Humanity’s impact on the natural world is more evident than ever. At the same time, mainstream political theory has historically taken nature for granted, viewing it as a resource to be mastered and acted upon. Yet, as the natural sciences have repeatedly demonstrated, our planet is a complex collection of dynamic, inter-related systems and processes, of which humans are only one small part. In other words, nature is not simply acted upon, it acts in return. Green Political Theory, as a sub-field, is dedicated to incorporating such a holistic approach into our understanding of the political systems shaping our society and the world around us. In this course, we will work together to unpack and critically examine theories and concepts related to ‘green’ thought. In doing so, we will be exposed to new ways of thinking about environmental and societal challenges to (1) complement our existing knowledge and to (2) make sense of how humans can flourish within our planetary boundaries. It is designed as a survey course; we will not cover everything related to Green Political Theory. However, you will be exposed to the motivations behind ‘green’/’ecological’/’environmental’ thinking, key themes, and debates. By the end of the course, you will be comfortable using the concepts covered (should you find them relevant) to help make sense of challenges – both environmental and societal – in your communities.

Course overview
Part 1: Overview of Green Political Theory
Session 1: Class overview and introduction
Session 2: Introduction to Green Political Theory (continued)
Session 3: Humans’ relationship with nature
Session 4: Planetary limits
Session 5: The Anthropocene – a useful concept?

Part 2: Key concepts from Green Political Theory
Session 6: Consumerism and economic development
Session 7: Ecological justice
Session 8: Ecofeminism
Session 9: Democracy and the environment

Part 3: Looking to the future: is change possible?
Session 10: Green Political Theory and the climate crisis
Session 11: Rethinking society
Session 12: Future scenarios & wrap-up (other topics as needed)

The course is organised into 12 sessions of 2 hours. The courses will be in a seminar (i.e., discussion-based) format based around a series of readings. Each session will include an introductory presentation, followed by group discussion. The presentation outlines the topic of study, provides real-world examples, and offers prompts for our discussion. I will provide the introductory presentations/lectures for weeks 1-5. For the remaining sessions, groups of students will make a presentation.

The discussion-based format means that the course is a collective and interactive learning endeavour; we will learn with and from each other. As such, you MUST come to each session having completed the assigned readings and ready to participate. Theory-based courses can be work-intensive and dense. I do not expect you to have perfectly understood the readings or other materials assigned for each class. The key is that you do your best to make sense of them and then identify any issues you struggled with or found particularly interesting for the discussion in class.