Coordinator: Zen Makuch

Aims

Given that environmental problem solving relies to a significant extent on an objective framework of knowledge, this course aims to:

  • Provide a detailed understanding of how UK, European Union (EU) and international sources of law are used to solve environmental problems and emerging challenges;
  • Teach critical legal and other reasoning skills in order to reveal the significant inadequacies that exist in conventional institutional environmental problem solving;
  • Convey a new and effective framework for environmental problem solving by teaching MSc candidates how to think about and resolve environmental problems and conflicts;
  • Understand multi-layered methods for environmental problem solving anchored to dialectical thought and reasoning skills; and,
  • Offer a lively peer-to-peer “learning by doing” method for resolving complex environmental disputes.

Objectives

MSc participants will learn how to:

  • Apply multi-layered methods in environmental problem solving;
  • Assess the relative weight and importance of stakeholders and institutions in environmental problem solving;
  • Understand environmental problem solving by reference to UK, EU and international law;
  • Argue and defend positions by reference to dialectical and related analytical reasoning skills;
  • Recognise and be effective in the real politik of environmental problem solving by reference to a varied and detailed range of real world scenarios; and,
  • Use a range of tools and knowledge to actually solve environmental problems.