Nature, Society & Environmental Policy – (M.Sc.)

Contents

The one-year MSc in Nature, Society and Environmental Policy is based on a combination of course work and research training. It has three core course components, an options component, and a dissertation.

The MSc programme comprises:

* eight core courses organized under three themes which are assessed by written examination;
* two option courses which are assessed through essays and/or coursework;
* a piece of original research which is assessed through a dissertation;
* training in research methods;
* workshops, study tours and field trips throughout the year; and,
* a departmental and policy dialogue seminar series.

Core Courses
The policy and governance strand, comprises three core modules:

* Environmental Governance explores the role of non-sovereign state actors in shaping the new geographies of environmental governance. It will examine the role and influence of different entities (NGOs, corporations, cities, the media and communities) in the reconfiguration, shaping and delivery of environmental governance. It will contrast hard and soft regulatory and policy instruments and explore how blends of the two approaches are increasingly employed in major areas of environmental policy.
* Environmental Policy and Context analyses and critiques the interactions between international regimes and the environment. It addresses the debates, opportunities and pitfalls that arise in the making of international environmental policy, including in relation to climate change and sustainable development.
* Corporate Environmental Management deals with the question of how corporate institutions manage risk, change and liabilities, especially as regards environmental issues.

The theory and analysis strand, comprises three core modules:

* Science and politics addresses the complex relations between science, politics and public policy. The course analyses the implications of the growing importance of the media, business, NGOs and the public in environmental debate, and the problems of acting on the basis of uncertain and contested scientific evidence. The course focuses on the analysis of recent and on-going environmental controversies and introduces students to key approaches in contemporary social theory and research.
* The Global and the Local analyses current debates on globalisation and the development of transnational networks and flows. It addresses the regulation of markets, the diversity of market forms, the politics of economic expertise, and critically examines the importance of notions such as environmental sustainability, corporate social responsibility, transparency and fair trade in contemporary policy and politics.
* Nature and Society interrogates the relationships and distinctions between the natural sciences and the social sciences. It pushes students to think critically about how environments have been shaped by political and economic processes and about the ways in which the nature / society relation is represented and understood in scientific and popular culture.

The research methods strand comprises two core modules, supplementary classes and workshops and a research dissertation:

* Research Design relates questions in philosophy of science (about the nature of asking questions; the practice of generating 'data'; and the role of 'writing' in the research process) to specific methodological techniques and analytical strategies through examples relevant to environmental research.
* Quantitative Research Techniques aims to develop core competencies in the design and statistical analysis of large scale surveys. It is taught in three parts which run in parallel: two workshops on questionnaire design and analysis, training in SPSS and practical exercises analysing geographic data sets.
* Qualitative Research Techniques is designed to prepare students for the dissertation research. It includes a short course on interview-based research and a half day workshop on ethnographic techniques.
* Research Dissertation The above courses help students design and execute an original and independent research that is expected to be of publication quality. All students are assigned a supervisor from the School, although it is also possible to appoint additional supervisors from external institutions. Many students carry out their dissertation research outside of the UK and some work as members of research teams in the School or firms and organizations with which the Centre has developed close relations.

Option Modules
In addition to the required core courses described above, you are also required to undertake options courses of your choice, with the agreement of the module leader and the Course or Academic Director. You need to be assessed for two of the optional modules (see exam regulations) but, with the permission of the module leader, you may attend more than two modules. However, if you attend a module that you do not intend to be assessed for you a) must make an effort to attend all of the sessions, and b) must do all the preparation and reading necessary to contribute fully to the module. In week 3 of each term you will be asked to say which optional modules you are attending and whether you wish to be assessed for any of them.

You have a very wide choice of optional modules including modules that are run by the NSEP core teaching team. There is a separate booklet that provides outlines of optional modules that are available in the School for the forthcoming year. Please note, however, that module details can change at short notice due to changes in staff availability, etc.

Options of particular interest to the programme include:

* Contemporary Issues in Human Geography
* Sustainable Urban Development and Transport Economics
* International Environmental Law
* Environmental Economics
* Environment and Development
* Global Food in the Context of Global Change
* Environment, Resources and Society
* African Environments
* Southern Africa

Reading Groups
Each term we offer two reading groups lead by doctoral students in the department. Reading groups offer an opportunity for an in depth exploration of a particular set of literature in a smaller group setting.

Dissertation
In addition to the core and option modules, you are expected to undertake an independent and original research dissertation. The dissertation is an integral and formal part of the course, and completing a good dissertation is essential for further research study in the School leading to the M.Litt. or D.Phil. degree.

The dissertation gives you the opportunity to design and execute your own research. The choice of research topic is up to you, but it normally relates to one or more of the core or optional modules, or the research interests of one of the School of Geography and Environment staff. A supervisor will be appointed to guide you during this work, the bulk of which will be carried out after the examinations are over, and will be handed in on the first weekday of September.

It is expected that the best of dissertations will be of publication quality, and all should show originality in and/or competent and creative scholarship. Indeed, it is possible to submit the work in the form of a journal paper ready for submission. This should be discussed with your dissertation supervisor.

All dissertations will be judged on the degree to which they fulfil the criteria of a comprehensive and coherent treatment of a suitable research question in an analytical and critical manner. On successful completion of all of the necessary components of the MSc Programme - assessed essays, examinations, and dissertation - you can be considered for entry into a higher research degree in the School of Geography and the Environment.

Many students will have never completed an extended piece of independent and original research before the course. To assist students develop the skills and techniques necessary to execute a successful research project a number of inter-connecting modules, training sessions and seminars are provided throughout Michaelmas, Hilary and Trinity terms. These training modules are compulsory.