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| Semester | fall semester 2022 |
| Course frequency | Irregular |
| Lecturers | Basil Bornemann (basil.bornemann@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | A growing number of societal actors are combating climate change on various fronts with different strategies. In particular, the longstanding stalemate in international climate politics and the widely perceived failure of governments to take serious action, both of which were particularly evident during the spectacular failure of the 15th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Copenhagen in 2009, have given rise to new actors and initiatives that seek to take matters into their own hands. The increasingly differentiated field of climate governance includes activities as diverse as urban climate change experiments, ‘do-it-yourself’ forms of action, sufficiency-oriented business models, and governance networks that seek to organize climate protection beyond politics and the state. In recent years, in the wake of the Paris Agreement and its new approach to climate governance, which emphasizes the role of national governments in a mechanism of voluntary but binding goal-setting and reporting, this climate activism on the ground is complemented by a new wave of politicization. The most prominent example is certainly the “Fridays for Future” movement, which started with local school strikes by young people and soon developed into a broad transnational climate movement far beyond the younger generation. The seminar sheds light on the climate movement, its actors and strategies and its relation to the existing (global) governance landscape. How and why did the climate movement and its various forms of activism develop? On what ideas is climate political mobilization based? What are the central programmatic approaches and frames of the climate movement? How is it related to the increasingly diversified climate governance landscape? What is the role of the climate movement in the emerging post-Paris governance architecture? What difference does the movement make - what are its effects and implications? What are the prospects and conditions for its success? |
| Learning objectives | The overall aim of the seminar is to enable students to acquire theoretical and empirical knowledge and skills to describe, explain and evaluate the new climate activism in the context of the post-Paris climate governance regime. By the end of this course the participants will also have extended and deepened their competences in presenting and actively taking part in social science discussions. The seminar is organized according to the “classical” model of an advanced level social science seminar. As such, it will entail students’ presentations and moderated group discussions based on thesis papers prepared by the presenting group. |
| Bibliography | Bäckstrand, K., Kuyper, J. W., Linnér, B.-O., & Lövbrand, E. (2017). Non-state actors in global climate governance: From Copenhagen to Paris and beyond. Environmental Politics, 26(4), 561–579. https://doi.org/10.1080/09644016.2017.1327485 Davies, A. R., Broto, V. C., & Hügel, S. (2021). Editorial: Is There a New Climate Politics? Politics and Governance, 9(2), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.17645/pag.v9i2.4341 de Moor, J., Vydt, M. D., Uba, K., & Wahlström, M. (2020). New kids on the block: Taking stock of the recent cycle of climate activism. Social Movement Studies. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/14742837.2020.1836617 Dietz, M., & Garrelts, H. (Eds.). (2014). Routledge handbook of the climate change movement. London and New York, NY: Routledge. Dryzek, J. S., Norgaard, R. B., & Schlosberg, D. (2013). Climate-challenged society (1st ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. Falkner, R. (2016). The Paris Agreement and the new logic of international climate politics. International Affairs, 92(5), 1107–1125. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-2346.12708 Vanhala, L. (2013). The comparative politics of courts and climate change. Environmental Politics, 22(3), 447–474. |
| Comments | The number of participants is limited to 30. As this course is offered in response to a bottleneck in the Master Changing Societies program, students from this program will be prioritized in the allocation of places. |
| Admission requirements | Students of the MSD with focus area in natural sciences or in economics must have completed the module 'Complementary Knowledge in Social Sciences' (or at least earned 8 CP). No entry requirements for students with focus area in social sciences. |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| wöchentlich | Tuesday | 16.15-18.00 | Soziologie, Hörsaal 215 |
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday 20.09.2022 | 16.15-18.00 | Soziologie, Hörsaal 215 |
| Tuesday 27.09.2022 | 16.15-18.00 | Soziologie, Hörsaal 215 |
| Tuesday 04.10.2022 | 16.15-18.00 | Soziologie, Hörsaal 215 |
| Tuesday 11.10.2022 | 16.15-18.00 | Soziologie, Hörsaal 215 |
| Tuesday 18.10.2022 | 16.15-18.00 | Soziologie, Hörsaal 215 |
| Tuesday 25.10.2022 | 16.15-18.00 | Soziologie, Hörsaal 215 |
| Tuesday 01.11.2022 | 16.15-18.00 | Soziologie, Hörsaal 215 |
| Tuesday 08.11.2022 | 16.15-18.00 | Soziologie, Hörsaal 215 |
| Tuesday 15.11.2022 | 16.15-18.00 | Soziologie, Hörsaal 215 |
| Tuesday 22.11.2022 | 16.15-18.00 | Soziologie, Hörsaal 215 |
| Tuesday 29.11.2022 | 16.15-18.00 | Soziologie, Hörsaal 215 |
| Tuesday 06.12.2022 | 16.15-18.00 | Soziologie, Hörsaal 215 |
| Tuesday 13.12.2022 | 16.15-18.00 | Soziologie, Hörsaal 215 |
| Tuesday 20.12.2022 | 16.15-18.00 | Soziologie, Hörsaal 215 |
| Modules |
Modul: Erweiterung Gesellschaftswissenschaften M.A. (Master's degree subject: Political Science) Modul: Regionaler Fokus M.A. (Master's degree subject: Political Science) Modul: Ungleichheit, Konflikt, Kultur (Master's degree subject: Sociology) Module: Core Competences in Social Sciences (Master's Studies: Sustainable Development) Module: Resources and Sustainability (Master's degree program: Changing Societies: Migration – Conflicts – Resources) Vertiefungsmodul Global Europe: Internationale Organisationen (Master's Studies: European Global Studies) Vertiefungsmodul Global Europe: Umwelt und Nachhaltigkeit (Master's Studies: European Global Studies) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment details | To pass the course, students must successfully complete three assignments. These comprise (a) regular and active participation in the seminar; (b) a the preparation and delivery of an oral presentation including the submission of a thesis paper (1 page); and (c) an essay in the form of a short written elaboration of a thesis or question developed in one's own presentation or discussed elsewhere in the seminar. |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration; dereg.: not required |
| Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
| Scale | Pass / Fail |
| Repeated registration | no repetition |
| Responsible faculty | Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, studadmin-philhist@unibas.ch |
| Offered by | Fachbereich Soziologie |