International History and the Environment

Course goals

Upon completing the course, you will have

• acquired knowledge about the history of global and European environmental governance and its historiography;
• acquired knowledge about the theories that have been developed to explain the emergence of global environmental governance and the factors that enhance and inhibit its effectiveness; 
• learned to apply your knowledge and theoretical understanding to a specific historical case study based on a sample of primary and secondary sources.

Content

Climate change, natural resource depletion and biodiversity loss are key challenges in our times and closely linked to processes of economic globalisation. The inevitably transnational nature of environmental problems has propelled a transformation of governance beyond the nation-state. Moreover, public and private actors have become increasingly involved in the performance of governance activities. Through the lens of the environment and by adopting a historical perspective, this course will explore the changing relationship between international organisations, state governments and non-state actors, such as (international) environmental organisations, multinational corporations and expert bodies, all of which have become major players in the global arena in the twentieth century. The course will also critically discuss the role of power asymmetries in general and the growing divide between the Global North and the Global South in particular when it comes to environmental and developmental interests.

 

Additional information

This course is part of the minor International Relations and the minor Sustainable Futures.

Early Exit option for international exchange students (5 ECTS)
Exchange students who are required to return to their home university before January, are allowed to choose an Early Exit option for this course. The Early Exit option means that students can finish the course before Christmas break, receiving 5 ECTS for the course. Students must make arrangements with the course coordinator at the start of the course.