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Course Outline

INT102 Global Environmental Politics

Course Coordinator:Stefanie Fishel (sfishel@usc.edu.au) School:School of Law and Society

2025Semester 2

UniSC Sunshine Coast

UniSC Moreton Bay

 Blended learning Most of your course is on campus but you may be able to do some components of this course online.

Online

 Online You can do this course without coming onto campus, unless your program has specified a mandatory onsite requirement.

Please go to unisc.edu.au for up to date information on the
teaching sessions and campuses where this course is usually offered.

What is this course about?

Description

This course examines global environmental politics by focusing on the institutions, policy frameworks, and forms of global governance related to the environment in world politics. A number of global environmental issues will be studied including climate change, biodiversity, oceans, forests and ecosystems. The focus is on global environmental policies, treaties, and institutions alongside the role of the state and civil society, and the links between globalisation and sustainability.

How will this course be delivered?

Activity Hours Beginning Week Frequency
Blended learning
Learning materials – Weekly online materials 1hr Week 1 13 times
Tutorial/Workshop 1 – on campus tutorial 2hrs Week 1 10 times
Online
Learning materials – Weekly online materials 1hr Week 1 13 times
Tutorial/Workshop 1 – Online tutorial 2hrs Week 1 10 times

Course Topics

Global Environmental Theory

Global Environmental Law

Global Environmental Policy

Global Environmental Activism

 

What level is this course?

100 Level (Introductory)

Engaging with discipline knowledge and skills at foundational level, broad application of knowledge and skills in familiar contexts and with support. Limited or no prerequisites. Normally, associated with the first full-time study year of an undergraduate program.

What is the unit value of this course?

12 units

How does this course contribute to my learning?

Course Learning Outcomes On successful completion of this course, you should be able to... Graduate Qualities Completing these tasks successfully will contribute to you becoming...
1 Use critical reasoning to evaluate the way global environmental politics, governance, and policy works domestically and internationally. Creative and critical thinker
2 Critique the challenges facing the global environment and our institutions. Empowered
Ethical
Sustainability-focussed
3 Communicate research through written and oral modes. Engaged
4 Identify and describe key political and institutional bodies and their functions, roles, relationships and responsibilities in the global world order. Knowledgeable

Am I eligible to enrol in this course?

Refer to the UniSC Glossary of terms for definitions of “pre-requisites, co-requisites and anti-requisites”.

Pre-requisites

Not applicable

Co-requisites

Not applicable

Anti-requisites

Not applicable

Specific assumed prior knowledge and skills (where applicable)

Not applicable

Microcredential Information

Not applicable

How am I going to be assessed?

Grading Scale

Standard Grading (GRD)

High Distinction (HD), Distinction (DN), Credit (CR), Pass (PS), Fail (FL).

Details of early feedback on progress

The weekly Quizzes, commencing in Week 2, will be used to provide early feedback on the understanding of the course content.

Assessment tasks

Delivery mode Task No. Assessment Product Individual or Group Weighting % What is the duration / length? When should I submit? Where should I submit it?
All 1 Quiz/zes Individual 20% 
20 minutes
 Throughout teaching period (refer to Format) Online Test (Quiz)
All 2 Examination - not Centrally Scheduled Individual 30% 
Approximately two hours to complete exam with one week preparation time for the essay questions.
 Week 7 Online Test (Quiz)
All 3 Artefact - Creative, and Written Piece Group 50% 
1000-1500
 Exam Period Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check
All - Assessment Task 1:Quizzes
Goal: 
You will identify key political and institutional bodies and their functions, roles, relationships and responsibilities in the global world order.
Product: Quiz/zes
Authorship Statement:
Format: 
Weekly quizzes on readings and course materials starting in week 2.  Multiple Choice questions on Canvas.
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1 
Identification of concepts, practices and key issues
 4
Generic Skills: 
Information literacy
All - Assessment Task 2:Mutiple choice and Long Answer Essay
Goal: 
This assessment is requires you to take the online quizzes and keep current on the weekly readings. This assesses the student on their comprehension of the topics covered in the forst of the first seven weeks of class.
Product: Examination - not Centrally Scheduled
Authorship Statement:
Format: 
20 question mutiple choice test and essay questions submitted in Canvas.
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1 
Identification of key global environmental problems and political institutions
 1 3
2 
Identification of relations between state/group to global environmental policy
 1 2 4
3 
Critique the challenges facing the global environment and our institutions.
 1 4
4 
Critical reasoning
 1
Generic Skills: 
Communication, Collaboration, Problem solving, Information literacy
All - Assessment Task 3:Final Project
Goal: 
To draw out and elaborate on a key topic (or topics) of the course which interest you most.
Product: Artefact - Creative, and Written Piece
Authorship Statement:
Format: 
Final product is chosen by the student (i.e. essay, podcast, brief, speech). The sssessment needs to demonstrate that student can identify environmental problems and institutions that respond to them; show what and relations exist between groups, issues, policy, law or advocacy/activism.
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1 
Scholarly and authoritative reference sources are used to directly support claims and arguments
 1 3
2 
Demonstrates critical thinking, analysis and synthesis of argument
 1 2
3 
Effective communication
 1 3
Generic Skills: 
Communication, Organisation, Applying technologies, Information literacy

Directed study hours

A 12-unit course will have total of 150 learning hours which will include directed study hours (including online if required), self-directed learning and completion of assessable tasks. Student workload is calculated at 12.5 learning hours per one unit.

What resources do I need to undertake this course?

Please note: Course information, including specific information of recommended readings, learning activities, resources, weekly readings, etc. are available on the course Canvas site– Please log in as soon as possible.

Prescribed text(s) or course reader

You need regular access to the resource(s) below. Many texts are available as ebooks through the Library at no additional cost.

Required? Author Year Title Edition Publisher
Required John McCormick 2017 Environmental Politics and Policy n/a Red Globe Press

Specific requirements

Not applicable

How are risks managed in this course?

Health and safety risks for this course have been assessed as low. It is your responsibility to review course material, search online, discuss with lecturers and peers and understand the health and safety risks associated with your specific course of study and to familiarise yourself with the University’s general health and safety principles by reviewing the online induction training for students, and following the instructions of the University staff.

What administrative information is relevant to this course?

Assessment: Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is the ethical standard of university participation. It ensures that students graduate as a result of proving they are competent in their discipline. This is integral in maintaining the value of academic qualifications. Each industry has expectations and standards of the skills and knowledge within that discipline and these are reflected in assessment.

Academic integrity means that you do not engage in any activity that is considered to be academic fraud; including plagiarism, collusion or outsourcing any part of any assessment item to any other person. You are expected to be honest and ethical by completing all work yourself and indicating in your work which ideas and information were developed by you and which were taken from others. You cannot provide your assessment work to others. You are also expected to provide evidence of wide and critical reading, usually by using appropriate academic references.

In order to minimise incidents of academic fraud, this course may require that some of its assessment tasks, when submitted to Canvas, are electronically checked through Turnitin. This software allows for text comparisons to be made between your submitted assessment item and all other work to which Turnitin has access.

Assessment: Additional Requirements

Eligibility for Supplementary Assessment

Your eligibility for supplementary assessment in a course is dependent of the following conditions applying:
(a) The final mark is in the percentage range 47% to 49.4%; and
(b) The course is graded using the Standard Grading scale

Assessment: Submission penalties

Late submissions may be penalised up to and including the following maximum percentage of the assessment task’s identified value, with weekdays and weekends included in the calculation of days late:
(a) One day: deduct 5%;
(b) Two days: deduct 10%;
(c) Three days: deduct 20%;
(d) Four days: deduct 40%;
(e) Five days: deduct 60%;
(f) Six days: deduct 80%;
(g) Seven days: A result of zero is awarded for the assessment task.

The following penalties will apply for a late submission for an online examination:
Less than 15 minutes: No penalty
From 15 minutes to 30 minutes: 20% penalty
More than 30 minutes: 100% penalty

Links to relevant University policy and procedures

For more information on Academic Learning & Teaching categories including:

  • Assessment: Courses and Coursework Programs
  • Review of Assessment and Final Grades
  • Supplementary Assessment
  • Central Examinations
  • Deferred Examinations
  • Student Conduct
  • Students with a Disability

For more information, visit https://www.usc.edu.au/explore/policies-and-procedures#academic-learning-and-teaching

Student Charter

UniSC is committed to excellence in teaching, research and engagement in an environment that is inclusive, inspiring, safe and respectful. The Student Charter sets out what students can expect from the University, and what in turn is expected of students, to achieve these outcomes.

General Enquiries

  • In person:
    • UniSC Sunshine Coast - Student Central, Ground Floor, Building C, 90 Sippy Downs Drive, Sippy Downs
    • UniSC Moreton Bay - Service Centre, Ground Floor, Foundation Building, Gympie Road, Petrie
    • UniSC SouthBank - Student Central, Building A4 (SW1), 52 Merivale Street, South Brisbane
    • UniSC Gympie - Student Central, 71 Cartwright Road, Gympie
    • UniSC Fraser Coast - Student Central, Student Central, Building A, 161 Old Maryborough Rd, Hervey Bay
    • UniSC Caboolture - Student Central, Level 1 Building J, Cnr Manley and Tallon Street, Caboolture
  • Tel:+61 7 5430 2890
  • Email:studentcentral@usc.edu.au
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