ZA422 Critical Topics in Social Dimensions of Global Environmental Change

Faculty of Science
Spring 2025
Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
In-person direct teaching
Teacher(s)
Prof. Dr. Julia Mildorfova Leventon (lecturer)
Mgr. Blanka Loučková, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. Davina Elena Vačkářová, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
Prof. Dr. Julia Mildorfova Leventon
Department of Geography – Earth Sciences Section – Faculty of Science
Contact Person: prof. RNDr. Petr Dobrovolný, CSc.
Supplier department: Department of Geography – Earth Sciences Section – Faculty of Science
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The purpose of this course is to introduce students to a range of critical topics in understandings of social dimensions of global environmental change (GEC). We explore environmental issues (e.g. climate change, biodiversity loss) through their social aspects, including the drivers of environmental change, impacts, and possible solutions. This course is intended to be a critical overview of current debates, and should therefore give a taster of topics and ideas for deeper exploration on your own, or in future courses. We draw on ideas and concepts from across the environmental social sciences and humanities. In doing so, we highlight a range of topical debates that are shaping how we understand and respond to challenges of GEC. The topics in this course draw directly on current policy- and society-relevant debates, and shows how we understand them from a range of non-STEM perspectives. We will draw on extensive examples from both the news/current affairs, and the teachers’ research work.
Learning outcomes
By the end of this course, students should be able to:
Understand key debates in social dimensions of GEC, including why they are important for people and planet.
Identify and critically engage with relevant ideas and literature from the environmental social sciences about key debates in GEC.
Use their understandings of social dimensions to critique and interpret current approaches to address GEC.
Construct interdisciplinary arguments on the causes, impacts and solutions of GEC.
Syllabus
  • The class schedule includes an introduction to the broad topic of social dimensions of global change. then each session looks at a specific topic of social dimensions, loosely organized into the causes, impacts and responses to global environmental change.
  • 1. An Introduction to Social Dimensions of Global Environmental Change: Why is GEC a social issue?
  • Causes:
  • 2. Understanding the social drivers of Global Environmental Change.
  • 3. Environment and Development
  • 4. Environment and Consumption
  • Impacts:
  • 5. Global Environmental Change and social impacts
  • 6. Environment and Race, Gender, Poverty and Intersectionalities
  • Responses:
  • 7. Policy responses to Global Environmental Change
  • 8. Behaviour Change to mitigate Global Environmental Change.
  • 9. Sustainable cities and communities
  • 10. Societal transformations for Global Environmental Change.
Literature
  • Biermann, F. (2021). The future of ‘environmental’ policy in the Anthropocene: time for a paradigm shift. Environmental Politics, 30(1-2), 61-80.
  • Brand-Correa, L. I., Mattioli, G., Lamb, W. F., & Steinberger, J. K. (2020). Understanding (and tackling) need satisfier escalation. Sustainability: Science, Practice and Policy, 16(1), 309-325.
  • Feola, G., Koretskaya, O., & Moore, D. (2021). (Un) making in sustainability transformation beyond capitalism. Global Environmental Change, 69, 102290.
  • Jorgenson, A. K., Fiske, S., Hubacek, K., Li, J., McGovern, T., Rick, T., ... & Zycherman, A. (2019). Social science perspectives on drivers of and responses to global climate change. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, 10(1), e554.
  • Sultana, F. (2022). The unbearable heaviness of climate coloniality. Political Geography, 102638.
Teaching methods
Sessions are 1 hour lectures, introducing key concepts and literature, followed by 1 hour discussion based around case studies and real-world examples.
Assessment methods
The assessment is a written essay. The student will select a topic from the course that they have found interesting, and create an essay title for themselves. The teaching team will help in guiding on a suitable title and the content. Therefore, the assessment is in two parts, to allow a chance for the teachers to provide useful feedback for students to build on: 1. Essay title and outline (20%) 2. Completed essay (80%)
Language of instruction
English
Further Comments
The course is taught: every week.
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2024.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2025, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/sci/spring2025/ZA422