HIS33170

Learning Outcomes:

At the end of this module students should:
- Have developed a working knowledge of the key themes, approaches and debates in
climate change history.
- Be able to read, summarize, contextualize, analyze critically, and discuss sources relevant to climate change history.
- Contribute in a meaningful way to class discussions by demonstrating critical engagement with
the weekly mandatory readings.
- Have acquired a specialized knowledge of a particular topic in climate change history, and be able to share it with other students.
- Write scholarly essays to the standard of a Level 3 student of history.

Indicative Module Content:

This module will address such topics as:
- Climate change as an object of historical research and debate
- The English capitalist roots of global warming
- Modern empires, colonial capitalisms, and global carbonization
- Fossil developmentalism in India, China and the USSR
- Carbon democracy? Fossil fuels and labor politics
- Carbon racism and fascism
- Climate change before global warming, 15th-19th century
- The “discovery” of global climate change: a history of climate science, 18th-21st centuries
- Climate denialism, “energy transition”, “adaptation”, neofascism and neoliberalism: a history of late capitalist climate ideologies and politics
- Resisting the carbon economy: a history

Student Effort Hours:

Approaches to Teaching and Learning:

This module combines a one-hour lecture with a two-hour seminar. The lectures will provide an overview of the major themes, approaches and debates in climate change history, whilst the seminars will revolve around two learning moments:
1) Small group and class discussions of the weekly reading and the lecture, with guiding questions aimed at facilitating reading and discussing the weekly reading and at tying them up with the lecture
2) Individual discussions between the lecturer and each student on essay writing, for students to ask questions and for the lecturer to provide guidance and feedback; and, from week 8, oral presentations by students of their work-in-progress essay project, to gain insights from their peers and feedback from the module coordinator

Generative AI may be permitted for certain assignments in this module, subject to the instructions of the module coordinator and in accordance with the Academic Integrity Policy. The Module Coordinator will provide further information during the module.

Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.

Module Requisites and Incompatibles

Not applicable to this module.
 

Assessment Strategy

 

Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 

Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Group/class feedback, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Feedback on the presentations and essay assignment is given in one-to-one meetings and via Brightspace. Informal feedback on class contributions will be given on a rolling basis during the seminar.

Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.