Teaching Modules
- Course Description
- Teaching Modules
- Entrance Requirements
Introduction to Environment & Development
- Global Economy, Global Ecology: The Scale of Global Environmental Problems
- Globalisation and Development Theory
- The Causes of Global Environmental Problems: Overconsumption versus Overpopulation - Case studies of the United States and India.
- Indigenous Land/Marine Management Systems
Conflict in the Developing World
- Introduction to conflict vulnerability
- Brief review of political ecology
- Brief review of the politics of underdevelopment
- Explanation of conflict environments in African states
- Conflict
- What are the types of conflict in underdeveloped states?
- Connecting the dots
- How are political institutions related to conflict types and risks?
- How is economic vulnerability related to underdevelopment and, in turn, conflict?
- How is underdevelopment related to political exclusion and marginalisation?
- How is marginalization related to conflict onset and duration?
- Why are those most affected by climate change the least likely to rebel?
Environmental Change
- Health impacts of environmental change
- Vectors for disease propagation
- Air quality and respiratory conditions
- Demographic change linked to environmental pressure
- Water quality and health sustainability
- Forest productivity and regional economic dependency
- Competition for water resources, migration and conflict
- Case studies in sub-Saharan Africa
- Coastal zones, infrastructure and commerce
- Impact of coastal zone change on trade routes and socio-economic stability
- Habitat loss, resource management and evolving social-economic impacts on development
- Environmentally-driven conflict and migration
Globalisation and African Development
- Africa and the World System
- The African State
- Ethnicity, Conflict, Terrorism and Democracy
- Agriculture and the Rural-Urban Interface
- HIV/AIDS in Africa
- Regionalization in Southern Africa: South Africa’s Role and Impact
- The New Partnership for African Development
- China in Africa
- Roadmaps for the Future.
Research methods: Data handling and analysis
- Qualitative research methods:
- Content analysis
- Interviews
- Group discussions
- Action research
- Ethics, positionality and reflexivity in research practice
- Quantitative research methods:
- Types of data and the implications for data exploration, assessment of normality etc:
- Data description: Plots, summary statistics
- Basic statistical analysis: t-tests, Chi-squared analysis, simple one-way ANOVA, linear regression, correlation
- More complex experimental design: extending ANOVA, multiple regression.
- Multivariate methods – ordination, classification
- Multicriteria assessment
Desk Study
- Introduction to the goal of a review, presentation of topics
- Tutorial session at beginning and mid-point of module
- Presentation summary of the study at the end of module
A variety of topics will be proposed by a wide section of the School academic staff. The topics will relate to current and future trends in environmental and development issues in the developing world. These topics will be collated and approved by the module co-coordinator. Each student will work with the member of staff proposing their chosen topic, following standard guidance on recommended number of meetings, report structure and presentation.
Project Planning
- Workshop to present and discuss list of project titles
- Student meetings with supervisors
- Workshop on developing a grant application, including budgeting and hypothesis generation. Presentation of the Logical Framework Approach.
- Student presentations on project plans, including hypotheses under investigation and research methods
Research project (dissertation)
Students should develop and demonstrate a capacity to:
- prepare a clear rationale for the selection of a problem or issue to be studied;
- carry out an appropriate review of the relevant literature and consider its implications for the proposed study;
- develop a set of hypotheses or ideas to be tested;
- select and employ suitable methods and procedures for the collection, analysis and presentation of relevant data;
- discuss the results in terms of their implications for the hypotheses;
- present the study in a coherent and acceptable fashion;
- produce well-reasoned conclusions and discuss their significance and implications
Political Ecology and Sustainable development
- States, Transnational Corporations and the World Bank: The Environmental Impacts of Development
- Gender and Environment- Case study of Narmada Dam project in India/Grassroots Environmental Action
- Toxic Trade and Environmental Racism
- The Greening of Industry
Biodiversity – Human Interactions
- Exploring the value of biodiversity to humans,
- To familiarise students with some of the main anthropogenic drivers of biodiversity change,
- Examples of human-induced impacts
- Considering methods to detect and reverse human impacts.
Fieldcourse for Environmental Transformations in the Developing World Module
Details to follow.