Professor Jon Barnett, Professor John Freebairn, Professor David Jamieson, Dr. Maurizio Toscano and Rachel Webster
This
course develops an interdisciplinary understanding of the social,
political, economic and scientific perspectives on climate change.
Workload: 6-8 hours/week
Sessions:Aug 12th 2013 (9 weeks long)
About the Course
What is Climate Change? How should we respond to
Climate Change? These questions are complex, not least because the responses
available to us depend upon who is providing the answers and the particular
perspective they take. The economist sees the economic challenges and
opportunities of Climate Change; the scientist sees the need to describe and
explain Climate Change; the policy-maker and social scientist
see Climate Change as a social problem. Therefore, the first step to
understanding Climate Change and what we do about it is to see how experts from
different disciplines engage with the issue. The second step is to appreciate how
our response to Climate Change depends upon the interplay between these
different approaches.
This course offers you an introduction to different disciplinary perspectives on Climate Change to help you think about how Climate Change affects you as an individual, as a member of your local community, as a citizen of your country and as a member of the global community. We have designed the presentations, discussions, activities and assessment tasks in this course to help you understand what Climate Change is and what you – and we – should do about it.
This course offers you an introduction to different disciplinary perspectives on Climate Change to help you think about how Climate Change affects you as an individual, as a member of your local community, as a citizen of your country and as a member of the global community. We have designed the presentations, discussions, activities and assessment tasks in this course to help you understand what Climate Change is and what you – and we – should do about it.
Recommended Background
No background is necessary. This subject is designed to be accessible to students from any discipline.