POSC 356 - Climate Change Politics & Policy: Global Governance

Units: 3 ; Breadth Area: GE-UD-4; Sustainability
Climate change politics and policy focusing on international action. Covers history, climate impacts around the world, United Nations, international summits, individual country positions, diplomacy, global non-profits, climate migration, climate justice. Follow climate summit negotiations in real time.

Breadth Area(s) Satisfied: GE-UD-4 - Upper Division Social and Behavioral Sciences, Overlay - Sustainability
Prerequisites: Completion of GE Areas 1A, 1B, 1C and GE-2 with grade C- (CR) or better (GE Areas A1, A2, A3 and B4 for students on the 2024-25 or earlier catalogs).
Strongly Recommended Preparation: Upper division status (greater than 60 earned semester units) and completion of lower division GE Area 4 requirements (Area D1-2 requirements for students on the 2024-25 or earlier catalogs).
Possible Instructional Methods: On-ground.
Grading: A-F grading only.
Course Typically Offered: Fall Alternate Years

Student Learning Outcomes - Upon successful completion of this course students will be able to:

Summarize the basics of climate science and the socio-political, economic, and environmental impacts of a changing climate
Describe and evaluate the complexities, uncertainties, and injustices of global climate disruption
Discuss what the international community is doing to address climate change, namely via the UNFCCC/COP process
Summarize and evaluate the position and experiences of a key actor (nation, NGO, etc.) in the climate regime
Summarize and evaluate events and outcomes of COP26
Argue for and defend recommendations for the future of the UNFCCC process

GE-UD-4. Upper-division Social and Behavioral Sciences Learning Outcomes

analyze how power and social identity affect social outcomes for different cultural and economic groups using methods of social science inquiry and vocabulary appropriate to those methods;
demonstrate an understanding of and ability to apply accurately disciplinary concepts of the social or behavioral sciences; and
demonstrate an understanding of and ability to effectively plan or conduct research using an appropriate method of the social or behavioral sciences.

Sustainability Overlay Learning Outcomes

Discuss multiple dimensions of sustainability, including the scientific, social, cultural, and/or economic.
Analyze interactions between human activities and natural systems.
Describe strategies taken by individuals, communities, organizations, or governments for mitigating and/or adapting to key threats to environmental sustainability.