Module manager: Dr. Jan Selby
Email: j.selby@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) View Timetable
Year running 2025/26
This module is approved as a discovery module
From the atmosphere to Antarctic ice sheets, the Earth has been fundamentally transformed by human activity: we now inhabit a ‘human planet’. At the same time, from mining and agriculture to modern patterns of resource consumption, humankind has become utterly dependent on the very activities that have caused these transformations. Moreover, far from being automatic or inevitable, these transformations are deeply political on multiple levels – in their causes, in their consequences, and in the many arguments and differences over how to respond to them. This module will introduce students to some of this ‘Planet Politics’. It will consider question such as: Are we on the verge of a planetary ecological crisis? Is capitalism the problem, or the solution? Are there just too many people? Is meaningful international environmental cooperation possible? What are the vested interests obstructing change? What forms of social resistance are appropriate? And what is ‘environmental justice’? Examining both key environmental and resource issues and the main approaches to studying them, the module ultimately poses some of the biggest questions of all about life on a finite ball of rock hurtling through space: how should we live, and what should we do?
On completion of the module, you will be able to make independent assessments of key issues and debates in the study of environmental and resource politics. You will also be able to appraise competing theories, and demonstrate a critical understanding of the variety of source material relating to the subjects studied. This will be achieved through lectures, private study, class discussion, and independent research.
1. Demonstrate an understanding of planet politics by describing, recalling, applying, analysing and appraising knowledge achieved through the course.
2. Evaluate and apply different theoretical/analytical perspectives from within the study of planet politics which will be used in lectures and seminars to analyse and explain particular developments.
3. Demonstrate a capacity to work independently to describe, explain and evaluate an environmental or resource issue of students’ choosing.
Skills Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following skills learning outcomes:
4. Identify and organise primary sources and data to carry out empirical research and critical analysis.
5. Assemble and communicate complex arguments around real-world, contemporary case studies relating to planetary politics.
Details of the syllabus will be provided on the Minerva organisation (or equivalent) for the module
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lecture | 11 | 1 | 11 |
| Seminar | 11 | 1 | 11 |
| Private study hours | 178 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 22 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 200 | ||
A formal formative assessment opportunity will be provided for each summative assessment task, which is specifically pedagogically aligned to that task. As part of this, each student will receive feedback designed to support the development of knowledge and skills that will be later assessed in the summative task.
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Coursework | . | 100 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100 | |
Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated
The reading list is available from the Library website
Last updated: 02/05/2025
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