MSc Environment, Science and Society

Overview |  Structure |  Staff |  Fees |  Apply  |  Recent Dissertation Titles |  Further Information

Overview

Anxiety about climate change, pollution, biotechnology, environmental hazards and conflicts over the loss of resources from economic development are increasingly dominating public debates. As a result scientific knowledge about the environment has an increasingly high value.

• But how is this scientific knowledge translated into action?
• Whose knowledge matters?
• From where does science draw its authority?
• How are ideas about managing the environment shaped by changing social and political values?
• How could environmental policy-making be more democratic?
• Can economic growth ever be environmentally sustainable?
• Do businesses take more care over the environment than governments?
• How should the public be involved in environmental planning?
• Can we continue to sustain consumption at current rates?

This Master's course uses the concepts and methods of social science to look at the changing relationship between nature and society in a variety of global contexts including those in the developed and the developing world. It is aimed at students from both academic and professional backgrounds who want to reflect on a range of ideas from across social science to help them understand the way that humans and the environment interact.

Introduction

Biodiversity loss, climate change, water availability, biotechnology and resource use are prominent issues in political and public debate. But environmental issues are not just scientific issues. They invariably raise a range of economic, political and cultural issues too

Inspired by the concepts and methods of social science, this Master's course explores the changing relationship between nature and society in a variety of geographical contexts. Enlivened by these debates, this course examines the ways in which environment, science and society are interwoven with issues of politics, power and knowledge in more complex ways than might be suggested by any conventional technical management 'solution.' The course thus fosters intellectual engagement grounded in analysis of contemporary environmental issues and policies.

'Environment, Science and Society' is aimed at students from both academic and professional backgrounds who want to reflect upon a range of ideas from across social science that help us understand questions such as:

• How can we understand contemporary scientific debates from a social science perspective?
• How and when is scientific knowledge translated into action?
• To what extent are environmental sciences political?
• What kinds of expertise are included or excluded in environmental decision-making?
• Who is empowered to speak for the environment?
• To what extent are environmental management practices shaped by changing social and political values? What are the consequences of this?
• How democratic is environmental policy-making and should it be more democratic?
• In what ways can the public be involved in environmental planning?
• How are goals of economic growth and environmental sustainability linked? To what extent are and can they be combined?
• How and why have businesses and governments adapted to and shaped environmental agendas?
• How can we understand contemporary consumption? Why and how do people consume in their daily lives?
• How sustainable are contemporary lifestyles and what are the most effective ways of enhancing sustainability?

'Environment, Science and Society' is a one-year interdisciplinary taught MSc course and we will consider applicants with natural science, social science or humanities degrees who are interested in exploring the society-environment relationship. The course is designed for applicants:

• who want to extend their academic studies or go on into research in academic, policy or NGO contexts;

• who want to take some time out from careers in the environmental sector to reflect on how new ideas might inform their professional practice;

• who want to develop academic knowledge and skills for environmentally related jobs in public and private sector institutions.

The Environment, Science and Society MSc programme is one of a suite of Master's at the Geography Department of University College London, taught within newly refurbished accommodation, with dedicated seminar rooms, computer facilities, laboratories and common rooms. The department is also closely associated with the UCL Environment Institute, enabling inter-disciplinary links and contact with key national figures in environmental policy debates. In addition the department hosts the Thames Estuary Partnership, an NGO who work to bring together stakeholders concerned about the habitat and biodiversity in the tidal Thames. The course was established in 1997, and is currently convened by Dr Samuel Randalls.

The MSc in Environment, Science and Society has the following aims:

• to provide an advanced level of understanding of theories and concepts that underpin social science research at the nature-society interface;
• to explore the different discourses and contested knowledge claims at the centre of environmental politics;
• to develop skills that help students to understand the changing context, process and politics of environmental decision-making;
• to provide a broad-based training in social science research skills;
• to appreciate the connections between theory, research and policy in debates about environmental change.

Structure

Topics covered in the course include:

• theories about the role of scientific knowledge in shaping policy and about the role of citizen and consumer knowledge in contributing to sustainable futures;
• the meaning of the concepts of deliberative democracy, environmental governance and sustainable development and their application in the analysis of environmental policy-making;
• the value of social theory to understanding the relationship between nature and society;
• the emergence of climate change as an issue for scientists, economists, politicians, ethicists and policymakers;
• theories of social vulnerability and disaster risk management in relation to natural hazards;
• theories of contemporary practices of consumption.

Keywords for this Masters (MSc) course: environmental social science, climate change, environment and society, environmental politics, sociology of environmental science, environmental sociology, green politics, environmental activism, sustainable development, sustainable consumption, sustainability, environmental knowledges, nature-culture, conservation, nature conservation, actor-network theory, political ecology, practice theory, fisheries conservation, protected areas, wildlife parks, national parks, hazards, democracy, environmental governance, environmental geography, environmental studies, green governmentality, natural resource management

Course Structure and Content

The MSc in Environment, Science and Society runs over a full year. There are two routes through the course depending on the level of research methods training that students choose. The ‘standard route’ maximizes the choice of options in term 2. The ‘research route’ maximizes the opportunity for research methods training in term 2. The differences are outlined in the table below. For those students who are funded by the ESRC or who wish to apply for UK government research funding the ‘research route’ is compulsory.

TERM 1 (September-December)

In term 1 all students take four modules. Three are core modules, which establish the framework of the course. In addition all students also take one module on social science research methods, which focuses primarily on qualitative research methods.

COMPULSORY MODULES (Term One) 

Students also take one of the following:

These courses are term-length modules, and they are organized around a weekly two-hour class (using a mixture of lectures and seminars), which is complemented by extensive guided reading, independent student research and coursework preparation. They are assessed entirely by coursework (a combination of essays, book reviews, research reports, policy analysis), there are no unseen examinations. The research methods course and the social theory course are taught in conjunction with other MSc staff teams. Students are encouraged to follow up discussions with staff and discuss coursework through an office hours system.

TERM 2 (January to March)

OPTIONAL MODULES

In term 2 students take slightly different paths depending on whether they are following the ‘standard route’ or the ‘research route.’

If they are following the ‘standard route’ students choose four optional modules on specialist and policy relevant case studies, but do no further research methods training. If the 'research training route' is taken it is compulsory to take 'Social Science Methods II' and then three optional modules. Students choose from a list of course modules that cover the central themes of the Environment, Science and Society MSc  (we recommend students take 2+ modules from GEOGG026, 030, 043,  061 and 066 [now with two separate course codes 067/068]) and can choose to complement this with modules from other MSc courses offered by the department. Some of the more popular modules with ESS students are listed above, but others are available. One optional module may be taken outside of the department subject to approval.

PLEASE NOTE: The range of options in any particular year will vary depending on staff availability. Short-notice changes and alterations may be made to this list or the structure as to which choices of options are available.

*An extra charge applies to this module. For academic year 2011-12, the planned location is China (Beijing) and the estimated cost c.£900. Alterations are possible due to unforeseen circumstances.

**This module will not be taught 2012-13

In the second half of the year students complete a research dissertation (60 credits). This is a substantial piece of independent research, devoted to a relevant topic chosen by the student in consultation with their academic supervisor, course staff members and student colleagues. The dissertation is based on original research involving data acquisition and analysis. Work on the dissertation is carried out independently, although the student can consult with their supervisor at intervals throughout the five month period in order to ensure that the project is progressing practically and intellectually. For many students the dissertation is the highlight of the course, giving them the opportunity to apply the ideas and concepts that they have been discussing in the taught elements of the course. The range of topics that has been covered by ESS students is extremely broad and some examples are given in the list below. A successful dissertation provides evidence of effective critical analysis, research design and organizational skills.

Assessment

All the taught modules are assessed through a varied range of coursework tasks including individual essays, group work, book reviews and diaries. Assessment of the taught component of the course comprises 60% of the overall final degree. The research dissertation (of 10-15,000 words), submitted in early September, counts for 40% of the overall assessment.

During the course students will be expected to:

• explore the key theoretical debates underpinning environmentalism as it has emerged over the twentieth century, paying specific attention to debates between realist and social constructionist positions;
• engage with critical social theories, explore the power-knowledge relations between expert, science-based knowledges and lay, vernacular knowledges;
• gain a deeper understanding of the popular bases of environmental concerns and the barriers to reflexivity, which are impeding change at individual and institutional levels;
• evaluate the different forms of institutional and public participation in environmental decision-making at local, national and international levels;
• analyze the differential ‘take-up’ of particular environmental scientific discourses in environmental politics and policies at international, national and local levels;
• analyze the production of natural scientific and, especially, social scientific knowledge claims about the human dimensions of environmental change over the last 30 years;
• gain insight into how environmental policy is formed, promoted and implemented and how to make it more democratic;
• reflect on the relative benefits and costs of regulation and the different modes of public policy such as market environmentalism, command and control mechanisms and public-private partnerships;
• acquire an in-depth understanding of the social scientific research practices and evidence used by academics, the public sector and private institutions;
• complete a research dissertation which will demonstrate assimilation of transferable research skills in information collection and management, computing, communication and presentation, project management and team-working, and critical thinking.

Staff

Fees

Fees for full time UK/EU students for 2012-13 are £7,750.  Fees for full time overseas students for 2012-13 are £15,500.  For further information on fees and costs, please click here. Full information on a variety of sources of funding for graduate study can be obtained via the UCL Admissions Scholarships homepage.

Apply

Academic enquiries should be made to Dr Samuel Randalls (e-mail: s.randalls@ucl.ac.uk) in the Department of Geography at UCL or, for administrative enquiries, please contact the admissions assistant in the department (masters@geog.ucl.ac.uk). You should normally have a 2:1 or equivalent qualification at undergraduate level (in humanities, social sciences or environmental sciences) but we will consider applicants with 3+ years relevant work experience who don't quite meet these requirements. The department currently requires a Good level of English in the IELTS Academic or equivalent qualification. We would welcome further questions about the course, so please feel free to get in touch via e-mail or make an appointment to come and meet the course staff.

To apply online or download an application form, please click here.

Application for 2012-13 admission closes Friday 3rd August 2012. We will not accept any applications after this date. Applicants who require a student visa should do their utmost to submit the programme application form before 31st July to ensure that there is enough time to process all the necessary paperwork.

A Geography Graduate Open Day is taking place on Wednesday 8th February 2012.  For more information and to book a place please email linda.fuller@ucl.ac.uk

Recent Dissertation Titles

Students are encouraged to develop their own ideas and interests into dissertation projects. The dissertation must be consistent with the Environment, Science and Society programme goals, but students have selected a wide variety of different topics and methodological approaches in past years. Students will be allocated a supervisor to help advise them on their projects.

• In the quest of environmental governance: Assessing public participation in Chilean environmental law
• Eastern promises: consumption in Bulgaria - a study of food consumption practices in Plovdiv
• Big fish in a small pond: framing success for environmental NGOs - a case study of the Hudson river environmentalism
• The exceptionality of waste: an analysis of the notions of government and resistance through the case study of the waste emergency in Campania, Italy
• The discursive construction of climate change science: a political-ecological reading of "Climategate" in the quality press of the UK
• Geography of transitions: the contribution of localised processes in designing sustainable energy structures
• Towards a theory of adaptation: climate change and healthamong the Pokot of Kenya
• Adapting to change or changing adaptation: a conceptual evaluation and critical discourse analysis of the meaning of climate change adaptation in Tanzania
• Beyond the pragmatic: achieving just and effective national climate laws - a critical study of the UK climate change act 2008
• The fox in the city: exploring affective human - animal relations in and around London
• Public participation in the clean development mechanism (CDM) and its local sustainable development impact: with the case of Kamchay hydropower project in Cambodia
• Indoctrination or emancipation: exploring educational controversy around film based climate change education packages for primary level
• The role of social influences, emotional values, and monetary values in clothing consumption and disposal in young female students
• Exploring elite ocean-going sailing skippers' relationships with the ocean as a drive for marine conservation
• The new battle for Blair Mountain: reclaiming and remapping the history and culture of Appalachia through radical environmentalism
  
• Governmentality, gender and the discourses of the adaptation fund
• Educating the environmental citizen: politics between the state and civil society in Singapore
  
• Feed-in tariffs: implications for the UK's energy
• Cross-sectoral partnership building and power distribution in London's low carbon zones: a study to identify conditions determining governance success or failure
• From first to second nature: a study of the river Ravensbourne in South East London
• Exploring movement development in radical grassroots activism: the case of the camp for climate action
• Climate change discourse between middle class people and the implications for individual action to mitigate climate change
• Microcosms and sustainability: a critical cultural analysis of the transition town movement
• Towards a low carbon society: exploring community in a new urban community renewable energy initiative
• The use of morals in popular climate science: exploring the hidden ethics of climate targets
• Mimicking and mediating nature: a study of how humans relate to nature in the context of permaculture
• Hybrid agriculture: urban farming in Kampala
• From environmental awareness to pro-environmental behaviour change: can experiential environmental education inspire intrinsic value-systems in adults?
• Exploring community resilience: the social-urban aftermath of the Biobio earthquake
• Why we feed wild birds: a case study of BTO members motivation for feeding birds in their gardens
• Can music help to save the world? An analysis of climate change discources in music
• Tacit knowledge, green capitalism and biofuels protest groups in west London
• Science and Technology Studies and paleo-climatologists’ knowledge construction processes
• Representing climate change in film
• Cycling in Athens
• Biofuel production in Mozambique
• Governance and renewable energy in rural Japan
• Political ecology and soy production, policy levers to influence imports into the EU & UK
• Governance and ecotowns in the UK
• Environmental education and exam syllabus
• Consumption, the value-action gap and the girl guides
• Environmental values and rural protected areas in Cyprus
• Alternative methods for measuring inter-generational equity in relation to climate change
• Power to the people: an investigation of residents' attitudes towards renewable energy schemes
• Organic certification and environmental cultures: values and practices of sustainability in the UK
• Understanding fire management practices and decision making processes of the 2007 Southern California wildfires

Further Information

A short brochure can be downloaded here		A more detailed course handbook can be downloaded here.