Course Catalogue

View Specification Document | Reading List

This course will explore criminology's engagement with climate change and the environment. It will do so by reflecting on the theoretical developments within criminology and the applicability of these theories to real-world crimes, harms, and other challenges. Each theoretical engagement will be followed by in-depth analysis of global empirical examples to critically evaluate the applicability of criminological theory and to highlight the global and complex nature of climate harms. The course seeks to present key legal, ecological and justice perspectives focused on: green criminology, species criminology, climate change criminology, blue and ocean criminology, southern green criminology, and indigenous criminology, as well as theories on governing climate change and species (in)justice.

Lecture: one hour per week, for 10 weeks

Tutorial: one hour per week, for 10 weeks

In order to take this course, you need to have met the requirements for entry into our Honours Programme. This means achieving a grade of 'D' or better in Sociology 1A and 1B and a 'C' or better in Sociology 2A and 2B. You also have to comply with the College of Social Science regulations for progression to Honours.

None

None

One 500-word Wikipedia entry (15%)

One 3,500-word essay (85%).

Reassessments are normally available for all courses, except those which contribute to the Honours classification. Where, exceptionally, reassessment on Honours courses is required to satisfy professional/accreditation requirements, only the overall course grade achieved at the first attempt will contribute to the Honours classification. For non-Honours courses, students are offered reassessment in all or any of the components of assessment if the satisfactory (threshold) grade for the overall course is not achieved at the first attempt. This is normally grade D3 for undergraduate students and grade C3 for postgraduate students. Exceptionally it may not be possible to offer reassessment of some coursework items, in which case the mark achieved at the first attempt will be counted towards the final course grade. Any such exceptions for this course are described below. 

The aims of the course are to advance knowledge on the complex linkages between crime, harm, global inequalities, and the environment as well as to develop a critical awareness of competing criminological debates on climate change and the environment, and the ways in which climate harms should be governed. The course aims to equip students to undertake an informed appraisal of the relevance of common-sense assumptions about crime and control largely informed and dominated by Western narratives and thereby understand the relevance for a decolonized criminological engagement with the environment and climate harms.

By the end of this course students will be able to:

1. Describe and explain key historical and contemporary theoretical developments within criminology and the applicability to current environmental challenges.

2. Evaluate and compare various criminological concepts and theories on the linkages between crime, harm, global inequalities, and the environment.

3. Interpret the value and relevance of criminological engagement with environmental harms.

4. Critically assess the relevance of conventional crime and criminal justice framings to environmental and climate harms.

5. Critically reflect on the various ways in which southern and indigenous perspectives are represented in academic   debates on climate harms within criminology.

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.