Overview

This unit provides students with an appreciation of climate impacts, mitigation and adaptation challenges, and awareness of questions of international equity and responsibility. Critical examination of the relationship between government, business and economy supports reflection on the role of power and self-interest in impeding climate action. Students learn from historical challenges to injustice and aid in the recognition and development of effective strategies for engagement. Consideration is paid to IPCC future emissions scenarios, and students are encouraged to envision a future of climate justice. Students further their skills in critical thinking, research, theoretical analysis, policy governance engagement, and problem solving for future challenges.

Requisites

Prerequisites
SOC30020 Changing our Climate: Past and Future

Rule for this unit
50 credit points

Teaching periods
Location
Start and end dates
Last self-enrolment date
Census date
Last withdraw without fail date
Results released date
Semester 2
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
29-July-2024
27-October-2024
Last self-enrolment date
11-August-2024
Census date
31-August-2024
Last withdraw without fail date
13-September-2024
Results released date
03-December-2024

Learning outcomes

Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:

  • Critically evaluate academic and grey literature to ensure research is informed by contemporary debates and local and international climate policy.
  • Apply relevant theoretical approaches to guide the analysis of literature.
  • Develop innovative strategies informed by evidence that have the capacity to generate resilience and climate justice
  • Engage in written and/or verbal communication that conveys the complexity of climate related literature, theory, and policy clearly.

Teaching methods

Hawthorn

Type Hours per week Number of weeks Total (number of hours)
On Campus
Lecture
1.00  12 weeks  12
On-campus
Class
2.00  12 weeks  24
Specified Activities
Various
3.00 12 weeks  36
Unspecified Activities
Various
6.5  12 weeks  78
TOTAL     150

Assessment

Type Task Weighting ULO's
Critical Analysis/Provocation  Individual  30%  1,4
Case Study Individual  20%  1,4
Presentation Group  10%  4

Content

  • Climate impacts
  • Adaptation challenges
  • International responsibility
  • Climate governance
  • Business practices
  • Economic context
  • Power and self interest
  • Historical challenges to injustice
  • Strategies for engagement
  • Future emissions scenarios
  • Envisioning a future of climate justice
  • Graduate attribute - Teamwork skills: Collaboration and negotiation
  • Graduate attribute - Teamwork skills: Teamwork roles and processes
  • Graduate attribute - Digital literacies: Information literacy

Study resources

Reading materials

A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.