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Humanity’s impact on the natural world is more evident than ever. At the same time,
mainstream political theory has historically taken nature for granted, viewing it as a resource
to be mastered and acted upon. Yet, as the natural sciences have repeatedly demonstrated,
our planet is a complex collection of dynamic, inter-related systems and processes, of which
humans are only one small part. In other words, nature is not simply acted upon, it acts in
return. Green Political Theory, as a sub-field, is dedicated to incorporating such a holistic
approach into our understanding of the political systems shaping our society and the world
around us. In this course, we will work together to unpack and critically examine theories and
concepts related to ‘green’ thought. In doing so, we will be exposed to new ways of thinking
about environmental and societal challenges to (1) complement our existing knowledge and
to (2) make sense of how humans can flourish within our planetary boundaries. It is designed
as a survey course; we will not cover everything related to Green Political Theory. However,
you will be exposed to the motivations behind ‘green’/’ecological’/’environmental’ thinking, key
themes, and debates. By the end of the course, you will be comfortable using the concepts
covered (should you find them relevant) to help make sense of challenges – both
environmental and societal – in your communities.
Part 1: Overview of Green Political Theory
Session 1 Class overview and introduction
Session 2 Introduction to Green Political Theory (continued)
Session 3 Humans’ relationship with nature
Session 4 Planetary limits
Session 5 The Anthropocene – a useful concept?
Part 2: Key concepts from Green Political Theory
Session 6 Consumerism and economic development
Session 7 Ecological justice
Session 8 Ecofeminism
Session 9 Democracy and the environment
Part 3: Looking to the future: is change possible?
Session 10 Green Political Theory and the climate crisis
Session 11 Rethinking society
Session 12 Future scenarios & wrap-up (other topics as needed)
Modalités
The course is organised into 12 sessions of 2 hours. The courses will be in a seminar
(i.e., discussion-based) format based around a series of readings. Each session will include
an introductory presentation, followed by group discussion. The presentation outlines the topic
of study, provides real-world examples, and offers prompts for our discussion. I will provide
the introductory presentations/lectures for weeks 1-5. For the remaining sessions, groups of
students will make a presentation.
The discussion-based format means that the course is a collective and interactive
learning endeavour; we will learn with and from each other. As such, you MUST come to each
session having completed the assigned readings and ready to participate. Theory-based
courses can be work-intensive and dense. I do not expect you to have perfectly understood
the readings or other materials assigned for each class. The key is that you do your best to
make sense of them and then identify any issues you struggled with or found particularly
interesting for the discussion in class.
Ressources
The course includes relevant acadmeic articles and texts from a variety of sources, including:|| Barry, J. (2014). Green Political Theory. In V. Geoghegan & R. Wilford (eds.),, <em>Political Ideologies: An Introduction</em> (4th ed., pp. 153–178). Routledge.|| Eckersley, R. (1992). Exploring the Environmental Spectrum. In R. Eckersley,, <em>Environmentalism and political theory: Toward an ecocentric approach</em> (pp. 33–, 47). State University of New York Press.|| Biermann, F., & Lövbrand, E. (Eds.). (2019). <i>Anthropocene Encounters: New Directions in Green Political Thinking</i>. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/9781108646673||