Changing our Climate
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
50 credit points
02-November-2025
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.