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74881-01 - Seminar: The BRICS Countries and Sustainability (3 CP)
| Semester | spring semester 2025 |
| Course frequency | Once only |
| Lecturers |
Manfred Max Bergman (max.bergman@unibas.ch)
Corey David Ross (corey.ross@unibas.ch) Ralph Weber (ralph.weber@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | This seminar explores the ideas, policies, opportunities and hurdles that relate to the efforts toward a sustainable transition in the so-called BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, and the United Arab Emirates). In the fields of energy use, agriculture, waste/pollution, resource extraction or climate change, the BRICS countries nowadays have a major impact on the global environment, and have nominally made environmental sustainability a top policy priority. To what extent do ideas and definitions of ‘sustainability’ overlap with or differ from those of high income countries? To what extent do their policies align with internationally agreed SDGs and how do they seek to pursue them in a way that matches what they perceive as their national or collective interests? What are the main opportunities and obstacles, and how have policy-makers and non-state actors dealt with them? To what extent should China and India (the second and soon to be third largest economies in the world) even be considered as ‘emerging markets’? Do high-income countries even have the right concepts, approaches, and mandates to negotiate sustainability transformations with BRICS countries? The aim of the seminar is to address these and related questions in an interdisciplinary perspective, including sociology, political science, philosophy and history. |
| Bibliography | Will be made available at the beginning of the semester. |
| Comments | Number of places is limited to 40. In case of overbooking, priority will be given to students of the Master's Programs in European Global Studies, Sociology and Changing Societies. |
| Weblink | Europainstitut Basel |
| Course application | Via MOnA. |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| unregelmässig | See individual dates | ||
Dates
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Friday 21.03.2025 | 10.00-16.00 | Riehenstrasse 154, Hörsaal 00.015 |
| Friday 04.04.2025 | 10.00-16.00 | Riehenstrasse 154, Hörsaal 00.015 |
| Friday 02.05.2025 | 10.00-16.00 | Riehenstrasse 154, Hörsaal 00.015 |
| Friday 23.05.2025 | 10.00-16.00 | Riehenstrasse 154, Hörsaal 00.015 |
| Modules |
Modul: Ungleichheit, Konflikt, Kultur (Master's degree subject: Sociology) Modul: Vertiefung Politikwissenschaft M.A. (Master's degree subject: Political Science) Module: Fields: Environment and Development (Master's degree program: African Studies) Module: Fields: Governance and Politics (Master's degree program: African Studies) Module: Resources and Sustainability (Master's degree program: Changing Societies: Migration – Conflicts – Resources) Specialization Module Global Europe: Environment and Sustainability (Master's Studies: European Global Studies) Specialization Module Global Europe: Regional Integration and Global Flows (Master's Studies: European Global Studies) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment details | Continuous assessment. Will be determined at the beginning of the semester. |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration; dereg.: not required |
| Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
| Scale | 1-6 0,5 |
| Repeated registration | no repetition |
| Responsible faculty | University of Basel |
| Offered by | Europainstitut |