Module description
This module examines the significance of climate change for International Relations both as an academic discipline and as a set of global political practices. It develops students’ knowledge and understanding of how climate change reshapes international relations, including debates over security, governance, justice and power, and the challenges of responding to environmental change in a globalised world.
The module explores the relationship between natural science and international relations, considering how scientific knowledge about climate processes is produced, interpreted and contested in international political contexts. Through engagement with international relations theory, the module critically analyses how climate change has been understood and framed within international politics, including its implications for international security, global governance and cooperation.
Key thematic areas include international institutions and climate governance, conflict and security, negotiations and communication, social movements and protest, inequality and climate justice, and competing discourses of crisis and responsibility. Students are encouraged to critically reflect on the historical development of environmental security challenges and to evaluate the ethical and political implications of climate change for different actors and communities.
The module places a strong emphasis on developing intellectual and practical analytical skills through the application of international relations frameworks and concepts to real-world climate-related challenges. Students are supported to work independently, evaluate evidence and arguments, and explore future-oriented questions about the implications of climate change for international relations.
Assessment is designed to develop and demonstrate generic transferable skills alongside subject knowledge. Students produce a blog post analysing a security-related implication of climate change for an informed public audience, and a research-led essay examining a specific climatic process and its implications for international relations. Together, these assessments support the development of advanced analytical, writing, problem-solving and communication skills appropriate for progression to postgraduate study.
Assessment details
| Blog post |
500 words |
30% |
| Essay |
1800 words |
70% |
Educational aims & objectives
- To provide students with detailed knowledge of the international relations of climate change.
- To synthesise, compare, and discuss key academic approaches to concepts, theories and methods for the analysis of the interaction between climate change, international security and international politics.
- To engage critically with the significance of the history of climate change, and to foster reflection on questions of climate justice, international ethics, and global inequality.
- To encourage critical thinking on the implications of climate change for international order.
- To improve communication (oral and written), analytical, problem-solving and presentation skills to a level commensurate with progression to postgraduate study, through engagement with selected readings in whole-class discussions, blog posts written for a non-academic audience, and academic research assignments.
Learning outcomes
- Have developed detailed knowledge of and the capacity to engage in debate about the international relations of climate change.
- Be able to synthesise, compare, and discuss key academic approaches to concepts, theories and methods for the analysis of the interaction between climate change, international security and international politics.
- Be able to reflect critically on the history of today’s environmental security challenges, and to explore questions of global climate justice and ethics in light of this knowledge.
- To be able to think critically about the future implications of climate change for international relations and international security.
- To have developed communication, analytical, problem-solving and presentation skills to a level commensurate with progression to postgraduate study.
Teaching pattern
This module is taught through lectures as well as seminars.