resounding success. Participants are expected to
·
Attend lectures regularly, be punctual, decorous,
tolerant and open minded
·
Completely read all recommended texts assigned to
the weekly themes
·
Actively participate in class discussions
·
Take all interim assessment tests and the final
exam.
Success in POLI 365 will very much depend on timely and careful reading
of recommended text. In line with this, you will be expected to spend about
8-10 hours on reading assignments per week.
An Active Learning Approach
will be used in class to cover the course material. This involves an
interactive mode of learning, which requires student interaction or
participation in class discussion. In order for this method to be effective, it
is necessary to prepare and study the texts before coming to class.
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At the end of the course each
participant shall be able to
·
State and explain characteristics of the earth
system
·
State and explain the characteristics of the
Anthropocene
·
State, explain and apply political theories which
attempt to sketch the human-ecology interface
·
Examine and assess international regimes geared
toward sustainable ecological management
·
Examine and assess domestic policies/institutions
geared toward sustainable ecological management
·
Identify and analyze environmental
activists/campaigns of environmental social movements
·
Evaluate Frank Biermann’s Earth System Governance
[ESG] paradigm
Assessment and Grading
Three examinations will be conducted for POLI 365: two interim
assessments to be administered in the first and second quarters of the semester
respectively and a final exam. These will be graded according to the scheme in
the table below:
Type of examination
|
Proportion
of grade
|
Student grade [%]
|
||
[%]
|
||||
First
|
interim
|
15
|
||
assessment
|
||||
Second
|
interim
|
15
|
||
assessment
|
||||
End
|
of
|
semester
|
70
|
|
examination
|
||||
Sum total
|
100
|
|||
The final exam will consist of essay questions based on assigned class
readings.
Note:
Any act of academic dishonesty will automatically be sanctioned in line with
stipulated University of Ghana rules. See https://www.ug.edu.gh/content/regulations-governing-university-examinations.
Students
with Special Needs
Any student with an officially recognized social challenge should make
fitting arrangements with the Office of Students with Special Needs and inform
me. The Office of Students with Special Needs [OSSN] operates from two
locations: one center of operation is located on the ground floor of the University of Ghana
Computing
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Systems [UGCS]
premises and the other situated next to the Student Financial Aid Office. The
OSSN outfit can be reached on
§
Cell phone number: 0554663502
§
WhatsApp number: 0276121467
§
Link to Face book
page:https://www.facebook.com/Office-of-Students-with-Special-Needs-UG-Legon-139612823316212/
Academic
integrity
Plagiarism, the representation of someone else’s work as your own, as
well as cheating in all forms, must be avoided. The highest forms of academic
integrity must be maintained at all times. Please read the University of Ghana
plagiarism policy at http://www.ug.edu.gh/aqau/policies-guidelines.
Tutorials
Attending tutorials is mandatory. I therefore encourage you to take
advantage of the weekly sessions led by assigned course assistants.
Disclaimer
I reserve the right to change any readings, dates and requirements
listed in this syllabus. If this occurs, every effort will be made to announce
the changes well in advance. You are however responsible for the specific
adjustments that you may require in the light of the announced changes.
Course
Schedule and Recommended Texts
Note: Texts in red are mandatory.
Click on the link below to assess all
relevant literature. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Hrtu9AiGW0qAwoO9CnHxilX0RrbKy9h t/view?usp=sharing
Week 1: Course Preview: Environmental politics:
Power, ecology, extraction and dislocation.
Reading
ü
Some key words associated with environmental
politics.
Week
2: The Earth System
Readings:
ü
Clark, W. C., Crutzen, P. J., &
Schellnhuber, H. J. (2004). Science for global sustainability. Earth system
analysis for sustainability. MIT, Cambridge, 1-28.
ü
Harris, S. R. (2012). Pushing the Boundaries: The
Earth
System
in the Anthropocene. Bristol: Schumacher Institute for Sustainable Systems
Report.
ü Steffen,
W., & Lambin, E. (2006). Earth system functioning in the Anthropocene:
Human impacts on the global environment. na.
Page 4 of 9
Week
3: The Anthropocene.
Readings:
ü
Irwin, R. (2011). Welcome to the
Anthropocene. The UNESCO Courier, 64(4), 34-35.
ü
Welcome to the Anthropocene. The UNESCO
Courier, 64(4), 34-35.
ü
Hecht, Gabrielle (2018) “The African
Anthropocene” at
https://aeon.co/essays/if-we-talk-about-hurting-our-planet-who-exactly-is-the-we
ü Steffen,
W., Crutzen, P. J., & McNeill, J. R. (2007). The Anthropocene: are humans
now overwhelming the great forces of nature? AMBIO: A Journal of the Human
Environment, 36(8), 614-621.
ü
Lewis, S. L., & Maslin, M. A. (2015). Defining
the Anthropocene. Nature, 519(7542), 171.
ü
Monastersky, Richard. "Climate crunch: a
burden beyond
bearing."
Nature News 458, no. 7242 (2009): 1091-1094.
ü
Royle, C. (2016). Marxism and the Anthropocene.
International Socialism, 151, 63-84.
ü Hoag,
C., & Svenning, J. C. (2017). African Environmental Change from the
Pleistocene to the Anthropocene. Annual Review of Environment and Resources,
42, 27-54.
Week
4: The Anthropocene and Politics
·
Water wars
·
Arms race in the arctic
Readings:
ü Messer, E. (2010). Climate change and violent conflict: A critical
literature review. Oxfam America: Research Backgrounders.
ü Gleick, P. H., & Heberger, M. (2014). Water and Conflict:
Events, Trends, and Analysis (2011–2012). In The World’s water (Volume 8): The
Biennial report on freshwater resources (pp. 159-171). Washington, DC: Island
Press.
ü
Jeffrey Mazo (2009) Chapter Three:
Darfur: The First Modern Climate-Change
ü
Conflict, The Adelphi Papers, 49:409,
73-86
ü
Tan, W. E., & Tsai, Y. T. (2010).
After the ice melts: Conflict resolution and the international scramble for
natural resources in the Arctic Circle. J. Pol. & L., 3, 91.
ü Virtanen,
V. (2013). The Arctic in world politics. The United States, Russia, and China
in the Arctic—implications for Finland. Weatherhead Center for International
Affairs, Harvard University, 56.
Page 5 of 9
ü 
Nopens, P. (2010). The impact of
global warming on the geopolitics of the Arctic. A historical opportunity for
Russia? Egmont Security Policy Brief No. 8, March 2010.
Nopens, P. (2010). The impact of
global warming on the geopolitics of the Arctic. A historical opportunity for
Russia? Egmont Security Policy Brief No. 8, March 2010.
ü Hassan,
H. A. (2010). Dimensions of the Darfur crisis and its consequences: An Arab
perspective. African Security Review, 19(1), 20-32.
ü Lasserre,
F., Le Roy, J., & Garon, R. (2012). Is there an arms race in the Arctic?
Journal of Military and Strategic Studies, 14(3 & 4).
Week
5&6: Perspectives on Environmental Political Theory
·
Feminism
·
Green theory
·
Critical realism
·
Constructivism
·
Marxism
·
Critical Theory
·
The Foucauldian approach.
Readings:
ü
Meyer, J. M. (2006). Political theory and
the environment. In The oxford handbook of political theory.
ü
Hayley Stevenson (2013) ‘Alternative
theories of global environmental politics: constructivism, Marxism and critical
approaches’. In Paul G. Harris (ed.) Routledge Handbook of Global Environmental
Politics, London: Routledge, pages 42-55.
ü Chen,
L. (2014). Ecological Criticism Based on Social Gender: The Basic Principles of
Ecofeminism. Education of Social Science, 7 (1), 67-72.
ü Siwila,
L. C. (2014). “Tracing the ecological footprints of our foremothers”: Towards
an African feminist approach to women's connectedness with nature. Studia
Historiae Ecclesiasticae, 40(2), 131-147.
ü
Peter Dickens (2003) Changing our environment,
changing ourselves: critical
realism
and transdisciplinary research, Interdisciplinary Science Reviews, 28:2, 95-105
ü Ron
Wagler (2009) Foucault, the Consumer Culture and Environmental Degradation,
Ethics Place and Environment, 12:3, 331-336
ü Ojomo,
P. A. (2011). Environmental ethics: an African understanding. African journal
of environmental science and technology, 5(8), 572-578.
ü Carl
Death (2016) Green states in Africa: beyond the usual suspects, Environmental
Politics, 25:1, 116-135, DOI: 10.1080/09644016.2015.107438
Page 6 of 9
ü
Barry, J. (1994). Green Political Theory and the
State. Contemporary Political Studies.
ü Ling,
C. H. E. N. (2014). Ecological criticism based on social gender: The basic
principles of ecofeminism. Higher Education of Social Science, 7(1), 67-72.
ü Mukherjee,
R. (2013). Eco-feminism: Role of Women in Environmental Governance and
Management. Galgotias Journal of Legal Studies, 1(2), 1-7.
ü Hobgood-Oster,
L. (2005). Ecofeminism–Historic and International Evolution. Encyclopedia of
Religion and Nature, Continuum, London & New York.
Week 7&8: The
Anthropocene and Ecological Regimes
·
Climate Change and Paris Agreement
·
Deforestation and Voluntary Partnership Agreements
Readings:
ü Santos, M. (2017). Global justice and environmental governance: an
analysis of the Paris Agreement. Revista Brasileira de Política Internacional,
60(1).
ü
Dimitrov, R. S. (2016). The Paris agreement on climate change: Behind closed doors.
Global Environmental Politics, 16(3), 1-11.
ü
Klein, D., Carazo, M. P., Doelle, M., Bulmer, J., & Higham, A. (Eds.).
(2017). The Paris Agreement on Climate Change: Analysis and Commentary. Oxford
University Press.
ü Brack,
D., & Bailey, R. (2013). Ending global deforestation: Policy options for
consumer countries. London, UK: Chatham House.
ü Luttrell,
C., & Fripp, E. (2015). Lessons from voluntary partnership agreements for
REDD+ benefit sharing (Vol. 134). CIFOR.
Week
9: The Anthropocene and Ecological Regimes: African
Initiatives
in Perspective
Readings:
ü
Mburia, R. (2015). Africa
climate change policy: An adaptation and
development challenge in a dangerous world. Climate Emergency Institute and
Climate Action Solution Google Scholar.
ü
Golubski, C. (2017) Even before the U.S.
left the Paris Agreement, Africa stepped up to the plate on climate change at https://www.brookings.edu/blog/africa-in-focus/2017/06/02/even-before-the-u-s-left-the-paris-agreement-africa-stepped-up-to-the-plate-on-climate-change/
ü
Lisinge-Fotabong, E., Diakhité, M,
Ababio, K, and N’Dongo,
C.T. (2017) Climate Diplomacy in Africa at http://www.nepad.org/sites/default/files/documents/files/20
Page 7 of 9
ü
van Wyk, Jo-Ansie (nd) “The African Union’s
response to climate change and climate security” at https://www.academia.edu/10454655/The_African_Union_s_respo nse_to_climate_change_and_climate_security
ü Sacande,
M. and Berrahmouni, N. (2018) “Africa’s Great Green Wall: A transformative
model for rural communities’ sustainable development” at https://www.researchgate.net/publication/326082736_Africa%2
7s_Great_Green_Wall_A_transformative_model_for_rural_commun
ities%27_sustainable_development
Week
10: African Environmental Activists/Campaigns
Readings:
ü
Kushner, J. L. (2009). Wangari Maathai:
Righteous leader of environmental and social change.
ü
Maathai, W. (2011). Challenge for Africa.
Sustainability Science, 6(1), 1-2.
ü
Michaelson, M. (1994). Wangari Maathai
and Kenya's Green Belt Movement: exploring the evolution and potentialities of
consensus movement mobilization. Social problems, 41(4), 540-561.
ü
Brittain, V. (2015). Ken Saro-Wiwa: A
hero for our times. Race & Class, 56(3), 5-17.
ü Boele,
Richard, Heike Fabig, and David Wheeler. "Shell, Nigeria and the Ogoni. A
study in unsustainable development: I. The story of Shell, Nigeria and the
Ogoni people–environment, economy, relationships: conflict and prospects for
resolution 1." Sustainable development 9, no. 2 (2001): 74-86.
ü Senewo,
I. D. (2015). The Ogoni Bill of Rights (OBR): Extent of actualization 25 years
later? The Extractive Industries and Society, 2(4), 664-670.
ü Obi,
Cyril. "Nigeria’s Niger Delta: Understanding the complex drivers of
violent oil-related conflict." Africa Development 34, no. 2 (2009).
ü Obi,
C. I. (1997). Globalisation and local resistance: The case of the Ogoni versus
Shell. New Political Economy, 2(1), 137-148.
ü
“A decade of community-based mining advocacy in
Ghana -
WACAM's
story” at https://www.modernghana.com/news/190303/a-decade-of-community-based-mining-advocacy-in-ghana-waca.html
Page 8 of 9
Contributions, Conflict, Contradictions, and Complications in a Prominent
ENGO’. Civil Society in the Age of Monitory
Democracy,
180-207.
Week
11& 12: Rebalancing the Earth system.
Readings:
ü
Biermann, F. (2007). ‘Earth system
governance’ as a crosscutting theme of global change research. Global
environmental change, 17(3-4), 326-337.
Week
13: Recap and end of lectures.
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