LARC40620 Climate Policy and Politics

Academic Year 2022/2023

Climate change is the single biggest challenge this generation now faces. This course is designed as an introduction to climate change and climate solutions, including climate policies and relevant political dynamics. There are four core areas within the course: Climate science; the impacts of climate change; mitigation and adaptation of climate change; and the role of international and national policy and politics in addressing climate adaptation and mitigation. When possible, the course encourages discussion with relevant representatives from industry, NGOs and political representatives through the inclusion of guest speakers in some lectures. Previous organizations participating in the course include The Irish Times, Friends of the Earth, Institute of International and European Affairs (IIEA), and Teagasc, among others.

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Curricular information is subject to change

Learning Outcomes:

On completion of this module students should be able to:
1) Describe the natural and anthropogenic processes contributing to climate change
2) Understand the potential impacts of climate change
3) Understand how to develop mitigation and adaptation solutions to climate change
4) Understand current challenges in climate adaptation and mitigation, both nationally and internationally
5) Critically evaluate policies and implementation plans with respect to their effectiveness in addressing climate adaptation and mitigation

Indicative Module Content:

1. Introduction to Climate Science
2. Introduction to Climate Solutions
3. Introduction to Climate Policy
4, Climate Mitigation
5. Climate Adaptation
6. Energy & Transport
7. Urban & Rural Landscapes
8. International Climate Policy
9. Just Transition
10. Communicating Climate Change

Student Effort Hours: 
Student Effort Type Hours
Lectures

24
Autonomous Student Learning

101
Total

125
Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
active/task-based learning; lectures; critical writing; discussion and debate; student presentations 
Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 
Assessment Strategy  
Description Timing Open Book Exam Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade
Continuous Assessment: 1-2 individual assignments throughout the module. Throughout the Trimester n/a Graded No

25
Group Project: Group project Varies over the Trimester n/a Graded No

25
Project: Individual project Coursework (End of Trimester) n/a Graded No

50

Carry forward of passed components
Yes
 
Remediation Type Remediation Timing
In-Module Resit Prior to relevant Programme Exam Board
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 
Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, on an activity or draft prior to summative assessment
• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Group/class feedback, post-assessment
• Peer review activities

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Assignment briefs, including grading criteria, are presented in Brightspace and discussed in class to allow students to ask specific questions on the assessment criteria in advance. Specific feedback is presented via Brightspace as a grading rubric along with a summary of strengths, weaknesses and areas to improve, and also discussed generally in class.